Things I do not understand
Jul. 2nd, 2007 10:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eruthros1. Waiting in line overnight for products or movies. I just don't get this. At all. I mean, I understand that it makes people happy an' all, but -- I waited in line for an hour and a half to see Star Wars episode one, and that was plenty for me. Is it the experience? Is it the camaraderie? I'd rather buy online and wait for delivery, or buy tickets with assigned seats (yay some theaters!), or wait a week.
(Though waiting for SW Episode One was made more amusing by the fact that my friends and I had come from an AP exam, and immediately afterwards had to run to a National Honors Society event, and thus were all dressed up in suits and dresses and hair done and makeup, and people kept asking us what we were supposed to be. Me: "dressed up?" Them: "No, as who." Heh. Also, then we had to bolt the instant the credits started, dash madly across the parking lot in heels, screech away from the movie theater to the school, and then run in from the parking lot.)
2. Why the Fourth Doctor essentially always wins favorite doctor contests. I mean, I can get why the First Doctor never wins (patronizing and yick), and why the Sixth Doctor never wins (omg ew the writing in those episodes ew). But I do not get why the Fourth Doctor is the fan favorite even of people who didn't see him as their childhood Doctor.
2a. Why people think RTD's series is really all about how he hates DW, how he hates companions, how he hates women and people of color and plots and fans and ... wtf.
3. Automated menus. "Automated menus simplify your access to our customer support service!"
Or... you end up doing what I did this morning. See, I wanted to change to a veggie meal, which involves phoning the airline.
Automated menu: We only need a little more information! Now, what is your reservation number?
Me, speaking slowly and clearly: Z N X W C 2
Automated menu: Got it! Was that ... D M X W T Q?
Me, speaking slowly and clearly: No!
Automated menu: Sorry! Let's try again. Because some letters are hard to tell apart, try saying common words after the letters, like "C as in Charlie." For numbers, say "the number three."
Me, speaking slowly and clearly and trying the NATO phonetic alphabet: Z as in Zulu, N as in November, X as in X-ray, W as in whiskey, C as in Charlie, the number 2.
Automated menu: Great, got it! Was that ... Z M X W T Q?
*repeat five more times, using different words*
Me: OPERATOR. SPEAK TO A HUMAN.
Automated menu: Got it! Was that ... O P R T O R?
Me: How about ... I don't know my reservation number!
Automated menu: Sorry! Let's try again. Because some letters are hard to tell apart, try saying common words after the letters, like "C as in Charlie." For numbers, say "the number three."
Me: *cries into phone*
It took me a mere twenty-five minutes, but eventually I talked to a person. Who, inside five minutes, located my reservation, registered my veggie meal, changed my seats, affiliated my frequent-flyer number with my reservation, sent me a confirmation by email, etc. After twenty-five minutes of "because some letters are hard to tell apart..."
(Though waiting for SW Episode One was made more amusing by the fact that my friends and I had come from an AP exam, and immediately afterwards had to run to a National Honors Society event, and thus were all dressed up in suits and dresses and hair done and makeup, and people kept asking us what we were supposed to be. Me: "dressed up?" Them: "No, as who." Heh. Also, then we had to bolt the instant the credits started, dash madly across the parking lot in heels, screech away from the movie theater to the school, and then run in from the parking lot.)
2. Why the Fourth Doctor essentially always wins favorite doctor contests. I mean, I can get why the First Doctor never wins (patronizing and yick), and why the Sixth Doctor never wins (omg ew the writing in those episodes ew). But I do not get why the Fourth Doctor is the fan favorite even of people who didn't see him as their childhood Doctor.
2a. Why people think RTD's series is really all about how he hates DW, how he hates companions, how he hates women and people of color and plots and fans and ... wtf.
3. Automated menus. "Automated menus simplify your access to our customer support service!"
Or... you end up doing what I did this morning. See, I wanted to change to a veggie meal, which involves phoning the airline.
Automated menu: We only need a little more information! Now, what is your reservation number?
Me, speaking slowly and clearly: Z N X W C 2
Automated menu: Got it! Was that ... D M X W T Q?
Me, speaking slowly and clearly: No!
Automated menu: Sorry! Let's try again. Because some letters are hard to tell apart, try saying common words after the letters, like "C as in Charlie." For numbers, say "the number three."
Me, speaking slowly and clearly and trying the NATO phonetic alphabet: Z as in Zulu, N as in November, X as in X-ray, W as in whiskey, C as in Charlie, the number 2.
Automated menu: Great, got it! Was that ... Z M X W T Q?
*repeat five more times, using different words*
Me: OPERATOR. SPEAK TO A HUMAN.
Automated menu: Got it! Was that ... O P R T O R?
Me: How about ... I don't know my reservation number!
Automated menu: Sorry! Let's try again. Because some letters are hard to tell apart, try saying common words after the letters, like "C as in Charlie." For numbers, say "the number three."
Me: *cries into phone*
It took me a mere twenty-five minutes, but eventually I talked to a person. Who, inside five minutes, located my reservation, registered my veggie meal, changed my seats, affiliated my frequent-flyer number with my reservation, sent me a confirmation by email, etc. After twenty-five minutes of "because some letters are hard to tell apart..."
no subject
Date: 2007-07-02 06:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-02 06:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-02 06:57 pm (UTC)I mean, I can sort of see it for trying to figure out what department to route you to, or whatever, but for recognizing random character strings... ahhhh.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-02 06:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-02 07:54 pm (UTC)It: Say "reservations" to check your reservation or "cancel" to cancel it.
Me: Reservations.
It: You have selected "cancel." Are you sure you want to cancel? Say "yes" or "no."
Me: NO.
It: I'm sorry, I did not understand.
Then I handed the phone to Jen, who has absolutely no problem with voice recognition systems. Lucky her.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-03 03:08 am (UTC)How do you get to be a person who has no trouble with voice recognition? Is it an accent thing?
no subject
Date: 2007-07-02 08:44 pm (UTC)2a) OMG did you see the post that was like, RTD kills off more strong women than strong men, and more strong women than the old series did? I wanted to cry. Because, first of all, the numbers were skewed (there were no male characters killed in Christmas Invasion? Did I just imagine Llewellyn and the military guy getting whipped to death?) and second of all, omg, RTD has more caring for strong female characters in his pinky finger than JNT ever did. It is the bizarre whofan goggles that just make no sense.
3) This is such a sad story. I have done this too - I am completely willing to speak to VRU! I know that it saves time for everyone! But those number-letter-recognition ones make me cry.