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Return of the Return of the Return of the Jedi: George Lucas abuses The Force again

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas decided he was going to milk the Star Wars franchise for everything it had. What used to be pop culture’s sacred cow, a cinematic fantasy that nourished the geek in all of us for decades, has now become an emaciated cheese-machine in an…

Pandas, giraffes and magic dragons: animal names for those OTHER San Francisco Giants

  • About: Naming

The San Francisco Giants need help. Falling fast in the National League West and trailing in the Wild Card race, the 2010 World Series Champions could use a serious boost if they want to make the playoffs this year. That’s why it’s time to call upon Mother Nature. For too long now fans have been…

Why your brand sucks

  Brands are pretty hard to build. And while some heroic efforts have yielded brands that really do make the world a more interesting, beautiful place, let’s face it, the vast majority of the brands out there suck. If you have to ask yourself which category you fall into, it’s most likely the latter, and…

Burning Man: The 10 million dollar anti-brand

Three days from now, 40,000+ people will leave their homes, families, and rational identities behind to join a city of their own making in which all normal societal rules are cast aside: Burning Man. And despite what sounds like a good idea the first time you hear it, I’ve come to dread even the idea…

Ten years after 9/11, what do we call Ground Zero?

A visitor to Lower Manhattan today has to admit: New York City looks a whole lot different than it did on September 12, 2001. Emerging from what used to be the rubble of America’s most disastrous terrorist attack are the blossoms of a new World Trade Center, a complex comprised of six gleaming new towers,…

Tried and true brands

While standing in line at my local 7-11 store today, I saw an unexpected gum option: Bazooka Joe. I guess I knew they were still making the stuff, but I hadn’t seen it in years and I couldn’t believe how unchanged it was. The packaging, colors, even the dismally written comics were just where the…

A boy named Lucifer: Jermajesty, Violence and other adventures in baby naming

Of all the myriad concerns piled upon the brain of an expecting parent — Does the hospital accept pennies? Which end does the diaper go on? Can you get rabies from a used stroller? — perhaps none are as frustrating and potentially disastrous as giving the kid a name. Fortunately, babies aren’t allowed to name…

Does this Nutrient Density Index make me look fat?

Any recent trip into Whole Foods Market would have introduced you to the newest in food rating systems: The ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) and its meat-minded sibling, the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating. The basic premise of the ANDI system is this: Nutrients divided by calories = how good it is for you. And while…

Bye Bye Birdie: golf’s Bob Hope Classic is no more

For Bob Hope, golf was always a funny game.  The comedian himself once said that he could easily give it up … if only he didn’t have so many sweaters. Now, eight years after his death, Hope’s eponymous tournament is at last changing its wardrobe — the Bob Hope Golf Classic will now be known…

How to find a name you can grow into

In some Native American communities, a name is something that is developed, not given. Children come into life with their own innate set of skills and talents, and live without a name until the community has had a chance to see those proficiencies unfold. The individual’s name is chosen to reflect who that person is…

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