When bad design happens.

Up on the BBC site they have a retrospective of the various logos for the Doctor Who program (or if I want to give a nod to the people on the other side of the pond - programme). They’ve also got a newly designed logo (pictured above) up as well. It’s an interesting stroll down through the years because it’s a reminder of some things not to do when it comes to design.

I love alphabets.

To put it another way, I’m a type junkie. Typography is something of a dying art today but it’s such an important element of design. Letterforms are amazing in their ability to convey messages to us on a subconscious level. The choice of the correct typeface can impart to the viewer qualities such as strength, stability, speed, innovation - a whole host of character traits that underscore what the creator of the message wants to get across. Inversely, when the selection of a typeface is less than appropriate, it’s a jarring experience for the viewer and sends a mixed message.

Look for yourself though, you can find a gallery of all the Doctor Who logos here (click through).

I myself was taken aback by the early seventies logo (the faux acid trip, melting type look). The eighties logos are especially hideous, what neon signage has to do with science fiction I just don’t get. The only thing missing is a disco ball. There is a good decade of just ugly, ugly work whether it’s the neon lighting stuff or the bad ‘chrome’ effect. Most of the logo design from the period would be more appropriate for some dance contest show. Just a perfect example of when bad design happens to good projects.

Movie Mondays!


A scifi classic worth seeing if only for Edward G Robinson’s very poignant last appearance ever on film. Charlton Heston plays a hard-nosed detective trying to ferret out the truth about a murder. The backdrop is a city succumbing to the evils of overpopulation and (prophetic for its time?) global warming. Joseph Cotten (Citizen Kane), Brock Peters and Chuck Conners (TV’s The Rifleman) round out the cast. Very much a product of its day, Soylent Green is one of those scifi standards you have to see at least once.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

My new favorite.

The Adam Corolla Podcast.

The Adam Corolla podcast.

What are these?

and

Two faces of the same beast, more to come.

Movie Mondays!


As movies based on comic properties go, X-Men 3 is nothing special. If you’ve read the comic you’ll be pleased to see Juggernaut, The Beast and Angel all realized on the big screen but if you’re not familiar with the characters you may wind up being a bit lost. Certainly X-Men 3 doesn’t go off the rails as badly as the Batman movies of the 90s did but, some of the shine is off the apple so to speak. The newness of seeing the X-Men on film isn’t there and the story is passable at best. There’s enough action in the film to keep you watching but afterward you may find yourself somewhat unsatisfied. The performances, effects and pacing all make X-Men 3 a yeoman’s effort but in the final analysis it’s a bit of a lackluster film. Worth a watch but don’t ramp up your expectations because if you do you’ll wind up disappointed.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

Jamelah’s Meme.

I found this in the drafts queue from a few months back. I never got around to posting it and really, nothing has changed so I figured on putting it up now:


Idly surfing the net and catching up on some blogs (because I just have been busy with other things). I came across this meme up on Jamelah’s blog and I thought I would give it a go:

1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT?
When I was kid while living in an apartment complex I made the mistake of trying to feed a strange dog some food. It bit me clean through the finger (literally). I couldn’t have been more than 12. I just remember punting the animal in response.

2. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?
To have all the stuff I want to sell sold.

3. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN?
I think it was at night.

4. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?
Major Matt Mason. There was a whole set of toys and during the sixties the space race was a big deal. Astronauts were a big deal and everyone’s imagination was captured by the race to the moon. I just remember one Christmas where I got a bunch of Major Matt Mason stuff and being really, really happy.

5. THE BEST TV SHOW EVER CREATED:
I want to say LOST, maybe Deep Space Nine, Six Feet Under... Geez! I could go on and on but it has to be Seinfeld. There are just too many times it struck gold and permeated society’s consciousness.

6. THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO?
This is kind of interesting because it stopped me and made me really think about it. I was down at the local Village Hall and I was speaking one of the women there in the asseessor’s office. Before that I was wishing one of the people I know down at the Post Office where I pick up my mail a nice weekend. On the trip home I was talking to the conductor who I must say was extraordinarily pleasant (so much so I was considering writing Metro North commending him. As I walked out of work today I said bye to everyone and wished them a good three day weekend. If it’s someone close though it was my cousin who I try to speak with every few days.

7. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK?
No, not really. If I’m scared it’s only because I’m afraid I’ll trip over something more than anything else.

8. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY?
My cousin’s daughter - they had a party to celebrate her oldest’s communion and as part of the party they showed a video that was a montage of photos set to music. There are some people we’ve lost over the last decade who I really miss and I couldn’t help but tear up during it (although I fought it every step of the way).

9. HOW MANY WISDOM TEETH DO YOU HAVE?
None.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOGNE / PERFUME?
I’m not really a big cologne or perfume person. I don’t use cologne because nothing beats a freshly scrubbed clean body. Also, I’m not too crazy about people who ladle the sh*t on to cover their B-O. Take a shower!

11. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?
I really like blondes but it’s not a deal breaker or anything. Blue eyes are nice too.

12. WOULD YOU RATHER BE SMART OR FUNNY?
Smart (because if you’re smart you can see humor all around you in the world).

13. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINKS?
Neither. I stopped drinking coffee a few months back now as part of an overall goal to change my dietary habits and I haven’t looked back. None of that stuff is really good for you anyway. (Update - I’m back on the coffee jones)

14. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
This was very difficult because I love food but I’m a very picky eater. I’m up at a really weird hour too because I fell off this afternoon and wound up sleeping a really long time. I’m not hungry at the moment so I’m not craving anything.

15. WHO IS THE LAST PERSON YOU MADE MAD?
I don’t know really. I don’t go out of my way to piss people off or anything although I’m sure they get annoyed with me on a regular basis. Just to throw a name out there I’ll say Steve.

16. DO YOU SPEAK ANOTHER LANGUAGE?
I brutalize several. I’m not fluent in any one but I can have a basic conversation in Spanish (at least to make myself understood at times), know a little Italian and some Japanese.

17. DO YOU LIKE SOMEONE?
I like a lot of people but, I get the sense this question pertains more to ‘LIKE’ like. No one at present is at that level but I am always doing appraisals.

18. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING?
Probably not.

19. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU?
Just to say it. Life is too short to leave things unsaid, especially stuff like that.

20. WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST?
Rudeness.

21. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE U.S.?
Yes.

22. YOUR WEAKNESSES?
I’m too concerned about what other people think at times and so I vacillate between the extremes of wanting to please and just telling people to go f**k themselves.

23. IF YOU COULD GET PLASTIC SURGERY WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Gosh! That’s a really good question! If I thought it would be worthwhile there are probably a lot of things I would get work done on but I just keep flashing on the woman who made herself into a lioness and all the other really plastic looking people I’ve seen.

24. WHY DID YOU FILL OUT THIS SURVEY?
Boredom.

25. ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT?
Oh, yes but I’m getting better about these things.

26. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?
Smarts?

27. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF ALCOHOL BECAME ILLEGAL?
Sneak it. I’d probably make my own wine or beer.

28. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT?
Well, I don’t even know if kids are still in the cards at this point. I may have missed the boat on that. I would’ve liked to have had about five.

29. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Yeah, the old man.

30. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY?
I can’t think of it now but I do know I bawled like a baby when I had to have my sweet little cat put down.

31. ANY BAD HABITS?
Loads! Yet, I keep working on them and trying to do better. They’re slowly diminishing but I’ve still got a lot of work to do.

32. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Definitely.

33. DO YOU KNOW ANYONE FAMOUS?
Well, a lot of people come into my orbit and some of them have varying degrees of fame. Not anyone I’m best budds with though.

34. DO LOOKS MATTER?
Yeah, on a certain they do. Pretty people definitely get more breaks in this world than ugly people do.

35. HOW DO YOU RELEASE YOUR ANGER?
I’m trying not to be angry so much anymore. There comes a point where anger is actually a destructive thing for a person. I’m trying to learn better ways to control it and to let things go, even little things. I could be a real animal, it comes to me very easily but it’s not something to be proud of. Mainly I try to remind myself life is short and giving in to anger only empowers others over you.

36. DO YOU TRUST OTHERS EASILY?
No, not easily. I would like it if that weren’t the case but there are good reasons for that.

37. FAVORITE THOUGHT PROVOKING SONG:
Ouch, I was listening to some music on the ride in today. I started off with Hot Fun in the Summertime by Sly and the Family Stone.

38. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR?
The first day of baseball season.

39. FAVORITE EXPRESSION?
Dude!

A new answer to the boob job?

Could it be the days of silicon implants are numbered?

So far, the technique has only been tested in animals, which grew new breasts within six weeks. Experts predict the process could take up to eight months in women, and the experiments are very preliminary.

I am still very much a juvenile.

By that, I mean to say I still get quite the laugh out of the most inane and vulgar things I come across. Sometimes I spend far too much time thinking about funny things than doing funny things but that’s besides the point...

Today, I had the TV on in the background. I do that much of the time, have the TV on in the background. It’s just something about having noise, the voices in the television providing a backdrop, it doesn’t bother me and somehow it fills up the empty space.

Tosh.0 was on which is the latest in a long series of shows that have internet videos with goofy commentary. Truly the funniest things happen in life without planning or more often than not when life goes awry.

In the course of commenting on a particular video, the phrase ‘Hot Pocket’ came up. Now, I’ve never been big on Hot Pockets. Maybe it’s an age thing (me being too old for them or something) but I am vaguely familiar with them as foodstuffs and it seems they’re always wrapped around some joke about the cliched picture of computer geeks.

In this case however, Hot Pocket meant something totally different and was part of slang I never heard before. When I looked it up, well... I just about passed out, I had a laughing fit that was so extreme, tears were in fact rolling down my face. Mind you, it’s totally vulgar, disgusting, repulsive - there are just a litany of adjectives that would apply but, I was consumed with laughter (which says a lot about me and my sense of humor).

Judge for yourself, from the urban dictionary:

1. The act of shitting inside a fold-out couch and then re-closing it, leaving it for an unsuspecting guest. (see similar terms: “upper-decker,” “mexican waffle,” “trunk muffin”)
   That drunk guy that slept over last night left us a hot pocket.
   
   
2. When a girl is going down on a guy and his balls start kickin right before he's about to cum, you shove his balls in his anus and yell "HOT POCKET!"
   “I'm about to cum...” (She shoves his ballsac into his anus)
   “HOT POCKET!”
   
   
3. Falling off ones skateboard in such a way that they land on their side. It usually happens when you lean back too far.
   “I went for a kickflip down that set but I was leaning back too far and I hot pocketed”
   
   
4. The act of taking a shit inside of a fold out bed and folding it up for someone else to find
   “SHIT that bum gave us a hot pocket last night”
   
   
5. Name for a pastry that took after the pop tart. except it is filled with nasty meat. It can only be served 2 ways;
   1. Warm outside, frozen inside.
   2. boiling lava hot, will destroy your mouth.usually given to patients suffering from constipation.
   “Hey Travis, would you like a hot pocket?”
   “NO!”
   
   
6. Prison term: two pieces of white bread with mayonnaise smothered in between. The mayo sandwich is then placed in the microwave to heat it up so it resembles a woman's vagina. It is then fucked.
   
   
7. Firstly a tight seal must be created- the male covers the vagina with his butthole. This is essential. Next the male emits a fart that MUST BE gassy and hot into the vagina. The desired effect mimics that of a microwaved hot pocket where the bag expands. After completing the emission the male quickly covers the vagina with his hand (as to maintain the seal). At that point he performs cunilingus. (Girl bragging to friend) “My boyfriend loves me so much that he gave me a hot pocket while we were watching the Wonder Years.”