MAD MEN IN MANHATTAN, MISPLACED
The other day, I was walking west down 42nd Street, passing by Grand Central Terminal. As I got the end of the block, I encountered three or four street hawkers, dressed up in the distinctively button-down 1960s style of characters from “Mad Men”. They were greeting passersby and handing out little promotional cards, reminding people of the show’s new-season debut tonight.
It didn’t occur to me until today: Wouldn’t it have made way more sense for them to have been situated a block away, at the corner of 42nd and Madison? Considering the show’s theme and Madison Avenue’s advertising industry history, the messaging would have been unbeatable.
MCCAIN’S REVERSE AUDACITY
I, for one, am glad to see John McCain land a zinger on Barack Obama by quipping on the Democrat’s “audacity of hopelessness” regarding troop withdrawal from Iraq, obviously playing on Obama’s book “The Audacity of Hope”.
I mean, the analogy is a crock of crap, both in reference to the Middle East situation and to the phrase’s meaning (i.e., “boldness of despair”?). And it’s certainly not enough by itself to shift campaign momentum toward the Republican. But at least it’s catchy, and a sign of life and creativity from the heretofore moribund McCain campaign.
SLYDIALIN’
I can’t tell you how often I dread having to talk with someone on the phone, even though I’m the one making the call. So Slydial, a service that allows you to dial direct into another wireless number’s voicemail, would be just the ticket for me.
Provided its silent-but-deadly approach actually worked.
Worth the risk, actually. Even though it should be refined.
Actually, given the choice, I’d take this method of disengaged phone-to-phone communication instead of the ubiquitous texting. And yet, I’d prefer email over both, keeping in mind I’ve got mobile access to my email account at just about any given moment. I know it doesn’t make sense, but there it is.