If all else fails, try brainwashing ink

Posted on February 9, 2008

I stumbled upon a cartoon, “Jacob Two Two,” this morning while I was flipping channels on TV. The animation caught my eye, and then the content of the show drew me in.

I was watching episode #5 “Jacob Two Two and the Daily Crown,” (which originally aired in 2001, I think) about Jacob, a 10-year-old boy who lives in Montreal, and his friend Buford who think their city’s newspaper is dull, dull, dull. Bad grammar and comics that aren’t funny top their list of complaints. Who would read the newspaper? they ask as they throw it in the trash.

Hmm.

But wait, all is not lost … soon, they find all the adults in Montreal mesmerized by the paper. Everyone’s reading it. Subscriptions and advertising is at an all-time high.

How could this be? Is there actually some news in it worth reading that the kids are missing or don’t understand? Is the newspaper catering too much to older readers? In the end, do Jacob and Buford learn about journalism and the importance of the press?

Nah.

Turns out it’s part of an evil plot by con man Carl Fester King, the new owner of the paper and printing press who declares himself “King of the World.” He put a brainwashing chemical in the ink to get readers to, well, read.

That’s a great lesson for the kids: The only way circulation could rise for print papers is if we brainwash the readers.

Another interesting tidbit: Jacob refused to do research on the newspaper’s Web site, too, saying “no not that one … I want to get the dirt.”

Part I

Part II

Part III

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Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 24, 2007

I plan to get back to regular posts after the new year (if not sooner). Until then, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Wondering where Santa is right now?

NORAD’s tracking him for us with Google Maps, and in 3D with Google Earth (check out the animated videos, too).

Not familiar with this tradition? Here’s more about it and why they track Santa (read more here):

“For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa.

The tradition began on Christmas Eve in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. store advertisement for children to call Santa on a special “hotline” included an inadvertently misprinted telephone number. Instead of Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.”

The Director of Operations, Colonel Harry Shoup had his staff check radar data for any indication of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Indeed there were signs of Santa and children who called were given an update on Santa’s location. Thus, the tradition was born.

To listen to Colonel Shoup talk about the experience, click here.”

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Happy Halloween!

Posted on October 31, 2007

Here’s some multimedia fun to start your day. I hope everyone has a safe holiday.

>> Sarasota’s Fright Factory audio slideshow, by Chip Litherland, HeraldTribune.com:

(Note: Joe Weiss has a great tool to let you embed slideshows in blogs and such, but unfortunately this soundslide is too wide for this page! So please click on the image to view the slideshow.)

Photo by Chip Litherland