Japanese, especially, seem infatuated with American pop-culture and enjoy using English language as a design element due to its flexibility of style. Put simply, English is readable in hundreds of thousands of differents fonts and styles, where Japanese may be readable in, let’s say, five or ten.
I’ve always laughed at people who get Asian tattoos. They have no idea what the symbols that they imprint upon their bodies represent. They merely know that they’re in “some” Asian language, and are supposed to mean, “Peace,” “Serenity,” “Good Fortune” or something more personal to them.
Thanks to engrish.com, we can find all sorts of Japanese making the same mistakes…
I can remember, back in 1970-something, seeing the first video game console — the Magnavox Odyssey — coming to a twelve or twenty-five inch black and white television near you.
The fugly, black-white-and-woodgrain behemoth came complete with the most clunky controllers you’ve ever attempted to use. And talk about GRAPHICS — the included set of plastic overlays attached to the television screen (thus the twelve or twenty-five inch requirement) so you could get COLOR! But God forbid that your mother used one of those overlays as a place mat during one of your younger sibling’s episodes of projectile-spitting carrot puree — Why, then you’d never be able to find the secret treasure in the Haunted House!
That’s right — and we had to walk ten miles to school, in four feet of snow! Uphill — BOTH WAYS!
It’s truly magnificent to see how much progress has been made over the last thirty-five years. Now, we’re seeing video games with completely destructible environments. If you’re not sure what that means, check out this Video of Crytek’s upcoming game, Crysis:
Although several other manufacturers have now released PC games with similar features, such as Relic’s Company of Heroes or HD Publishing’s Joint Task Force, Crysis looks like plenty of fun.
Having a reasonably well-spec’d PC, I tend to stay away from video game consoles and the like, but the Xbox 360 has really pushed the technology envelope — especially if you have a Windows Media Center Edition PC in your home (or even a Windows Vista with Media capability). In that case, the Xbox 360 not only serves as one of the most advanced video game consoles you can buy, but also acts as a DVD/CD/MP3 Player, DVR and a Media Player for all the music and photos you’ve downloaded onto your PC — maybe even wirelessly if you’re set up for that. It’s less a video game console, and a more a Digital Convergence appliance, giving you a pretty full range of functionality to complement your home theater.
The downside is that it’s damned expensive. Even the old Magnavox Odyssey only retailed for $100, while the Xbox can run you four times that easily. (Ok, truthfully, that $100 in 1972 was as hard to come by as $2500 these days, but still…)
Of course, you still have Sony out there trying to beat out the Xbox 360 with their Playstation 3, but seeing as how they’ve had an additional year to release the unit, it won’t be much wonder if they did manage to cram some extra functionality it. I suppose when it’s released in the second half of November 2006, we’ll know whether or not all the hype was for real.
And, then, of course, Nintendo is still at it, skipping all the cutting-edge technology and just making a Video Game console that is simply that. The Nintendo Wii (pronounced “we”) has focused on keeping games “fun” and “playable,” something that seems to be a bit lacking with their more expensive counterparts who’ve focused on cutting edge confusion and overly complex gameplay.
And their television advertising surely drives that nail home with a sledgehammer:
Of course, given the choice between Rosie O’Donnel and Paris Hilton, I’d still choose neither… 😉
The other day, a friend of mine sent me a link to a Pittsburgh-area restaurant called Casa D’ice. Owner and disestablishmentarianist, Bill Balsamico, has started using some “colorful” advertising on his road-side sign, advertising specials and making what Media would call “unpopular” political statements.
Brilliant stuff, really. Even if he makes people angry, even if they consider him a racist, people will still come in the door to check it all out. And they’ll probably end up having dinner and drinks.
The best had to be:
WANTED
SOMEONE VERY OPENMINDED
TO CHANGE THE SIGN EVERY WEEK
AFTER I DIE
INQUIRE WITHIN
Hopefully, it won’t be from a gunshot by a disgruntled citizen…
LR2 posted a link to another site about a restaurant in Scottsdale Arizona.
Philips Consumer Electronics has a bit of a “stodgy” reputation in the United States. The miniscule number of ads that Philips has done over the years hasn’t made any iota of difference to anyone. They’ve had a tendency to leave advertising of their consumer products up to retail merchants, who usually announce the products at a substantial discount or clearance.
Tonight, I’ve been watching “Van Wilder” on Comedy Central.
Towards the end of the movie, there was a commercial for the Helio. “Don’t call us a phone company.” “Get all your MySpace content right on your device!”
From their website:
Helio puts you + your friends (not rates and minutes) at the center of our business, because the most important thing a mobile service can do is better connect you to your friends.
.
.
.
We won’t nickel and dime you. Get All-In with our all inclusive membership and get access to MySpace, H.O.T. (Helio On Top), video, speedy 3G, and much, much more.
Now, that’s all fine and good. But their ad was *strategically* placed just prior to the Van Wilder scene:
We are now in session. Mr. Wilder, you were found in violation of Article Section B of Coolidge’s bylaws — soliciting of alcohol to extreme minors…
