Friday, October 29
boo!
happy (almost) halloween! stupid fun
thanks betsy borders!
and if ghosts and goblins aren't scary enough for you, then check out farenheit 9/11 online (low-resolution, but free).
bush's "one-finger victory salute". right back atcha, chief.
Tuesday, October 26
hollywood outsider
i've been reading zach braff's blog, and i think i have a little bit of celebrity fever. he writes in such a way that i feel like we're old friends, and this always ultimately makes me feel like a loser when i remember that we've never met (and likely never will). but i keep going back. i think he's hilarious.
segway stumping
when it debuted in 2001, the hype made it seem like we'd see a segway scooter on every block within the next few years. the jetson-esque future hasn't arrrived yet, but some enterprising political candidates are segwaying their way right into office by speeding up their door-to-door gladhanding and baby-kissing.
Monday, October 25
do i hear $14?
always interesting when you can actually see capitalism at work...
i'm a long-standing member and proponent of netflix, and was around for their $1/month price hike this summer when they really started to take off. and now that they've proven that the flat-fee movie rental concept really will fly, it's time for the knock-offs. enter wal*mart - yes, wal*mart - who is advertising that they've undercut netflix's price by $6.50/month (though for a more limited plan). so i got an email this morning from my "friends at netflix" announcing that they've dropped their price by $4/month. god bless america and sam walton.
Friday, October 22
we're #2! we're #2!
the onion hilariously concedes that the "U.S. Finishes A 'Strong Second' In Iraq War".
" 'After that strong start, I really thought that we were going to take it home,' [Paul] Bremer said. 'I'd say we can chalk this loss up to a combination of Iraq's home-field advantage and a poor second-half U.S. game plan.' "
Yes, better luck to us next term, i mean time.
Wednesday, October 20
virtually buff
think gaming systems only breed couch potato-ness and love handles? a new game for xbox called yourself fitness matches players with a virtual fitness trainer, who leads them through a workout tailored to their height, weight and fitness level. interactivity and a library of more than 500 different moves ensure that no two workouts are ever alike, and the collection of 4500 recipes helps you carry your new lifestyle from the living room to the kitchen. now get up from your laptop and go play your xbox, you slacker!
Friday, October 15
sucker ponch
slate's take on the life cycle of a trend: the ubiquitous poncho, seen everywhere i've turned in the last few months. i knew things had gone too far when i spotted a frumpy woman in Target wearing a badly machine-knit black one over a lime-green turtleneck, accented by a pumpkin pin. i'd rather see Ugg boots make a comeback.
Wednesday, October 6
overstated
feel like the candidates are saying the same thing over and over in the debates? see if you're right. this cool little app lets you pick a debate (available so far: the 1st Presidential one and last night's VP face-off) and enter in a term ("wrong war wrong time", etc.) and it will return results on who said it and how many times.
Tuesday, October 5
site pal
i was just served a banner promoting a service called site pal. it's a flash-based feature that allows you to insert a speaking avatar onto your site - but it's their demos that are freaking me out!! you can enter in whatever text you want to and their demo avatar will speak it out loud, with corresponding mouth movement (i assume they filter vulgarity, but i - believe it or not - didn't test it out). you can even choose languages and accents. creepy, but kinda cool.
Friday, October 1
ups/mbe vs. fedex/kinkos
many gems in my clickz weekly email today. one is this article comparing the rebranding of the new UPS/Mail Boxes Etc venture with the FedEx/Kinko's one. the author declares a clear-cut winner in the end, and the outcome might surprise you.
online badvertising
amusing rant from james hering of clickz about the horror that is bad online advertising (online badvertising). he's quick to place blame on lazy creatives and weak calls to action, but nowhere did i see mention of outlandish client demands (that often result in his hated flashing colors and crammed words).
also, to kristin's point about the state of poor spelling these days, hering leads off with "Whatever it takes to keep you from loosing your cool"...