it's Kanbaru again π
hello would you like to hear me talk for two minutes about some shit nobody cares about with no relation to politics? well here you go
3 replies
josef
(replying to it's Kanbaru again π)
@hikari virgin mobile used to have this really sharp contrast between the extremely chirpy and down-with-the-kids radio-style vocal delivery and the massive gaps and completely dislocated phrases and sentences. it was like a sirius cybernetics corp version of lauren laverne
flacs
(replying to it's Kanbaru again π)
@hikari Eingefahrener Zug auf Gleis... zwei... Bitte steigen Sie ein.
R
(replying to it's Kanbaru again π)
@hikari huh, that rhythm doesn't seem weird at all to us. there's definitely more than one TTS system in the US that does the exact same thing, although we can't pinpoint exactly which at this point
1 replies
it's Kanbaru again π
(replying to R)
@r oh this is very much standard for phone menus, it's just one i know particularly well and keep coming back to for some reason
R
(replying to it's Kanbaru again π)
@hikari heh, our "was allergic to phones until very recently" is showing π
although... interesting memory unlocked wrt phone menus:
"ζ¨ε₯½οΌδΈζθ«ζδΈγFor English, please press two. 廣ζ±θ©±θ«ζ³δΈγ"
certainly a rather... to-the-point greeting message for a budget US->Asia calling card service (possibly now defunct? also, remember calling cards?)
R
(replying to R)
@hikari oooh, another recovered childhood memory: extremely aggressive television advertising for "dial-around" long-distance carrier access codes ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10-10-321 )
we *definitely* remember several cantonese-language commercials being aired on the KTSF TV station, but... we currently can't find any internet evidence that this ever existed? might be unfortunately lost media?
it's Kanbaru again π
(replying to R)
@r advertising is the kind of stuff that should be preserved but i don't think many people care enough to save it
R
(replying to it's Kanbaru again π)
@hikari oh, various English-language ones have been preserved and are easily findable, the problem is specifically just the Cantonese-language ones (that we really hope we are remembering accurately enough)
the problem is that these exist in (what appears to be) a rather unusual media landscape and were probably only aired in limited markets (SF Bay, Los Angeles??)
R
(replying to R)
@hikari the entire existence of KTSF seems to weird out all the people over here who just... don't... comprehend the level of non-integration that has been existing in the Bay for a long time. (it's certainly not how states over here build their societies)
you have a broadcast TV station with a newsroom which covers local issues in intentionally not-the-local-dominant-language
2 replies
it's Kanbaru again π
(replying to R)
@r oh, he tried very hard to ensure singapore was culturally integrated even though it speaks >4 languages and has >4 ethnic groups
R
(replying to R)
@hikari oh lol, figured it out
it's the excessively chatty Safeway self-checkout voice
it's Kanbaru again π
(replying to it's Kanbaru again π)
oh it was probably βTwo Pounds And Fifty Penceβ with a similar rhythm come to think of it