Who needs GCHQ?

One of my earliest memories is standing in my Grandparents house in East London listening to the local Taxi drivers conversations being broadcast on the television set. What made it seem even more remarkable was that the TV wasn't actually switched on - apart from at the mains - that would have been a Doris Stokes moment if even the plug wasn't switched on!

Anyway years later I discovered that on one of the bands of my multi-band radio I could pick up telephone conversations from houses within a couple of hundred yards or so if I got lucky. When I have mentioned this to people they have always responded with, "really?" in that condescending tone of voice usually reserved by adults for a small child, a former colleague whose husband worked for BT (and whatever it was called before that) confirmed this wasn't unusual - and when you think of how Wi-Fi works I suppose anything is possible.

So, Nathalie is serving her apprenticeship at a children's nursery where walkie talkies are used to communicate over the various floors and two buildings and she too is now experiencing the delights of the intrusive radio message. The pick of the last week came courtesy of the local motor cycle training school.

"Okay, everybody we are coming up to the St.Paul's roundabout - take the second exit."
"Second exit Brian........Brian I said second exit......Oh bugger, okay everybody let's go round again, Brian is having trouble counting to two this morning."

Imagine hearing that first time come over the airwaves, you couldn't help smiling could you?