Valentine’s Day 2009
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on January 14, 2009 by admin in Holidays
Nothing says “I love you” like a mass-produced card written by a stranger
Don’t tell anybody, but I’m a hopeless romantic. Apparently though, there are a lot of people out there that are a little more cynical about things like Valentine’s Day. That lovely foil wrapped candy pictured here for instance? According to this source, it says “Crazy Diarrhea” on the wrapper. If you have a special cynical someone in your life, Despair.com has a unique selection of message candy sets. The “Dumped” collection includes messages like “U LEFT SEATUP”, “CELIB8 THX2U”, and “CALL A 900#”. Be My Anti-Valentine offers some bitter e-cards, pointing out that “Valentine’s Day is like herpes: just when you think it’s gone for good, it rears its ugly head once more. No wonder some people prefer to call it VD.” For a more fratboy-like vibe, this site has a collection that includes messages like “I Think Of You When I Masturbate” accompanied by a cute teddy bear image. Want to make up your own message? Try this simple candy heart generator, or if you can read through the Engrish, buy a Picture the Flower Art Color Painter and print your message directly on the roses you buy. Because nothing says “I love you” like a mass-produced card written by a stranger. Except weird messages printed on roses. Or maybe some Pink Hi-Top Chuck Taylors
Where’s That Other Shoe?
[ 3 Comments ]Posted on January 14, 2009 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
With all the recent economic and business news, I’ve been sitting patiently waiting for the other shoe to drop. Personally I’m hoping we land on both feet (I’m pretty sure I’m mangling a metaphor here), and that if we’re in for hard times we rediscover some sense of community and helping our fellow citizens. As [...]
With all the recent economic and business news, I’ve been sitting patiently waiting for the other shoe to drop. Personally I’m hoping we land on both feet (I’m pretty sure I’m mangling a metaphor here), and that if we’re in for hard times we rediscover some sense of community and helping our fellow citizens. As much as I love the possibilities created by our communication technologies – cell phones, web-based social networks, e-mail, twitter, etc. – I feel they sometimes do as much to isolate us as connect us. There’s nothing like a genuine fuel shortage to motivate ride-sharing and conversation. It’s pretty cool that the Obama camp is trying to mobilize a national service day in honor of MLK day, and I hope this kind of thing gets some traction. Bring on that other shoe!
Masturbatory Muzak & Pole Dancer Video Tutorials
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on January 14, 2009 by admin in Popular Media
The Death Of Irony Through Self-Produced Video
The video at left, an actual promotional video for Microsoft’s new product Songsmith, brilliantly and comically embodies a theory of mine. A long time ago I suggested that if plotted on a graph, the quality of available literature would follow a curve exactly inverse to the proliferation of literacy and the accessibility of desktop publishing tools. I think a random sampling of the shelves of any chain bookstore bears out my theory (as does the mere existence of books like Bright Shiny Morning
For Immediate Relief: Bush’s Final Press Conference*
[ Comments Off ]Posted on January 14, 2009 by admin in Politics
Press Release? No. Press Relief.
Watching Bush’s final press conference was kind of depressing. After 8 years of wanting to hate the man as an evil leader, you could suddenly see him for what he really is: a not terribly stupid, college-educated son from a wealthy and powerful family who was ill-equipped to lead the free world and probably knew it from the get-go. His tone throughout most of the conference was what one might call “wistfully relieved”. He still exhibited his tendency to come across as a little sociopathic, showing no remorse for his actions beyond how they may have been perceived historically or as bad policy timing. He displayed none of his familiar deer-in-the-headlights-while-waiting-for-the-soundbite-through-the-earpiece-shifty-eyedness. He was clearly speaking “on his feet”, as it were, presumably a safe move when one has barely a week left in office and is in fact already packed and heading off to the golf course. To me the single most notable thing was the appalling detachment he seems to have toward the country he led for eight years. It’s like he took the family Mercedes for a spin on a sunny day with bricks of cash and a reasonably happy family in the back seat, and brought it back a few years later fender-less, out of gas, broke, the family emaciated or dead, and is handing the keys back to dad with a blank look of “What? I brought it back before curfew like I said” on his face.
*Worst journalistic pun I plan to make this year.
Solution To Auto Industry’s Cash Problems? Charge It!
[ Comments Off ]Posted on January 13, 2009 by admin in Clean & Green, Technology
A Day Late And A Petrodollar Short
It’s a bit of shame that the American auto industry’s sudden excitement about electric cars comes across more as a knee-jerk reaction than an insightful foray into new technology. Someday American automakers may again be recognized as innovators in vehicle technology, but this year the Green Car of the Year award goes to the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which is actually powered by “clean diesel”. Funny that the first electric car was built in the 1830′s and Detroit is still trying to figure things out. If you haven’t been keeping up with what’s going on with EV’s, TreeHugger.com has a nice overview of 23 electric cars that are driving the revolution. By the way, if you’re intrigued by the stylish electric Cadillac Converj pictured here but intimidated by the likely price tag, don’t worry. It doesn’t really exist yet.