Endorsement (A found poem)

Endorsement

By the United States Postal Service

No Such Office in State

No Such Street

No Such Number

Insufficient Address

Returned for Better Address

Not Deliverable as Addressed - Unable to Forward

Outside Delivery Limits

No Mail Receptacle

Returned for Postage

Moved, Left No Address

Temporarily Away

Attempted - Not Known

Box Closed - No Order

Returned to Sender Due to Addressee's Violation of Postal False Representation Law

Returned to Sender Due to Addressee's Violation of Postal False Representation and Lottery Law

Returned to Sender Due to Addressee's Violation of Postal Lottery Law

Illegible

In Dispute

Refused

Vacant

Unclaimed

Deceased

Poem found by Will Bachman

 - Source: "USPS Endorsements for Mail Undeliverable as Addressed"

Why such a lousy selection of tea?

Why do so many restaurants, even fine dining restaurants, have such a limited selection of tea? This doesn't make economic sense to me.

Some people don't drink coffee but would drink tea.

The margin on serving a cup of tea must be fantastic: usually $3 for the cost of a teabag and washing the tea cup.

But many restaurants will just have, say, black tea. No chamomille, no peppermint, no lemon. No Earl Grey.

It would seem relatively trivial to add some theatre by bringing out a wooden box with a wide selection of fine teas. Wouldn't take up much space.

Time to load up on Kindle samples

With The Economist and other publications coming out with their annual round-up of the best books of 2012, it is a good time to load up a couple dozen free samples on your Kindle or Kindle app.

I load them up now, when I read the lists, and then I get to them over the course of the year. 

The lights in Lima

On the main avenues in Lima, Peru, the traffic lights - both green and red, have count-down timers.

I've never seen this in the U.S.

It makes a big difference in how you perceive the wait at a red light if you know how much longer it will last.

It also helps traffic get moving more quickly once the light turns green, as the drivers are prepared.

Before you come in, we ask that you fill out the form on our website

The service specialist on the phone tells me, "Before you come in, you'll need to fill out the form on our website, print it out, and then bring a copy with you."

That may work for a monopoly like the State Department, but in this case, I'll go to another shop on the list where I can just walk in.