An ad that’s just plain stupid

There’s a recent TV ad that’s making me cringe. I don’t know the name, but it’s probably titled something like Taco Bell’s “Double the Beef” commercial. I can’t find it on youtube, but I’ll describe it:

It starts off with a black and white montage of people throwing the “V” sign in protest situations. (Think anti-war rallies on school campuses in the 60’s). This is followed by a narration with something like “Across the world everyone wants…double the beef”, and then a grotesque closeup of a burrito.

Never, ever co-op imagery associated with peace to sell fucking fast-food loaded with meat and processed cheese. When I see video clips of marching people, I think of civil rights and rallies against some form of injustice*. This commercial wasn’t witty and ironic, it’s taking themes like peace, anti-commercialism, human rights etc. to sell food and a lifestyle that to people who normally throw peace signs and march would find abhorrent. I eat fast food from time to time, but this commercial has turned me off Taco Bell. Then again, I am sure I’m not their market.

*(I bet some marketing genius already thought they were being sensitive by using stock protest clips with actors. If they showed clips of real protests, I would’ve burst.)

Technorati Tags: Taco Bell, Tasteless Ad, Advertising, Commercials

Ah yes, the inverse – Chicken Little Strategy

When you expect a transit rush on certain bus lines, you prepare more buses. Right? Not according to the Vancouver Transportation Authority. They will be having “more transit police available to handle the crowds, check their tickets, and get them onto the buses.”(1) I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again: these guys will not be ready for the Olympics.

Thank goodness it’s only the winter variation.

(1) – Oh and they are adding more skyTRAINS and advising ‘commuters’ to not travel during rush hour.

Dimetapp DM + Chinese Herbal Medicine

Equals a less cough-y and oddly euphoric insomniac.

Resize images by taking out pixels that don’t matter.

Here’s a nifty idea: instead of telling the computer to resize an image indiscriminately, ie: shrinking a picture of Mount Rushmore; why not teach the computer to discern spaces between the presidents and shrink that?

Technorati Tags: resize, smart resize, content-aware resizing,

Summer Movie Round-up

The summer, as I know it in academic terms, is almost over. Inspired by four word movie reviews, here’s my tribute to the money I spent on movies:

The Totally Worth-its

Ratatouille – Timeless story, beautiful foodie pr0n.
Bourne Ultimatum – Well paced thriller, unconventional spy.
Hot Fuzz – Brilliant spoof of traditional genre.
Knock’ed Up – It’s funny cuz it’s true.
Superbad – Teen movie for twenty-somethings.
In the Land of Women – Garden State meets The Graduate.

The Ambivalent opportunity costs

28 Weeks Later – Too much budget, not much innovations.
Transformers – Sometimes, cartoons are better than CGI.
Die Hard 4 – Probably better if brains were checked at the door.
The Simpsons – It felt like any other Sunday.

The actual waste of money

Spiderman 3 – Everybody cries, for no good reason.
Pirates of The Caribbeans: At Wits World’s End – Would’ve been better if it had writers.
War – “I’ve lost my brain!!!”

The $1,000 Omelet

Or, the lobster and caviar Frittata by Le Parker Meridien in New York. (This is why they hate us.)

Because you NEED to drink every where

Packets of booze for all occasions: Planes, religious gatherings, day cares, bad dates, meetings. (from Wired)

Lives of strangers, from kids to adults.

I watched 49 Up on Newsworld last night. It’s part of a documentary series that follows a handful of kids from the 60’s and films them every seven years. What a great series to learn the lives of strangers.

The real inter-racial duo of the summer

Chinese entrepreneurs flourish in Africa.

Just for Laughs: Gags

Is the second best example of policy driven money-waste I have ever seen.