Oh, yes...

Happy Hallowe'en!



(If you're one of those folks who celebrate the occasion...

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Indeed!

Apple Changed Way the World Communicates

In a word, 'innovation'. The other companies don't do that, or can't do that, because there are too many players involved in producing things for a specific standard. Apple set their own standard and continues to innovate. Note how many computer companies have just recently come out with 'all in one box' computers? They're following the successful iMac line. Tablets? Following the iPad. I can't even start talking about music players. Everyone has one in the marketplace. The iPod started that.

Apple innovates...

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For those who are interested

(and you know who you are...)

On this date in 1967, the first issue of

Computerworld

hit the shelves. Think about it - 1967! That's a few centuries ago in computer terms. And to think I only got involved in computers around 1980 or so. Amazing!

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Well,

'Church Sucks' But Come Anyway?

Negative advertising may attract some people, but others will simply agree with the sign and still make no effort to attend. 'Yep, I've been saying that for years...'

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One of my pet peeves

Town rejects donation from pedophile

More and more, even in the city where I live, public buildings, university developments, and various other construction projects and existing buildings are taking money from companies and individuals for 'naming rights'. It's a way of getting more money for the building. I've always argued that there will be problems when someone wants to name a public building after something or someone a public entity doesn't want to be associated with, as precedents have been set. This is such a situation. I'll be interested in what the courts finally decide.

I'm waiting for when a public building, say a recreation centre, gets an offer from a company like the restaurant chain 'Hooters' to buy naming rights. Can you imagine? 'Hooters Recreation Centre', or 'Hooters Entertainment Complex'? Precedents will have been set, and, depending on how the courts decide, there may be no recourse for the building owners.

This is what happens when you sell your buildings for a 'mess of pottage'. (And I have no sympathy for them. I'm actually looking forward to the entertainment value attached to it...)

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Taking a look

at a simplication within our current pop culture...

Life’s Problems? EASY! Select Jesus!

He's correct about the marketing strategy. When someone tells you something is that easy, be wary. I'm not saying that they're not ultimately correct, but you can't look at the changing attitudes and the long run. I'm just questioning the veracity of the marketing...

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This

is purported to be an advert from BP from 1999. If true, I don't think they thought of it as being so literal or prophetic...

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More atheists

talking about God...

Atheist billboards in Sacto: 'Are you good without God?'

They're more and more becoming a religion themselves...


As usual, the comments are funny. Believers and atheists fighting...

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A sad day

Sunday was a sad day for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. Competing for the Grey Cup, they experienced a tragic last-minute loss. (Well, as tragic as a sports loss can ever be. It's not someone's life, for instance.)

The Saskatoon Star Phoenix published this photo on the front page of their newspaper:



A poignant moment.

Something caught my interest:



Here it is again, a little larger:



Sorry, I can't blow it up any larger and allow you can make it out.

Somehow, and this is just an observation, I don't find it at all unusual for a company that manufactures Celebrex to sponsor athletes. Rona I'm not too sure of, but Celebrex is the most appropriate example of sponsorship I've ever seen. It's just a perfect sponsor for a violent, physical sport competition. I'm sure they're aware of it and no irony is lost on them...

Just an observation...

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They'll do

anything they can to appear legitimate.

Church of Scientology told to drop Churchill images

Things have not been going at all well for Scientology lately...

For more information on Scientology, visit:
The Secrets of Scientology
and www.xenu.net

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"Like all products..."

Campaign to mass-marketing Jesus Christ

"SEVERAL months after Australia's major Christian churches decided to pool their marketing activities, the wraps have come off a campaign that aims to sell Jesus to the masses."

Knowing Jesus is like selling any other product, it seems. How depressing (and demeaning to the King of Kings)...

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The end

of honesty...

Photoshopped images: the good, the bad and the ugly

"The graphics editing tool is praised for making people look their best and dissed for setting the bar too high."

Computers don't lie, people using computers lie...

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Such a good article

Normally I wouldn't even bother looking at an article about this subject, but I do respect Danielle Bean and I enjoy her writing.

The Real Miss USA Scandal

I'm sure it's not what you think...

Disgusting

Burger King Receiving Heat for 'Highly Sexualized' Kids Meal Ad

But that's marketing for you - use sex to sell to the 8 and 9 year-olds. And use their iconic cartoon characters, too...

For sale...

Profiles in History

This is the website for an auction sale service that deals with memorabilia of Hollywood personalities. The most interesting one now is of the estate of Forrest J. Ackerman, also know as 'Mr. Science Fiction', who died on December 4, 2008. You can download the catalog of the auction as zipped .pdf files. Be sure to read his biography on Wikipedia from the link above. He was a very interesting person and his estate sale has some wonderful memorabilia.

I have a few film cards from theatres from older films that I've picked up here and there. I can understand how a person can decide to collect these sorts of things...

Another publicity stunt?

Mr. Brown hasn't been unwilling to use lies and untruths to further his works before, so it's very likely the Vatican had no involvement with his film at all. I mean, Opie can't have approached the Vatican for permission to film in certain specific locations after the scurrilous (and ultimately pretty tedious) film that he made before...

Ron Howard: Vatican obstructed 'Angels & Demons'

I do have a slightly better opinion of Mr. Howard's films than the author of the post that I got the above link from: Richie Cunningham Drums Up Publicity (But only slightly better... )

Marketers

are basically pretty disgusting...


Investigation launched into ice cream ad with nun and priest poised to kiss

"Advertising Standards Authority looking into whether ad for ice cream brand is demeaning to people with a religious vocation"

Anything to sell a product...

I don't know

There could be just a bit of over-reaction here. I don't know that there was deliberate "discrimination based on religious grounds".

Dancing Pope flyer banned

It's just a trendy business trying to attract trendy customers by being outrageous. It's not like that's a new thing for marketing...

Why become a priest or monk?

Friar Escape

You can tell it's the NY Post by the sub-head below:

"Hard Times Boost Ranks Of Poverty-Vow Order"

"Poverty-Vow Order"?

When I was young

I always wanted some of these...

Sea Monkeys: New life for an old fad

I may have posted about this before, but you know how it is when you're a child - you think these things are really the way they're advertised. I thought that it was so cool.

I used to read all those advertisements in the comics we had. X-Ray glasses, bitter gum, soap that made your hands black, all those things were fascinating. I never got any of them, having no cash, but it was fun to read them. Kind of like drooling over the Christmas catalogues and all the toys shown on those glossy pages. I didn't get any of those, either, but it was entertaining to look. Now I do that with the Acorn and Lee Valley catalogues. And I'm still not an adult...