pax domina
28th Sep 2000, 03:41
The discussion on flying to TPA via ATL got me reminiscing. Oh, that eeevvviiiilll synthezied train voice at ATL. The one that made Darth Vader sound like a kindly Uncle. Were you on the train to Concourse B, or on a nightmare ride to . . . *hell*?!!! (Cue maniacal laughter.)
It was always good for a bit of a chuckle actually - how they could have installed such a malevolent sounding voice.
It's since been replaced by a more human sounding synthesized voice (or perhaps its a synthezied sounding human voice).
I hadn't flown to or through ATL in a while. I seemed to remember that the old voice (of 11-12 years ago) had been replaced, but I wasn't sure. On the MCO-ATL-MKE trip, my flights arrived and departed from Concourse C. On the the MKE-ATL-MCO trip, I had to make my way from Concourse D to the mysterious Concourse T (which is actually before A, rather than after S) on the train.
http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/frown.gif Just a normal(ish) voice. But I did have fun identifying the languages on the displays.
Still, it's better than the anodyne voice they have at MCO. Fitting really, for Attractionland on the (shrinking) Aquifer. Mouse house built, old Florida charm (and many native habitats) almost completely destroyed. Tacky strip mall here, tacky outlet mall there. Having lived in Hawaii, I don't know why people bother (except perhaps for the gorgeous weather Mid-October through April).
And the total tourist orientation, "We hope that your stay in the Orlando Area has been a pleasant one," (What? The last 21 years? Let me think . . .) "and you will visit us again." (Yeah, if I want to keep my job, I think they're expecting me back at work.)
I thought I was almost entirely done with flying for business when, BAM (envision Emeril Legasse), this Florida Document Tax avoidance scheme is explained to me. (As a Business Law professor explained, "Tax *evasion* is illegal, tax *avoidance* is your civic duty.") Seems that the thing to do (and it's done quite a lot) is to hop a flight to ATL, sign the documents up there, and then hop a flight back to MCO. The cost of the flights for myself and our corporate banker is over US$1,000 *less than* the "Doc Stamps" tax. Since this scheme will save a *charity* money, I feel not one ounce of guilt. Darn, "the voice" (cue sound of Ultravox, Uncle Midge singing "In strong, low tones") would have made it a bit fun.
Can I claim "Latitude lag" and show up late for work the next day?
A rambling,
PD
[This message has been edited by pax domina (edited 28 September 2000).]
It was always good for a bit of a chuckle actually - how they could have installed such a malevolent sounding voice.
It's since been replaced by a more human sounding synthesized voice (or perhaps its a synthezied sounding human voice).
I hadn't flown to or through ATL in a while. I seemed to remember that the old voice (of 11-12 years ago) had been replaced, but I wasn't sure. On the MCO-ATL-MKE trip, my flights arrived and departed from Concourse C. On the the MKE-ATL-MCO trip, I had to make my way from Concourse D to the mysterious Concourse T (which is actually before A, rather than after S) on the train.
http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/frown.gif Just a normal(ish) voice. But I did have fun identifying the languages on the displays.
Still, it's better than the anodyne voice they have at MCO. Fitting really, for Attractionland on the (shrinking) Aquifer. Mouse house built, old Florida charm (and many native habitats) almost completely destroyed. Tacky strip mall here, tacky outlet mall there. Having lived in Hawaii, I don't know why people bother (except perhaps for the gorgeous weather Mid-October through April).
And the total tourist orientation, "We hope that your stay in the Orlando Area has been a pleasant one," (What? The last 21 years? Let me think . . .) "and you will visit us again." (Yeah, if I want to keep my job, I think they're expecting me back at work.)
I thought I was almost entirely done with flying for business when, BAM (envision Emeril Legasse), this Florida Document Tax avoidance scheme is explained to me. (As a Business Law professor explained, "Tax *evasion* is illegal, tax *avoidance* is your civic duty.") Seems that the thing to do (and it's done quite a lot) is to hop a flight to ATL, sign the documents up there, and then hop a flight back to MCO. The cost of the flights for myself and our corporate banker is over US$1,000 *less than* the "Doc Stamps" tax. Since this scheme will save a *charity* money, I feel not one ounce of guilt. Darn, "the voice" (cue sound of Ultravox, Uncle Midge singing "In strong, low tones") would have made it a bit fun.
Can I claim "Latitude lag" and show up late for work the next day?
A rambling,
PD
[This message has been edited by pax domina (edited 28 September 2000).]