the hunt for pink october – hall of fame repost

I figured I’d better get this hall of fame repost up before October has come and gone. It’s one of my favorite pieces of drivel to ever disgrace the blogosphere. Be sure to read the disclaimer first, lest ye be offended. Unless ye be offended by the disclaimer…in which case this might not be the right blog for you.

I will add that I have not seen the pink pumpkins in the last two years (incredibly, that sentence is devoid of euphemism). Judging by their website, the group is still around—and growing much more attractive pumpkins these days. But I didn’t encounter them at the grocery store this October.

Also, the hulu video I had embedded in the original post has been taken down. It’s actually quite difficult to find some of these Celebrity Jeopardy! episodes online. I tracked down another version that (for now) seems to be working. It’s still a classic, and still worth watching if you can.

OK, enough preramble. On to the drivel. Enjoy.

—Hank

originally posted november 14, 2012
The Hunt for Pink October

Join the hunt.
Buy something pink.

disclaimer

If you’ve read fantasticdrivel at all (or even just perused the tag cloud), you’re probably well aware of my fondness for breasts. I think they’re great. Moreover, I really like women. Especially strong-willed, capable, intelligent women—like Lady Liberte, the unofficial mascot of fantasticdrivel.com. Therefore, I have no problem with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: a month devoted to saving women and their breasts by raising awareness about breast cancer.

I’ll also add that, as a graphic designer and an advocate for a public awareness cause (Adams Place), I’m beyond impressed by what the Susan G. Komen Foundation et al have been able to accomplish in terms of branding (i.e. the pink ribbon).

I do feel, however, that sometimes companies go a little too far in trying to get a piece of the Pink October pie. I’m not talking about pinkwashing (yes, it’s a word; read more about it on wikipedia); I’ll give these folks the benefit of the doubt and assume that they are dedicated to the cause and not their own profit. Just because it’s for a good cause, that doesn’t make it a good idea. I think you’ll see what I mean by the time we get to pink pumpkins (below).


October is the pinkest month of the year, and it seems to be pinker each time it rolls around.

Continue reading

the hunt for pink october

The Hunt for Pink October

Join the hunt.
Buy something pink.

disclaimer

If you’ve read fantasticdrivel at all (or even just perused the tag cloud), you’re probably well aware of my fondness for breasts. I think they’re great. Moreover, I really like women. Especially strong-willed, capable, intelligent women—like Lady Liberte, the unofficial mascot of fantasticdrivel.com. Therefore, I have no problem with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: a month devoted to saving women and their breasts by raising awareness about breast cancer.

I’ll also add that, as a graphic designer and an advocate for a public awareness cause (Adams Place), I’m beyond impressed by what the Susan G. Komen Foundation et al have been able to accomplish in terms of branding (i.e. the pink ribbon).

I do feel, however, that sometimes companies go a little too far in trying to get a piece of the Pink October pie. I’m not talking about pinkwashing (yes, it’s a word; read more about it on wikipedia); I’ll give these folks the benefit of the doubt and assume that they are dedicated to the cause and not their own profit. Just because it’s for a good cause, that doesn’t make it a good idea. I think you’ll see what I mean by the time we get to pink pumpkins (below).


October is the pinkest month of the year, and it seems to be pinker each time it rolls around.

Continue reading

I hate Thursday Night Football

Aside

It’s just a money-grubbing attempt by the NFL to capitalize on the thursday night TV audience, historically the most-competitive night for broadcast TV. It’s working, so I guess it makes sense from a financial standpoint. But it messes with the rhthym of football season. I don’t like it as a fan, I don’t like it as a fantasy manager, and I hypothesize that it results in more injuries, and lower-quality football. The extra-short turnaround for a Thursday-night game means virtually no real recovery time from the brutal slog of an NFL game. And if coaches hold out their superstars because they’re afraid they haven’t fully recovered, that lowers the level of talent that’s out there on the field. The extra-short week also makes it hard to prep for a specific opponent: less time to learn to read and react to the particular quirks and strategies of an offense or defense. One of my favorite elements of NFL football is the “chess game” character of writing and calling the right plays at the right time. TNF undercuts that, resulting in lower-quality football.

Thursday Night Football: good for the NFL Network, bad for the NFL.

nfl newsflash

YahooNewsflash

Yahoo News Flash

Today, while tending to my beloved Liga Guadalupe, this bit of breaking NFL news caught my eye.

Frankly, it’s no surprise. When Eli Manning’s wife joined the Black Bears’ group last month, it was only a matter of time before Peyton’s wife, Ashley, went public with her own ursine affiliation.

Vegas oddsmakers seemed to think Ashley might go with the Pandas’ group, no doubt due to the universal appeal of the panda. Those oddsmakers, however, probably missed my panda post from the Zoo World series. In Zoo World 3.09: Pulchritudinous Pandas I discuss how inconvenient and EXPENSIVE it is to own lease a panda. Yes, Peyton has a nice new contract in Denver, but choosing the pandas would have been, shall we say, fiscally irresponsible.

Eli Abby and Blackey Manning

Eli, Abby, and Blackey Manning

Peyton Ashley and Grizz Manning

Peyton, Ashley, and Grizz Manning

still looking at you, kid

the liga guadalupe

This is a reworked version of last year’s post about the goodbye bonus awards and the fibonacci streaker bonus. Everything should be updated to reflect the Liga 2011.


Goodbyes are never easy.

That truism extends to the realm of fantasy football. Weeks 5-11 of the NFL season pepper fantasy rosters with frustrating “byes,” leaving fantasy managers with holes to fill on an almost weekly basis. Nowhere is the sting of a bye week more sharply felt than in the Liga Guadalupe. With only one bench spot to stash that star player on a bye week, we are often left with an agonising choice: (1) drop some bigger-name players on their bye week and hope to pick them up again off waivers or (2) start a less-than-full roster.

To help counter the temptation to stockpile talent through bye weeks, I began offering huge [FAAB] cash prizes to teams who started a full roster. The rewards got even richer for those who kept a full-roster streak going. It was a beautifully complicated system, but ultimately wasn’t enough incentive for a few managers. With the new scoring system in 2011, empty roster spots will put teams at a serious disadvantage. Nevertheless, I decided to up the stakes again for the goodbye bonus awards.

Here’s how it works . . .

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