Offbeat

Spikes deter pigeons, but Microsoft still managed to foul the screen

BORK, BORK, BORK! There was a time when information boards were handwritten or paper-based affairs. Then departure information was shown on split-flap displays, which made a satisfying tick sound as the display changed.

Pixel-based boards followed (we took a look at the excellent take-home-and-keep versions by UK Departure Boards in 2024 , but, with the inevitability of death and taxes, Windows of course had to get involved, which brings us to this unhappy example spotted in a Northampton bus station by a Register reader.

Northampton bus station borkage Reader contributed

"This poor main display announcing bus times has been dying for a while," our reader said.

"The time has been out by 3-4 minutes, meaning any passenger trying to get somewhere on time would have missed their bus.…