The BBC have changed their weather maps. These are the maps that tell the British public about the sort of weather they can expect to have over the next 24-48 hours. The bulletins are usually shown quite frequently in the middle of news programs, so I normally see part of at least one weather bulletin each day, giving me a rough idea of what to wear each day. The old traditional symbols were very clear - a sun on its own and it's likely to be very sunny. A single grey cloud and it's overcast. The BBC website still uses these symbols.
Unfortunately, these symbols have been banished in favour of dark brown blobs floating over a brown map of the UK, with occasional dark blue splodges where there's likely to be rain (coupled with an annoying "drip drip drip" animation). I was half asleep when the first bulletin aired - after it finished, I had no idea what the weather was like. Later, as I dried my hair, there was another bulletin - this time, I paid attention - it didn't help much. I figure it's likely to be mostly sunny, partly cloudy, unlikely to rain. I guess this is what they want me to know.
I guess that means that their new weather maps work ok... so I'll ignore the fact that I had to stop looking at what I was doing and pay attention to the TV. I couldn't just glance and see a symbol that quickly told me roughly what to expect. More importantly, I'll have to ignore the fact that I had to focus on the TV and use my geographical knowledge to figure out where I was on the perspectively-squished map. The BBC have already had several complaints about the new maps, but they appear to be unrelentant, and happy to ignore the public, who must be completely stupid not to like the new map style.
Perhaps the most troubling thought is that my grandmother, whose eyesight is so bad she's been given a cane to help her get around, is not going to know what the weather will be like any more because instead of big, clear symbols, she's got to try to figure out if she's under a brown smudge, or a darker brown smudge. Of all the organisations in the UK, I didn't think that it would be the BBC who would be so enthusiastic and eager to discriminate against a minority of their viewers. Fair enough, I acknowledge that my grandmother only just qualifies as a viewer, but she can make out enough detail to watch a variety of programs. She still enjoys watching the TV, but she's unhappy because the BBC don't want to show her what the weather is going to be like.
A final thought - does anyone else get the feeling that the new style weather is very "Sky News" in appearance?