Well, the other day, I was having a coffee at Ritual Coffee Roasters down in the Mission (here in San Francisco). It’s one of the best coffees in town, as I’ve blogged earlier. So I walk into the restroom, and on the paper towel dispenser, I see:

I wasn’t sure initially, but that is Appu – the 1982 Asian Games mascot. I double-checked on two sites. Now, what the hell is a sticker of the 1982 Asian Games doing in a coffeeshop in San Francisco, 25 years later? That’s a question to ponder. Take a closer look:

Well, whoever put that there, for whatever reason, it definitely got my attention. And now, you’re probably wondering what that comic says on the dispenser. Well, I anticipated that, so I got a close-up of it:

Not really very interesting. Unless you’re in art school and/or an artist having a mid-life crisis. I’ll tell you what was interesting, though: The patterns the barista made on our coffees. Check them out:

Nice, no? The second one looks like a garlic or a heart, depending on where you are in life…

John Roberts made the cover of Time this week, in an article that asks about the relevancy of the Supreme Court today. But that’s not what I’m writing about. Is it me, or does John Roberts look like Greg Kinnear? Dammit, every time I look at Roberts, I think it’s Kinnear!

You see folks, that’s just the kind of hard-hitting analysis that you can expect from this blog. And with that I bid you a good Friday. Not Good Friday though, that’s something else entirely.

Here’s another Roberts-Kinnear pic:

So, in order to vamp up their image with the 34-56 year-old, bored housewife, technophobic demographic, they’ve taken on Fabio (yes, Fabio!) as the official “Geek Squad Ambassador”.

Now don’t laugh! Apparently, he’s a real techno-geek. He says so himself in the interview:

I’m a technology geek. And I’m a very simple person ? I love my toys, but I’m very down to earth. I think everybody’s human, and I think there’s only one God. [link]

One God, huh? Dammit! Just when I thought Ganesha was getting some street-cred here in the US, thanks to this blog. But I digress. Apparently, he does get geeky over audio/video equipment:

My father, a mechanical engineer, was big into audio/video. It’s because of him that I’m able to set everything up. I’m thankful for that. Putting together a VCR, DVD player, and speakers is easy when you have only a few components. Now, you have hundreds of components, and most people need a book to tell them how to set everything up. [link]

And he also gets some perks by being an ambassador:

They fixed up my entire house, made it wireless all over. Before with my computer, I had to always plug it in and couldn’t go anywhere ? I felt like a dog on a leash. Now, I have wireless access around the house and check my email, go online? it’s amazing. [link]

I wonder if he has a lifetime supply of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter from being in all those ads? And what about all those romance novels? Does he get free women for life? But maybe there’s a caveat that he has to be romantic with them. These issues need some serious thought.

The wife pointed me to overstated.net, a blog by a Bay Area software engineer. I realize how exciting that sounds, but there’s more. The guy has listed, for every SF neighbourhood (left), a counterpart in NYC (right). For instance:

Financial District	Midtown
North Beach	Little Italy
Union Square	Soho
Soma	Tribeca
Haight Ashbury	East Village
Castro	West Village
Mission	Williamsburg

[link]

This is just a selection, and I’m sure some of you would take issue to even some of these. Many people have left extended comments at the original post so I’m not even going to go there. You can check out all of the comments yourself.

But there was one interesting comment that I’d like to point out. An observation about the whole comparison by a “Bay Area Native”:

As a Bay Area native (exact location withheld to protect the innocent) who permanently moved to NYC 8 years ago, it always amazes me how people around the country compare/contrast their cities with NYC (and other places). But in NYC itself, no one really does that. I guess if you live in the greatest city in the world, you don?t have to define your home in terms of someplace else (e.g., ?Buenos Aires is the Paris of Latin America?). [link]

And (s)he follows that up with another comment:

Years ago, a woman was bragging to me about some special university program she was accepted into, and she described it as ?the Harvard of the South.? It just struck me that, if you have to define yourself by reference to something else, you ain?t all that. I mean, do people at Harvard run around saying ?We?re the [fill in the blank university] of the Northeast?? I doubt it. Harvard is Harvard. Period. No need to associate Harvard with anything else. It stands quite nicely on its own. [link]

An interesting observation. One that my old philosophy professor from school would find interesting to analyze, I’m sure.

Got the video from the Charlie Rose site. The comments on the video there range from acerbic to complimentary, and I am sure that some are made by people who know more about politics than I do.

Also featured (and worth watching) is an interview with Nandan Nilekani, ex-CEO of Infosys (but still very active in the company), who coined the phrase ‘the world is flat’ which, of course, went on to become the title for Tom Friedman’s famous book.

I was definitely an addict. I would look forward to going to the “library” (which, in 80s Bombay were basically privately run places where you could borrow books for cash) and picking up a stack of Archies. The “magazines” were good, but the “digests” were even better. I could go through a magazine in, like, fifteen minutes. In retrospect, it was almost like those things were made for “slow people” with the oversized graphics and lettering. But a digest, on the other hand, was packed with stories and could sometimes even be read over two sittings. [link]

With the lackluster humor and the incredibly thin plot-lines, I don’t think I can sit through another Archie today. But after reading this announcement, I could seriously consider it. Archie has gone multicultural with the addition of a gujju by the name of…(drumroll, please)… Raj Patel!

Well, I haven’t read it, so he may not be a gujju after all, and he may just be a “Hindu”-speaking “Hindi” but it’s good to see some of apna desh in the ol’ Archie comics, nonetheless. (via)

This time, it’s less a case of life meeting comic-book art, than a case of virtual life meeting comic- book art. Someone has actually uploaded a whole bunch of videos on to the Fanpop Tintin spot, in their entirety. Here’s The Calculus Affair, but before you watch it, let me warn you – this will take up loads of your time!

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Thanks, Nikhil.

Their last mission: Raising awareness of The Redhead Experience. Redheads, they say, make up less than 1% of the world population and “Agent McCarthy” suggested,

“What would it be like if you got onto a subway car and slowly realized that everyone on the car but you had red hair?”[link]

So they gathered approximately fifty redheads and rode the subway all the way uptown to 168th St., and then, back again downtown. Which track did it happen on? The Red Line, of course. Duh!

“The redheads acted as if they didn’t know each other and went
about their normal subway routine.”

That was Phase One of the mission. Phase Two?

We would be protesting Wendy’s racist mascot that was an unfair, stereotypical representation of redheaded people. It was time for the National Association for the Advancement of Redhaired People to take a stand against this offensive logo.

It’s about damn time. So they walked over to the Wendy’s on 8th and 55th and mounted a peaceful protest, careful not to block pedestrians.

Agent Kula led the first few chants, pumping the crowd of angry (perhaps fiery, even) redheads. Throughout the day there were some really hilarious chants. Some of my favorites:

-”Biggie Size Bigotry!”
-”Value Menu Us!”
-”Fiery Burgers Not Fiery Redheads!”
-”Give Wendy Some Pigment!”
-”Where’s Our Beef? In Your Logo!”
-”We Want Frosties, But At What Costies?!?” [link]

My personal favorite: “You want lies with that?” Hilarious!

And even if you’re a bottled redhead, you were represented.

More pics, videos and a detailed report at their website.

If you’re single, and have an iPhone, then there’s hope for you. You can go on an iDate. What’s that, you ask? It’s speed-dating with a techno-twist. You mingle over drinks, you speed-date and then, in an election-booth like enclosed area, you elect your President-to-be at the after-party (and this party definitely surpasses the two-party system). The clincher? You’re added on as a contact. Unlike Florida, there’s no ambiguity, but no guarantee that you’re electing a Bush either.

I got this off a site called iPhonesavior.com (via SFist). I guess, in this case, the iPhone is truly your savior. At least of your single state. I’m just glad I’m married already.

Meanwhile, Niko sounds really excited about the whole thing.

“The iPhone makes speed dating more user-friendly, because you’re rejecting a photo not a real person.” said Niko Atuna who co-hosts her own iDating parties in the downtown San Francisco area for $25 a person. [link]

Oh this really warms my heart. It brings everyone closer together, improves your people skills and brings the community that one extra step closer. No, really. I’m sure this will have a significant effect on the increasing divorce rates.

But wait, don’t get disheartened! Barry has had plenty of success with iDating. He’s been added as a contact so many times, it reminds of that Mark Twain quote where he said that he had quit smoking so many times, he was an expert at it (I paraphrase). Here’s what Barry has to say:

“I’ve been added as a contact to more iPhones than I can keep track of” said Barry Faig, a speed dating regular; “The ladies love my fresh pimpin’ style and my dope ass photo helps too.” [link]

Yeah, I think you’re dope, too…

‘Nuff said.

(via)