dumb ideas i like

[solarbird]

If I had a time machine that I could only use for trivial things, I'd use it go to back in time and insert anachronisms into the backgrounds of old movies and TV shows. Not necessarily science-fiction ones (tho' I'd pretty much have to give Doctor Who an iPod; it's inevitable - and given his character, arguably in character), and not shows and movies which were shot as period at the time; just, you know, stuff that could be there, but didn't exist yet. So the Brady kids' room could have a model of the Space Shuttle in 1969.

(This accidental post inspired by deeply-passionate arguments about typeface usage in Mad Men.)

Comments

[mattsnaps.livejournal.com]

If I had a time machine I could use only for trivial things, I think I would play mean practical jokes on historical figures I didn't like.

That would be a pretty awesome hobby.

[solarbird]

I'd help with that. ^_^

[clemtaur.livejournal.com]

I'm sure there would be a Wiki Discussion Thread (http://www.abyssandapex.com/200710-wikihistory.html) about it..

[cafiorello.livejournal.com]

I don't watch Mad Men, but am unreasonably passionate about typefaces...what's the issue?

Cathy

[solarbird]

In some of the ad mockups you see in the show, they've been using fonts that didn't exist yet. There are two camps of argument about this; one: WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?! ARGHGHHRNAGNN and two: I KNOW BUT I'M OKAY WITH IT AS LONG AS THEY'RE FONTS THAT COULD HAVE EXISTED BUT NANNRHRHAHGNA with a side helping of NNNGHGGH THAT EFFECT'S CLEARLY TOO HARD BY HAND IT IS A COMPUTER LAYOUT EFFECT NNNNARGH and WTF CLOSING CREDITS ARIELA NNNNGNAHGHAGHAHRHRGH!!1!

(Personally I think even in this context that the COMPUTER LAYOUT EFFECT!!1! example I saw was overblown, because while sure it almost certainly was one, the reality is that you could in fact pull off what they were seeing by hand, and in the early 60s. With, say, Letraset. Difficult? Certainly for me, I've used that shit. Impossible? No. So, well.)

[cafiorello.livejournal.com]

Interesting--thank you!

[alline-mathin.livejournal.com]

Yes, The Doctor would definitely have an ipod. Squee.

[uniquecrash5.livejournal.com]

Actually, I cannot picture the Doctor with an ipod. He's not terribly in to recorded media that I can recall.

[solarbird]

I don't really mean using one as an iPod. I mean as a set piece. It could be some sort of bogon detector or something. Things like that.