{democracy:2}
Inspired by the show Numb3rs and a couple of random semi-related Jyte claims.
Monthly Archive for May, 2007
{democracy:3}
Idea from Jyte.
Seen recently on an AIM away message:
Making supper and watching Season Two of 90210. Feel free to interupt. [sic]
Wow, talk about an understatement. An entire season of 90210? I’d rather die…
For the last two weeks, I’ve been working to design a one-off enrollment system1 for a client, and it seems like it’s just been one road-block after another.
First, their data was incorrect. And then again. And for good measure, a third time. To be fair, I don’t know if it was their fault or ours the second and third time (mis-communication somewhere about what translations we were making), but the first time certainly was2.
Then, there’s the fact that when I notified the person in charge of coordinating this data exchange with the client, they apparently “missed” the email… And so three days later I’m asking them where the hell my answers are, and they have no clue what I’m talking about.
Next, apparently no one really knows what data the client wants to get back from us for entry into their system. On some things, they claim to want all coverages. For others, just changes. Then there’s this one piece of information they don’t seem to have thought about nor want at all…
Finally, 4 days before the system is to go live and we’ll have thousands of people from across the country calling in to enroll using it, as I’m working my ass off to correct a few bugs and get final testing in, I notice that the spreadsheet I originally got says that the client is expecting data back for a coverage we’re not supposed to be enrolling them.
Uhh, what? How can we give them back data on something we’re not enrolling? Back to the project manager we go… “Oh, right… That spreadsheet is old, I’ll see if I can find a new version for you.”
WTF? 4 days from live and I’m the one that has to realize no one bothered to give the programmer the real specs? If these were freelance clients, I’d never work for them again… Alas, they’re internal company employees and I’m not their manager…
New Microsoft Ad: Scandalous or Creatively Fresh Marketing?
Over on Reddit, I found this story, titled New Microsoft Ad Features Girl’s Orgasm.
Now before we get into this, please, go watch the video (pick the first guy on the left, that’s the dad). Don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere, I’ll be here when you’re done.
Taps foot semi-impatiently…
Ok, done? That’s great…
So this girl’s “orgasm” is one quick gasp as the father imagines the worst possible things that could happen to his (hot) daughter while she’s out on a date with this loser, spurning him to change the curfew they’d just finished negotiating. The question being posed is, is it appropriate for Microsoft to use the image of teenage sex (in conjunction with the stereotype of the loser boyfriend, no less) to help sell their Suspicious “Male”-detection module of the new Hotmail service?
Personally, I don’t think there’s anything scandalous about this ad. I find it creative and a fresh perspective from a company (Microsoft) long known for being the stereotypical hard-core straight-laced business user (much like ‘PC’ in the Apple Mac vs. PC ads). I think the real question here is much broader: How Prudish is American Society?
Ever seen the movie Eurotrip? Hey, it had Michelle Trachtenberg in it, I couldn’t not watch… Well, in one scene, they’re hitchhiking along and she decides she’ll get a ride… by taking off her shirt.
No one stops.
The point is, this straight-laced American highschooler thought taking her shirt off would get any number of creepy guys to pull over and give them all rides. Unfortunately, they find out that in Europe, seeing a chick with her shirt off isn’t a new thing. Their example was an orange juice ad with lesbians in it, which certainly hammered home the point to me (perverts!). Elsewhere in the movie, the head mistress at a brothel claims that America was founded by prudes, which seems to be an accurate claim given the rest of the evidence we see throughout.
So I ask you again: Why is this ad groundbreaking? Are we that delusional to think that our children aren’t finding out about sex elsewhere, and that a 2-second gasp in an advertisement from the 800lb gorilla of software is going to turn them all into hormone-crazy sex heathens?
Let’s grow up, America. Stop blaming the advertising for turning your children into sex-starved homicidal maniacs and start taking a little extra responsibility for raising a child that’s broken, alright?
Hiding the truth from our society as a whole doesn’t make it go away. Pretending sex doesn’t happen doesn’t mean your children aren’t having it. This isn’t a nightmare, where it will go away if we just ignore it long enough, this is real life… It’s here to stay.