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Saturday, July 19, 2014

Philadelphia

Before I get into today's movie discussion, I just wanted to take some time to pay my respects to the 298 people who died when their plane (Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17) was shot down while flying over the Ukraine.  I honestly don't even know what to say to those family members who lost loved ones on that flight, except that my condolences are with you at this time. 

Among the victims of the plane crash were several doctors and researchers who were on their way to Melbourne, Australia to attend the International AIDS conference.  And as it so happens, (and believe me, I had chosen this topic before the tragic crash happened), today's film deals with the subject of AIDS.  In fact, many would consider it to be one of the very first instances of AIDS being referenced in modern day cinema.



Since the AIDS virus was discovered in the spring of 1981, millions of people have been diagnosed, and it is estimated that over thirty five million people all over the world have the virus in some form (whether they happen to be HIV positive, or whether they have the complete virus).  Now, there has been some incredible progress made in trying to find a cure for the disease, and certainly people who happen to become HIV positive are enjoying a higher quality of life thanks to new discoveries and treatments.  AIDS is no longer the instant death sentence that it was when it was first discovered.  That being said, while people who are diagnosed can now live life relatively symptom free for years, there is still no permanent cure for AIDS. 

It also seems as though the negative stigma that was long associated with AIDS is weakening over time.  Through research by doctors and people educating themselves more on the disease, we've discovered that AIDS is only able to be transmitted via heavy drug use, sharing used needles, sexual contact, and blood transfusions that were issued before 1990.  Unfortunately, back in the 1980s, the disease was fairly new, and not a whole lot was known about it.  With hundreds of people dying from the illness, it frightened a lot of people, who believed that they could catch it the same way that you could catch the common cold (you can't). 

And, sadly, the discovery of AIDS caused quite a lot of homophobic behaviour in a lot of people, due to the fact that a lot of the early victims of AIDS were gay males. 

Both the subjects of homophobia, and the initial fear of the AIDS virus are referenced in today's film.  A film that won two Academy Awards and made a total of $260 million at the box office. 

A film that takes place in one of the most recognizable cities in the state of Pennsylvania.



Today we're going to take a look at the movie "Philadelphia".  It debuted in theatres on Christmas Eve, 1993, and stars Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington in roles that certainly defined both of their careers.  Both men earned huge accolades for their fantastic performances, and in the case of Hanks, he was rewarded for his efforts with the Academy Award for Best Actor.

And this singer also took home an Academy Award for the theme song for this film.  Have a listen below.  I know the music post isn't until tomorrow, but what the hey...it's a good song.



ARTIST:  Bruce Springsteen
SONG:  Streets of Philadelphia
ALBUM:  Philadelphia Soundtrack
DATE RELEASED:  February 2, 1994
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #9

Unfortunately, the movie did not get the award for Best Original Screenplay, as Ron Nyswaner lost to Jane Campion for her work on "The Piano".  That being said, the film was still a huge success - even if there was a little bit of controversy behind it.  But we'll get to that a little bit later. 



As the film begins, we are quickly introduced to Andrew Beckett (Hanks).  Beckett is a senior associate at Philadelphia's largest law firm who happens to be carrying a huge secret.  Beckett is gay, and has been with his partner Miguel (Antonio Banderas) for quite some time, but he has kept that part of his life separate from his professional life, knowing full well of the repercussions that could come from outing himself in the early 1990s.

For years, Beckett managed to keep the secret without anybody discovering the truth.  But when Beckett found himself battling AIDS, he found that it would be harder to hide - especially when he began to suffer from skin lesions as a result of the disease.  One of the partners of the firm notices one of these lesions on Beckett's forehead on the very same day that he is assigned one of the most important cases of his life - a case that could make or break his law career.  Knowing full well that the lesions were one symptom of AIDS, he attempted to play damage control by taking a few work days away from the office to brainstorm ways in which he could hide them from public view.

While he is away from the office, he finishes the complaint that he plans to present to the court for his case, but before he can submit the paperwork to the courts he suffers a medical setback which has him hospitalized.  As a result, he is forced to relay the paperwork to his assistants at the firm as the statute of limitations would expire later that day.

But when the paperwork goes missing and there doesn't appear to be any copies located on any of the hard drives of the computers in the offices, the firm is panicking and Beckett is frustrated over what happened.  The document is found at the last minute, but the damage was done.  Beckett was fired from the firm and his colleagues and assistants who once supported him turned on him, claiming that the missing document showed a complete lack of professionalism.



Beckett, on the other hand, deduces that something far more sinister is going on at his former workplace.  He believes that somebody who he trusted deliberately misplaced the paperwork that he filed as an excuse to make him look bad at his firm, and he believes that the real reason he was fired was because he had AIDS.  And Beckett planned to fight back.



The problem was that not a lot of lawyers would take on a client who was wrongfully terminated because of AIDS, and Beckett faced the harsh reality that his profession seemed to be filled with people who either didn't understand the disease, or who were blatantly homophobic.  He even sought the legal aid of a personal injury lawyer named Joe Miller (Washington) - a lawyer whom Beckett had tangled with in the courtroom - but unfortunately for Beckett, Miller didn't initially sign on to represent him as he was rather ignorant about AIDS.  He even went to the doctor after meeting with Beckett and asked if he could contract the disease through a handshake.

(You can't, just so you know.)



But Miller had a change of heart when he saw just how badly people treated him when they discovered that he was living with AIDS in a public library, and he was so disgusted by it that he offered to represent Beckett in his case.  But the case would not be an easy one to fight.  The head of the firm, Charles Wheeler (Jason Robards) is determined to protect his firm and his reputation at all costs.  And with Beckett's health rapidly failing, can Miller step in and fight for the man who has a disease that he doesn't quite understand?

Of course, I can't tell you how this ends.  I don't reveal movie endings.  What I can tell you is that the film is absolutely worth watching, and I can absolutely understand why Hanks deserved the Academy Award that year.  The performances of all the actors and actresses are unbelievably good.  And even though the film did have a sensitive subject matter, I think "Philadelphia" did a wonderful job putting it all together.

Of course, the film did have some controversy to it.  Shortly after the film was released, the family of Geoffrey Bowers issued a lawsuit against the writers and producers of the film, stating that there were several scenes (allegedly fifty-four in all) that were inserted in the film that paralleled Bowers' life so much that they claimed that when they were interviewed by producer Scott Rudin who promised them compensation for using Bowers' story as the basis for "Philadelphia" (Beckett's character was sketched after Bowers, who was the subject of one of the first cases of AIDS discrimination ever brought to a court of law).  Bowers' family alleged that Rubin used their interview to completely use their son's memory to make a film, but Rudin had left the project after hiring a writer, and claimed that he never shared the information in his interview with anybody who worked on the film.  The lawsuit was settled five days later, and the filmmakers were forced to admit that the movie was inspired in part by Geoffrey Bowers.

Here's some more trivia for you.

1 - Jonathan Demme immediately jumped on the chance to direct the film after the death of his friend Juan Suarez Botas in 1992.

2 - Tom Hanks, in preparation for his role, lost close to thirty pounds in order to film the final scenes of the movie.

3 - Denzel Washington, on the other hand, had to gain weight for his role.  In fact, Washington used to eat candy bars in front of Hanks, who was fasting for his own role!  I wonder if the scenes in which Washington and Hanks first met were taped during this period...

4 - Jonathan Demme wanted actor Ron Vawter to play the role of Bob Seidman from the very beginning.  But because Vawter was HIV positive, the insurance company representing the film would not expand their coverage to accommodate Vawter's needs.  Demme fought TriStar Pictures to keep Vawter on the project because he wanted him, and because it would give negative publicity over the irony that would have been generated for a film about wrongful termination from a workplace to terminate someone who was HIV positive.



5 - Ron Vawter died in April 1994 - just four months after the film debuted.

6 - The movie is one of the rare ones to be filmed entirely in sequence.

7 - The protestors outside of the courthouse were loosely based on the Westboro Baptist Church congregation.



8 - The scene in which Andrew and Miguel are dressed in military uniforms at a costume party was making a statement about how at the time that the film was made, there were laws stating that gay and lesbians could not serve in the armed forces.  The same month the film was released, Bill Clinton issued the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" legislation.

9 - Denzel Washington's character states that he hopes that the Philadelphia Phillies win the pennant.  They did the year this film was released.

10 - The opera scene was filmed live.

11 - Michael Keaton, Andy Garcia, and Daniel Day-Lewis were initially offered the part of Andrew Beckett before Hanks was give the role.

12 - John Leguizamo turned down the part of Miguel.

13 - Denzel Washington's part of Joe Miller was originally written as an Italian named Joe Martino.

14 - Original titles for "Philadelphia" included "Probable Cause" and "People Like Us".

15 - Many of the cast members of the film worked with Demme on a previous film - "The Silence of the Lambs".

Friday, July 18, 2014

Doritos

How many of you have a Taco Bell in your part of the woods?

In my area, we used to have one years ago.  I think it shut down for good in 2003, and it has since become either a Tim Hortons or a Kentucky Fried Chicken location.  It's been a while since it happened, so I can't seem to remember which building Taco Bell was in.  I'm almost positive that it was the Tim Hortons building, but I really don't remember.

And there's a reason why I don't remember.  Aside from the occasional order of nachos and cheese, I never really ate there.  I've never been a huge fan of Mexican or Spanish cuisine.  Nothing against it.  I've always liked Italian and Chinese better.  I guess I'd rather dine on pepperoni pizza and chicken fried rice. 

However, I keep on seeing commercials for a particular product that Taco Bell has to offer that makes me want to sample it.  Even though I don't really care for tacos much, there's just something about this particular taco that makes me really want to go to the nearest Taco Bell location to try it.

Here.  I'll post a commercial for it below.




I think you know what I'm talking about here.  I'm talking about a taco that is built inside of a Dorito shell!  



The Nacho Cheese flavoured ones have been out for a couple of years now, but this past year, Taco Bell has started selling them in a Cool Ranch flavour.  Either way, I would totally sample either kind of taco because having a taco made with Doritos just sounds like the coolest thing ever.



In fact, since I've brought up Doritos in this blog entry, let's make that the topic for today's FOODIE FRIDAY!  What can I say?  When it comes to junk food, I have a couple of weaknesses.  Peanut butter M&M's, sour jujubes, and of course, Doritos of any flavour.

But just how did Doritos come to be a part of every day life?  Well, believe it or not, the Dorito is celebrating it's fiftieth anniversary this year!

The year was 1964, and the location was a little restaurant in the middle of Disneyland.  At the "Casa de Fritos" restaurant, the owners decided on a creative way to get rid of their excess tortilla shells.  They cut them into smaller triangle like pieces, fried them, and added some seasoning.  The creation turned out to be a huge hit at the park, and they caught the attention of Arch West, who was Frito-Lay's vice president of marketing.  He made a deal with Alex Foods - the provider of many of the ingredients for the Casa de Fritos restaurant - to continue manufacturing the chips regionally.  That plan only lasted a few months, as the overwhelming popularity of the chips overwhelmed the small manufacturing facility.  Production was moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and it took approximately two years before the chips - named the Dorito after the Spanish word doradito (definition: turned golden or crisp) - were sold nationwide.

TRIVIA:  And with the invention of Doritos came the very first tortilla chip to be launched nation-wide throughout the United States.  Sure, there have been other brands that have appeared over the years (one that I remember from my childhood were giant bags of cheese tortilla chips that had Garfield on the bag), but as far as I'm concerned, nothing matches the perfection of the Dorito.

I mean, think about it.  Like Kentucky Fried Chicken's slogan, Doritos are also finger licking good.  No other chip seems to coat your fingers in a deep shade of orange quite like the Dorito.  Well, provided that you get the nacho cheese flavoured ones anyway.



And, speaking of flavours of Doritos, there have been dozens of them introduced.  Not all of them had the staying power of Nacho Cheese, Sweet Chili Heat or Cool Ranch, but they were still memorable.



Back in the days in which I used to peruse pop culture themed discussion forums, I heard a lot of people wanting Frito-Lay to bring back Taco Doritos.  And, occasionally, I've seen them make temporary reappearances on store shelves.  I've tried them, and I like them okay.  But, they are not really my favourite. 



(My favourite flavour for the record is Sweet Chili Heat).

One flavour of Doritos that seemed to only be available in Canada for a limited time was one called "Texas Tang".  They were nice and spicy and I couldn't get enough of them!  It's just too bad that they have since been discontinued.  I'd give anything to try them again.



Of course, there are some temporary flavours that I wouldn't touch again with a ten foot pole.  A few years back, Doritos held a contest here in Canada where you had two secret flavours in small bags labelled A and B.  We could vote on which flavour we wanted to see in larger bags online or via text message, and the winning flavour would be sold in stores.  I loved the B flavour, which was I believe buffalo wing and ranch.  But I hated the A flavour, which was a disgusting onion ring and ketchup flavour.  There was also a contest where fans could record a commercial for their favourite flavour for the chance to win a cash prize.



Guess which flavour won the contest?  Not the one I voted for.

(Though I suppose that the Doritos Collisions bag with buffalo wing chips and blue cheese chips were a reasonable substituton.)

And, I never thought that you could add dill pickle flavouring into a Dorito, but I admit that I did like the Dill-icious Dorito.  Then again, my favourite snack as a kid were dill pickles.  I know, I was a strange kid.

And, that's not even counting some of the wacky flavours that could be found all over the world.  Just get a load of some of these flavours...would you try any of them?



Hint of Lime Doritos - United Kingdom

Sushi Doritos - Japan



Clam Chowder Doritos - Japan

Fried Chicken Doritos - Japan

Butter and Soy Sauce Doritos - Japan

Tuna and Mayonnaise Doritos - Japan



Steak Doritos - Japan

Seaweed Doritos - Japan

Yogurt Doritos - South Korea

Orange Doritos - Israel

(Wow...remind me not to grab a snack from a Japanese vending machine anytime soon!)

And, now I turn the floor over to you.

BONUS QUESTION:  Do you like Doritos?  What are your favourite?



One final note for Canadian readers.  Have you seen the Roulette Doritos?  They look like ordinary bags of nacho cheese Doritos...but some of them have a secret.  Some of them burn your mouth with Frank's Red Hot sauce like levels.  And, wouldn't you know it?  The first chip out of the bag was a hot one.  Just my luck.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

We Interrupt This Message for a "We Interrupt This Message" Message



Today's edition of "Tube Talk Thursday" is undergoing technical difficulties.



No, seriously, it's undergoing technical difficulties.

Oh, wait.  Let me reword that.  This entry is all ABOUT technical difficulties.  And the subject behind this blog was inspired by two separate things.

The first?  Let's just say that when it came down to posting yesterday's blog, for whatever reason the video refused to post.  It took me a total of what seemed like twenty-four hours when in actuality it took me twenty-four minutes to get the video posted.  Normally this would be a "whatever" moment, but since this video was a huge part of yesterday's blog, I was concerned that I would have to post one of these in place of yesterday's blog.

Fortunately it all worked out, but still...it was frustrating.

And the second reason behind the topic choice is simply due to time constraints.  I don't have a lot of it to spare, so I decided to do a topic that was simple, yet efficient. 

Which, I realize is a really ironic description given that the subject is all about what happens when technical difficulties prevent you from enjoying your favourite shows on television, but hey, let's go with it.



These days, it's really uncommon to see the familiar "Please Stand By" message on television screens.  I think the last time I ever remembered seeing one was during the 9/11 attacks when a fair chunk of New York based television stations were knocked off the air (many of the broadcast antennas were located in the World Trade Center).

But back in the days in which I was a little kid, and the magical world of cable television was only affordable for the very rich, I used to see this message appear a lot more frequently.

And I remember being quite annoyed by it too!

(Mind you, I also got a little bit annoyed whenever Dan Rather or Tom Brokaw, or Peter Jennings broke into programming to issue presidential bulletins or reporting on the latest global conflict - but again, I was just a child back then.)



I guess it was just disappointing because it seemed as though whenever I would see a "We're experiencing technical difficulties" message on television, it always happened when I wanted to watch something on television.  I still remember getting all hyped up to watch a movie on television (which admittedly I don't even remember what movie it was), and being absolutely upset that the television station had been off the air for the better part of the whole day.  The movie that I wanted to watch was permanently pre-empted, and I didn't understand why.  



As a kid, the "Please Stand By" message was a bad thing.  Because this meant that you had to come up with your own fun and do your own thing.  Luckily, I was a rather creative and imaginative child, so I never stayed bored for long.  In fact, I would say that it was probably a good thing that I never did develop too much of a dependence on it.  Sure, I watched a lot of television as a kid, but I also read a lot, I wrote a lot, I did art projects, I played outside...looking back on my childhood, I was a fairly well-rounded child. 

I wonder if that's what caused me to become so creative as an adult?  I suppose that could be considered a part of it.

Anyway, as a kid, I was completely unable to understand the reasons why the television stations would occasionally go off the air.  It never really crossed my mind that the people who were running the television stations could possibly have technical issues themselves that would prevent them from getting a show's broadcast on the air.  Certainly I ran into issues with yesterday's blog that prevented me from posting it when I wanted to post it, and certainly anyone who has ever done a blog or an essay, or something that has to do with writing knows how frustrating it can be when you forget to back up your document and you end up losing the whole entry that you spent the last three hours typing up.

(Yes. That has happened to me before as well.)

So, what sorts of events could have caused the message "Please Stand By" to appear?  Well, I've compiled a list.

- Thunderstorms or electrical storms
- Winter storms or ice storms (a big issue in my area circa '98)
- Space junk taking out satellites in space
- People falling asleep at the control booth in television stations
- Fire damaging the television station
- Power outages
- Someone gets sick on air
- Someone dies on air (have never seen this, but is possible)
- Space aliens invade Earth (again, have never seen this)
- Antenna gets damaged
- Car drives through television station (never seen it happen)

So, there are a lot of things that can go wrong.  Mind you, some of these are quite farfetched, but I can totally understand why some stations need to go off the air.  They have to try to do everything they can to fix the problem.  Sometimes they have to call in a crew from outside of the broadcast area to try and get the signals fixed, or they will try to fix the problem themselves.  So, when trying to look at it from that perspective, I guess I can understand the need to inform viewers that the repairs could take a while.



And besides...some of the images that some of the networks used were kind of fun to look at...for the first ten minutes at least.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

The Secrets Behind the 32GB iPod

I like to think that a person's most used possessions can be used as a window to a person's soul.  And I guess that could explain why a lot of people do everything they can to protect it.  Hence the need for passwords and secret codes on their laptops, the need to come up with a PIN number that nobody can ever guess for their debit and credit cards, and why people get so freaked out whenever their smartphones are stolen or misplaced.

And, in today's WHO AM I WEDNESDAY, I thought that I would open myself up a little bit by taking you inside one of my personal possessions.

I am a huge music lover, and I very rarely go anywhere without my iPod Touch.  It's amazing just how much music that a 32GB iPod can hold.  Imagine having an entire library of music at your fingertips in the comfort of your pocket.  Twenty-five years ago, it would have been an impossible dream.  Seriously, have you ever tried to stuff a walkman in your pants pocket?  Dang near impossible, I tell you.



That's why I like the idea of iPods.  If I am going for a walkabout through town, I can listen to some music and make the walk more fun.  If I'm trying to type out a blog entry, I listen to my music to get inspired.  Or, if I'm in an area where I'm hearing a lot of gossip that I want to tune out, no problem!  Just silence it immediately with a little bit of music!

Of course, they do say that an iPod can tell a person's personality.  What does my iPod say about me?  Let's find out in this video.  In this clip, you'll see how many songs I have, what some of my favourite songs are, and what embarrassing songs I happen to have on my playlist.  Above all else, I have a bit of a message that I want to say.  Enjoy!  And, while there may be some music clips in this entry, I don't have one of those docking station/speaker combos, so it won't sound that great.  Perhaps it's just as well.




Tuesday, July 15, 2014

July 15, 2006

It's Tuesday Timeline time once again, and can you believe that we're halfway through the month of July already?  This summer is certainly passing by really quickly, isn't it?  Of course, even when I was a kid, summer seemed to zoom past at an alarming rate.  Of course, that could be because I hated going to school - not for the learning part, but the forced social interaction part - and summer signified a sign of freedom for me away from all that.

Come to think of it, days in which I was off school, or off work...that's when I'm at my most happiest.  But I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way.  Let's face it...when our time is our own to do with whatever we want, it always makes us feel better about ourselves.  At least, I'd like to think so, anyway.

In the meantime, we have some business to take care of before we talk about today's selected Tuesday Timeline topic.  Let's have a look at some of the events that took place on the fifteenth of July.

1207 - King John of England expels Canterbury monks for supporting Archbishop Stephen Langton

1815 - Napoleon Bonaparte surrenders aboard the HMS Bellerophon

1823 - The Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome is destroyed by fire

1834 - After 356 years of terrorizing people, the Spanish Inquisition is disbanded

1870 - Manitoba and the Northwest Territories are admitted into Canadian confederacy and Georgia becomes the last of the Confederate states to rejoin the Union

1888 - 500 people are killed when Mount Bandai erupts

1916 - William Boeing and George Conrad Westervelt incorporate Pacific Aero Products (later renamed Boeing)

1918 - The Second Battle of the Marne commences during World War I


1927 - Actress Nan Martin (d. 2010) is born in Decatur, Illinois

1935 - Football player/actor Alex Karras (d. 2012) is born in Gary, Indiana

1954 - The first flight of the Boeing 367-80

1959 - The Steel Strike of 1959 begins, causing the United States the need to import steel from outside countries.

1979 - President Jimmy Carter addresses the nation with his "malaise" speech

1983 - Eight die and fifty-five are injured when ASALA launches an attack on Orly Airport in Paris, France

1991 - Game show host Bert Convy dies of a brain tumor at 57

1996 - Voice actress Dana Hill dies of a diabetes related stroke at just 32

1997 - Fashion designer Gianni Versace is shot and killed by serial killer Andrew Cunanan in Miami, Florida - Versace was 50 years old

2002 - Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh is sentenced to death for the murder of journalist Daniel Pearl

2003 - The Mozilla Foundation is established

I'd also like to wish the following famous faces a happy birthday today!  Joe Turkel, Joanna Merlin, Ken Kercheval, Barry Goldwater Jr., Patrick Wayne, Millie Jackson, Jan-Michael Vincent, Linda Ronstadt, Richard Russo, Jesse Ventura, Terry O'Quinn, Alicia Bridges, Jeff Jarvis, Willie Aames, Lolita Davidovich, Forest Whitaker, Brigitte Nielsen, Jason Bonham, Adam Savage, Eddie Griffin, Scott Foley, Brian Austin Green, Gabriel Iglesias, Lana Parrilla, Tristan Wilds, and J.B. Gaynor.

So, now that we have that all out of the way, it's time to go back in time to the main event.  But don't worry.  We're sticking within this century for this edition.



Let's take a trip back to July 15, 2006.  That was only eight years ago, so most of you should remember it.

I suppose if you wanted to look at the decade known as the 2000s, that was the decade in which the Internet exploded in popularity.  Many people were first introduced to it in the mid-1990s, but by the year 2006, there were hundreds of millions of people using the Internet for at least one hour each day.  And, why wouldn't they use the Internet?  It was a place in which you could connect with people all over the world in seconds.  You could purchase virtually anything you wanted via eBay and Amazon, you could watch movie clips, music videos, and other funny things on the newly created YouTube site, and message board communities and forums were getting some stiff competition from newly created social media communities.  Facebook has been online since 2004.  Instagram was founded in 2010.  And for those of you who are fans of Pinterest, that site was also founded in 2010.

But on July 15, 2006, I suppose you could say that the social network of the stars was officially launched to the public.  It was founded four months earlier in March 2006 by four people (Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass), and their philosophy when creating the social media platform was that brevity was the source of wit.

Who knew that a little blue bird would go on to become a major force to be reckoned with in the online community?  And this was a blue bird that predated the phenomenon known as "Angry Birds".



For you see...this little bluebird of happiness (or anger depending on how you use your account) helped launch the social juggernaut known as "Twitter"!  Hard to believe that Twitter has been around for eight years now.

Now, I suppose you might be interested in knowing how Twitter came to be a huge part of so many people's lives.  According to Dorsey, the idea behind naming the site "Twitter"  was inspired by the dictionary definition of the word, which for posterity's purposes, I'll include down below.

TWITTER:  a short burst of inconsequential information, chirps from birds.

I suppose this explains the reason why the blue bird was chosen as Twitter's official mascot.  I suppose it sure beats a lower case "f" inside of a dark blue square.  But let's take a look at that first definition.  A short burst of inconsequential information. 

I guess that would be a fancy way of saying that you have a specific character limit when it comes to saying what you want to say.  You have exactly 140 characters per tweet to get your point across.  If you are successful, you can say what you want to say and still have some characters left over.  If you're not...well, you'll have to either post a second tweet, or you'll have to get creative with spelling and grammar.

(Which, the writer in me absolutely CRINGES at...but more on that later.)

It's not hard to see why "Twitter" is so popular.  With so many famous faces using Twitter, it's never been easier to get in touch with some of your favourite stars (well, as easy as it can get without getting arrested for harassment, that is).  Certainly the celebrities who are on Twitter use it for a variety of reasons.



They use Twitter to promote upcoming projects.



They use Twitter to wish their celebrity friends well.



They use Twitter to poke fun at their celebrity friends.



They use Twitter to post funny observations about life.



And, unfortunately, they use Twitter to apparently show their true colours to people who used to admire them.

But hey, the balancing act of social media is sometimes a tricky thing for the average joe to maintain.  Celebs probably have an even harder time minding their own P's and Q's.



Twitter also popularized the idea of "hashtags".  Or, I suppose I should write it as #hashtag.  You know, there was once a time in which I remember that the hashtag used to be called a "pound sign", and the only place where you ever found them was on a touchtone phone underneath the number 9.  But "Twitter" completely changed the way that you saw the pou...ahem...hashtag.  People who inserted hashtags in their tweets allowed other people to easily find their tweets just by entering keywords.  For instance, if I was to do a blog entry on potatoes, I'd type in #potatoes.  Why I would do a blog on potatoes, I have no idea.  Just giving an example.

And, in celebration of Twitter's 8th anniversary online, I have a special surprise for all of you who might be Twitter users reading this right now.  For the longest time, I tried to avoid Twitter.  I had signed up for it for a few months some time back, and I could not figure out why it was so big at all.  I dropped it after about six months and never looked back.  But it's dawned on me that if used the right way, Twitter could be used as a great promotional tool, and I think that I could definitely use it for my favour.



So, as a result of this, A Pop Culture Addict's Guide To Life now has its very own Twitter page!

If you want to, you can follow me at my Twitter handle @PCA_GuideToLife.  There you can read my very first tweet, as well as see some of the people and shows that I am following (though, it's nothing too glamourous).



I'll also be posting blog entries on the Twitter account, and maybe if I have enough characters, I'll be putting a couple of hashtags as well.  I figure it might be worth a shot in promoting my writing more...and hey, if it allows me to make some new friends in the process, I'm all for it.



So, with that, I say...Happy birthday, Twitter.  Glad to be a part of the show!


(By the way, you can also still read my entries on Facebook, and on Google+.)

Monday, July 14, 2014

When Classified Ads Go Terribly Wrong

I learned something last week.

I learned that a lot of you like to laugh.  And I learned that a lot of you seemed to enjoy the post that I made last Monday about wacky grocery signs.  Of the entries that I posted last week, that one seemed to get noticed the most.  This blog is a huge source of experimentation for me, and I love to throw new ideas out there to all of you reading this so that I can determine what works and what doesn't.

And since last Monday's post generated such a positive response, I thought that I'd motivate myself into doing another post like this.

I was a little concerned that MOTIVATION MONDAY would be dead in the water, but I think I've managed to find a way to breathe new life into it!  I may even come up with a new name for the day, actually...

...but not today.

I do promise you that I have some laughs for you.  And just as I did for last week, I have a collection of images for you that I hope will make you chuckle, snicker, or chortle.

But first, I thought that I would offer up the inspiration behind today's post topic.

I know that the Internet has more or less become the primary source of news in the world.  More people seem to get their news fix from Yahoo, Google, Daily Mail, or TMZ than ever before.  As a result of this, some magazines have folded, and others are simply adapting to the times by cutting down on copies printed to put more time in putting out an online version that is friendly to view on tablets and iPads.

Of course, all this does not mean the death of the newspaper.  The newspaper in my area is still available in print copy and has been for at least a century and a half.  Mind you, the newspaper could stand to have some proofreaders employed at its offices, but for the most part, it's somewhat decent.

Although when my newspaper makes an error in printing, they certainly do it in style.  You know how before the invention of eBay, Kijiji, and Craigslist, people used to take out classified ads to advertise items for sale, garage sale listings, apartment listings, and help wanted ads?  Well, in my newspaper, classified ads still exist (usually they can be found near the obituary section), and it was in a recent newspaper that I discovered this interesting page layout.  See if you can find out what the blunder is.



Does anyone not find it a bit...jarring...to have an ad advertising a garage sale where you can make money off of your things collecting dust right next to the place where people announce the deaths of their loved ones?  I don't know if the loved ones of the people featured in the daily obituaries would find the humour in having the obituaries next to an ad that promises to breathe new life into their old stuff.  Most awkward layout ever.

But this sets the tone for today's blog post.  I've searched the Internet for more classified ads that may have sounded great at the time, but were poorly executed.  Photo credits go to Huffington Post, and WorldWideInterweb.com in this edition of...

WHEN CLASSIFIED ADS GO TERRIBLY WRONG!

I know I'm excited for this.  Let's begin with the first one.



Do I even want to know how a person would get a used tombstone in the first place?  Did they dig it up from a graveyard?  Or, did the person who it was bought for decide not to die and lived for another seventy years?  Either way, it's not a good deal.  You might actually find another person in the world named Homer HendelBergenHeizen, but matching up the date of birth and date of death exactly would be a challenge.  You'd have to spend a lot of money to get that tombstone altered.  What could be worse than buying a used tombstone?



Ahem...never mind.  I wonder if anyone is selling any cars.  I could sure use one.



Well, okay, maybe not this one.  I'd prefer to see the inside of the car, thanks.  And, I'd also like it not upside down.  And maybe one that hasn't gotten in an accident.  That isn't too much to ask, is it?



Oh, my gosh.  I was wondering if KITT from "Knight Rider" had any family.  Turns out, he's got a Mexican cousin!  How cool is that?  And, only thirty-five hundred dollars?  Muy bueno!



I'm a little confused about how having a hula hoop makes one better at cutting the grass, trimming the flowers, and maintaining the compost heap.  But hey, I didn't place the ad.  I don't judge.



I have news for you.  If it's got a slight urine smell, it's not like new.  That would be the same as setting a Porsche on fire and advertising that it has a slight smoky smell. 



Yes, would you please contact this person right now?  If you're still alive...that is?



I think my brain strained while trying to make sense of this ad.  I think it also explains why this person may still be looking for Ms. Right. 



Or, you could...I don't know...go to the supermarket and buy a WHOLE frozen turkey for the same price or less!  That way you can avoid getting an added bonus like bacteria and/or salmonella poisoning which can, you know, kill you?



Which then leads to the question...who's left to display?  Well, maybe we could substitute the missing figures with that plastic Santa Claus, that inflatable snowman across the street and a Cabbage Patch Kid.



I will give this guy a little bit of credit.  At least he's not fussy.  And at least he knows the age in which he won't be arrested for statutory rape.  He must be a keeper.



Here's a safe prediction.  I doubt that this seller would get any responses from any member of PETA.



Eighteen years old with twenty years of experience?  Well, I guess you don't really have to know math in order to place an ad in the newspaper.



But, it might be a good idea to actually know how to spell when you place an ad for a math "tutor".



Happy Valentine's Day, honey!  I couldn't get the reservation at the restaurant, but I did get the 5:00 booking at the funeral parlour where we can choose what caskets we want to be buried in!  Only the best for you, my love.



If YOU can make sense out of this ad, you're a much better man (or woman) than I am.



Yes, we have to do something about those diaper-clad feral children crawling around our neighbourhoods and we must do something now!!!



Well, aren't we just a little bit passive-aggressive today?



Oh, yes...I'm tired of making $9.75 per hour.  I'd gladly work for less so I can lose my house and sleep in my 1995 Nissan Maxima that isn't for sale.  Though making five bucks an hour for "staring" at someone would be an easy job...decisions, decisions...



I hate to break it to you...but I think we (munch munch) found your steer...



This ad only works because of the absolutely perfect justification settings on the classified page.

And, finally...




BEST CLASSIFIED AD EVER!