# Omnibus Stupid MFers in the news thread (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 5, 2024, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657 "2024-01-05T16:15:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 262
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5221 "2025-08-08T17:59:12Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > Of course, now we have the “Waze Effect”, where the alternate route becomes clogged with Waze-directed traffic and is slower than the slowdown being avoided… We were in a slowdown on I-25 north of Trinidad, and some impatient drivers were brodying across the shoulder to the frontage road right there – which ended up being a net loss for everyone, because the slowdown was due to traffic was being sent off the freeway to go through Walsenburg and past the construction, but that frontage road ended at the overpass, so those people had to alternate with the rest of us at the top of the exit. And in that area, the alternate routes would take you 20 or 30 miles around (though, 30 extra miles at speed might be a wash compared to an hour at a crawl). ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5222 "2025-08-08T20:03:58Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I bought a TomTom GPS Around that same time (2008), I received a TomTom as a Father’s Day gift. Very handy for navigating to various ball fields and elementary/middle/high school gyms for athletic contests. One of the voice options they picked was Snoop Dogg. My favorite bit of editorializing on his part was “how much cash you got” when deciding if I wanted to take a toll road. A miss was the Darth Vader option - he really should have said “I find your lack of faith disturbing” if I took a different route and it had to recalculate the route. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5223 "2025-08-08T20:53:56Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > One of the voice options they picked was Snoop Dogg. My favorite bit of editorializing on his part was “how much cash you got” when deciding if I wanted to take a toll road. Oh man I forgot about that feature. I think we had one of the Monty Python guys. There was a visual warning message with the TomTom that we could only interpret as “don’t put it in a sack." That nonsensical directive was a household joke for years. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5224 "2025-08-08T21:01:54Z")
I had a GPS program (that no longer exists, sadly) where one of the voice options was a cultured British accent. I loved it because it made me feel like Batman getting directions from Alfred Pennyworth. The software was subscription-only (a cheap one, something like $2 a month) that I gladly paid because I loved that voice. I was sad when it went away. The generic Google Maps voice is boring. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5225 "2025-08-08T21:23:06Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I had a GPS program (that no longer exists, sadly) where one of the voice options was a cultured British accent. As long as it was not constantly complaining that you were driving on the wrong side. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5226 "2025-08-08T21:37:07Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > As long as it was not constantly complaining that you were driving on the wrong side. It didn’t, but it did sometimes struggle to pronounce words. Puyallup was “poo-WEE-lup” and it couldn’t pronounce “Milwaukee” either. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5227 "2025-08-08T22:25:57Z")
When there’s a concert at the Xfinity Center near Boston, they put up signs telling people to stay on the highway to the “official” exit for it, and if you try to take some of the back roads from an exit or two earlier, police check where you’re going and will send you back to the highway. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5228 "2025-08-08T23:05:17Z")
Why? Why do they care? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5229 "2025-08-08T23:37:16Z")
Because the waze “shortcuts” to take back roads the final 5 miles to the concert go through residential neighborhoods and get very backed up very quickly, so the residents can’t go anywhere (or come home) for 3+ hours on concert nights. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5230 "2025-08-08T23:39:54Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > It didn’t, but it did sometimes struggle to pronounce words. Puyallup was “poo-WEE-lup” and it couldn’t pronounce “Milwaukee” either. The various navigation voices struggle with Spanish pronunciations too. A few youra aog when we were looking to buy a house I’d load three or four at a whack to have a look-see. Once when we were traveling she advised a left turn of Cordess Street. What? I don’t remember anything like that around here… Oh-h-h, _Cortés_. The main street to the west of me, Mesa, is pronounced “Meesa,” like Jar-jar at his worst and even without the Spanish, the main miler to the east, Stapley, is “Stappley.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5231 "2025-08-08T23:47:12Z")
There’s a street around here called “Clague”, which the locals pronounce with one syllable and a long A. Google’s voice used to call it “Clagoo”, and now says it as “Clog”. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5232 "2025-08-09T01:05:31Z")
Google’s voice calls Monte Sano in Huntsville, AL “Mahnt-eh Sah-no”, which doesn’t even have an excuse that it is the original Spanish since as far as I know “Monte” would be pronounced more like “Moan-tay”. But the locals pronounce it either Mont-eh Say-no or Monneh Say-no. I’ve only been there three times, but that means it’s extra-annoying for me when it does happen, because Google could force me into a bad habit instead of having the local pronunciation ingrained in me through repetition. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5233 "2025-08-09T01:11:09Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Google’s voice calls Monte Sano in Huntsville, AL “Mahnt-eh Sah-no”, which doesn’t even have an excuse that it is the original Spanish since as far as I know “Monte” would be pronounced more like “Moan-tay”. > > But the locals pronounce it either Mont-eh Say-no or Monneh Say-no. The app and the people kind of bracket the Spanish: MON-teh SA-noh. Single vowel sound in every syllable. But really the common use by the locals should be first choice. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5234 "2025-08-09T01:48:47Z")
Google Navi mangles the pronunciation of Japanese words when in the English mode. I guess that they haven’t figured out if you are giving directions in a particular country that it would be better to use the local pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5235 "2025-08-09T01:56:58Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > **TURN AROUND** > > **GOOGLE MAPS IS WRONG** > > It was funny but the sign was right. There are a couple of these signs in VT, NH, and ME, especially near ski areas. People get stranded every year in winter. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5236 "2025-08-09T02:10:37Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Google’s voice calls Monte Sano in Huntsville, AL “Mahnt-eh Sah-no”, which doesn’t even have an excuse that it is the original Spanish since as far as I know “Monte” would be pronounced more like “Moan-tay”. Spanish in Spain, yes. Spanish in Mexico would pronounce it phonetically the way you wrote it above. “Sano” though should be pronounced with the “a” like “sand”, not like “ah”, in either Spanish dialect. > [@JRDelirious](#): > > But really the common use by the locals should be first choice. Agreed. Just like how when pronouncing Des Moines in Washington, the second “s” isn’t silent. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5237 "2025-08-09T02:15:32Z")
Kemin dess las coats dess nay-jess. Chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges Living in Québec, the GPS pronunciation of street names can be pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5238 "2025-08-09T02:29:11Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > “Sano” though should be pronounced with the “a” like “sand”, not like “ah”, in either Spanish dialect. No, the vowel of “sano” /sano/ is not like vowel of English “sand” /sænd/ in any dialect of Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5239 "2025-08-09T03:11:25Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > No, the vowel of “sano” /sano/ is not like vowel of English “sand” /sænd/ in any dialect of Spanish. Sure sounds like it to me. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/aADSOlZcXao/maxresdefault.jpg "Sano | Spanish Word of the Day #25 [Spanish Lessons]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aADSOlZcXao) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/5240 "2025-08-09T03:21:39Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > when pronouncing Des Moines in Washington, the second “s” isn’t silent Officially, the town says that it is silent. Not that anyone cares. I get annoyed when “Snoqualmie” is pronounced with a hard L, but that could just be me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657.md?page=261) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657.md?page=263)