CHEAP FOOD WE LOVE: Supplementary (Crisps, Post-Colonial Theory and): I’ve been trying to pin down the recent branding shift in Phileas Fogg snacks, and I can’t do it, I don’t think, without invoking the late great Edward Said: I th[…]

SPACE: FLYING VISITS is a little ten-minute filler programme on BBC2 (Tue, 9.50pm) which allows them to play around with presentation and formats, CGI, cartoons, talking heads at thumbnail size next to a multicoloured diagram, in ways they never do w[…]

God forgive me for discovering this, but the CBBC channel is currently repeating one series per week of early Eighties schools’ programme Look and Read. Sadly you’ve missed Dark Towers and The Boy From Space but ‘ even more sadly &#[…]

Another Mysterious Brand: except this one I do like. Tastes like nothing else, has heroically resisted the tides of ‘brand expansion’, has never IIRC changed its packaging, and you never see adverts for it. Every time I see it I’m d[…]

There, thus proving the blinkered prejudice of fellow publogger. Think about it, would the mighty Coca-Cola Company, even if trading thru Schweppes, be so stupid as to continue making and marketing something if it did not sell. Before you say “[…]

Life’s Cruel Lottery: related to Dave’s anguish below – brands that refuse to die! I reached for a can of coke this morning as I picked up my paper, but the newsagent was temporarily out. Of Cherry Coke, however, there was no end. Y[…]

See if you can read this recent highlight from Nature Science Update — it’s a surefire icebreaker for your next awkward social interaction. It details the efforts of microbiologists at San Diego State University to gather genetic informat[…]

Sociobiologist Dr. Gene Selfish answers your relationship questions. What’s ‘bugging’ you?
Hey Gene –
What I got goin’ on with my SO is perfect – almost. I’m a pretty tolerant guy, but her kid is driving me n[…]

Last week introduced the new ADA on Law and Order: SVU (IMDB is no help on character name, and I am not motivated to research any more extensively. The only thing I learned is the actress is less than a month older than I am? NOOOOOO.) I can’t[…]

I nearly exploded with excitement when I found the debut of Dave Queen in the Village Voice this week! Dave Q. is probably my favorite music writer of all time (based on his ILM posts alone), a frequent correspondent and occasional partner in crime,[…]