Every day on the way to work, I drive past the fancy electronic message board on Interstate 77 south near Copley Road in West Akron. And every day it tells me that state Route 8 is six miles away and will take six minutes to reach, and “77/224” is eight miles away and will take nine minutes to reach.
Those times never vary.
Ever.
But one recent morning, another screen was alternating with the traditional message. That screen read:
“Accident I-76 at Exit 25.”
Now, I have lived and worked in Greater Akron for more than a quarter of a century, and if my life depended on it, I couldn’t tell you where “Exit 25” is without looking at a map or going online, which is not a spectacular idea when you’re driving a car.
Normal people don’t know exit numbers. How about a geographic hint?
All of this costly new technology is only as helpful as the people programming it.
Time machine?
Speaking of helpful ... a publicist for the Cleveland Cavaliers sent out the following email the other morning at precisely 10:50:
“The Cleveland Cavaliers will shoot around TODAY at Cleveland Clinic Courts. Media planning to attend should arrive by 10:45 a.m.”
Cutting in line
Wonder how friends of North High School feel about the $71 million being spent to build a new Firestone High School.
North was built in 1931. Firestone was built in 1962. Firestone gets a new school first?
Time warp
Last week in a column about Jim Tressel, I mentioned that he was available for his new University of Akron job because he was not hired to coach the Baltimore Colts.
Well, technically that’s true. There aren’t many positions available with a franchise that ceased to exist in 1983.
Perhaps subconsciously I left the Colts in Baltimore because I wasn’t certain I could spell Indianapolis.
In any event, maybe Johnny Unitas is available. He might be an upgrade for the Browns, seeing as how he only recently died.
Dueling schools
Speaking of Tressel, the WEWS (Channel 5) website offered streaming video of his huge news conference at the University of Akron.
Right above the picture: An advertisement for Keller Graduate School of Management. Right beside: an ad for Kent State University.
So much for cornering the collegiate publicity.
Double standard
Sometimes the best thing to do is just get out of the way and let a reader tell a tale. Nothing I can add to this one.
Bob: With all of your articles about how pious the Ohio BMV is with their vanity plates, I thought you might find this humorous.
I went to the BMV in Stow to get new license plates. The clerk held up a set of plates and asked if they were acceptable, and said she had others if they weren’t.
I looked at them and broke out laughing and asked, “Are you serious?” The plate she was holding up read “FKD 7946.” She said that, yes, she had to ask if the plate was acceptable to me.
I asked her if she ever had anyone not know why she was asking about the plates and she had. She had asked a 21-year-old woman if they were OK and she said, ‘Sure, why not?’ Her mother was along with her, saw the plate, intervened and requested something else.
I also opted for something else, but eventually there will be 9,999 Ohio license plates out there that are FKD up.
Doug Anderson
Peninsula
Bob Dyer can be reached at 330-996-3580 or bdyer@thebeaconjournal.com.
