31 replies to this topic

[RoseRodent]

Let's see if we can get this going on here. Sometimes it flies, someties it crashes and burns.

 

HOW TO PLAY

So the game is Room 101, based on the BBC TV show. You have to nominate something you would like to banish from the world, on the given topic. To vote for that person's topic to be put into Room 101 (you can vote on several, but not all of them!!!) you use the little green "Vote this post up" arrow. After a certain time - hard to say how long till we know if people are contributing so play it by ear for a while - we count up the votes and the winner picks a new topic.

 

RULES

You must pick something which is:

• Topic relevant - if you pick "The Victorians" under "modern life" that's not a match.
• Specific - something that a person can really get a handle on whether or not they agree with you, so "travel" is too broad, "buses" is a little broad unless you hate something specific about every bus in the world and clearly explain what it is. "Buses that come 3 at a time" is a specific hate
• Humorous. It's important to embrace the levity here. Of course it would be nice to consign things like war, land mines and famine to Room 101, but this is a game.  

And so we begin.

 

___________________________________________________________________________

 

Topic: TV and radio. 

 

I hate about TV and Radio "Coming up". This used to be a tiny hint of what might be to come in a TV show, but it has become overwhelming. A show which runs for an hour loses 15 minutes to advert breaks but then loses a further 6 minutes at each commercial while the tell us what is to come, then tell us when we come back that "Before the break, this happened..."  And when they're telling us what's coming up, they remove all the suspense from the show. "Coming up after the break in Animal Clinic, the one that we were unsure whether or not it would die makes a great recovery and finds a new home, and the cat up a tree is rescued." So I would like to consign "Coming up" to Room 101. 

 

[barry-clari]

QVC, and other shopping channels.
Do you know anyone who's bought anything from QVC? Didn't think so.
It's a haven for tat and useless goods, and it clogs up my Freeview airspace which could be better used for something that I might want to watch.
You get over excited hosts eulogising about things like egg slicers, jewellery of such a level that even Ratners would have rejected it, and assorted piles of rubbish which no one is ever likely to want or ever be seen with.

Put QVC and its ilk in room 101.

[Leese]

I once had a Twitter argument with a self-important QVC host; as I recall it was someone who used to be on TV-AM or GMTV or some such whose star was most definitely not still rising or they wouldn't have been on QVC. Said argument was most entertaining for at least half a day, so on those grounds alone I can't condone putting QVC into Room 101, Barry. Sorry mate :-D

I'd like to throw New Tricks into Room 101. It had rubbish storylines, annoying "comedy" and the added horror of Waterman squealing the theme tune as is his wont for everything he's in (does he have it written into his contract?!) and it always seemed to be on about seventeen times a week so there was no escaping the flippin' thing. Even the ads for it made me shout at the telly and I was so glad when they cancelled it.

[barry-clari]

I once had a Twitter argument with a self-important QVC host; as I recall it was someone who used to be on TV-AM or GMTV or some such whose star was most definitely not still rising or they wouldn't have been on QVC. Said argument was most entertaining for at least half a day, so on those grounds alone I can't condone putting QVC into Room 101, Barry. Sorry mate :-D

Boooooooooo

[DaisyChain2]

The world of "Celebrity" and anything with the word "Celebrity" in the title- "Celebrity" Big Brother; "Celebrity" Bake Off; "Celebrity" Mastermind etc etc etc.

Most of them were "Celebrities" half a century or more ago or are vacuous airheads from TOWIE and the ilk.  I know a lot of people who enjoy this sort of programme and follow the celebrity lifestyle via  the gossip magazines- and good luck to them.  I'm not knocking them for that.  It would just be nice for once if I could look at who's going to be on these things without having to say "who???" all the time.

 

I may just well be an out of touch  grumpy old lady- but please put "Celebrity" into room 101! 
 

[flautando]

I agree RoseRodent, coming up annoys me too, also the recapping of what has just taken place...erm I was watching so I do know. I loathe the way a loud individual starts telling us what programme is following, almost as soon as the credits start at the end of a programme.
Sorry Leese, I did like Brian in New Tricks, Alan Armstrong is brilliant.

[RoseRodent]

QVC, and other shopping channels.
Do you know anyone who's bought anything from QVC? Didn't think so.

I'm afraid I do, my FIL has an account  . And what they tend to replace it with is thosephone in "quiz" things where the hostasks a phenominally easy question then claims for hours that nobody has rung in with the right answer. At 4am I'd certainly rather have QVC than that!

[RoseRodent]

I agree RoseRodent, coming up annoys me too, also the recapping of what has just taken place...erm I was watching so I do know. I loathe the way a loud individual starts telling us what programme is following, almost as soon as the credits start at the end of a programme.
Sorry Leese, I did like Brian in New Tricks, Alan Armstrong is brilliant.

 

Give it a vote if you agree. Still showing nothing for me. "Celebrity" is the runaway winner just now. 

[Paola]

Like DaisyChain2 I hate the word 'Celebrity' too.   Most of them are zzz list and I don't know who most of them are when they appear on 'Celebrity Mastermind'.   I don't watch the other so-called Celebrity programmes.

 

I hate it when news reporters and the media term us as "ordinary" people.    Why are we ordinary?  And are they differentiating us from who they think is not ordinary.  What does this mean?   Please put that in Room 101.   Thanks.

[barry-clari]

I agree RoseRodent, coming up annoys me too, also the recapping of what has just taken place...erm I was watching so I do know. I loathe the way a loud individual starts telling us what programme is following, almost as soon as the credits start at the end of a programme.
Sorry Leese, I did like Brian in New Tricks, Alan Armstrong is brilliant.

 
Give it a vote if you agree. Still showing nothing for me. "Celebrity" is the runaway winner just now.

Perhaps stick a cut-off date on the topic, and then let DC2 (presumably) pick the next topic

[RoseRodent]

Right then Daisychain, you are the winner

 

I want to put the increased noise level of Adverts.

 

I detest adverts, but see there usefulness, however, do they really need to be at a higher volume than the regular programming.

 

 

Interestingly, in the UK at least it's actually forbidden by various broadcasting standards to make adverts louder by decibel measurement than the surrounding program, and indeed various compression algorithms are run to make sure the volume level is consistent. BUT, they work around that by using certain types of sounds, sounds which are punchier, shorter, heavier on strong consonants, big bass and mid-frequency sounds that grab your attention. I know this as I tried to run a compression of my own and when I researched it I found they already use a compressor. Then in my sound engineering class I learned that songs mastered for radio release must be very carefully edited by sound engineers to make sure they don't do to it exactly what the radio compression will do, as it will deaden the song. 

 

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Anyway....

Daisychain2, you are the winner,       please pick a new topic for us to get all grumpy about. 

[DaisyChain2]

Ooh...thank you! I'd like to thank my management team, my mum, my neighbour ....too much? Ok- next topic:

 

Self service check outs in supermarkets.

 

I probably have an irrational phobia about these things therefore I avoid using them as far as possible.  However, sometimes I am in our local supermarket at 7.00 in the morning after finishing a night shift.  This particular morning, there was no one manning the check outs so the self service was the only option.

After taking a deep breath, I approach the thing with an "I will not be beaten" stance and bravely place my bag in the bagging area- only to be told that there is an "unexpected item" there!  Why is a bag in a bagging area an unexpected item??  Along comes a lady in the know, who tells me I've put the bag in "wrongly" and the scanner doesn't recognise it!  I need to place it so that the handles are over the hooks securely.  She very kindly takes it out, puts it back correctly and turns off the flashing red lights.  After tapping in that I brought my own (unrecognisible) bag, I then begin the nightmare of scanning the items through.  I find out through the red lights flashing and The Lady In The Know, that I can only scan the next item if the previous item is already in my Unrecognisible Bag.  

 

Eventually, it comes to paying and  I turn to leave and make a hasty retreat,  The Lady In The Know (who by now has cottoned on to the fact that it is probably best for her to hover around pretending not to keep an eye on me) tells me not to forget my cash which I then see had spewed out of the slot at the bottom of the machine,  Seeing my perplexed-if-not-a-little-harassed face, she says it's the £50.00 cashback I'd asked for when checking out with my card. In my hurry to pay and get out, I had no idea I'd pressed the cashback button in the first place! 

 

As in my Celebrity rant, I know people who think these things are a Godsend, but to me they are a nightmare.

Please put self service supermarket check outs into Room 101!

[linda.ff]

A couple of years ago I would have agreed, but I now realise they are not all the same - I still can't use the ones in WHSmith on the rare occasion that I go there and I am reduced to resorting to The Spotty Youth In The Know (ok ok apologies to all youths everywhere, it's just an unpardonable stereotype). But I learned to know and like the machines in our local Tesco Express, and today I put my bag down and got a verbal message and a light came on inviting me to press, saying "I brought my own bag". It's not temperamental about where you put the bag.I've never paid by card on the machine, so I didn't know it could do cashback - could be useful to know! So although I can acknowledge your nomination of self-checkouts, I can't endorse it.

I'd just go for the word "iconic"

[corenfa]

Can I nominate C# major? What was wrong with D flat major? And to add insult to injury, to then modulate through all sorts of supposedly related keys- E# minor, I'm looking at you.

[barry-clari]

Can I nominate C# major? What was wrong with D flat major? And to add insult to injury, to then modulate through all sorts of supposedly related keys- E# minor, I'm looking at you.

I like C# major on the clarinet and sax. I like Db major on the flute.

If you consign C# major to room 101, that would mean I will find the clarinet a lot harder, and I will be sad

I think DC2 is looking at what room 101 used to call 'modern life' as a category, so in that spirit, I would like to nominate people who stare at their smartphones when walking down the street. Thus not looking where they are going, and walking into me as a result. Put them away. Or at least stop by the side of the road. Grr...