The Pants on the Ground Man is awful. He auditioned for this season of American Idol last week and is now an instant sensation. All for what? Because he remembered how he was when he was slave? This is ridiculous. This man is dancing around like a clown and we're cheering him on. Yes there is a message in the song. Hell, I agree with him, but could you have not made a fool of yourself to do so? We are making fun of him and not even realizing it. I can't wait until this 15 minutes of fame is up because MLK is rolling over in his grave right now. I don't think he meant this when he said we shall overcome.

As of now, The Pants on the Ground song gets put on the list of the Top 20 things that will bring back slavery. Right next to the McDonald's McRib sandwich.

After centuries of waiting, and all those false promises of early MMS capabilities,  AT&T has finally released the MMS update.

All those in need of help -- Here is how you do it!

1. Plug in your iPhone and wait for iTunes
2. If it does not prompt the above picture don't worry. Press your iPhone button on the side and hit update.
3. The update literally takes 3 seconds.
4. Restart your phone and enjoy.

Creation, a British film that opened the Toronto Film Festival this year, has been receiving great reviews and finding distributors across the globe... almost everywhere! Just not America - because US distributors are afraid it might offend people or be divisive.

I actually am astonished by this statistic, but according to a poll done in February of this year, only 39% of Americans believe in Evolution.

THIRTY NINE PERCENT.

That means that a majority of people either don't know what they believe, OR, believe in Creationism (ie: humans and dinosaurs coexisted peacefully and the Earth is only 6,000 years old, dinosaurs were on Noah's Ark... things of that nature). I don't think I'd even HEARD of the idea of Intelligent Design or Creationism until I was out of college and heard about court cases in other states where they were trying to teach these ideas as SCIENCE. Maybe it's to do with where I live, but damn.

Look, I think people believe what they want to believe and they have every right to do so, BUT believe it and teach it in institutions where it is appropriate. I learned about Adam and Eve in Hebrew school. I learned about Evolution in public school, and never the two did meet. To me, one was science and one was religious mythology, taught to us to keep the topic interesting, but completely unrealistic in scientific thought. There was a very good reason behind the separation between church and state, religion and science. One has NOTHING to do with the other - in a country such as ours, you cannot govern based on religion and you cannot educate, in a public school, based on religious belief. If those poll numbers are accurate, it's really just disturbing - it's on the same scale as teaching only abstinence and not educating about safe sex. It's breeding ignorance.

On the topic of the movie issue - it seems utterly ridiculous that this sort of film would be viewed as offensive or divisive, while Hollywood still manages to have distributors for whatever vulgar comedies come along, documentaries that slander all sorts of politicians, and crime dramas about snuff films. Surely there are more divisive things streaming across our airways - Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly still have jobs, don't they?

Dirty Dancing has always been my favorite movie, and Patrick Swayze has a long-running, inside joke sort of place in my heart. All of my computers and related devices are named after Patrick Swayze or a character he played in a movie. My entire MySpace account used to just be a photo album of this guy. I think he's even listed as a major interest on my Facebook. It's silly to explain - like those "you kind of had to be there" things, but... I was sad when I heard he'd passed away, especially after such a tough battle.

Rest in peace, sir. You'll be missed.

Come on, people. Is anyone really surprised to find out that Kanye West is an enourmous douche?

Has he not done something like this at almost every award show he's attended since having become a recognized name?

I wasn't actually aware that the VMAs were on until sometime after 11pm last night - True Blood is infinitely more entertaining in one hour than MTV has been, as a network, in 10 years. I noticed a bunch of news headlines talking about it, though, and decided to check out some of the video coverage. I couldn't even watch the entire Kanye/Taylor clip - it got to a point where it was literally too embarrassing just to witness in the teeny window of the online video player.

This morning, I read that Beyonce made a classy move and handed the mic over to Taylor Swift instead of making her own speech at the end of the show. Now there are rumors of the whole thing having been staged. I guess with all of the stunts MTV pulls to gain headlines, you do kind of have to wonder. It's certainly not beneath what they'd do to grab ratings and attention. They've done it before, though this one - if it was a prank - doesn't make much sense to me. Everyone already knows Kanye is a dick, so there's nothing new there. I don't know much about Taylor Swift, other than that she sings some song that always comes on the shower radio when I'm in there and makes me want to die (or run out of the shower with shampoo still in my hair just to avoid having to listen to it... 'cause turning the radio off is too much effort, you know?). Beyonce I'm kind of on and off with, but I think she seems like a pretty decent person, not really in need with a whole lot of image boosting right now, so I guess I don't see the purpose in staging that kind of event - especially when it's going to make one of the people you're giving an award to look silly, feel uncomfortable, and probably like a piece of shit. If it does come out that MTV was behind the whole thing, they're going to have a shit storm to deal with.

I think it's much more likely that Kanye West has just reached a level of douchebaggery that was unprecedented and they should probably stop inviting him to things. I like his music most of the time, but the guy is just... a fool who needs attention and has yet to find a classy way of getting it. This is how you get relegated to fish dick jokes, Kanye. Learn your lesson.

Edit:

I'm sorry, I'm coming back to this post because I absolutely need to include Kanye West's incredibly articulate apology right here on this page. And, just FYI, because I know some people have trouble with sarcasm - by "incredibly articulate" I, of course, mean "holy shit, my 11 year-old sister has better writing skills than this!"

Annnnd here we go:

I’M SOOOOO SORRY TO TAYLOR SWIFT AND HER FANS AND HER MOM. I SPOKE TO HER MOTHER RIGHT AFTER AND SHE SAID THE SAME THING MY MOTHER WOULD’VE SAID. SHE IS VERY TALENTED! I LIKE THE LYRICS ABOUT BEING A CHEERLEADER AND SHE’S IN THE BLEACHERS! …………………… I’M IN THE WRONG FOR GOING ON STAGE AND TAKING AWAY FROM HER MOMENT!…………….. BEYONCE’S VIDEO WAS THE BEST OF THIS DECADE!!!! I’M SORRY TO MY FANS IF I LET YOU GUYS DOWN!!!! I’M SORRY TO MY FRIENDS AT MTV. I WILL APOLOGIZE TO TAYLOR 2MRW. WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD!!!! EVERYBODY WANNA BOOOOO ME BUT I’M A FAN OF REAL POP CULTURE!!! NO DISRESPECT BUT WE WATCHIN’ THE SHOW AT THE CRIB RIGHT NOW CAUSE … WELL YOU KNOW!!!! I’M STILL HAPPY FOR TAYLOR!!!! BOOOYAAAWWWW!!!! YOU ARE VERY VERY TALENTED!!! I GAVE MY AWARDS TO OUTKAST WHEN THEY DESERVED IT OVER ME… THAT’S WHAT IT IS!!!!!!! I’M NOT CRAZY YALL, I’M JUST REAL. SORRY FOR THAT!!! I REALLY FEEL BAD FOR TAYLOR AND I’M SINCERELY SORRY!!! MUCH RESPECT!!!!!

So, I'm sure at least some of you will join me in saying... ... ... uh... what?

...Yep, that's about right.

Shocking, huh?

I should preface this by saying: I am an American. I am also a New Yorker. I was here. I get it.

That said: I am also a graphic designer.

I've read a bunch of the comments (read: angry rants) about this ad - some of them just plain stupid and some with intelligent thought. I'm going to come right out and say it: I don't find it offensive or to be in poor taste.

Advertising and design are supposed to be shocking, thought provoking, and inciting. If you're not moved to some sort of reaction, then the designer didn't do their job.

Is it a touchy subject? Of course it is. Should we then avoid it at all costs because it might envoke a heated response? No. Absolutely not.

I think a lot of the issue people are having with the ad is actually in the tagline, which is this:

The focus isn't really September 11th, but the power of nature and our planet. People have argued that the ad should have focused on something like Global Warming and not the Tsunami, because, like 9/11, that would be an issue caused by man. I can understand that argument, but I also wonder if maybe they're missing the point.

The way I interpreted this tag was as making more of a statement on the power of nature versus the power of man. Yes, 9/11 was cause by man and most likely 100% preventable - not so much the case with a tsunami, however, I'm also of the belief that a good 70-80% of the things wrong with our planet are also being cause by man and probably in the same percentile for having been preventable (note: they're mostly no longer preventable - I do not believe anything or anyone can "save the planet" at this point, but at some point, they would have been), so the message I took from this was more along the lines of that old saying about a woman scorned - hell hath no fury like that of Mother Nature. If we don't respect and preserve the planet, she'll kill us - pure and simple - and nature has a greater extendible fist than mankind. We can only wipe out but a few, whereas she can take us all in one shot. Somehow, in this context, the ad makes sense to me - but maybe that's just me.

If the intent was to emphasize preventable tragedies, then yes, the written message could have been stronger - perhaps focusing on climate control or something that does have a direct link to our impact on the planet, rather than on the Tsunami (though there have been studies done on how human beings do impact the shifting of tectonic plates, none of the theories have been 100% conclusive).

The image itself is actually very well done - it's shocking, upsetting, provacative - pretty much things you'd want from an ad like this. It isn't glorifying a tragedy or saying September 11th wasn't horrible - it's saying that was horrible, and so is this.

I don't know. Maybe I've seen enough startling imagery in my career to make me immune to these things - or to have caused me to look at them from a rational perspective rather than emotional. I realize that analyzing as a designer is far different from doing so as a non-designer. That's not to say it doesn't bring out an emotional response from me, it does, but it's definitely not one of disgust and outrage towards those who created the piece.

FYI - the WWF has condemned the ad, saying they were unaware of its creation and publication, and rejected the concept entirely. The company responsible for the ad, the Brazilian subsidiary of DDB, has also issued an apology, stating that the ad never should have run to begin with.

It has also been revealed that there was a commercial created to accompany the ad, though it has since been pulled from YouTube and anyplace online we it may have been viewed. The print ad did win an award for public service from One Club, however, it has since been pulled from the site and no response has been given yet for why it was chosen.

I'm curious - what are your thoughts on the topic?

Samantha Bee , Jon Stewart "The Daily Show"

People in Long Island believe that Long Island should secede and become the 51st state. As a fellow Long Islander, I too agree, that we ( Long Islanders ) get no credit. First off, We are not considered a borough, which is horse shit. Staten Island has little to no value compared to us. Second, Queens and Brooklyn are not part of the city, they are actually part of Long Island.

Even though we do have an infestation of so called guidos, our population of guidos are minut compared to areas of Queens, Staten Island, and Brooklyn.

Long Island is the cleanest, quietest, and wealthiest place in all of New York.

Now that I am done boasting about this beautiful place, I will agree that we SHOULD NOT Secede. Too many things would need to be changed and that would cause headaches.

Jager bombs anyone?

Now, I am a type fanatic, but I'm going to have to admit: I knew it was a face intended for screen purposes, but I hadn't realized that Verdana had become such a blight on design society. Sure, we know about Papyus (boo, hiss) and Comic Sans (screeeeeeeeeeeee), but Verdana? Causing this kind of hatred, outrage, uproar and even the creation of one of those dreaded and all-powerful Let's All Join this Group 'Cause My Friends Did and It Might Make Me Look Cool Facebook Group? Really?

Okay, sure, it's not the most strategic branding move:

The company has its own brand typeface that's served them well for decades, so swapping for something so generic is a bit bizarre. I'm sure that they have enough in their budget to have commissioned the creation of an updated character set - though, apparently, their decision was heavily impacted by their desire to be able to use the same typeface both in print and on the web. I'll say it again though - their branding has served them quite well for decades, so why they felt the need to make this change now is a bit strange. There are ways around non-web friendly type - and most branded companies aren't using those faces for every aspect of their brand - just the big stuff, you know?

Additionally... it looks like crap. Listen, I don't mind Verdana on screen... but in print? Well... here's a side-by-side comparison of their 2009 and 2010 catalogues (click the photo for a larger version and article):

The old standard just... comes together a bit better than the new. Verdana is one of those simpler fonts, you know? Kind of like that one friend in the group... the one you think is very nice, but who you're sure is also mildly retarded? Kind of like that. It means well, but there are just certain things it cannot do - for example: be used in print.

All of that said... I still don't get why it's sparking such massive anger and disgust. I mean, with some of the reactions I've read, you'd think IKEA had decided to start using Papyrus on everything. Imagine that, people. It could be much worse.

Also... it's IKEA. I mean... does that really impact your day to day that much? Are you subbing ikea.com for your daily porno fix? Are you going to tear all your hair out and kill the mailman in a fit of rage when the catalogue comes? Or spontaneously vomit every time you enter one of their stores? There have been much more unfortunate design foibles in recent branding history (Duane Reade's rebranding comes to mind, as does the Tropicana packaging fiasco). I suppose, if Tropicana is any indication, anything can happen - maybe the Facebook flock will swoop in and restore Ikea Sans to its rightful place in the stack of catalogues you keep by the toilet. Honestly, though, why not just go do your shopping and choke back the vom - this one's really not worth the clean up on aisle five.

The fact that Axe has become the popular shower replacement nationwide is more than slightly disconcerting. Apparently, a Wal-Mart in Minneapolis has had such a problem with people shoplifting this product, that they've taken to locking it up behind the cosmetics counter... because so much gets lifted, DAILY, that they RUN. OUT.

No. Really.

Listen... it has been close to, and sometimes OVER 90 degrees outside for the majority of this summer. It is hot. It is humid. People are sweaty and all around disgusting after their daily commutes and whatnot. The world is a crowded place. We all have to live in it. The least we can do, for the consideration of the person stuck on the train next to us, is: Take. A. Fucking. Shower.

Guys - a quick spritz of your cheap-ass smelling Axe will not mask your stank - despite what their commercials will have you believe. They are lying! Do not let them fool you! You are still a stank bastard! SHOWER. SHOWERING IS THE ONLY WAY TO SOLVE THIS.

I wonder if Axe Headquarters is filled with people who never bathe and just dowse themselves with their product whenever they feel "unfresh." Can you imagine? Their staff restrooms all have attendants with bottles of Axe, the way that fancy restaurants have snooty perfumes and not-so-fancy restaurants have AquaNet? When they're done with the facilities, instead of washing their hands, the attendant just sprays some "Tsunami" at them and sends them on their way?

Honestly, with their advertising, I wouldn't be surprised.