Do You Booble? Some yahoos have gone and created an adult search engine under the guise of parody. Google is not amused. Faced with the prospect of a lawsuit and the attendant publicity, Booble says, "Bring it on."
Posted by
abnu on Friday, January 30, 2004 @ 6:38 AM
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The Bird is the Word: These talking parrots are really something special.
Last week, there was news about the 104 year old foul-mouthed macaw named Charlie, who claims to have lived with Sir Winston Churchill and repeats, "F#@% the Nazis" in a distinctly Churchillian voice.
And this week, there's another story about an African grey parrot named N'kisi that has a stunning vocabulary of 950 words, and a sense of humour, according to the venerable Beeb.
He invents his own words and phrases if he is confronted with novel ideas with which his existing repertoire cannot cope - just as a human child would do.
Now, talking parrots don't get the press coverage they used to, unless they might be able to repeat what a famous wartime prime minister thought of the Nazis. That Charlie's a tough act to follow.
But, it seems that N'kisi claims also to have powers of mental telepathy. Whar? You might find that hard to believe, but it's all documented here on the Internet.
The N'kisi Project is a series of controlled experiments and ongoing research in interspecies communication and telepathy conducted by Aimee Morgana and her language-using parrot N'kisi. The images shown above are stills from the video document "Initial Interspecies Telepathy Experiments", a research project with the collaboration and support of Dr. Rupert Sheldrake.
Dr. Mandrake...er, Sheldrake and his lovely assistant, Aimee Morgana, have documented proof of all this bunk, which is enough to satisfy the BBC, it seems. Others might be more skeptical. Old Charlie the parrot might actually be saying, "F#@% N'kisi."
Elaine: No, it's not debunked, it's totally bunk.
Jerry: Isn't bunk bad? Like, that's a lot of bunk.
George: No something is bunk and then you debunk it.
Jerry: What?
Elaine: Huh?
George: I think.
Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, this bunk about Charlie and N'kisi is pretty much debunked. I think.
Posted by
abnu on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 @ 12:05 AM
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The Streets Have No A Name: Just for fun, do a Google search of your city's name plus the search terms "street names" to find out what's behind the familiar names on the streets in your own neighborhood. Right now, I'm reading this book.
Posted by
abnu on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 @ 6:06 AM
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Media Wonk: Nick Denton, the over-exposedblog mogul, is building a nanopublishing empire he named Gawker Media Inc. Taking the role of "publisher" in the traditional media sense, Nick has a knack for creatively naming and branding his Dentonesque blogzines, which are written by editorial personalities of the blogosphere: Gawker, Gizmodo, and now Wonkette. "Wonkette is written by Ana Marie Cox, who used to edit the notorious Suck column," according to Nick's introduction of his latest publication. And, for a new media wank, you might want to take a peek at Fleshbot -- Gawker's porn blog done right.
Posted by
abnu on Sunday, January 25, 2004 @ 3:05 AM
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From that memorable day forward, Apple has been a leader in technology development and creative naming and branding. With names that prove that the company really does Think Different; from Macintosh to iMac, from iBook to Titanium Powerbook, from the Newton to the iPod and iTunes and more, the Apple brands promise technological innovation and user-friendly design.
Happy Birthday, Mac, and congratulations to Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Here's to the crazy ones.
Posted by
abnu on Saturday, January 24, 2004 @ 12:47 PM
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Smart & Bigger: You think you're smart? Well, we're bigger!
Microsoft has suited up against the little guy. Canada's largest intellectual property lawfirm has been hired to go after 17 year old student web developer, Mike Rowe, alleging trademark infringement by his website www.mikerowesoft.com. The software giant might be buoyed by successful domain disputes against microsof.com and micr0soft.com; but these are the least of its worries.
Microsoft could be frustrated even more by serious obstructionists like Microsuck, which has been denigrating the software giant for more than four years. The Microsoft Eradication Society is now going for a higher public profile and television coverage by dropping the f word from its original domain name. Microsuck can only hope that it gets sued, too.
In this overlawyered world, nothing gets more media attention than a silly lawsuit by Goliath against David. Mike Rowe's use of his domain name might seem benign, as he explains in an interview:
"I didn't do this to make money," Rowe said in an interview on Friday. He's serious about trying to keep his on-line name out there in cyberspace, but also admitted "I'm having a little bit of fun."
He thought it would be a "cool" name for his business since it had his name in it and "the same phonetic sound as the famous company Microsoft."
His legal defence might be stronger if he were using his domain name to criticize and mock the software giant, bringing his use within established exceptions to trademark protection -- fair comment or parody.
Posted by
abnu on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 @ 7:37 AM
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Welcome Unwashed Naming Hoards: For those of you who are new to Wordlab, there is an extensive database of names and taglines accessible from the drop-down menu on the left. To get free suggestions for help with specific projects, post your needs in a thread on the Wordboard, and members of the Wordlab community will start brainstorming on your behalf.
Names alone, however, are only part of the story. Developing a coherent and powerful brand positioning and understanding how potential names work in that context is where the naming and branding agency Igor (which publishes Wordlab and the sister-site naming blog Snark Hunting) comes in. For some advice on how to filter the name suggestions you get from the Wordboard, check out Igor's naming process, which is now available in a handy print version: How to Name a Company or Product.
Posted by
Jay on Friday, January 16, 2004 @ 12:38 PM
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Calling All Mad Cows:Seth Godin, in collaboration with Fast Company, is putting together a directory of people and organizations that know how to make a Purple Cow:
Bull Market will be a compendium of companies that can help you make things happen. It will highlight copywriters, brainstormers, newsletters, graphic designers, namers, logo designers, printers, jingle writers, and other people, teams, companies, and organizations that can help you be remarkable.
More commentary, and a shout out to Wordlab, on Seth's blog. Moo, if you wannabe herd.
Few people know that before Steely Dan became Steely Dan, the boys performed and toured under 7,566 other names as part of a test marketing research investigation. In 1973, aided by the Windsor Unimax 5000 computer system, a test market research investigation was initiated by Jack Tafoya, a prominent record company executive with a penthouse apartment in the Brill building. As a result, the computer came up with 9,087 of the best names for the burgeoning group.
In the thrity-five years since Donald Fagen and Walter Becker met and formed Steely Dan, they have written some really whacky words and phrases. Their newest album has song titles like: GodWhacker, Slang of Ages, Pixeleen, Blues Beach and the title track, Everything Must Go.
Peter Kaufman, of the Washington Post, gives Steely Dan's latest release Everything Must Go a quick spin and finds that Fagen and Becker are still "at the top of their snarky game"...
As always, the lyrics are packed with vaguely sinister details, but much of the story is tantalizingly withheld. We hear mentions of Gina and Trina and Yvonne, of Abnu and Slinky Redfoot and Dave from Acquisitions, but we never quite meet them. Maybe we're better off that way.
Behind the music, Steely Dan's website includes what they call Lexical Lunacies and gives their fans even more insight into the minds of these geniuses. And, those of us who like their words served in Windows Media or Quicktime video clips will get a real good laugh out of this wild ride around Las Vegas in a cab with Steely Dan. What a creative way to launch a new album with viral marketing on the Internet, instead of the same old same old music video.
Posted by
abnu on Thursday, January 15, 2004 @ 9:15 PM
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Sex At The Office: There is only one funniest show on television and it's called The Office. It originated on the BBC in England, but is now available in the states on BBC America. It is a faux documentary depicting life in the office of Wernham Hogg paper supply merchants, situated in the small town of Slough near London.
This is not the watered-down focus-grouped dry heave that you've come to expect out of Burbank. And like all offices, there's a steady undercurrent of sexual tension, diffused admirably in these three clips:
Posted by
Jay on Tuesday, January 13, 2004 @ 10:56 PM
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Hemi More: A new post on Snark Hunting details how Dodge injected steroids into the minivan image with the addition of "Hemi" to the new Durango.
Posted by
Jay on Monday, January 12, 2004 @ 3:28 PM
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It's a Natural: Humvegan's Hamburger Centrifuge
Posted by
Michael Davey on Friday, January 09, 2004 @ 2:22 PM
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A Rose By Any Other Name: Charlie Hustle might get into the Hall of Shame yet. ESPN wanted to know what the Pete Rose bronze plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown should say if he is inducted. They got only 1,500 suggestions from their readers, of which these might be the best ideas. I'd like to see the complete list. Can we come up with better ideas here?
Still Ugly After All These Beers: Did you ever go home from a bar with a stranger and awaken to find your new love asleep on your arm...and s/he's so ugly you wanna chew your arm off to escape without waking the double-bagger? That's Coyote Ugly, the expression.
It's also the name of a bar, and a movie about the bar, in New York City where the girls...well, you know what they do, if you saw the movie Coyote Ugly, starring some not so bad looking women with great names, Piper Perabo, Maria Bello, LeAnn Rimes and Tyra Banks.
Coyote Ugly the bar celebrated its 11th anniversary in NYC this week. It was a party during which, and after which, many patrons relived the Coyote Ugly experience.
Posted by
abnu on Thursday, January 08, 2004 @ 10:48 PM
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Focus Pocus: Igor has a new Business Week appearance with a detailed discussion of what focus groups do to the naming process, including this:
Many well-known and very successful names would not have survived focus-group testing, Manning says, because, viewed in isolation, they yield more negative connotations than positive ones. Yet they work fine in the real world. Why? "A target audience never engages in this type of literal deconstruction, only focus groups do," he explains. "When a name is rolled out, the public's perceptions are based on the entire experience of the brand. Consumers don't separate the name from its context."
For a positive spin on the focus group experience, you can always count on The Onion:
HOLLYWOOD, CA?Focus groups at advance screenings for Gigli, a romantic comedy starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez set to open nationwide July 30, have demanded a new ending in which both stars die "in as brutal a manner as possible," sources at Sony Pictures said Tuesday.
Well, maybe it'll happen in the X-Box version.
Posted by
Jay on Wednesday, January 07, 2004 @ 11:26 AM
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That's the Spirit: After a successful landing on Mars, the rover Spirit sent home the most incredible travel photos ever. Amazing panoramic high res digital images were transmitted over hundreds of millions of miles from Mars to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Following the disappointing disappearance of Britain's Beagle 2, the successful landing of Spirit on Mars is a significant achievement by the embattled American space program, NASA. In the big picture, the significance of this robotic expedition, including the next landing of the Mars rover Opportunity, depends on whether these new frontiers in space are explored or exploited by the astronauts from Spaceship Earth.
Brand Wars: Learn how to love the strapline and pervert the hearts and minds of the rest of the world. Brand Wars is a flashy brand management simulation that presents serious challenges in naming and branding fun and games. Take over the world. Destroy the competition. Make loads of money. Well, at least have fun trying.
Posted by
abnu on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 @ 10:04 PM
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Talkies: Words can be especially powerful when accompanied by images. Perhaps, the most striking use of words with motion pictures this season is the spectacular little movie for Rare Exports Inc. by Woodpecker Film. Sure, it has become somewhat expected of creative professionals to put together brilliant commercial work for leading brands. Here's a collection of the best virals and e-clips of the past year. But, what's really new this year is the combination of powerful words and images in creative political ads distributed via the Internet. This stuff is powerful.
Posted by
abnu on Monday, January 05, 2004 @ 10:04 AM
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Better late than never: Check out Fimoculous' annual list of annual lists for the year in review, 2003.
Whom Is For The Vigilant Watch: At these times of heightened alert, one cannot be too watchful. Just the other day, the FBI cautioned American law enforcement to be on the lookout for people carrying Almanacs. And, the US courts have ordered the Bush Adminstration to release "dirty bomb suspect" Jose Padilla from detention in a naval brig.
Nonetheless, wearing a Vigilant Watch, one can safely go about one's business, especially in these high-risk groups listed on the Swiss watchmaker's website under the title, "Whom Is For The Vigilant Watch":
-personnel from nuclear plants, nuclear research and waste
professionals;
-medical professionals such as nuclear medicine specialists, radiologists, dentists;
-security personnel including military, customs agents, fire protection, civil security, disaster relief, police forces;
-waste removal and transport companies;
-flight crews;
-journalists and environmentalists;
-professionals of international organisations travelling to risk areas;
-embassy personnel;
-and anyone having to deal with radioactive material;
-tourists travelling to risk areas;
-frequent flyers;
-Or quite simply for general public anxious to know if it evolves in environement little or highly radioactive.
I'm not sure who all is included in that last category. However, if you're anxious enough to buy one of these Vigilant Watches, you'll probably be watchful and vigilant enough to report to the FBI anyone else you see wearing one - especially if he's reading an Almanac!
Posted by
abnu on Sunday, January 04, 2004 @ 3:51 PM
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Poppin' Fresh: Here's a treat from the baked minds at AdLand. Copywriting Diva and Caffeinegoddess, Jane Goldman, penned this obituary for an icon of advertising.
The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and complications from repeated pokes to the belly. He was 71. Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The gravesite was piled high with flours. Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded. Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but in later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, he still, as a crusty old man, was considered a roll model for millions. Doughboy is survived by his wife, Play Dough, two children, John Dough and Jane Dough; plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart. The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.
The Pillsbury Doughboy's first wife, Poppie, is said to be rolling in dough even though she was cut out of the family pie. Poppie did not attend the funeral to avoid a sticky situation with "that tart her husband was poking when he died," according to papers filed in court today contesting that marriage and the will. The judge opened the probate hearing this afternoon saying to the jam-packed audience, "All rise."
Posted by
abnu on Saturday, January 03, 2004 @ 3:27 PM
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One of the Best:Agenda is the new name of LucJam Inc.
Lucian James' extraordinary website is ranked 22nd of the best weblogs for 2003 (in a respectable tie with Adrants) by fimoculous, where it's noted:
There are days that I think this little cultural petri dish known as blogging has become a cesspool. But then I look over this list and realize it's a radically robust machine that we've created. And it's cool knowing that next year will be full of more surprises that I can't wait to link to.
Of course, those who know about Agenda, and its unique business methodology, appreciate the firm's work for much more than its fabulously informative website.
Posted by
abnu on Friday, January 02, 2004 @ 1:47 AM
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Ne'erday: Happy New Year, Wordlabbers!
Here's tae us. Wha's like us. Damn few, and they're a' deid!
It's a tradition in Scotland on Hogmanay to go first-footing, a wonderful excuse to go out visiting friends and partying all night.
The first person to cross the threshold at Hogmanay brings all the luck, good or bad, for the year ahead. And, to follow in tradition they have to fulfil certain criteria. They have to be male, tall, dark and handsome. They cannot be doctors, ministers or grave-diggers (!) - oh, and your first footer cannot have eyebrows that meet in the middle! If you do find a first footer that fits the bill (for remember, we Scots might be handsome but, as a race, we're not renowned for our height) then hang on to them - you could make a packet!
Sláinte!
Posted by
abnu on Thursday, January 01, 2004 @ 12:00 AM
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Note the cool Fine Print: The content found on WordLab
is free to the world. Although we cannot guarantee that any of this
content is not already in use by someone, somewhere, on this planet
who may have seen it on this Web site or created it independently of
our Web site, we have made a reasonable effort to give you what we believe
to be original names and slogans and generally good stuff. Use what
you will of our content since it is here for the taking. However, if
you decide to use one of our names for a commercial activity, and since
we have no assurance that the name may not already be in use by someone
else as a trademark, domain name or otherwise, we strongly suggest that
you take appropriate legal precautions, such as seeing a lawyer. In
short, any necessary due diligence is up to you, but we at least make
no claims on your potential future dream name. We merely ask that if
you do decide to use any of our content, that you please send us an
email ["word at wordlab dot com"] about it for use in our
internal records and eplosive marketing campaigns. Thank you, and enjoy.
