Discouraging unwanted callers
"The phone rang at 6pm," writes Peter. "The accented caller claimed to be from Microsoft Windows support. He wanted to fix my computer, which was apparently infected. (I must stop visiting those dodgy sites.) I told him I would log on, but then got distracted by several whiskies and then dinner. I apologised to him but then got sidetracked by the dishes and that funny little know-it-all chap on telly at 7pm. By 7.45 the man from Windows was sounding very frustrated and a bit ill-tempered. I suggested we try it again another day and hung up."
Changing times for flight attendants
During Pan Am's heyday in the US in the 1960s, airline stewardesses had to be at least 5ft 2in (157cm), weigh no more than 130 pounds (59kg), and retire by age 32. They weren't allowed to be married or have kids either, so most women averaged just 18 months on the job. In the 1970s, the mandatory retirement age was the first thing to go and by the 1980s, the marriage restriction was gone as well. Most of those disappeared in the 1990s. Today, the rules regarding size are about safety - you have to be able to sit in the jump seat without an extended seatbelt and fit through the emergency exit window. Flight attendants also have to be tall enough to grab equipment from the overhead bins, but not so tall that we're hitting our heads on the ceiling - between 5ft 3in (160cm) and 6ft 1in (185cm), depending on the aircraft. (Via Mental Floss)
