7-up cans

The one on the left is the 7-up can used in the United States. On the right, the Canadian version. (I think the rest of the world uses the design on the right as well.) 

The U.S. design is holding on to the shadows and highlights that are typical of 2000s design while the other can has flattened and simplified the design. I'm particularly fond of the red dot doing double duty.

Update: In the comments, Mark Simonson calls my attention to an article on the new 7-up design and expresses a preference for the 1977 version of the can.

This sent me on a Google search that turned up an even more extensive history of the 7-up cans -- plus histories of Pepsi, Coke, Dr. Pepper and more.

Radio drama lives

I enjoy "old time" radio programs. In the 1990s, a big band music radio station -- KLBB AM1400 -- played an hour of radio drama every weeknight at 9 p.m. "Fibber McGee and Molly," "The Jack Benny Program," "The Shadow," "The Third Man," "Lum and Abner," "Lights Out," "The Black Museum," "The Whistler," "The Lone Ranger," and "The Burns and Allen Show." It was a wonderful way to wind down the day.

And there are many podcasts and downloadables of old radio shows available on the Internet.

But I wanted to pay tribute to modern-day podcasters who manufactured their own hour of original radio drama.

In episode #133, on April Fools Day 2013, of "The Incomperable" podcast, Jason Snell and his merry band of enthusiasts paid loving tribute to radio drama. It's well worth a listen. With sly references to everything from Orson Wells' "War of the Worlds" to "The Shadow" to "Nancy Drew" to "Dr. Who" to embeded show-sponsor advertising to (and this cracked me up to no end) the catch phrase of one of "The Incomparable's" podcast members. (Scott McNulty's "Hello-o-o-o!")

Thank you to "The Incomparable" for bringing back those thrilling days of yesteryear.

Cranked up about bicycle postage stamps

Okay, I'm glad the US Postal Service saluted bike riding with this set of stamps released on June 7, 2012. The drawings are nice and the concept of the stages of bike riding is okay . . . but I have quibbles. 

The publicity material reads [with snippy comments by me]: 

"Art director Phil Jordan designed the stamps using illustrations by San Francisco illustrator John Mattos. Each of the four Bicycling (Forever®) stamps features a different kind of bike and cyclist:

". . . a young child learning to ride . . . " [In my opinion, this is the best of the bikes shown here. It has two of the things needed on a regular bike, a chain guard and an upright riding position.]

". . . a commuter pedaling to work . . . " [This is the one that bugged me the most. Why should a commuter need a road-racing bike? This bike has rams-horn handlebars and skinny wheels and the rider is in road-racing clothing. This bike forces the rider into a crouched racing posture that's tough on the back and rotten for keeping an eye on traffic. I'm guessing the saddle bags are partially full of work clothes to be worn after this rider showers upon arriving at work. Commuter bike riding -- to me -- is not a workout and it's not a race. It's transportation. If you're sweating a lot you're doing it wrong. This bike doesn't even have any fenders or lights. Bad for riding in weather or at night.]

". . . a road racer intent on the finish line . . . " [Same bike style and clothing as the "commuter" bike above. Minus the saddle bags and plus the elbow-rest handlebars.]

". . . and an airborne BMX rider." [And what is this? It's the last stamp in the series -- so does it represent the final stage in the evolution of bike riding? Jumping your bike into the air? This belongs at the other end of the stamp series, right after the training wheels. This is 10-year-old kid stuff.]

What would I have wanted on a bicycle stamp? I would have put a regular bike in the middle instead of the road-racing bike shown. Fenders, front and back lights, chain guard, stepthrough frame, upright handlebars. A bike fit for riding in all conditions. And the rider would be in regular clothes, not spandex. I would want the stamp to show that bike riding doesn't always have to be fast, and it doesn't always have to be a competition.

Update: Changed the headline, added the release date of the stamps. Plus, I redrew my alternate stamp to raise the handlebars and put the rider in a more upright posture -- and I added a bell. I also added the picture below of bike commuters in Copenhagen. As always, click for closer view.

I like it! (The new David Bowie album cover.)

The designs, side by side.

The designs, relatively sized.

David Bowie has recently come out with a new album, titled, "The Next Day."

I really like the album cover (designed by Jonathan Barnbrook) -- it takes a very striking vintage Bowie cover and repurposes it. Even down to crossing out the original title.

I see it as a comment on the difference between designing for a 12-inch square record album and the much smaller CD cover / digital download icon.

Fun and funny! Makes me think of work M&Co did in their heyday.

Update: Added the size comparison.

I don't get it

An editorial cartoon from the Vegreville, Alberta, Observer. I'm not sure I get all the nuances of this Curatolo cartoon. Being a new resident here I don't know all the ins and outs of provincial rivalry. I've heard that Albertans believe other Canadian provinces are slightly miffed because Alberta has lots of jobs and is making money. Alberta makes its money from oil.

I guess the reader is supposed to take the guy talking as an Albertan working on the oilsands. The punchline being that he cares about "green" because money is green. And then the big switcharoo is that he's in the provence of Ontario, not Alberta.

I don't really get the switches. Alberta digs up the stuff and Ontario refines it? Everyone should be happy and shut up because there are jobs at stake? Albertans aren't hypocrites like people in Ontario?

Whatever the deeper meaning of this cartoon, I do enjoy the Jack Davis-esque drawing style.

Magazine rack in a Canadian grocery store

The magazine rack in this grocery store has a couple of "Feature" spots -- with their own holders in front of the regular rack. I would easily expect People magazine to be featured -- with it's cover story on "627 Spring Looks." But Adbusters? With it's "Canada, Tar Sands, Kyoto, etc., #SwaggerNoMore" cover story? I think that's unusual.

Alternate realities

To me, a principal joy of living in a new place is the differences in graphics. Particularly on very familiar brands.

Left: USA version, right: Canada version.

Coca-Cola is such an international powerhouse, I would have thought the United States and Canadian versions of its cans would be the same. And the 12 ounce (355 mL) cans are the same. But the 7.5 ounce (222 mL) mini-cans are a little different. As much as I love the original returnable glass Coke bottle, I find the constant picturing of it on paper cups, aluminum cans and plastic bottles to be . . . tiring and sad. I understand that it's part of their heritage, but since they are never going to go back to returnable bottles, I wish they would stop rubbing it in my face. Also note the calories label on both cans: United States 90 calories. Canada 100 calories. Perhaps calories are calculated differently in the two countries.

Top: USA version, bottom: Canada version.

When I saw the Canadian Kit Kat logo something resonated. Is it the Gill Sans-like font? Probably not. But the red letters on a white background harken back to the original logo. The Canadian one doesn't look as modern as the United States version, but that's okay.

Top: USA version, bottom: Canada version.

The United States and Canada versions really are the same elements -- just tweaked differently on the different packages. I guess the Canada one adds the large script "Holiday Mix," But that't the only major difference. Again there's the variation in the calories notice on the bags. This time the U.S. comes out on the high side. United States: 210 per serving. Canada: 190 per serving.

Update: Thank you, Mark Simonson, for coming up with the Alternate Reality name for an U.S. citizen's experiences in Canada. Really sums it up.

Hershey-ets

3.5 by 5.5 inch postcard.

Thank you to my friend Doug, who sent me this postcard -- the caption on the back reads:

The chocolate product that sounds as good as it tastes is Hershey-ets, little pieces of candy coated milk chocolate which greet you on the tour at Hershey's Chocolate World, Hershey Foods Corporation's visitor center in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Plus these words:

Mike Roberts
Berkeley 94710
C32036

Anti-comments

Comments on a newspaper article are often just plain stupid. I mean the comments themselves, not the idea of comments.

How to weed out the stupid?

I first thought having people having to log into their Facebook accounts before commenting was a good idea. Who will make an asinine comment when their real name is displayed? Turns out -- a lot of people. So, while it may make some people behave themselves, there are plenty of people who will not.

Okay. All well and good. I usually don't comment on anything, so the whole logging into Facebook routine doesn't affect me.

But now it does.

I went to read the comments on a story on the St. Paul Pioneer Press website about Walmart building a store where the Cottage Grove drive-in movie theater used to be.

When the comments get too numerous, in the past, I would have to click on a link to see more comments.

But now when I click to see more comments I'm told I have to log into Facebook before I'll be shown those comments.

I have logged into Facebook and it does show me the additional comments. But why should I have to log in to Facebook to just browse additional comments? I'm not going to leave a comment. I'm just reading.

Guess I'll have to get over the guilty pleasure of wading neck-deep into the Pioneer Press comment lagoons.

Update, January 16, 2013: The comments seem to have returned to the way they were. That is, I can read them all without logging into Facebook.

"The Vegreville Truck"

The Vegreville Truck 066

There are a lot of four-door pickup trucks in my newly adopted town of Vegreville, Alberta. After I noticed there were a lot of them I started taking pictures of them. I'm up to 68 pictures so far -- with a few repeats. The square format makes me include each truck's surroundings. I think that makes for more interesting photos and the format helps describe the town as well.

All the photos are viewable in a Flickr set.

Old Dutch brand potato chip crazy

Old Dutch potato chip varieties

In Canada (in Vegreville, Alberta anyway), the Old Dutch brand seems stronger than in its native Minnesota. It seems stronger than even Frito-Lay.

I snapped a photo of an end-cap display at my local grocery store -- just look at that variety of potato chip flavors.
The flavors include: Rip-L-Chips, Creamy Dill, Mexican Chili, Ketchup, Sour Cream and Green Onion, All Dressed, Original, Sour Cream and Onion, Au Gratin, Lightly Salted, Cheddar and Sour Cream, Dill Pickle, Salt 'n Vinegar and BBQ. There's also a bacon flavor and another version of BBQ flavor that I missed. Whew!

Not certain what the All Dressed flavor is -- it tastes like a spicy tomato sauce, maybe.