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Hello Londoners, I am a black cab driver (Green Badge) and I come in peace

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Re: Hello Londoners, I am a black cab driver (Green Badge) and I come in peace

#11

Post by Joeboy »

soneil wrote: post #7
hluska wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It took me some googling to figure both of those out. I'm still stuck trying to figure out what The Knowledge is. Can anyone help?

So London has "Hackney Carriages" ('black cabs') and minicabs. Black cabs are allowed to pick you up on-demand ('streetwork') or at taxi ranks (a designated place where you can expect to find multiple taxis just queued up waiting for you), minicabs you have to order. (Apps are making this a bit hazy, since ordering either via an app is just as easy). The 'green badge' is your licence. There's green, yellow, and 'mini…

> It's pretty much memorising an A-Z

The A-Z (pronounced 'zed') was the most popular London streetmap in the 20th century.

Re: Hello Londoners, I am a black cab driver (Green Badge) and I come in peace

#12

Post by zaphar »

sandworm101 wrote: post #10
katpas wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have cabs in NYC though - is it similar? In London the city controls the number of people that can operate black cabs, sets a standard tariff for fares and runs background and license checks. They can be hailed off the street (though also through some apps). And the drivers have to take "The knowledge"[1] a test which takes a few years to pass and means you can give the average cab driver any street name and they…

In the US the title reads as "i am a black (cab driver)" rather than "i am a (black cab) driver". It is a race thing.

I'm a white, U.S. born, citizen and I read it the first way not the second. The context of "Hello Londoners" makes it pretty clear.

Re: Hello Londoners, I am a black cab driver (Green Badge) and I come in peace

#13

Post by TranceMan »

drfuchs wrote: post #2

You might want to explain to Americans that a "black cab driver" isn't what first comes to mind for them (especially as juxtaposed with "and I come in peace"). It might also be worth a mention what "Green Badge" means.

I agree, maybe the title could be editorialized in this case.

I was browsing the /r/London subreddit so assumed too much context for a global forum

Re: Hello Londoners, I am a black cab driver (Green Badge) and I come in peace

#14

Post by coherentpony »

zaphar wrote: post #12
sandworm101 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US the title reads as "i am a black (cab driver)" rather than "i am a (black cab) driver". It is a race thing.

I'm a white, U.S. born, citizen and I read it the first way not the second. The context of "Hello Londoners" makes it pretty clear.

I'm confused. Do you think the OP is black?

Re: Hello Londoners, I am a black cab driver (Green Badge) and I come in peace

#15

Post by jfk13 »

hluska wrote: post #3
drfuchs wrote: post #2

You might want to explain to Americans that a "black cab driver" isn't what first comes to mind for them (especially as juxtaposed with "and I come in peace"). It might also be worth a mention what "Green Badge" means.

It took me some googling to figure both of those out. I'm still stuck trying to figure out what The Knowledge is. Can anyone help?

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knowledge_(film)

It's a drama rather than a documentary, but highly recommended (IMO).

Re: Hello Londoners, I am a black cab driver (Green Badge) and I come in peace

#16

Post by colanderman »

TranceMan wrote: post #13
drfuchs wrote: post #2

You might want to explain to Americans that a "black cab driver" isn't what first comes to mind for them (especially as juxtaposed with "and I come in peace"). It might also be worth a mention what "Green Badge" means.

I agree, maybe the title could be editorialized in this case. I was browsing the /r/London subreddit so assumed too much context for a global forum

Agreed, "I drive a black cab" would be much clearer for us Yanks. I assumed it was a race thing too.

Re: Hello Londoners, I am a black cab driver (Green Badge) and I come in peace

#17

Post by ashark »

michaelbuckbee wrote: post #9
hluska wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It took me some googling to figure both of those out. I'm still stuck trying to figure out what The Knowledge is. Can anyone help?

Pre GPS it was a requirement that cabbies have a massive list of places and routes through London memorized (that guy taking 3.5 years to study and pass the entrance exam is pretty par for the course). There's a 1996 documentary on the process that's pretty interesting - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvFKh_3evC8 Separately, this is the kind of non robots doing manufacturing automation that I think it's important to…

I think anyone who’s Ubered much (or driven much, for that matter) can tell you GPS is not nearly as good as knowing the streets. It may be good enough that it’ll take over, but it’s still a lot worse.

Re: Hello Londoners, I am a black cab driver (Green Badge) and I come in peace

#18

Post by mikeash »

zaphar wrote: post #12
sandworm101 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US the title reads as "i am a black (cab driver)" rather than "i am a (black cab) driver". It is a race thing.

I'm a white, U.S. born, citizen and I read it the first way not the second. The context of "Hello Londoners" makes it pretty clear.

It will be clear to anyone who’s heard of London’s black cabs (which I’m sure is a lot of people) but it’s probably damn confusing for those who haven’t.

Re: Hello Londoners, I am a black cab driver (Green Badge) and I come in peace

#19

Post by Cozumel »

zaphar wrote: post #12
sandworm101 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US the title reads as "i am a black (cab driver)" rather than "i am a (black cab) driver". It is a race thing.

I'm a white, U.S. born, citizen and I read it the first way not the second. The context of "Hello Londoners" makes it pretty clear.

That's the point he's making, you read it wrong. It's the second way.

Re: Hello Londoners, I am a black cab driver (Green Badge) and I come in peace

#20

Post by thesmallestcat »

drfuchs wrote: post #2

You might want to explain to Americans that a "black cab driver" isn't what first comes to mind for them (especially as juxtaposed with "and I come in peace"). It might also be worth a mention what "Green Badge" means.

Not all Americans are obsessed with race, and plenty know some things about the UK even if they've never been. I saw "London" and "black cab" and the title was clear... I guess it is due to differing styles of reading, I tend to pattern-match before going left-to-right.
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