With a running nose and general not-well, my enthusiasm for today's outing had the orange indicator on for refuelling soon. Even the places to be covered today were more like the extras that come along when you buy something you really want. Well that was the perception. First one was the world of coca-cola, well I don't like coke and I rarely drink coke either.Further coke does not exactly go well with pseudo-communism either. And I was looking forward to a much-ado about nothing experience where a bottle of fizz would be made to represent anything from world peace to the global unification of the human spirit.
This was the glass I was wearing as I walked in. A senior in red shirt started the coke-brag while I used the time to generally snap around. He then took us into a theater where they showed a coke commercial - a cartoon commercial which I hoped vibed with my child. When we walked out, a man dressed as a polar bear was giving families a chance to photograph with him. Another typical american gimmick - I will give you some happiness and then I will charge you for it. Similar pattern appeared again with another mascot from the movie we just saw. Next was the hulla-ballo about the coke secret- the secret being known half and half by two men who are not allowed to meet/talk etc! So far the glass I came in with matched.
Then we had another movie show where the movie was shown all around you as you stood in the center. You might wonder how you would see what is behind you when you are seeing what is in front of you.Well you know what - it doesn't matter. There is no content whatsoever. Lot of extravaganza over absolutely nothing. They showed coke froth rising and then they showed coke ads that revolved around giving you the chance to see everything. All these 3D shows/4D shows etc have unfortunately lacked so blatantly in content as far as whatever I have seen so far is concerned. Then the screen itself lifts off to reveal a vault within which apparently the coke secret is buried.
Then we entered a gallery that showed some history of coke and that was when things started to get interesting. A manual machine that was used to cap the coke bottles was one.A vintage yellow vehicle that was used to distribute coke. "Far Away" - A popular game of the 50s it seems where the country of origin imprinted on the bottle of coke is used to determine who pays. The farther the country of origin, the winner. The indifference had slowly given way to curiosity. I was now interested in noting how the advertising might have been in the good old days. "Drive Refreshed" , "Work Refreshed" taglines next to photographs of good lookers - a family photo with the tag line -"It is a family affair". Hmm interesting. Then a sampling of coke machines from various portions of the globe. Notes about how the troops were supplied coke, bottles of various sub-brands like fanta, minute maid etc that Coke owned.
Next came the manufacturing plant - now we were completely involved. Water treatment, Syrup tank, conveyor belts with coke bottles, a robot that takes bottles from the conveyor to crates.It is called the packaging robot. The the testing section - density test, taste test,volume test etc. One critical high-impact feedback I have here is 'Have a guide who explains what is happening'. It completes the experience.
Then there was a small collage of paintings of coke which were impressive. Another theater where they showed ads of coca cola around the world which was ok too.
4D show at the world of coca cola - this was one thing I had been looking forward to.Quite some work had been done on the forth dimension with rocking chairs , air gushes, water splashes etc in regular intervals. One section where the entire theater becomes a vehicle and the jerks and the camera representing the ride. It was fair - some work had been done and it had paid off. But again - the theme was not up to the mark - It was about someone trying to find the secret of the coke formula.Looking forward to a time when 4D movies integrate well.
Then came the section that was the icing of the experience. A section where you get drinks from various continents and a glass.So much of coke all the time had got Niya asking for coke and we were looking forward to just this. There were around fifty varieties of beverages from europe to africa to asia to the americas. There was also a small section where beverages manufactured exclusively in the US were available for tasting.This was the most 'fruit'ful experience with flavors ranging from melon to lemon, from banana to strawberry - colors ranging from green to blue to maroon to icy blue. As we walked out, we were happy and we also got a take away bottle of coke.
Our next visit point was the CNN headquarters where a very smart guide explained so many interesting nuances about how the telecast actually happens to the 2 billions homes worldwide. While I could gather minimal information myself, I could appreciate the design of the news script being displayed on the same screen through which the camera is shooting the reader.The words are also displayed two to three per line so that the news reader does not have to move his eyes from left to right while you are watching from your home. Another interesting technology was the use of green background to represent map. When your weather reporter talks about thunderstorms in the bay area circling his hands around the lower bottom of the tv screen, he has a blank green screen behind him.Well well , the CNN experience had taken off really well. where as Coke represented minimal value and maximum jazz, CNN did represent a lot of value.
We were then shown the various studios from where right then, news was being shot live.
Then we were back at Georgia aquarium to see the 4D show where a 3D cartoon about a fish added forth dimension as water splashed once in a while. This was probably the most integrated 4D experience though it was a cartoon. Before watching this one, we had seen a quick 20 minutes of frog section which was great - brilliant colors and some macro photography. After the 4D show, we went to two of the galleries where we had struggled through the crowd last week. Now, we had the whole aquarium to ourselves and I easily snapped quite a few snaps. We got a little relaxed and missed out on the possibility of seeing all the galleries but at the same time, it was great photography time.
Once outside, we rejoined with Brijesh,Deba and Prachi who had taken a different route today starting with Fernback museum. As the cold winds would not let us stand longer, we parted quickly to our respective parking lots.
No comments:
Post a Comment