Funniest movie of all time? Aug 30, 10, 5:43 p.m.

What is it?

Taxes on Rich People? Apr 5, 09, 5:12 p.m.

They should be a lot higher, don't you think?

Favorite word? Feb 6, 10, 8:25 a.m.

What's your favorite word lately?

Mine is "infuckincredaburgable."

Font Licenses? Jul 11, 09, 9 a.m.

Who, besides House Industries, won't allow their fonts to be used embedded in Flash files?

Arcade Fire Aug 4, 10, 12:53 p.m.

They're great, right?

Jennifer Aniston radioactive? Mar 12, 09, 9:29 a.m.

So, another guy has dropped her.

Does she have some horrible, boring personality of something? She's really pretty and sexy, so why do guys drop her all the time?

Do you stare? Jun 4, 09, 8:03 a.m.

If you see a really beautiful woman, or a woman with a really sporty figure, do you stare?

How about unfortunate people--do you ever stare at them?

State, briefly, your personal "staring at strangers" policy.

Five Guys May 29, 11, 7:50 p.m.

Everyone who knows me knows I like hamburgers. So I finally tried out the new Five Guys in town. Frankly, I thought it was dreadful. Utterly dreadful.

Part of the problem was the 80s hair metal playing over the PA. Made it seem like a community college party in a double-wide, you know? Anyway, the fries were good, but the burger was bland and really overcooked. Really overcooked. It was like a cafeteria hamburger, really. Like when they have about 40 patties stacked up in a banquet dish, over a sterno can? And they've been there for awhile? Like since maybe yesterday? They were like that.

The real kicker was the cashier who took my order. I walk up, and the guy goes, "have you ever been to Five Guys before?" And I said "no." And he said "Well, welcome! So, would you like me to explain the menu?" Which was one of the stupidest things I've ever heard because all they have are burgers, fries and coca-cola products. Like, was he going to explain what a Sprite® was?

Anyway, he seemed a bit peevish, and he looked just like Axl Rose. Which went with the music. Which went with nothing I have good feelings about.

So I was bitterly disappointed, because I thought this was going to be my new burger place in town. Instead it will be one of the many places I manage to avoid.

:-(

Haircut ideas? Nov 10, 09, 8:42 a.m.

I gotta get a new haircut. What's a good fashionable style for a guy with slightly thinning hair?

Twitter? Mar 11, 09, 8:02 p.m.

How many people do you have to follow before something interesting happens?

Good TV shows? Jan 11, 10, 8:56 p.m.

What's good on TV these days?

Hide your cocaine! Aug 2, 10, 6:24 a.m.

Lindsay Lohan is out of jail!

Maxwell House Jun 10, 09, 8:32 p.m.

It's my brand of coffee.

What's yours?

The Office Oct 20, 09, 7:40 p.m.

So I got the original British version on DVD, and I can't stand it. The mortifying behavior of the Ricky Gervais character just makes me want to vomit.

I like him in other stuff--I think his podcast is great--but The Office is just too awkward. Anyone else not able to stomach it?

New forum Oct 24, 08, 10:30 a.m.

I just started the Computer Music Club and I need input.

http://computermusicclub.com

Crowdsourcing: Arguments Against Mar 11, 11, 9:38 a.m.

I'd like to develop a list of arguments that can actually be used in conversations with clients to beat down this awful, heinous practice of crowdsourcing, especially logos. I wrote this up, to send along to a client. Please post other useful arguments that can be made to clients against this awful practice.

Here:

It's obvious that many, many of the logos on crowdsourced sites are generated from other existing logos and clip art designs, and that the "designers" submit the same designs over and over again to different companies. This exposes the client of crowdsourcing to several potential problems, some of which can be quite serious.

One potential problem is that the client's logo will end up exactly like someone else's. On a crowdsourced site, the client has no real practical assurance that the logo in question has not been used for other clients, or that it will not be used again for still further clients. In fact, the fact that a particular logo is seen as a "winner," will probably insure that it is copied over and over again. So this creates the very real problem that the clients logo will not be unique.

Since there's no way to insure that the logo is, or will be, unique, there is a further problem that, consequently, the logo cannot be (practically) copyrighted or trademarked. This may seem like a silly problem for a small company, but it is actually very real. If anyone comes along and likes the client's logo, they'll be entirely free to copy it. So, if the company is successful, their logo and brand will be free game for anyone else to use however they like.

The other very real problem is that the client's logo, since it is likely to be sold to someone else, could result in litigation down the line. Let's say Designer A copies your logo and sells it to Company B. Company B copyrights it, or trademarks it. Then they see "their" logo on your company, and sue you. Legal bills await! What do you do? You've both been sold the same thing, which should be unique. And you're both stuck.

Now, the crowdsourcing company may have some legalese on their site about how all the logos have to be unique, and not copied, etc., etc. But the people that are submitting logos are not necessarily ethical people. And many of them are not. It's obvious from a few hours examining crowdsourcing sites that the same logos are being used over and over, copied from the same clip art templates. "Designers" apparently go from crowdsource site to crowdsource site, posting similar designs over and over again. How could it be any other way? The majority of their designs will not be "winners." Much of the work they will do will be for free. In order to make a living they have to give the least amount of attention they can to the most "clients" they can, to try to hit the jackpot with a winner here and there to make some money.

There is an old Latin expression. Caveat Emptor. Let the buyer beware. Purchasing is crowdsourced logo may be opening the client's company to very real problems.

On the other hand, a professional designer will not be using templates or clipart. They will doing utterly original artwork. Completely unique to the client.

This gives the client very real protection, that is important in today's business world. Using a professional deesigner, your mark will be, first and foremost, unique. Which means it can be copyrighted. It can be trademarked. And the copyrights and trademarks will stand up legally. Using a professional designer, the clients gets a very real piece of intellectual property that, if need be, can be protected against all comers.

This is a very real concern! Think about what our business landscape would look like today if trademarks and logos from famous companies did not have these protections, and did not have control of their logos. Their would be no value in brands like Coca-Cola, Mercedes Benz, Chanel or Ferrari. Any car could be a "Ferrari," and "Ferrari" would be meaningless, and so on, and so on.

Caveat emptor. Be sure you realize all the risks you expose yourself to when dealing with crowdsourced design work--especially logos, which are at the very, very heart of your branding!

Best Reason for Flash Oct 28, 08, 4:58 p.m.

Let's say you're pitching a project to a client. What are some reasons in favor of using Flash on a web site?

Extraterrestrial Meetings? Nov 6, 10, 1:58 p.m.

Do you think anybody from here on Earth has ever met anyone from another planet? Do you think people from other planets have ever visited Earth?

90% of beer is marketing May 10, 10, 12:51 p.m.

90% of the difference between beers is just marketing.

What do you think?

Scientific Logo Sep 14, 10, 9:10 a.m.

I'm working on a logo for a cutting-edge, very high-tech, scientific company. Anybody seen any good logos in this space?