Conference hydra::amiga_v1

4760.0. ""Canadian Customs...quite a tradition, eh?"" by TOOK::DROBINSON () Wed May 22 1991 14:38

This is appeared in STreport. It's an excerpt from a trip report to the
Atarifest in Windsor, Ontario. 

Canadian Customs...quite a tradition, eh?
 ----------------------------------------

     Many dealers took advantage  of a  generous offer  by Atari  Canada to
 provide loaner  machines to  avoid the  hassle of bringing their equipment
 across the border, and a hassle it was.  I produced a  video for  the show
 and had brought along lots of video gear while my assistant, Scott Haynes,
 brought along an Atari Mega ST2, hard drive and monitor.  The customs people
 stopped us  for about an hour as they suspiciously checked over all of our
 equipment.  I knew we were in trouble when the customs agent saw the Atari
 logo and  commented, "What's  wrong with  Amiga eh?  Why don't you have an
 Amiga eh?".  Scrambling to stay under the  good graces  of this apparently
 brain-washed bureaucrat, I groveled unashamedly and said, "Geez thats funny
 you should mention that because I am into video and I was  just telling my
 friend here  (Scott), how  I wish  the Atari  would come up with some good
 GENLOCKing hardware and software to go along with their new genlocking and
 graphics capabilities,  and how if I had an Amiga I could do all my video-
 -editing on the computer ala Desktop Video on the Amiga." 

     Dropping my head in betrayed disgust, the customs  agent looked  at me
 pitifully while  I shook my head.  Moved with compassion for a fellow byt-
 e-meister who apparently had not seen the light and was  suffering for the
 error of his ways, the Yogi-bear looking agent, folding his arms and leaning
 back on the car parked next to ours, took a deeply reflective  breath, and
 proceeded to  elucidate mercilessly and smugly on the perfectness and com-
 pleteness of his Amiga world, and how he was using it in his organic chemi-
 cal business to make brochures(yes the guy was a self-taught organic chemi-
 cal marketing mavin).  After about 10 to fifteen minutes  of contrived am-
 azement (using  such expressions  as, "No!? Really" and "Something Else!")
 the customs agent seemed satisfied that he had put us in our  pitiful, sl-
 ime-pit place  and let  us go.   By  the way, he mentioned that all of the
 customs agents used Amigas (which is probably why many Atarians experienced
 hassles crossing over).


    

    Re .0:
    
    I follow the STreport and would have apologized for the hassle if I
    could.  I'm pleased that the Amiga has received the acceptance it
    deserves in Canada but I'm MOST dismayed that the same smugness that we
    U.S. Amiga owners find so annoying among PC and Mac owners is being
    displayed by fellow Amigoids.

    re: .1
    picking on PC and Mac owners isn't nice either :-)
    
    re: .0
    I wonder how he is with PC and Mac owners, they "obviously" didn't pick
    the right computer too.
    
    That kind of attitude isn't system specific, or even computer specific.
    It's just gloating over finding the "right" solution, and the desire
    to help other see the error of their ways...
    
    I don't recall seeing anything declaring the Amiga as the official
    computer for Customs officials.  Must be a new convert to the cause :-)
    
    Dave

 
 re: -1

 >  I don't recall seeing anything declaring the Amiga as the official
 >  computer for Customs officials.  Must be a new convert to the cause :-)

       I crossed the border a couple of weeks ago at the 1000 Island
       Bridge.  I went into Canadian Customs to pick up a pamphlet
       explaining what I could bring back into Canada.  The bad news is
       that I didn't see any AMIGAs.  The good news is that the counter
       was lined with DECstations (not sure which flavour)!
       
       
       Art
       

    
    As everyone seems to be taking this seriously, and my curiousity is
    'killing' me, might it be that the story was a typical "Atari person"
    joke?
    
    Dennis
    
    (Who works with a Ungermann-Bass guy who is an "Atari person" - it can
    be fun)

    I am amused because when I bought my amiga all the ST people were
    laughing at me. Of course I could see through the fog they lived in so
    I went my merry way with textcraft,graphicraft,and Mindwalker. Now well
    they don't laugh anymore but then I hardly ever run into any ST users
    anymore.
    								bil

    
    I don't know if this is a joke or a true story. It was sent to
    me by a friend who owns an Atari and knows I am an Amiga nut.
    I just thought it was a funny, well written story.
    Dave