And…

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Ask H&FJ | Hoefler & Frere-Jones: Our Middle Name
So I’m not quite a typophile, but lately have been interested in reading about different typefaces and fonts and even though this is really just a type foundry explaining the different ampersands in their fonts you can buy, I still found it cool.

I’m not quite at the point where I can spot Helvetica from 1000 paces, but I am thinking about renting the movie. Oh, and I’ve also seen how Lucida Grande is better for reading on screens.

Don’t think I’ll ever get to the point where I can tell you the difference between fonts, but still it’s interesting to think about something that most of us hardly notice, yet effects us everyday.

(Oh and I’ve not above a good kern joke either.)

[Most of these links via Daring Fireball]

Five Questions for Judah Friedlander | The New York Observer

Five Questions for Judah Friedlander | The New York Observer

Just in case you ever wondered where Frank’s hats come from.

Triac: the highway-capable, three-wheeled electric car available now? - Engadget

Triac: the highway-capable, three-wheeled electric car available now? - Engadget

I’m sorry sir but our definition of, “highway-capable” varies greatly.

Yours apparently means 70 mph and being able to travel 120 miles on a charge.

Mine means not going to be crushed to death when the Hummer behind me can’t see me, and accelerates over the top of me.

To each their own I guess.

I’m Only Giving Them One Link Back

I’m really starting to hate Gizmodo.

So I’m skimming through their feed, and I come across this:

A Ghetto-Blaster iPod speaker set. Awesome, right?

So I scroll through reading the post, all the while checking the hyperlinks for a link to where I might be able to buy this, or at least the manufacture’s web site.

Nothing, just links to other posts on Gizmodo where they talked about the I-931 before.

Alright, well let’s go to Gizmoddo directly. Maybe they have a link to the manufacture’s site at the bottom of the post that somehow didn’t make it into the RSS feed. (Happens sometimes with Engadget, but at lease they have a “Read” link at the bottom of their posts that links to at least some external site with more info.)

Still nothing. Go ahead, take a look:

Review: Lasonic i931 iPod Ghetto Blaster (Verdict: Awesome)

Just a bunch of links back to their own site so their pagecounts go up. Since these guys get paid by the click, everything they do is designed to get people to come back to their site, and once they are they go around in a circle trying to look for more info.

Hell, they even post press releases on their site rather then just linking to them. Makes it real fun for when your reading in a RSS reader and you have to keep scrolling down past PR fluff, just to get to the next post.

The underlying structure of the net is the ability to link to another page where people can get more information about what you’re talking about, not an endless loop that is probably hooked up to a cash register ‘cha-ching’ WAV on your computer.

What happened guys? Between this, your stupid iPhone gag, and the TV-B-Gone stunt at CES (both of which you can Google if you want, these guys have enough clicks), you guys went from top gadget blog, to a bunch of frat boys (with my apologizes to frat boys) who aren’t about pulling dirty tricks if it gets you more clicks.

Sorry, but I think you guys are out of my Google Reader.

Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada, originally uploaded by blackavar21.

Noticed this when I opened a bottle tonight.

Gee, thanks guys. My teeth were starting to hurt.

I wonder how many torn up hands had to happen for them to add this.

I kid, I kid. Actually I can’t tell you how many times I’ve opened a beer to find it was a twist off. Of course I always assume it’s not a twit off, because it’s easier to use a bottle opener and be wrong, then to bloody your hand trying.

WE SURE ARE SNEAKY TO HIDE FROM THESE STORMTROOPERS!

(Photo by Jenny Elwick)

Speaking of geeking out, I realized something watching The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi this weekend.

Chewbacca screams everything he says.

I mean not just in force, but in volume. Alright sure there are a few low purrs here and there, but ever notable line of “dialog” he speaks is shouted at the top of his lungs.

By the end of the night I was screaming Chewie’s lines for him just to get a sense of what it would have been like to be there with him.

“I FOUND C-3PO IN THE TRASHEAP!”

There was a lot of times where the heroes were either trying to be sneaky, or at least run away without a bunch of Stormtroopers following and there was Chewie screaming to Han.

How did they not get shot?

Eh, who are we kidding. Even if every Stormtrooper in the place found them not a single one of them would be able to hit them.

Plus props to anybody who rocked the messenger bag way before it’s time.

Mysteries Of The New York Comic Con

So the New York Comic Con is coming around this weekend, and since Dave and I had a cool time last year (we met Claudio), I figured I’d go again this year.

Rather then stand in line forever at the door, I went by the website today to get my tickets today. Now I didn’t go for anything special (just normal Sunday tickets), but one of the options was a $400 VIP package. For that money you got in before everyone else, priority seating at events, an Iron Man bust, a Marvel Lithograph signed by Joe Quesada, a Marvel Secret Invasion tee and, kinda anti-climatically, a NY Comic Con sweatshirt. It is a ticket for the most die hard fan.

If you select this option, you can also select on the order page what size shirts you would like. It wasn’t really surprising to see what size sold out first.

As a comic fan (and a skinny one at that), I always hate when people make gross generalizations about comic fans, and I also realize that that was the one size they probably had the least amount of, but come on. That’s funny.

Way to break the stereotype guys.

Oh well, I’ll be right there with everyone else on Sunday geeking out over new comics and buying things for no other reason but then they would look cool on my desk.

See you there!

Blockbuster Offers to Buy Circuit City

Blockbuster Offers to Buy Circuit City

“You got your failing rental business in my failing retail electronic stores!”

“You got your failing electronic stores in my failing rental business!”

I was going to ask if Blockbuster even had $1 billion, but it says right there in the second paragraph that they do not.

Wow, I know I would be pleased if I was a Blockbuster stock holder.

I was trying to figure out why the Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! website is up for a Webby Award, and I can across this cool behind the scenes video from Chicago Tonight. (Still not sure why it’s up for a Weeby, there’s really not much to the website.)

I always find to so weird to find out what the voices you hear on the radio everyday look like.

Peter Sagal looks nothing like I though he would.

Oh, and if you don’t listen to Wait Wait, start.

‘Battlestar’: Your Political Cheat Sheet — Vulture — Entertainment & Culture Blog — New York Magazine

‘Battlestar’: Your Political Cheat Sheet — Vulture — Entertainment & Culture Blog — New York Magazine

Great little political recap for BSG. Good for people like me who have forgotten what happened between last season and this one.

Also good if you’ve never seen BSG before. Bet ya didn’t think it was that deep, did you?