[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip]
A small drop in the bucket, perhaps, but it adds to the creeping feeling that there are increasingly fewer places to rest one’s eyes where they won’t set on an advertisement of some kind.
Slightly more insidious for being in that class of advertising that includes monitors posted above urinals, “exciting offers” foisted on us while we’re waiting patiently on hold for customer service, et cetera, that are more difficult to avoid seeing/listening to. Sure, you can always try to ignore them, but in aggregate they amount to a form of mind pollution that assaults from every direction, concerning (in probably 99.99% of cases) shit we don’t want, need, or care in the slightest about, and yet have thrown in our faces every waking hour of every day of our lives.
Not that there’s any particular sanctity to the pumpside “moment of silence,” but for the love of God, can’t we retain the few that remain, and be left in fucking peace once in a while?
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip]
A small drop in the bucket, perhaps, but it adds to the creeping feeling that there are increasingly fewer places to rest one’s eyes where they won’t set on an advertisement of some kind.
[/QUOTE]
Yep, and here’s something to keep you occupied between trips to the pump.
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip]
A small drop in the bucket, perhaps, but it adds to the creeping feeling that there are increasingly fewer places to rest one’s eyes where they won’t set on an advertisement of some kind.
Slightly more insidious for being in that class of advertising that includes monitors posted above urinals, “exciting offers” foisted on us while we’re waiting patiently on hold for customer service, et cetera, that are more difficult to avoid seeing/listening to. Sure, you can always try to ignore them, but in aggregate they amount to a form of mind pollution that assaults from every direction, concerning (in probably 99.99% of cases) shit we don’t want, need, or care in the slightest about, and yet have thrown in our faces every waking hour of every day of our lives.
Not that there’s any particular sanctity to the pumpside “moment of silence,” but for the love of God, can’t we retain the few that remain, and be left in fucking peace once in a while?
[/QUOTE]
Thanks for rebutting much better than I can.
Oh, yeah, and there are television screens in the elevators at work now, purporting to deliver interesting factoids, but in reality cramming ads in the faces of the captive audience riding to their floors. In fact, the name of the company delivering this crap is “Captivate”, which shows their awareness of the “captive audience” angle. In this case, though, I can’t avoid it by using the stairs - I work on the 11th floor.
For the truly offended a piece of tape and paper can cover the annoyance. Tape on. Pump gas. Tape off. As for the sound, half of the local places pipe in crap at volumes that hertz my ears. hertz I don’t think I’m ready to poke out my ear drums to spite them yet. Too bad the ads are on LCD instead of picture tubes. A few strategic magnets could do wonders for them.
[QUOTE=scout1222]
What bugs me about the ones at the Shell I go to is the volume. They pipe the audio for the TV shit through the speakers throughout the fill-up area, and the volume IS REALLY FRICKING LOUD. Good thing I don’t need to think in order to gas up my car, because it’s almost that loud.
[/QUOTE]
This is my problem with them too. I don’t mind the TV screens, but when I’m trying to talk to someone while I pump gas, I really would rather not have some idiot yammering at me in a voice so loud I can’t hear myself think.
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord]
For the truly offended a piece of tape and paper can cover the annoyance. Tape on. Pump gas. Tape off.
[/QUOTE]
Third step optional
It’s possible that I’m of the exact right age and spazziness that I would much rather prefer that my eyes and ears be stimulated while standing around idle instead of spending those 5 minutes awkwardly trying to avoid staring at the other patrons who are awkwardly trying to avoid staring at me. I must be of a generation that finds comfort in moving pictures, not disgust.
One dimwit who’ll set himself on fire because he was distracted by the ad, and 12 jurors willing to validate his claim; that’s all we’re biding our time for.
Are yours really ALL advertisements?
The ones by me have maybe a 10-15 second ad followed by local news headlines and weather.
While the ad is playing I don’t watch the screen but I can hear it so it’s more like a radio ad. No biggie.
Then when they do the weather I can glance up and get the 5-day forecast. Somewhat useful.
[QUOTE=Slithy Tove]
One dimwit who’ll set himself on fire because he was distracted by the ad, and 12 jurors willing to validate his claim; that’s all we’re biding our time for.
[/QUOTE]
Complaining to Chevron or the station owner is absolutely the wrong way to go about this. What you want to do is get several friends (in their own cars, of course) to drive up, get out, and watch some TV. Bonus points if you don’t even fill up. Watch for a good hour or two. Do not tolerate anyone who wants to rob you of your valuable TV-watching time.
Yes, it is fun being an evil clown, why do you ask?
[QUOTE=tdn]
Complaining to Chevron or the station owner is absolutely the wrong way to go about this. What you want to do is get several friends (in their own cars, of course) to drive up, get out, and watch some TV. Bonus points if you don’t even fill up. Watch for a good hour or two. Do not tolerate anyone who wants to rob you of your valuable TV-watching time.
Yes, it is fun being an evil clown, why do you ask?
[/QUOTE]
Oddly enough, my friends would SO do this. Snort I’m crackin’ up here…
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ]
It’s possible that I’m of the exact right age and spazziness that I would much rather prefer that my eyes and ears be stimulated while standing around idle instead of spending those 5 minutes awkwardly trying to avoid staring at the other patrons who are awkwardly trying to avoid staring at me. I must be of a generation that finds comfort in moving pictures, not disgust.
[/QUOTE]
It’s not generational. My kids are younger than you are and they’re able to handle being around strangers without the comforting drone of a television screen.
[QUOTE=Mr Bus Guy]
Usually I watch, but if it annoys you so much, use the time to wash your windshield, or throw the trash out that’s sitting on the floor of your car or something?
[/QUOTE]
Wait a minute. Are you saying you go to a station with both television screens and locking pumps?
[QUOTE=tdn]
What you want to do is get several friends (in their own cars, of course) to drive up, get out, and watch some TV. Bonus points if you don’t even fill up. Watch for a good hour or two. Do not tolerate anyone who wants to rob you of your valuable TV-watching time.
Yes, it is fun being an evil clown, why do you ask?
[/QUOTE]
I think the TVs only turn on while the pump is pumping gas
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ]
It’s possible that I’m of the exact right age and spazziness that I would much rather prefer that my eyes and ears be stimulated while standing around idle instead of spending those 5 minutes awkwardly trying to avoid staring at the other patrons who are awkwardly trying to avoid staring at me. I must be of a generation that finds comfort in moving pictures, not disgust.
[/QUOTE]
Your age is no excuse. Is your spazziness a medical condition? Do you ever just think about things?
Luckily, the only station around here that has them installed “OFF” buttons that kill the sound for a few minutes. The video is still there, but I’m capable of looking in a different direction, so I don’t mind. The sound is what drives me nuts, and I always hit the off button within 3 milliseconds of when it starts yammering.
They’ve been installing video screens in metro stations here in Montreal (because the car cards, and the station posters, and the specially decorated trains, and the enormous posters at certain stations, and the stickers on the stairwells and floors, and the ads on the monthly passes, and the redecorated stations, and the entire new paint job at McGill metro just weren’t enough). Anyway, they’re actually kind of good - they have news headlines and a little indicator of when the next train is. But the ones at Berri-UQAM metro actually had sound, which was the worst goddamn thing ever. Everyone hated it.
And much to my amazement, they shut the sound off.
These [del]people[/del] advertisers no longer know the meaning of the word ‘moderation’.
I don’t mind having ad-saturated zones in cities, like Dundas Square in Toronto. But I also think we should have ad-free zones, maintained equally as vigorously. The advertisers need to know that their media usage exists on sufferance, and can be limited by other forces, such as the will of government.
Perhaps if Cathedral Square ever gets built, it can be an ad-free space.
A former coworker of mine left the company last year to join a startup that does exactly this kind of gas station TV “broadcasting.”
He must have seen the look on my face when he told me (I really don’t like the “bombard the senses” approach to advertising), because the next thing he said was “yeah…I know…but it pays better than this gig.”
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ]
It’s possible that I’m of the exact right age and spazziness that I would much rather prefer that my eyes and ears be stimulated while standing around idle instead of spending those 5 minutes awkwardly trying to avoid staring at the other patrons who are awkwardly trying to avoid staring at me. I must be of a generation that finds comfort in moving pictures, not disgust.
[/QUOTE]
How long before we have to start distributing emergency video players to prevent rioting and societal breakdown?
“My god, they could lobotomize the network. Without television, this city would be ungovernable!” – “Max Headroom”
hertz 
