Saturday, December 29, 2007

parking in New York


parking, originally uploaded by gugs.

I shot this one in Manhattan in September 2000... I found it particularly funny...

Friday, December 28, 2007

Don't gather flowers


BE7_5170, originally uploaded by gugs.

self-explanatory ? those don't really look like flowers, more like candies...

No music


BE7_5171, originally uploaded by gugs.

don't bring your radio... seen at the entrance of a nature park in Belgium

Notre-Dame II


Paris-24, originally uploaded by gugs.

second part of the instructions (see previous post). The least followed instruction is no flash photography.... it seems that point&shoot camera users don't have a clue on how to switch off the flash and also do not understand that a flash is just ruining the picture when shooting from a distance...

Notre-Dame I


Paris-25, originally uploaded by gugs.

instructions before you enter Notre-Dame (Cathedral) in Paris. This is just the first part.

No fire


BE7_5172, originally uploaded by gugs.

don't use matches, don't smoke, basically no fire allowed - seen in a nature park in Belgium

feeding animals


BE7_5169, originally uploaded by gugs.

Don't feed the animals - seen in a nature park in Belgium. The nimal in question here looks like a horse...

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Merry Xmas


Aachen 05, originally uploaded by gugs.

This is definitely not a sign... but given the circumstances...

Merry Christmas to everybody

Escalator


Paris 16, originally uploaded by gugs.

another collection of do's and don't s while using an escalator

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Dryer


Paris 09, originally uploaded by gugs.

instructions to dry your hands. Found in a restaurant. Press the button and move your hands in the warm air.

Meeting room


Paris 08, originally uploaded by gugs.

This is used in the Musee du Louvre in Paris to indicate meeting or conference rooms

Metro Gate in Paris


Paris 14, originally uploaded by gugs.

those signs are not 100% clear to me. They mean that if you have small children or luggage, they should pass the gate in front of you and not behind you (probably not to get injured when the gate closes)

Electric shock


Paris 26, originally uploaded by gugs.

This was on the ceiling of my hotel room ! Stay away from the ceiling....:D

Emergency stop


Paris 27, originally uploaded by gugs.

seen in France, instructions for the emergency stop: break the glass, THEN press the button ;-)

Walking on water


interdit, originally uploaded by jacdesalpes.

submitted by a French colleague, the sign says "forbidden to walk on the water"... and it looks very serious... all interpretations possible

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Paris Tickets


Paris 22, originally uploaded by gugs.

Here you can buy (give Euros and receive) tickets. This suggests that you could get a ticket for a coin...

Paris Trains


Paris 24, originally uploaded by gugs.

this is the way to the trains (on the left international, on the right double deck local trains)

Safety equipment


Hong Kong 037, originally uploaded by gugs.

again at the entrance of a construction area. The text makes it clear... you HAVE to wear all the safety equipments. Protect your ears, your head, your eyes, secure yourself, wear a mask and safety shoes... can you still do your work ??

Work area


Hong Kong 038, originally uploaded by gugs.

I don't know exactly what all those signs exactly mean. I found those at the entrance of a construction area in Hong Kong central

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

No boarding


Paris 06, originally uploaded by gugs.

self-explanatory (just read the text) - seen in most metro stations (underground) in Paris

No walking ?


Aachen 08, originally uploaded by gugs.

this is a sign seen in Aachen, Germany. I don't know the exact message... end of "walking" area but why a woman with a child ?

Power cut Paris Metro


Paris 05, originally uploaded by gugs.

emergency switch to switch off the power of a metro station in Paris if somebody is falling on the track...

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Louvres visit


Paris-16, originally uploaded by gugs.

This is a small collection of signs you'll find at the ticket booth of the "Musee du Louvre" in Paris. You cannot carry any luggage, smoke, drink or eat. The interesting cultural aspect is that food is being represented by a French "baguette", the typical French bread.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

first aid


sign 2, originally uploaded by gugs.

This is a collection of signs found in Belgium, combining two different categories, first aid and tooling (maybe to repair what can be repaired ;-))

Californian law


US trip part 237, originally uploaded by gugs.

This is something you can see in hotels and restaurants in California. This is legal paranoia, to European eyes... the next step will be that tourists have to sign a document when entering the country to prove that they understand that by breathing they might inhale substances dangerous to their health.

Supermarket


DSC_0912, originally uploaded by gugs.

This is in the parking lot of my favorite supermarket... first one is showing the entrance, the second one is saying: beware of the automatic door, the second row is self-explanatory...

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Clean airport


HKG_1195, originally uploaded by gugs.

self-explanatory - seen at the Hong Kong airport

Blind intersection


112_8649, originally uploaded by gugs.

this is also a bit strange to me. This picture has been taken close to the golden gate bridge in SF. The text might be explicit but the pictogram is really unclear... it has to do with bicycles and pedestrians... for the rest...

Electrostatic


sign 1, originally uploaded by gugs.

this is a classical one in environments sensitive to electrostatic discharge (typically electronic components). The only strange thing here is that I don't find the pictogram very clear. You need to read the text to know what this is all about... and then what are you supposed to do ?

Monday, December 10, 2007

Elevator


HKG_1083, originally uploaded by gugs.

this sign shows the way to an elevator, presumably used for people in a wheelchair or to transport heavy luggage.

Information


HKG_1193, originally uploaded by gugs.

a very classical and international one... interesting thing, this was in Honk Kong, where all signs also have Chinese "subtitles". Here the "i" seems to have an international value...

dressing table


HKG_1230, originally uploaded by gugs.

seen on a 747, in a restroom.

Oxymoron


sign 3, originally uploaded by gugs.

self-contradictory picture ;-)
A picture of a sign saying "forbidden to take a picture"

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Baby


DSC_0910, originally uploaded by gugs.

this sign is in a parking lot under my supermarket. It is indicating a spot reserved for people with small babies...

Prepare to stop


BC 2006 print 1462, originally uploaded by gugs.

you see those very often in Canada.... never in Europe. These were in Gastown, Vancouver...

Stairs


DSC_0911, originally uploaded by gugs.

this must mean something like: do not run in the stairs, dangerous...
seen in a supermarket, Belgium

Shopping


HKG_1191, originally uploaded by gugs.

Shopping time season starting... (seen in Hong Kong airport)

Pull


HKG_1237, originally uploaded by gugs.

explanation of the word Pull in a restroom on a 747...

Road closed


BC 2006 print 0124, originally uploaded by gugs.

It was obvious that the road was closed... but the signs were not that visible... seen in Vancouver.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Open door


Funny sign, originally uploaded by JeBeKe.

This is Dutch, shot in Belgium by a colleague of mine. "This gate should always be closed! ... even if it's open ...".
Proposed by Jan Verbeke

Friday, December 7, 2007

Escalator instructions


HKG_1203, originally uploaded by gugs.

Detailed instructions about how to deal with children, dogs and how to behave on an escalator. Seen at the Hong Kong airport.

No dogs


101_2786, originally uploaded by gugs.

No dogs allowed in the Death Valley, California... anyway they wouldn't survive very long. This was last summer.

Distant restrooms


101_2860, originally uploaded by gugs.

This was somewhere in Yosemite, California... you shouldn't be in a hurry if you want to use the official amenities...

Closed Landscape


BC 2006 print 1652, originally uploaded by gugs.

Nice landscape, in Whistler, BC, Canada. But do not enter.... too many hazards. You can look at the mountain but not have a walk... very strange compared to other countries like Switzerland among others.

Trash can


DSC_0898, originally uploaded by gugs.

one of the numerous symbols found on a trash can...

Dentist


BC 2006 print 0536, originally uploaded by gugs.

something different from most of the other signs. I just posted this because I found it funny enough... seen in BC, Canada (in Barkerville, an old traditional village)

Dogs


BC 2006 print 0192, originally uploaded by gugs.

a "serious" one. Picture taken in the Butchard Gardens, in Victoria on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada

Lock out auto crime


BC 2006 print 0921, originally uploaded by gugs.

This sign is clear enough. The "strange" thing about it was that it was located in a small town in BC, Canada, where the crime level is probably among the lowest in North America.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Beware of pedestrians


HKG_1121, originally uploaded by gugs.

This could be valid everywhere. This was at a place where nobody driving a car could see it... in Kowloon

Busses


HKG_1126, originally uploaded by gugs.

simple and clear, taxis and busses. The original thing here is that there is a specific sign for double deck busses... typical in Hong Kong, an English heritage.