Buying the New Yorker 1996 - page 7

I've been pondering this ad for the last couple of days.

With the right amount of coffee and indignation I could probably go on forever about the days when a six CD changer was a good purchase and people would drop two sawbucks on a CD, have change for a coffee and be happy in the knowledge that the CD they picked up would actually play on everything that they owned that had a CD slot (and wouldn't blow the thing up).... etcetera etcetera.

But enough of that. There's plenty of that on the web.

Take a look at that wall. That wall is nuts.


Just those little hangy lights over the dinky speakers - wiring those things up ain't cheap. And then we get to those indentations! Forget it. It took me six years of workers to go from explanation to completion for "I would like the roof to no longer leak and drip water on the head of my bed when it rains." I can't imagine how long "I would like a sequence of symmetrical indentations to draw contrast to the built in shelves that you will build to hold my CD player and their impossibly dinky speakers" could take.

I'm sure they sound nice, and the enormous remote is probably a great help as well.

Bose "Lifestyle" entertainment system circa 1996 - still goes for around $500 on eBay.

Bose "Lifestyle" entertainment system circa 2006 - As much as $4,000. (They now play DVD's, mp3 disks, and has a music storage playback hard drive).

This post is like a plaintive nocturne

From The Baltic Times, (Which covers Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) we get a handy list of "10 things not to say to a Latvian woman."

They include the obvious:

9) "Oh man, you still live with your parents!"

The subtle:

7) "You Russian girls are really sexy." That one speaks for itself.
8) "You kind of remind me of that girl in t.A.T.u." See point (7).

(Get it? They're Latvian, not Russian!)

The obscure:

2) "Your voice is like a plaintive nocturne." She will think you're making fun of her.

The obvious, but for the wrong reasons:

3) "Your melons are very juicy." She will confusedly insist that Latvia doesn't grow melons.

And the telling and culturally loaded:

1) "You are very beautiful." She will only think you're a stupid foreigner if you do.

Also of note is the list of "10 things not to say to a Latvian cop" which has surprisingly little overlap.

Lucas Gives In! Sort of!

The original theatrical versions of the Star Wars trilogy now coming to DVD.

They will be bonus features on the re-release of the "re-mastered" version - so when you go off to buy them, you are, so far as the folks who track sales are concerned, ramping up the stats for the re-masters. Tricky devils.

Buying the New Yorker 1996 - page 5

I infer that between 1996 and today, Renaissance Hotels was purchased by Mariott.

Such is the way of things.

If you go to the Mariott website, you will see that some of their hotels are still designated as "Renaissance Hotels." These particular hotels distinguish themselves from other hotels (including other Mariott Hotels) because of their "distinctive & individualistic style ... a blend of attentive service, expressive decor, luxurious bedding and imaginative dining."

As I've lately been rejecting a few comments from marketing bods who are trying to use blogs to their advantage, I would like to take the opportunity to greet the inevitable visitor from Mariott (or some subsidiary thereof) and request of them this:

Instead of some canned comment about how much you enjoy Mariott Hotels and every one of my readership would benefit from staying in one (which I will reject), perhaps take a moment to explain the difference between a Mariott Hotel and a Renaissance Hotel. I'll approve that, and you'll get your pittance quota. Deal?

One night in the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa, (Hoover, Alabama) - $189.00

Pem Farnsworth

The first lady of television.

More here.

Buying the New Yorker 1996 - page 4

Here's an ad with a website - and it is still semi-active (it resolves here).


I hope that Sidney Poitier doesn't get sick of conch.

I took a look to see if you can really eat conch. I've never been to The Bahamas. And I am skeptical.

Look! Here are recipes for Conch Burgers and Conch Fritters. Well I'll be darned.

Package deal to Nassau Beach - $534 on Expedia.

Buying the New Yorker 1996 - page 3

A Godiva Chocolate ad.

Even though this is ten years old, it looks like it could be printed today. One difference, though. No website. They do have a toll free phone number, which I see from their website is still the same.

So if I were stranded somewhere with a ten year old New Yorker and a phone, I could order up some chocolate. Cool.


36 Piece "Administrative Assistant's Day" Thank You Ballotin - $38.00

I have no idea how much Godiva Chocolates cost ten years ago. I'll update when I find out.