Randomness

[neadods]

I'm going light on the Internet this week in the hopes of seeing Big Bang unspoiled, but it's impossible to miss the number of links pointing out that Thinkgeek has been hit with a real cease-and-desist letter for a product that is not only fictional, but was obviously an April Fool's joke. Some lawyer had an itcy trigger finger!

But it reminded me of a story that must be, oh, 30 years old by now. The Society for Creative Anachronism has a member's magazine called Tournaments Illuminated. Many moons ago as a joke, they came out with the Tournaments Illuminated Martial Extravaganza issue mocked up to look like an illuminated version of Time magazine... and apparently someone sent a copy of the tribute to the editors of Time.

Their lawyer's response boiled down to: "Cute. But do it again and we'll sue your ass off."

Other than that... I knew when we had a Code Orange* day in April that it was going to be a hard summer. The heat index is supposed to hit 102 tomorrow.

Finally, while I was typing this, the new Dr. Pepper commercial came on. Speaking of 30 years ago, wow, nobody (including them!) would have dreamed that KISS would end up peddling soft drinks.



*air quality, not threat level

Comments

[chibiaingeal.livejournal.com]

And apparently we've had the warmest Spring on record. I'm not liking how this is boding for Summer - especially since we've had code orange air quality since the weekend....

[redpanda13.livejournal.com]

By the end of the month we'll probably have more 90°+ days In the Washington DC area than we had all last year. But remember, climate change is just a vast left-wing conspiracy! (though the more expert you are in climatology, the more you accept the fact of climate change: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2010/06/22/the-scientific-consensus-on-climate-change-stronger-and-stronger/ )

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

I'm baffled - it's the first week of Wimbledon and it's not pi$$ing down! That's just WRONG!

[teenygozer.livejournal.com]

I would have assumed that a TIME "tribute" issue as described would fall under fair use due to being a parody, but lawyers can and will sue where they may... even if they did not win, it would be costly and annoying for the Tournaments Illuminated people, so the threat would have a chilling effect.

I never would have dreamed that KISS would end up peddling soft drinks, but then I never would have dreamed of Bill Shatner fronting for something like Priceline! The power of nostalgia!

[pinkribbonwench.livejournal.com]

I noted the good weather in my journal last year - something to the effect of: "Now watch - next year when I'm training, it'll be brutal."

I hate it when I'm right.