[EDIT: Fixed up my grammar since I wrote this entry with my eyes half-closed. Also...]
DISCLAIMER: Upon further reflection and about 6.5 hours of sleep, I realized that I don't really give a flying fig about what the Fare Card's named. The only translink-related project I care about is some sort of rapid transportation to UBC along the Broadway corridor. I'm just not fond of what the choices have been whittled down to.
This is going to sound so ridiculously stupid, but... I just found out that the Blackberry is a Canadian product. And the company behind it, RIM (Research in Motion) is known for taking on a lot of "fresh, young" co-op students. Rad. But yeah, I finally understand all the hype about RIM now. *epic headdesk*
[ranty Metro Vancouver-related ramble ahead! You have been warned!]
- Tpass: Yes, the 'T' is kind of our symbol for transit/translink/transportation around the city (so the description says, though I've never noticed any such signage), but this name can so easily be manipulated to be as such: TP-ass. Toilet. Paper. Ass. On this basis alone, this option should be banhammered and whoever suggested it should be told of urbandictionary.com or acronymfinder. Honestly. If the letters "ass" are in anything, you can guarantee that some young people will manipulate the letters so that there is some sort of emphasis on it. The TP is just icing on the cake.
- Compass: Can you say 'generic'? Does anyone in Vancouver even carry a compass? Maybe the woodsy hippie folks, but certainly not the hipsters or anyone who has GPS or access to a phone with a data plan. The fact that translink's description for this option includes "signage for the world over" just made this name that less personal. How can Vancouverites relate to it when it could just as easily be the name of a fare card in Nepal?
- Starfish: Wait, wait, hold up. "The Starfish is a simple, colourful and striking icon of the Pacific West Coast" Every time I read this sentence, I can just feel a look of bewilderment and confusion cross my face. Since when has the starfish been an icon of the west coast?! Not that Wikipedia's the most reliable source in the world, but I quote: "There are 2,000 living species of starfish that occur in all the world's oceans, including the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian as well as in the Arctic and the Southern Ocean (i.e., Antarctic) regions." When I think of starfish, my mind jumps to Hawaii or some sort of tropical paradise with tons of colourful fish. I think that 'Seagull Card' would be more apt than 'Starfish Card'. The only starfish you can find in Vancouver are in tanks at the Aquarium.
The names that I had entered at the start of the contest were "Orca" and "Otter". I have since learned that Seattle's fare card is the Orca, but I haven't been able to find any results for an "Otter card" through Google so... Translink, you have some explaining to do. We actually have otters here. I mean, their pelts were used as part of the fur trade way back when. I'm honestly very curious as to how exactly these final 3 were chosen. Yes, I'm aware that there was a panel, but I have not seen very much positive feedback at all for these 3 choices. It's like there's a disconnect between those panelists and everyone else in the Lower Mainland.
One suggestion that I quite liked was the "Umbrella Pass" as it would be most fitting: specificity to the Pacific Northwest, and kind of an in-joke for Vancouverites. Because really, we go through umbrellas like they're oxygen molecules. (Read as: umbrellas are essential to survival! And if you don't use one, then you probably have a hood or hat.)
[/ramble]
Well, I'm glad to have that off my chest. The Fare Card Naming Contest has been bothering me since they announced the final 3.
Also, some more Kamelot tourdates have been announced and... Vancouver is not on the list *cries*:
Aug
26 Atlanta , GA Masquerade
27 Springfield , VA Jaxx
28 Philly, PA Trocadero
30 NYC, NY Grammercy Theater
31 Worcester, MA Palladium
Sept
2 Montreal,QC Club Soda
3 Quebec City,QC The Imperial
4 Toronto,ON MOD Club
6 Cleveland ,OH Peabodys
7 Detroit ,MI Blondies
8 Chicago,IL Bottom Lounge
9 Minneapolis,MN Station 4
12 Seattle ,WA El Corazon
13 Portland,OR Peters Room
15 LA ,CA House of Blues
16 Tempe , AZ Clubhouse
17 SLC,UT The Complex
18 Denver ,CO Bluebird Theater
20 Dallas,TX Trees
21 Houston,TX Scout Bar
23 Orlando,FL Club Firestone
They're doing TWO shows in Quebec?! TWO?! Okay. I am moving to Quebec. It is final. Bands ALWAYS hit Quebec. I guess to appease the Frenchies so that they don't totally separate from the rest of Canada. But I don't want the sloppy, overly nasal Quebecois accent. :(
Alrighty, I've got to work really hard this weekend to get everything done by next week. There is no time to catch up. :( I'm ready for Reading Break! Please let it come sooner!
5 comments:
I MUCH prefer TPass over the others. It's short enough to be thrown in casual talk. Don't go ruining names now... :(
Honestly dude, I think you're nearly alone on this one. I see your point about the shortness, but after someone online said "TPass = TP + ASS"... WHAT HAS BEEN SEEN CANNOT BE UNSEEN. D:
If it weren't for that, I probably wouldn't have much of a problem with TPass, really. But(t)...
I'd go with Starfish. It's a simplistic representative of my extravagant "Cerulean Coho Card (CCC)" phrase:
Cerulean is a colour which mixes about 3 parts blue and 1 part green. As evident during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics or the uniforms of the Whitecaps or Canucks, blue with a hint of green is Vancouver's distinctive colour scheme. But that's probably because I, to allude to "Beautiful Day," "see the world in green and blue." As for coho, it can either represent rising prospect Cody Hodgson or the plentiful salmon in our natural geographic landscape. On an international level, cerulean is the "colour of the millennium."
I voted Starfish... but I wanted OTTER!
Haha RIM takes lots of co-op students fo sho =) maybe you get a free Blackberry too?
@Alvin: I think that 'Cerulean Coho Card' has a nice ring to it, especially with the alliteration :) Your supporting statements are also very sound and interest-piquing. I hadn't noticed the blue + green colours all around Vancouver.
@Megsta: Otter would've been in line with the Oyster and Octopus, too! Free Blackberry sounds awesome. :) Hmm, I guess I'll definitely look into trying to get a placement at RIM, then!
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