*shakes head*

I'm a T-Mobile customer. I don't care about football. I don't watch the Superbowl, as I couldn't care less about it. So I only learned of the ad with the babies afterwards. So why is equality, tolerance, and inclusivity suddenly 'political'? And why not use the airtime to remind us that we're all human, rather than just to sell a product? Maybe, just maybe, we need that more than we need some new gadget or drink. Kudos to T-Mobile. If you're offended by the ad, you're part of the problem.

Just as I was about to turn off the Grammys

I finally saw the new Android ad by Google:



Yeah. It is cute. And I like the message. :) What can I say, I'm an Android girl, and just not into the whole Apple scene.

PS I am also not really into awards shows. They're slow and tedious for the most part. I watched them give out something like three awards an hour, and was really only interested in 'Song of the Year', which was won by the team that wrote 'Stay with Me'--which is a really good song; I was just pulling for Hozier. But it had its moments, and I tuned in just in time to see Hozier do 'Take Me to Church' and then have Annie Lennox come out and finish it with him, then sing 'I Put a Spell on You'. :) So it was okay. And I'm not sure which was weirder--Shia LeBouf's introduction of Sia, or Sia's performance with Kristen Wiig. And I'm somewhat embarrassed that when Paul McCartney, Rhianna, and Kanye West came out, I really didn't recognise the latter. I've just never really listened to his music, and since he got tangled up with the Kardashians I tune out anything about him. I did like several of the performances I saw, while others were well, just okay. But now I think it's time to head on to other things.

Is anyone else having an ad screen pop up while reading my blog?

I do sometimes, randomly, and if I let it count down it comes back to here, but if I click on the link to skip the ad, it takes me to the advertised web site. I'm not sure what this is, if it's something Google's doing or what. I'm using Chrome as my browser. I haven't noticed it on any other website, including other Blogger blogs. I don't know how to stop it, either. But if you are having it pop up, let me know in the comments, and that way I'll know it's not just me. Weird. And if it is happening to you, I'm very sorry. I decided a long time ago not to put ads on this site, and I'd like to keep it that way.

I don't normally watch the advertisements before YouTube videos

But this was absolutely, positively hilarious....



Learn more at PooPourri.com.

Yet another reason I love Amazon

It's back up after getting pulled because enough homophobes flagged the video as inappropriate. I think it's extremely sweet, appropriate, and maybe it will remind people that books tend to open minds.

PS Regarding the new Fires

New Kindle Fire tablets will have ads on the lock screen, with no option to opt out

Although they may bow to pressure to allow an opt out at some point, as many people--including me--do not like the idea of even targeted ads on their device. We'll see. If I didn't already have my tablet, this would make it harder for me to get a Fire. Maybe I'm alone, but I don't like ads pushed at me, even the supposedly unobtrusive ones, and rarely click-through anything resembling an ad online, skipping when possible. They're an annoyance. I'm one of those people who doesn't like ads in paid applications that I get for 99 cents. Imagine paying $500 for a device and still having ads. Come on Amazon, at least give people an option to pay extra and get a break from ads.

I really debated whether or not to link to this story with this source

not because it is controversial, or because it is lacking in information (indeed, it's quite a bit ind depth over some of the others out there).

No, it was because of an ad that popped up on the screen hawking a pizza slicer in the shape of the USS Enterprise on Space.com.

Huge Asteroid Vesta Actually an Ancient Protoplanet

But I decided there were some other tacky items out there on MSNBC and other outlets, to (the New York Times had an ad for a website touting the end was near). But the pizza cutter even clicked on my geek meter--and I AM a geek, and a Trek fan and a gizmo/gadget fan--as being just too tacky for words. If it were just on the sidebar ad, it wouldn't have really caught my attention, as I'm rather ad blind. But...it popped up in the centre with a bit of script. If it had been on a sci-fi site itself I wouldn't have given it a second thought, either. It was that I was looking for space news, and it was a little unexpected, although of course they are right that people interested in science and science fiction overlap a great deal. Anyway, that was my gut reaction. I decided to include the story for its own merits. And if you cannot live without a $30 Enterprise pizza slicer, you're in luck....(they also have Han Solo in carbonite ice trays as well.)

Anyway, the article itself is interesting.

Well, the haters are at it again

This time over a fairly innocuous catalogue ad.

J.C. Penney Catalog Features Gay Couple With Child, Freakout Ensues (this features a nice photo of the ad)

The text of the ad makes it clear that the women are, indeed, a lesbian couple with their children, along with the grandmother. The women have wedding rings, if you look closely, as well. This has freaked out One Million Moms and other anti-gay groups, who are calling for JC Penney to remove the ad or face a boycott. As you may remember, JC Penney faced similar flak for their use of lesbian Ellen DeGeneres as a spokeswoman.

Show JC Penney that you care and appreciate this. Sign a petition at Change.org.

Fabio? Really? Give me back the real Old Spice Guy

Fabio makes his pitch as 'new Old Spice Guy': Long-tressed model gets his moment in the sun, but Isaiah Mustafa will be back

Sorry, Proctor & Gamble, the long blond tresses don't impress me. They don't do it for me. Of course, I don't read romance novels, so maybe I haven't been conditioned to drool over Fabio.

Isaiah Mustafa, on the other hand, has a wonderful voice, nice body, and seems more genuine. I'm glad he'll be back.

The original commercials were incredibly clever, and took off through the Internet as well as television. But since the eventual goal is to get guys to buy Old Spice, I'm not sure they can as easily identify with an Italian model as an American football player. The second seems, well, more manly in straight-guy-mindset, I think. We'll see. Maybe ladies will swoon and really get their man to smell like Fabio.

These are cool

Fake Smithsonian Ads: Historically Hardcore

Be sure to check out the link for the photos. They were done for student portfolios and widely tweeted and blogged. Unfortunately the Smithsonian was not amused and asked that their logo be removed. Here's the updated posters, which admittedly aren't as kickass without the other logo, but still great. Of course, the museum can ask that the originals be changed, but there's probably a bazillion copies of those ads out there now with the original logo. Ah, the power of the Internets. Taking down governments, racist co-eds, and institutional stuffiness. Hey, Smithsonian, you should pay for these ads. :)

:) This makes me happy :)

Via Steven at Library Stuff.

I came across and ad for something called

Splunk.

It's a search engine that you download and then use to search out your actual information infrastructure, or at least that's what the technobabble says. What attracted me to actually click on the ad?

'Get Splunk>
Take the sh out of IT.'

Very catchy, you have to admit. :) Anyway, I'm not endorsing it. I'm not entirely sure I understand what it does for that matter, but I can admire a good tagline and doff a hat to the genius who came up with it.

:)

How often do you see racial harmony selling sectional sofas? From a (real) store in High Point, North Carolina, the 'Furniture Capital of the World'.



Wacky furniture ad becomes Internet sensation: Selling furniture with racial harmony, melody--‘I like deer hunting and bass fishing and extending credit to all people’

Reason #6 for why I did not have children

This European commercial should be shown to every teenager contemplating unprotected sex. According to YKWIA, who showed it to me, it was banned in the US. Pity...



Oh, and just in case you're interested, it really is on my list:

1. I did not want to be entangled with my ex-husband for the rest of my life.
   
2. I am a wuss when it comes to pain and labour scares the daylights out of me.
   
3. I do not want to pass on traits such as diabetes and depression to anyone.
   
4. Granted, the above relate to biological children. But even with adoption, there remains the fact that I am, being an only child with little child care experience, rather afraid of children. Even as a child I related better with the adults (see 6 for why). I like children in theory and love many things relating to children, but when confronted by a child, especially one who is not of an age to play with, such as the very young or teenagers, I don't know how to relate. I'd be a better children's author than children's librarian or mother.
   
5. I would constantly worry and obsess about my children neurotically without letting them breathe and giving them space to grow.
   
6. Children are holy terrors, especially as toddlers and teenagers.
   
7. The world has quite enough population, thank you, without me adding to it.
   

Oddest thing I've come across on the Internet in awhile

Funny or Die has an Asian commercial that has commentors debating racism. Um...the point of the commercial seems to be that you can't judge by appearances, therefore, I can't really say it's racist. On the other hand, I think the people from the agency that came up with this one had to be on drugs--or maybe the commercial is best viewed that way. I'll let you decide.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

I want a new drug

This was really fun. Thanks, David Rothman!

A video (which will hopefully work; it's not showing up on preview):



Make your own!

Or a print version:



Make your own!

Badgers! Badgers!

This is a Superbowl ad (something I missed since I don't watch pointy ball, as a friend calls it) from this year that demonstrates the quiet cab of the Toyota Corolla. Enjoy.



I heard about this from Tammy via YKWIA, who searched for it.