No guests today, but we had a wonderful music filled two hours during which we enjoyed hearing about the discomfort suffered by some airline passengers who had to “stump up” the cash to pay for repairs so their plane could take off, and about the man who just paid a fortune to marry a hologram!
It was the Polish Airline LOT who’s 249 passengers were asked to “chip in” to help pay for a new hydraulic pump after maintenance staff at Beijing Airport refused to accept a bank transfer, and insisted on cash only before they would undertake the necessary repair.
As a result the airline organised a “whip round” of the passengers which produced £280.
To add insult to injury passengers then faced a 10-hour wait whilst repairs were completed.
The passengers were reimbursed by the airline on arrival in Warsaw and given vouchers.
They will also be eligible for around £534 compensation for the delay.
Don’t you just love it!
Staying in the Far East, which the passengers of the LOT plane had to do for longer than expected, our next item comes from Japan where 35-year old AKIHIKO KONDO, has just shelled out the equivalent of £14,000 to marry a hologram.
The “bride” is a virtual reality singer who goes by the name of HATSUNE MIKU and “floats” in a $2800 desktop device.
Gatebox, the company that produces the hologram device has even issued a “marriage certificate,” which certifies that a human and a virtual character have wed “beyond dimensions”.
A video of the ceremony shows Akihiko gazingly lovingly into the eyes of a small stuffed doll which was fitted with a ‘wedding ring’ on its wrist to represent the hologram.
In the clip, Akihiko moves the doll’s veil – and long aqua marine pig tails – away from its face before giving it a long, painfully slow, kiss.
He also reads a wedding speech to the doll, although it isn’t entirely clear if she was pleased either way.
The holographic singer welcomes Akihiko home every evening and tells him when it’s time to go to bed, where he sleeps with the doll replica of the hologram beside him.
Prior to the wedding, Kondo said he had struggled with conventional relationships and been referred to as ‘creepy’ by girls he knew.
I wonder why!
See you again tomorrow,
Scott
