Not to minimize the danger and disruption that Hurricane Irene is about to spread up the East Coast, but I’ve gotten a bit fixated on one recurring detail in the reporting.
Every time a meteorologist stands in front of a weather map and points out the “cone of probability” for Irene’s path, I can’t help thinking of Maxwell Smart’s “cone of silence” in the old TV comedy series “Get Smart.”
Of course, you have to be of a certain age to even remember that 1960s show, but I am and I do. It’s annoying, really, because Irene is no laughing matter.
Stay safe, all you East Coasters.
I’m kinda vague on the “cone of silence,” but I certainly remember watching Get Smart! Apparently, they had several variants:
http://alistair.cockburn.us/get/1884
And as much as I want to mock the hell out of the way they’re covered, I also know that hurricanes are definitely nothing to joke about. I remember thinking how silly all the hype was about Ike’s threat to the gulf coast a couple of years back, only to have the damned thing end up wreaking havoc all the way up here in Ohio. I thought my apartment building was going to go down, and some people were without power for weeks! 😯
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1eUIK9CihA&w=420&h=345%5D
That hilarious! 😀
Ack, that cigarette! I’d forgotten how common they were on TV back then.
I’m fixated on the fact that they even try to predict weather, they really have no clue what is about to happen.
It’s always interesting to watch them try. Only Mother Nature knows for sure what she’s going to do, and she’s not tellin’ …