The End of ‘Icing’?
Note from 2022 Rachel: The video I link at the end is no longer available but it was the Smirnoff Raw Tea commercial with a bunch of preps rapping, which for some reason I loved at the time.
BrosIcingBros.com, a Web site closely associated with the popular drinking game that involves chugging warm bottles of Smirnoff Ice malt beverage, abruptly shut down last week.
Though Diageo, the parent company of Smirnoff, would not confirm any action against the site, the company hinted at "measures" taken to defend their brand, signaling a departure from its earlier hands-off approach to the game, known as "icing," amid increased media attention.
I love when "real life" and "internet memes" cross paths. I love when a company is secure enough in their brand to allow a bunch of douchebags to take it viral, with no permission, endorsement or input. I was thrilled that Smirnoff seemed to be standing behind "Icing", or at least allowing it to happen. But now the meme, enjoyed by us all, appears to have been forced to an end.
It makes me sad that Smirnoff was not comfortable enough to let this end on it’s own. I don’t see how it was destructive to the brand. We all know Smirnoff ice is gross, but the girls who want it buy it anyway. If anything, all sources indicate that Icing was pulling in record profits for Smirnoff. So why shut it down?
I assume that people will still be playing, but for someone like me all the fun came from watching dudes get Iced at BrosIcingBros.com. Smirnoff took away my new favourite work distraction, and with it, any respect that they had earned from this.
Posted on June 23, 2010
Posted on June 24th, 2010
Bellen
Posted on June 24th, 2010
Palm Pre Review
A review of the Palm Pre even more glowing (and more thorough) than mine. The reviewer loves WebOS as much as I do; and, like me, is willing to ignore hardware flaws because of it. In addition there have been a few OS updates since this review was written, so some of the problems mentioned are at this point non-existent.
Bottom line: if the software works really well, people will be impressed. And WebOS works really well.
Posted on June 21, 2010
Posted on June 22nd, 2010
New Phone
I got a Palm Pre yesterday!
It does exactly everything I want, right out of the box. Everything just works. My google contacts, calendar and chat buddies all sync up automatically with basically one button. The connectivity with my MacBook is plug and play. The drag and drop file transfers are seamless, and it has 8GB of internal memory, which is enough space for me to use it as a secondary MP3 player. Happily, it also has a slide out keyboard. I still much prefer a physical keyboard over the onscreen keyboards of the iPhone or Nexus One. Texting with the phone has taken some getting used to; the curve of the phone forces one to hold it in a way that feels slightly awkward at first, but after about a day of use I’ve adjusted.
WebOS is the selling feature of this phone. It is both intuitive, and really really good looking. I love the mail client, and I love that I can be connected to my Google Talk account at all times. Oh and I love the mail client. Did I mention that I love the mail client? It doesn’t require you to use IMAP or POP3 to connect to your Gmail account - it just is your Gmail account. I am thrilled by this. I love that you end apps by flicking them off the screen - there’s something very satisfying about picking up a running application and throwing it away. The app store does leave something to be desired, especially in comparison to the iPhone app store, but this is to be expected. Apple has really raised our expectations of what an app store should be, and it will take other developers some time to catch up. However, the Palm App Store is certainly acceptable; it’s easy to use and functional. As someone who doesn’t prefer to load their devices with pointless apps, I’m not disappointed by it.
My love of/obsession with phones is a well documented fact. I love getting new phones, and I am always on the lookout for my next one. But this time I feel as if I’ve found a phone that I can be happy with for a long time. Well done Palm. Sure you’ve had your hardware issues, but I am so in love with WebOS that I am more than willing to look past them. And as long as it’s not twisty, the Pre hardware is really cute. Thanks Palm, for rescuing me from the dredges of Windows Mobile.
Posted on June 20, 2010
Posted on June 21st, 2010
post - Rachel Pietraszek
Note from 2022 Rachel: I no longer have any idea what this is
Left Handed Toons rocks my socks.
Posted on June 15, 2010
Posted on June 16th, 2010
Calvin Minus Hobbes
"Taking a clear cue from"Garfield Minus Garfield," in which Jim Davis’ orange cat is Photoshopped out of his strips with consciousness-expanding effects, "Calvin Minus Hobbes" replaces the "living" Hobbes with his doll incarnation and removes his speech bubbles. The resulting strips effectively showcase Cavlin shouting to himself as an inanimate doll looks on with indifference." (via ComicsAlliance)
Posted on June 12, 2010
Posted on June 13th, 2010
