Reply #33: I know it's a VERY serious thread but...

[bdf]

You mentioned coffee. Which reminded me of the old joke which can no longer be used due to the demise of TWA.

TWA Stewardess to passenger: Would you like some of our TWA coffee?

Passenger to TWA Stewardess: No, but I'd love some of your TWA tea.

The old ones are the best. In fact they're enshrined in British Standards.

For years, the microwave amplifier known as a Travelling Wave Tube was abbreviated as "TWT" and the abbreviation was pronounced as "twit." Under the BS 9000 Quality Assurance system (later adopted as ISO 9000), "Traveling Wave Tube" became "Traveling Wave Amplifier Tube." The abbreviation and pronunciation of that abbreviation are left as an exercise to the reader.