Stratego

I've recently become a "Family Guy" disciple after years of having friends recommend the show to me. I have no idea why it took me so long, but we're past that now. Tonight they had a random reference to the boardgame Stratego. I immediately thought back to playing the old boardgame as a child. Thinking back on it, Stratego actually involved some level of it's namesake, strategy, unlike say Battleship. I think a good argument could be made that there is more strategy involved in Stratego than in poker, but I'm sure I'd hear it from it's irrational enthusiasts. It makes me wonder if Stratego has its own rabid, if not smaller, following. Well, it turns out they do. Check out this assortment of Stratego-dedicated sites:

Ed's Stratego Site

Star Wars Stratego

International Stratego Federation

ISF Rankings

Soccer

As many of my tormented friends know, I've become a rather dedicated soccer enthusiast in the last year or so. I'm now at the point where I'm setting my Tivo to record games in just about every European country save Italy (those guys are absolutely shameless). I've tirelessly tried to convert my disinterested friends into dedicated followers all in vain. I find myself having to explain how the lack of scoring is unimportant when you learn to appreciate the skill and creativity displayed in seemingly simple plays. Or, I try to appeal to the little general manager in each of them, and explain the complexity of a league where teams are playing for their very membership in that league each season. Sadly, my efforts share the fate of John Kerry's, a campaign based on nuianced arguments our downfall.

But, I saw something interesting on television this evening. It was a Gatorade commercial pushing U.S. Soccer. On the surface, it wasn't anything special, a collection of highlights from different qualifying match games. What was interesting was the strategic appeal. In each of the matches presented, the director makes the viewer keenly aware of the anti-American sentiment of the home crowds across the globe. As in the cold war, it's us versus them, and regardless of the platform, we're galvanized as Americans in support. We're the free, the reightous, occupiers of the high-ground in a world full of savages. Shit, this campaign might just work. Nationalism works. Here's the commercial, courtesy of YouTube:

"Is It In You?"

What I'm Listening To Today...Hip-Hop Edition

Jurassic Five

Tonight I'm jonesing for a little hip-hop. Too many days of depressingly introspective alt-rock. Luckily, I rediscovered some gems that are worth sharing with you. The first, "Thin Line" by Jurassic 5, surprisingly featuring Nelly Furtado. This track has a stellar beat and tops it with that always pleasing combination of solid rap lyrics and complimentary feminine vocals. This, from the same album, "Power in Numbers" that featured one of the more widely popular J5 songs, "What's Golden". While that song has that pop feel that drives this kind of notoriety, "Thin Line" is definitely a superior hip-hop track.

People Under the Stairs

I have to give props to my girl K-Dawg on this one (yeah, we roll like that in My Helter Skelter Head). She first brought not only this track, but The People Under the Stairs to my attention. "Acid Raindrops" is one of those chill hip-hop tracks that makes you want to get out of your lounge-chair and into the bucket seats of your ride to slowly cruise to a good beat. It's smoothness almost reminds me of a De La Soul track. Each member of the team jumps in for their turn, complimenting the beat equally well. Oh, and they rap about not dime, but nickel bags, so make sure to buy their album as opposed to ripping it. They obviously need the money, er duckets, er snaps?

Special Easter Random Thought

It ocurred to me today, while sitting in church for one of my twice yearly obligatory visits, that if Christians were really right, that if they were onto something with this whole Jesus thing, that their conception of God was the accurate one, the whole holy trinity thing, then you'd think God would enable them to write and perform better music. Seriously, in any other context would you listen to a song which contains a single word? Well, Christians do it all the time. Pick a word, any holy word, and there you have it, a full-on song. "Hallelujah", that works, "Yaweh", go for it. In my opinion, they should really just stick to what they're good at..the organ.

Volkswagen Ad Campaign

Volkswagen currently has what I think is a rather impressive ad campaign coming to a television near you. There are a few variations to the spot, but each one has the same basic premise. Two people, blissfully going about their daily business, having a playful argument, or a casual conversation when their car becomes the subject of a full-speed accident. Volkswagen goes out of their way to get the viewers attention, delivering a shocking payoff that Jerry Bruckheimer would be proud of (is he German?). The viewer is momentarily horrified by the air-bag deploying intensity of the accident presented. But, just as quickly as they were jolted into this state, they are rescued by a scene providing the realization that the passengers whom you were just riding with are...okay. Shaken, but okay, and now safely reviewing the aftermath. They punctuate the mood for the audience with a comment such as, "Holy...". The piece ends with the battered car rotating in a stylized display with the tagline, "Safe Happens" accompanied by a five-star crash rating header.

I find this campaign compelling because of the impressive combination of strategy and tactical delivery. Volkswagen is clearly trying to insert safety as a primary, rather than secondary, component of the car-buying decision. The intensity of the dramatization provides a convincing argument; safetey is no longer a "nice to have" feature, and with Volkswagen, it comes standard.

Narnia Rap

If you haven't seen this video from SNL, check it out. When I originally saw it on the show, it gave me hope that perhaps we were witnessing a resurgence. These seem to occur every seven years or so with SNL, but it's taken a while longer this time around. Unfortunately, this video ended up being just a diamond in the rough, because the show still sucks.

http://www.yikers.com/video_snl_narnia_rap.html

Seen on a Bumper Sticker

"Oh god, please save me from your followers."

- It's pretty funny, but what kind of person actually goes into a store, somewhere in Alabama I assume, spots a purple bumper sticker with an unusual font with that phrase and says to themselves, "Well hell, that sure as shit would turn up the panties on those Jesus-cult bastards back in Colorado"? I've met these people and it appears to be a very odd pychosis. It would be wrong to say that these people have a lot of anger in them. I'm not even sure resentment is the right term either. Instead, it's like these people actually get off on this sort of thing. I guess they figure that it's their little way of exerting power in the world, a vulgar little sphere of influence, within which they are all annoyingly powerful. They're the same people who call out an ill-thought joke at the most critical moment of a horror film. And just to be clear, they're also the same people who adorn their rear bumpers with stylized fish.

Public Bathrooms Continued...

Today as I walked into the bathroom at work (it's semi-public), I noticed that the first stall, of two, looked to be packed with luggage. It also happened to be packed with a guy sporting a pretty gnarly Southern accent, one that doesn't allow for the luxury of 'ing's, and he was givin' some guy the riot act about a project update issue. He went on and on, unabashadly giving this guy a toungue-lashing while firmly seated on his porcelain desk-chair of choice. Did he care if I happened to walk into the bathroom for such an unexpected treat? Hell no! The guy was doin' bidness. I have to admit that he isn't the first guy I've seen do his business on Mr. Cleans stompin' grounds. Generally, you see this sort of behavior at a urinal, most-likely at a large sporting event, but it does happen in the office as well. On the shitter, now that's a rarity. So, instead of feeling slightly queezy about the whole thing, I felt honored to have been included.