vilakins: Vila with stars superimposed (danger)
Nico ([personal profile] vilakins) wrote2004-09-22 08:41 pm
  • Add Memory
  • Share This Entry
Entry tags:

Unholy Water

I'm working at the local water authority, and yesterday a woman rang up the engineers and demanded that her new water meter be replaced because it has a 666 in its serial number.

Now after having a good laugh, I got to thinking about it today. Firstly, what does she think the meter will do to her water? Secondly, is she happy as long as she gets rid of the offending piece of equipment, or is she at all concerned for the innocent person who will have this evil visited on them unawares? The ethical issues interest me. She really should buy the thing and have it exorcised or destroyed if she feels it's a danger. (Poor inoffensive little meter.) Sadly, I can't ask her, though she lives in the next street.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[identity profile] communicator.livejournal.com 2004-09-22 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
What I find most remarkable is that someone even looked at the serial number on their water meter? And they say fans should get a life :-)

[identity profile] vilakins.livejournal.com 2004-09-22 12:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Apparently the number appears on your bill. I've never looked at mine.
jekesta: Houlihan with her hat and mask. (Ford Six Pints (by Carmen_lj))

[personal profile] jekesta 2004-09-22 10:14 am (UTC)(link)
Wow. Just wow. I can't believe she noticed:) Satan was obviously involved with the making of the meter and any water which comes through it will be evil!water which will affect those who drink it. Yes, surely.

[identity profile] vilakins.livejournal.com 2004-09-22 12:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Yet she doesn't seem worried about whatever she's afraid of happening to someone else who gets the meter.
jekesta: Houlihan with her hat and mask. (Ford Six Pints (by Carmen_lj))

[personal profile] jekesta 2004-09-22 12:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Presumably if they accept the meter then they are accepting of satan and all his little devils and deserve what's coming to them.

[identity profile] vilakins.livejournal.com 2004-09-22 12:50 pm (UTC)(link)
And anything bad (a chipped glass or whatever) will be blamed on the poor thing.

[identity profile] snowgrouse.livejournal.com 2004-09-22 10:38 am (UTC)(link)
My goodness:D...

Strangely enough, I have an early 40's printing of Dumas' Twenty Years Later/The Son of Mylady in two volumes, with the page numbers continuing on in the second one up until 800 or so. One of the chapters in the second book begins on page 666 but in the index it's marked as starting from p.665. And I think that on one turn-of-the-century dictionary I have there isn't even a page 666. It's surprising how the superstition is/was alive and well only fifty-odd years ago.

[identity profile] vilakins.livejournal.com 2004-09-22 12:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Number superstition is still rife. When I went to Fiji, we stayed in bure (cottage) number 12A. I was puzzled about where 12B was and it took me days to work out it was really number 13. Many hotels don't have 13th floors or room 13s.

A Chinese colleague refused to have login number 4 on a course (it means 'death') and was delighted when I said to the surprised tutor to give her 8 (wealth). Chinese immigrants here will pay heaps for a house with the right number and never buy one with a 4 despite its quality. And don't get me started on feng shui, though our house's bad FS enabled us to buy it. :-D

Sigh. They're just numbers in a base 10 numbering system, guys.
kernezelda: (candy)

[personal profile] kernezelda 2004-09-22 10:50 am (UTC)(link)
Sad, the life of a rejected, potentially dangerous meter o' evil.

[identity profile] vilakins.livejournal.com 2004-09-22 12:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, I do feel sorry for the meter in this case. Perhaps it will find a good home.
Flat | Top-Level Comments Only