I remember being entertained by the Old Spice commercials with Isaih Mustafa. Here’s a breakdown, nearly moment by moment, of how they did it.
Before you watch it, what do you think? Was it computer generated or all in one take?
The Last Command
My imagination sometimes causes me to make unexpected connections between things. And if presented with an unusual word or phrase, I may not immediately make the expected connection.
For example, in Howard County, on Brighton Dam Road, between the county line and Clarksville, there are several signs alerting passerby to the presence of an “Underground Fire Suppression Tank” along the road.
Now, what I think these signs are referring to is underground storage facilities for water to be used in fighting fires. An alternative to the more common fire hydrants.
But the phrase “Underground Fire Suppression Tank”… that’s just a bit awkward. The word “tank” has meanings beyond a container for liquids, in particular, it also refers to a particular type of armored vehicle used in combat. And once you make that sort of connection, the words “fire suppression” also take on a different meaning.
Is this “underground fire suppression tank” a machine intended to defend the local populace against something? And it’s underground? Perhaps so it doesn’t draw attention to itself? And it’s probably automated too, right?
That’s a rough approximation of my train of thought the first time I saw one of those signs, and it triggered a memory of another automated tank.
One of my earliest exposures to science fiction was a book titled Tales of Time and Space, I’m unsure who gave it to me or when, but over the years, it became quite worn. One story which particularly stuck with me was “The Last Command,” the story of an automated tank which is accidentally activated by a construction crew. And when the tank is unable to contact its command facility, the onboard AI concludes that it’s been attacked and must respond accordingly.
The story was originally published in 1967, but it still holds up today. Give it a read.
Extreme Sports
If you see a human run up the wall… that’s parkour.
If you see a dog run up the wall… that’s barkour.
If you see a cat run up the wall… that’s parpurr.
If you see an elephant run up the wall…. I want one of whatever it is that you’re drinking.
Dowden’s Ordinary Park
There’s a park in Clarksburg called “Dowden’s Ordinary Park.”
It turns out to be an historical site and an “ordinary” is pretty much a normal, every day inn. This one was on an important trail between Frederick and Georgetown (In 1755, General Braddock stayed there on his way to the battle at Fort Duquesne)
This leaves me wondering though. If this was an “ordinary”, what was going on at the other inns? Do you suppose it involved dinosaurs?
Barefoot
“Barefoot” and “standing on raspberry canes” are two things you should avoid combining.
Turquoise
Turquoise is a better color for a sweatshirt than for a loaf of bread.
The Treaty of Algernon
In Star Trek, the peace treaty between the United Federation of Planets and the Romulan Star Empire is known as the Treaty of Algernon.
Do you suppose it was negotiated by the Murine ambassador? Or is it more likely one side’s ambassador thought the other was cute and sent flowers?
(Cover image generated by Bing Co-pilot with the prompt, “create a photo of a mouse holding flowers.)
Pithy Wisdom
Google cannot decide
Looking for a download link, I did a Google search for “emacs“. To my amusement, Google asked, “Do you mean vi?”
Emacs and vi both have die-hards among their users, so this could be a somewhat contentious suggestion.
But wait, what if you search for vi? Yep, Google asks, “Do you mean emacs“?
(For completeness, I’ll note that what’s generally distributed as “vi” is actually a lookalike called “vim.”)
Slash and Axl
I’m not really what you would call a huge fan of Guns N’ Roses. Nothing against them, just not my music and I doubt I could name more than one of their songs (even then, I’m not sure I’ve ever actually heard “Sweet Child O’ Mine”).
Pretty much the main thing I know about the group is that two of its members are Slash and Axl.
The other thing I know is this:
If you do a Google search for Slash, you’ll be presented with a large number of pages about the guitarist. (As an aside, his interview on Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me was quite a bit more entertaining than one might expect from the rocker stereotype; a good lesson in not judging a book by its cover band.)
On the other hand, if you do a Google search for Axl, you’ll be presented with a similarly large number of pages for a B-movie about a boy and his robotic dog. (Definitely a “popcorn” movie; I enjoyed it, but I’m glad I didn’t pay to see it in the theater.)