May 06, 2004

Tomorrow is my birthday. So there.

I have people to bother, stacks of stuff to sort through, project materials to organize and lists to update, but my morning tea hasn't woken me up yet.

This provides me with a perfect opportunity to point out two things. One, I made something two nights ago. It was a ring. It was blue. It had two resistors on it, attached in a way I'd never thought of before. I wore it gleefully to work yesterday with a small and discreet assortment of color-coordinated things. It's a new era, a deceptively tasteful chapter in the history of mad hardware science. When my paycheck clears, I'm going to the hardware store to buy myself a pair of non-scratching round pliers and then the world had just damn well better look out.

Two, I know I posted a while back about billboard distribution in BART stations. Has anyone else noticed that Apple has purchased every single billboard in the Powell Street station for its iPod ad campaign? It's a row of black silhouettes against brightly colored backgrounds as far as the eye can see. On Monday I saw one billboard remaining for a housing complex in Hayward; after trying to see around inconveniently-placed trains for two days I've finally confirmed today that it's gone. We have achieved iPod uniformity. Buy or be assimilated.

It's ironic and strange given Apple's image in the computer world as the quirky minority competitor, the salmon to the PC/Microsoft stream. I am officially unnerved.

Posted by dianna at May 6, 2004 10:39 AM
Comments

While I would be the last to stop anyone from buying an iPod, it does seem a little weird that they have so taken control of the Bay Area. Remember that 'ground-breaking' Apple commercial? The 1984 Macintosh one? Where everywhere you looked you saw images of Big Brother and then someone ran in and destroyed something? And somehow that was ushering in a new era in computing?

Seems like it's now Bill Gates' turn to be on a commercial running into the Bay Area, with it's groovin' iPod shadows peering down from every day-glo billboard, in order to destroy something...thus ushering in something else...probably involving computing...or tiny audio players...

When did Apple become Big Brother? And how did I manage to miss it? And, if I attempt to click 'Post' here on my Apple Powerbook, will Mac OSX 'conveniently' crash before my ideas are transmitted?

Posted by: Erik at May 6, 2004 11:00 AM

oh hell, and i invited you to a play. (via jacob.) but i bet you are doing something more birthdayier tomorrow. hopefully something involving fireworks. as jewelry.

Posted by: didofoot at May 6, 2004 11:48 AM

I need your address again. Did Griffin and Sabine ever arrive?

Posted by: Arianna at May 6, 2004 09:13 PM

Yes. I totally told you that already, because I told you that I'd gotten to the end of the postcards and to the first actual letter.

Er. I sort of forgot to actually continue. I will do so and report back. I will also email you my address at some point. Harass me if I fail at either of these operations.

Posted by: Dianna at May 6, 2004 09:15 PM

You never!

(Did you?)

Let's just blame two excessively forgetful people and move on.

Posted by: Arianna at May 7, 2004 04:27 AM

I did. And let's. And how come you're so lucky to get a visit from Chris, missy? I'm envious of you both. Stupid east coast and stupid midwest.

Posted by: Dianna at May 7, 2004 09:31 AM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

she shouted loudly
then looked around, embarrassed
while the rest of the party caught up to her

Posted by: didofoot at May 7, 2004 09:57 AM

Because the middle is the easiest place to reach!

Ha.

Posted by: Arianna at May 7, 2004 01:32 PM

easiest distance-wise...but plane ticket-wise, I think that LA or SF are a bit cheaper...

Posted by: Erik at May 7, 2004 01:38 PM

I ask that you excuse my belated birthday wishes in light of my general out-of-touchness whilst driving across the continent. I hope my lack of wellwishing didn't in any way hinder enjoyment of your special day.

Also, whereabouts would you be interested (if, indeed, you still are interested at all) in meeting up along my journey? I anticipate being in Boulder Colorado from Tuesday night to an as-yet-undecided date, and then moving on to Bishop, California. There I will stay for as long as enjoyment and money last, and then I will be barrelling southward and homeward.

Posted by: Chris at May 9, 2004 02:12 PM
Cementhorizon