Peter Rhodes on techno-theft, a movie spat and some curious ways with the English language
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says large numbers of drones will be in our skies within three years, delivering items to and from remote locations. In the entire history of transportation, including stage coaches and the Great Train Robbery, every step forward has been exploited by criminals. So how long before the first drone with a multi-million pound payload, is electronically ambushed, grounded and robbed by the ungodly?
If you hear any criticism about drones being bloody noisy, bloody smelly, bloody vulnerable and bloody polluting, it will probably come from the UAA, the Uncivil Aviation Authority.
A golden rule of written English is to avoid repetition of a word, even if doing so produces some curious results. Take a recent national newspaper report on a poorly camel. The first reference to the beast is “a camel.” The second is “a Bactrian camel.” The third (and you can almost hear the writer scratching his head for inspiration) is “the humped mammal.” That's enough Asian ungulates, thanks.
