Great Things Found on the Internet

Gay Bar or Steakhouse?

It seems simple enough until you're pulling your hair out because the Rusty Spurs just has to be a steakhouse SOMEWHERE and how could there NOT be gay club called the Pink Pony?

Misadventures in Adcopy #2

From the top of Carl Buddig - Orginal Deli Thin - Corned Beef:

SLICED
CHOPPED
PRESSED
COOKED

I believe certain Buddig products also include SMOKED. With this many verbs, you know it's got to be good. Part of me wants to see the setting in which all these actions are taken. The other part wants to start buying another lunch meat product as soon as possible.

But the 8 ounce Buddig deli thin meats are cheaper than any other, with the exception of Hy-Vee brand (and only when they're running a special). Plus Buddig puts those 8 ounces in a handy reusable plastic tub. And I have to admit, I really like their Corned Beef, which is surprisingly low in fat.

In order to stop thinking of the no doubt heinous and soulless facility that does all these things to the meat I like to come up with other verbs Buddig could have used instead. For instance:

CARESSED
MASSAGED
STROKED
LOVED


See, now we're thinking about something entirely different. Though I suppose in context it's not, in fact, better. What verbs would make you more likely to buy Buddig products?

Reading Just Became Sexy Again

At least if you equate sexy with svelte technology. The new Kindle 2 is sure to appeal to anyone who has ever dreamed of running an oil-slicked ipod across their naked body, and perhaps also to those who are tired of lugging several heavy books along with them on vacations. Kindle 2 will weigh in at just over 10 ounces, heavier than some individual books, but possibly lighter than the book it's displaying, one of my favorites of last year, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.

Kindle 2 is just over 1/3 of an inch thick and has a 25% longer battery life. Text should also be sharper, and the processor was given a minor boost. It is expected to ship February 24th at the price of $359.

So, is Kindle 2 posed to eliminate paper books entirely? I don't think Sven Birkerts needs to worry too much about this one, though I'm sure it will attract more consumers than the original. No matter how sleek and sexy digital readers become they still won't provide the full range of sensations that I crave when I read a book in paper.


And while buying books on Kindle is a little cheaper than buying them in print, the initial $359 investment is more than a little off-putting, especially in this economy.

When digital downloads are offered at $5 per book, or Amazon institutes a Rhapsody-esque digital subscription/library package that allows me to "check-out" an unlimited number of books each month for $20, or less, then I think they'll really have a killer app... At least until Apple releases their tablet and starts offering books on iTunes.

Misadventures in Adcopy

From the bottom of my box of Kleenex:

Kiss calm, cool and collected goodbye!
Don't be bashful. Don't be shy. It's time to unabashedly let it out!
So be messy.
Blow it loud and blow it proud.



Wait, kleenex are still marketed mainly for nose-blowing right? Because a guy could get a little confused by the implication of these words. Also,"it's time to unabashedly let it out," is trademarked. Seriously, they couldn't do any better than a clunky mid-sentence adverb?

Tomorrow is a shopping day, so there may be more analysis of adcopy in the near future.