Commuting Fun
Jul. 16th, 2008 07:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deird_ljRemember in the old days, how they used to have the train drivers do those announcements about which station was next, and they were always so completely incomprehensible?
You know...
"Good afternoon passengers, our next station is Glen Iris. Next station Glen Iris."
and it would sort of become:
"GOO FTNOO PASSGNG NEX TON GLEE SS NEX STT GLESSS"
in a really loud boomy voice.
...I miss those days.
These days, they have an automated voice, by a computer woman, talking cheerfully about which station is next, and hoping we have a wonderful afternoon - all in a clear, easily understood voice.
At least that's the theory.
Technology, of course, is not exactly fool-proof. And so the "easily understood voice" can morph into something that sounds remarkably like the Slavene (Slaveen? Slivine? Anyone?) from Doctor Who.
Or it might slow down to snail's pace.
Or, like this morning, the computer lady might start screaming at you. Not a screechy voice - just one long drawn out wail...
And even if she sounds normal, she might lose track of where we're up to. Quite often, she's two stations behind.
The other day, we had Computer Woman inform us, very politely, that we were on the wrong train and needed to get off, because it wasn't taking passengers.
She did this every ten seconds for the entire trip.
Personally, I'd prefer to listen to the crazy guy who was in my carriage the other day. He seemed to have a fixation with imitating the train noises.
Every time the train slowed down he'd make soft "braking" noises, he'd do "beeping" when the doors were closing, every time we jerked to one side he'd pick up on all the little "thuds" and repeat them for us, and at every station he'd announce "next stop East Richmond"...
They should just hire him to make the announcements. He'd certainly keep us from getting bored.
"Good afternoon passengers, our next station is Glen Iris. Next station Glen Iris."
and it would sort of become:
"GOO FTNOO PASSGNG NEX TON GLEE SS NEX STT GLESSS"
in a really loud boomy voice.
...I miss those days.
These days, they have an automated voice, by a computer woman, talking cheerfully about which station is next, and hoping we have a wonderful afternoon - all in a clear, easily understood voice.
At least that's the theory.
Technology, of course, is not exactly fool-proof. And so the "easily understood voice" can morph into something that sounds remarkably like the Slavene (Slaveen? Slivine? Anyone?) from Doctor Who.
Or it might slow down to snail's pace.
Or, like this morning, the computer lady might start screaming at you. Not a screechy voice - just one long drawn out wail...
And even if she sounds normal, she might lose track of where we're up to. Quite often, she's two stations behind.
The other day, we had Computer Woman inform us, very politely, that we were on the wrong train and needed to get off, because it wasn't taking passengers.
She did this every ten seconds for the entire trip.
Personally, I'd prefer to listen to the crazy guy who was in my carriage the other day. He seemed to have a fixation with imitating the train noises.
Every time the train slowed down he'd make soft "braking" noises, he'd do "beeping" when the doors were closing, every time we jerked to one side he'd pick up on all the little "thuds" and repeat them for us, and at every station he'd announce "next stop East Richmond"...
They should just hire him to make the announcements. He'd certainly keep us from getting bored.
Re: From Laney
Date: 2008-07-19 09:14 am (UTC)The new one has words and is very impressive in its ability to brainwash.
When HIT Entertainment bought Thomas, they had to write a theme tune that was both catchy for kids and vaguely similar to the tune parents had grown up with (thus forestalling lots of horrified letters).
They did a VERY good job.
It took only seeing a couple of ADS to implant the wretched song firmly in my subconscious. I kept finding myself absent-mindedly singing, "... shunting trucks and hauling frieght, RED and GREEN and BROWN and BLUE..." at random times during the day.
That's without even watching the actual show.
It's not as funky... but boy, is it catchy.
Re: From Laney
Date: 2008-07-19 12:51 pm (UTC)Back in primary school, a friend and I once spent a whole day wondering where we knew the phrase "thankyou. May I?" from. After even asking the teacher, we finally remembered it was from the Twisties ad where the hunk in the drive-in movie looks out at a lady watching, says..."excuse me, yes you...they're Twisties, aren't they?" and then proceeds to step out of the film, sit down next to her, and when she offers him the bag, says "thankyou- may I?"
I can still recite far too many ads from my childhood, tv themes, cartoon songs, etc....I should be grateful I missed out on the new Thomas then, eh?
And now of course I had to look for the new theme... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CjCaZQNB7M&feature=related
And I found this too... oh, how positively British. Ra-ther. :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yPJKx90Ttg&feature=related