Nerd Alert

While here, I've been keeping track of the various cultural differences that make life interesting here in London. There's the obvious, like driving on the wrong side of the street. I say "wrong" side, not "other" side deliberately. I'm not convinced the Britons are altogether comfortable with passing each other on the left, as evidenced by the catastrophe they're all faced with when walking down the street. Sure, they know the rules of the road suggest they pass each other on the left, but they can never seem to maintain those rules while on foot. Some of the more steadfast (especially the over 60 year-olds) will unwaveringly pass you on the left. However, everyone else is at a loss, which results in countless near collisions, not to mention those ridiculous mid-sidewalk dances that people do when they're trying to find out which side to pass on.

Pictured above is a cultural difference I was not prepared for until I tried to type a sentence including a quotation mark. You and I know this button to live adjacent to the Enter key. In the UK version, it's the #2. Note also the left Shift key. I, for one, solely use the left shift key, and to have it at only half the size of a standard Shift key, I'm constantly typing a \, which I'm used to being above the Enter key. Take a close look at these two keyboards and you'll see how different they really are. For those of you who are curious, the Alt Gr key is for the Euro symbol on the 4 key.

-JP