Jumbo jets and mobile phones... inexplicably linked

Just flown back from Gothenburg, there'll be a number of photos published here in the next couple of days - so watch this space! Thanks for all the messages, readers... you know who you are... and your bosses probably know what you've been looking at..! Never fear though, this site is censored... for now!

Anyways, back to the serious business of blogging...

This morning, I was about to take off from Gothenburg airport (having said that, we all were about to take off, I don't just mean me personally) when a familiar announcement came over the tannoy...

"Ladies and Gentlemen... we are about to take off. Could I remind all passengers to turn off their mobile phones as it might interfere with flight controls. Thank-you."

Cue numerous people scrabbling about in their bags to turn off their mobiles. Something got me thinking though...

In a world where you have to remove razors from your bag, get full body searched (as I was both on my outgoing and return flights) and go through the metal machine bleeper, all in case of mad terrorism, are we really saying that one unguarded, ringing mobile phone could bring down a jumbo jet?

For all our concerns about Al Quaeda cells, bombs, knives, plasticine explosives, we should really be looking out for a terrorist branding the latest deadly... Nokia?

I can just imagine the scene...

"Jim?"

"Yes honey?"

"That man looks awful nervous... he's fiddling with his pockets... he's sweating, he's getting out his mobile phone! My god! I thik he might make a call - what is he, mad? We're all going to die! Stewardess! Do something..."

Just a thought...

Returning to serious matters though, arriving at Standsted and getting straight onto a train, I was a little perturbed to see people leaving the train in a blind panice, and security guards checking out a carriage. Moments later, a lady came running back up the platform, having forgotten her guitar case, and sparked a security alert.

The security guards didn't see the funny side, as they handed the absent minded lady back her bag... before allowing people back onto the train.

Funnily enough, no-one sat on that carriage before it departed for London once again.

Serious times...