WTF!?
That is all.
Middle England should prepare to drop its trousers, bend over the table and accept the painful truth that if anything in this Sceptred Isle was ever sacred, it isn't any more. As of the end of British Summer Time on Sunday, BT's famous speaking clock will be voiced by Tinker Bell - the result of a "sponsorship deal with Disney …
Many years ago as a rookie techie at Broadcasting House, during a time when TIM was reportedly giving some trouble, I was given the task of monitoring it _all night_ on a pair of headphones. How I survived even the "dulcet tones" without going completely mad I'll never know. Maybe I did go completely mad. Pat Simmons never dropped a millisecond, but I learnt to recite TIM off line with astonishing accuracy.
Tinker Bell? What have we come to . . . .?
Paris 'cos she's got the time for anyone.
I needed to reset my clocks after a power outage, so phoned 123 and thought how nice the voice was, even with 'Accurest' attached to every 10 second call. I suppose Disney is just another form of advertising, but one wonders if anybody at BT takes any pride in their work any more, or if everything us up for sale.
Paris, because, next to BT, even she has her standards.
Well BT had so much money left over after the Phorm debacle, now they haven't got to go to court, I suppose they had time and money to wine and dine Disney execs!
You see the once in a blue moon I want the speaking clock, is usually somewhere very busy and very noisy. Trying to discern the time from bleedin' Tinkerbell, on a mobile, while in a noisy computer room, setting my NTP servers, that will be a barrel of laughs!
I was watching it last week - what on earth is all this fuss about Fiona Bruce anyway? - and they had some horologist chappie on with the old speaking clock which he claimed stopped on the day Pat Simmons died. Completely irrlevant I know but still almost interesting.
Anyway, Disney eh? Tsk, So let me get this straight. We have a cartoon fairy that we have to pay to listen to, and they expect us to believe every word they are saying.
Reminds me of Peter Mandelson.
Tinkerbell has spoken before - I distictly remember Julia roberts as Tinkerbell in Hook talking and trying to seduce Peter. I quick search on wikipedia suggests that she has spoken in several different film adaptations - just not in the original book.
You can guess why I'm posting this anonymously though. :)
Far from not speaking, Tinkerbell in the book is noted for her rudeness and foul language. Her first words are "You silly ass" and she doesn't get any politer. I salute any company bringing sweary fairies to the nation's telephones.
Paris, obviously, because she is the Tinkerbell of today!
I suspect your new colleagues got you good and proper on that one.
Scene: The Pub, somewhere close to Broadcasting House
Two experienced techies are on their third pints
Bob: Ere, you'll never guess what I've got that new kid doing.
Terry: What's that, then?
Bob: I've only got him listening to the speaking clock all night long.
Terry: Heh, heh...how'd you manage that then?
Bob: Told him it was giving "periodic, untraceable problems", didn't I?
Terry: One born every minute, innit? Another round?
Bob: Don't mind if I do...
And on topic - truly, the glories of privatization are many and wondrous.