If you thought the around-the-block lines for the Boylston Street Apple Store opening were nuts, just wait'll Friday -- when they've actually got something new to sell. We hate iPhone hype as much as anyone, but we want one anyway -- even though by owning one we realize we'll be consigning ourselves to serial douchebaggery every time we light the bitch up to conspicuously check email in 3D or whatever it this these magical devices supposedly do.
Details as follows: Apple Store opens 8 a.m. Friday, but they're warning people to show up early -- perhaps because they really will sell out of 'em, maybe because they're banking on the photo-op as thousands of jackasses fistfight each other for an iPod you can call your mom on . . . most likely both. "When you arrive," notes the press release, "a Concierge in an orange shirt will direct you to the iPhone bay where you can take advantage of our free Personal Setup. A Specialist will help you choose an iPhone 3G, review coverage maps, select a rate plan, and — best of all — have your new iPhone 3G ready to make calls, browse the web, and receive email right on the spot." Wait, no 3D? Orange shirts? What the fuck?
We suppose you could also just wait a couple of days and avoid the mayhem. But we're hoping you all just flock to the store the night before and send us photos of yourselves geeking out.
You've got to hand it to spam. Having run out of ways to say "get a bigger dick!" without tripping junk-mail detection systems that are tighter than the Pentagon, the creative minds assaulting our email boxes have resorted to some fantastic new tactics. Two months ago, the big trend was insults: "You look really stupid in this picture, ccarioli!" was a popular one -- although, admittedly, a couple of those turned out to be from our moms. This month, however, spam has moved into territory that's near and dear to our journalistic heart: SERIAL FABRICATION! Here's what we saw when we opened our inbox this morning:
Admittedly, the first two should've been dead giveaways, but -- sigh -- we actually did a couple doubletakes at the bottom two. Damn you, spam! Not only do you clog the arteries of our modern communication enterprise -- but now you're also tempting us with visions of a stranger, more interesting world than our own!
Let's talk about street art, shall we? "Street art," as a term, is so broad (as is the concept it represents), and there are so many different types of street art out there that it's easy to forget that some street art - a lot of it, in fact - has a point. Sometimes that point is direct and profound, and sometimes it's open to interpretation. Consider Shepard Fairey's Progress/Obama poster, or nearly anything Banksy does. It's like thousands of open-ended messages lining the streets of your city, just waiting for you to notice them. And there's no more overt way to convey a message via street art than to use words. For today's street art fix, feast your eyes upon the word-centric images below, all from the Boston area.
"1980 was the hostages' summer in Iran. While the diplomats did what they could with talks here and rescue attempts there, the Fun Shop rallied to the crisis in a direct, no-holds-barred fashion. Our big seller was a novelty postcard showing the ayatollah, in his turban and robe, sitting on a toilet. Take that, Khomeini. The way to victory, we knew, was through demoralizing the enemy."
“Rose maintains that Sarah Lawrence’s president at the time, Dr. Charles DeCarlo, was much less impressed by the quota revelation. She says DeCarlo refused to publish the Sarah Lawrence history she turned in...[T]hough DeCarlo never directly threatened her with dismissal, he made it clear that her job would be in jeopardy if she published...outside the college...
“But according to DeCarlo, the file material had no bearing on his decision not to publish...The manuscript was ‘sophomorically serious’ and ‘heavy-handed,’ DeCarlo says. ‘It just wasn’t good enough to be published, period.’ ”