I, too, would like to note that, for a mere $10,000, I could tell you that puppies sell. (The main point: a publisher [Nolo Press] spent hundreds o’ thousands o’ dollars to decide what would help it sell more books, and it decided that thing was a friendly golden retriever added to its covers.) P.S. […]
Yes, but to whom am I speaking?
“…and this is—it’s your full-time job? Mm-hm, I see. So— So— And, so how long have you been in the telemarketing business?” A borderline brilliant “counter-script” to use against telemarketers, presented in a lovely choose-your-own-adventure/flowchart format. Done up by the folks (folk? organization?) at EGBG, though it’s not entirely clear what EGBG is. Whatever it […]
Posted by Ben on June 10, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/yes-but-to-whom-am-i-speaking/
Rundown, Briefly
TV-B-Gone. Can anything this delightful be legal? (via Cool Tools) Too Real. Schizophrenics are apparently not fooled by optical illusions that trick non-schizophrenics. Curious. Oh, that makes it better. “We didn’t actually hover an Osprey over a mosque.” A while ago, Bell & Boeing put out an ad for a type of aircraft (an Osprey) […]
Posted by Ben on May 26, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/rundown-briefly/
Miscellany
Enter into thought about all the underplaces of London, in an interesting and highly photo-ridden post titled “London Toplogical.” Or entertain the thought of what “to call the food blech is an insult to blech” means, exactly. This and other insults that didn’t make the cut when slicing & dicing entries for Zagat guides. How […]
Posted by Ben on March 25, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/miscellany/
Motorola of the Future-Past
Or would that be past-future? “Futuristic” adverts from roundabout the 60s, Motorola making your future-selves more leisurely fantastic comfortable. Fun. (More descriptive, if you like: paintings commissioned by Motorola sometime in the 60s to, like, advertise, showcase, what-have-you.) (via BoingBoing)
Posted by Ben on February 1, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/motorola-of-the-future-past/
Putting it all away (into perspective, into storage)
Quick: which industry devours more money, Hollywood or Self-Storage? The answer may surprise you. (Or not; it really depends how easily you are surprised.)
Posted by Ben on November 17, 2005
https://www.swordbilled.com/putting-it-all-away-into-perspective-into-storage/
Echinacea shot down
Now there’s yet another study to add to the growing scientific dissatisfaction with echinacea and its alleged cold-fighting properties. The sad thing is that, probably, no amount of scientific proof is going to dethrone echinacea in the minds of the millions who’ve already convinced themselves it does work. (Of course, there’s always the chance that […]
Posted by Ben on November 3, 2005
https://www.swordbilled.com/echinacea-shot-down/
Belligerent packaging
Did you know… Fears of food tampering predate even Snow White and the wicked Queen with her apple. No, really! Yes, so with a title of “But the Dang Thing Won’t Open,” of course it’s going to be at least partially a tounge-in-cheek article. The article–on the trials and tribulations of product packaging–is, if not […]
Posted by Ben on July 22, 2005
https://www.swordbilled.com/belligerent-packaging/