The Office

• We saw Avatar in 3D, sitting in the front row. There’s a lot to like, mainly the sensory overload. Two things really bugged me: first, there’s no way a female scientist in the year 2150 uses man to refer to humanity. Second, it’s a movie about a white guy who (SPOILER, I GUESS) ¹ enters a new culture group, ² endures a montage, and ³ quickly becomes better at all the group’s activities than any of the group’s lifelong members. Just as in The Last Samurai, Dances With Wolves, Last of the Mohicans, 8 Mile (peace to Brittany Murphy), Batman Begins, and many many more. This convention goes beyond lazy writing, and in fact presents real sociological puzzles — there’s a strange assumption of supreme white competence, for one. When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like “Avatar”? goes in on the newest version, in which the white guy not only masters the tribe, but becomes its Messiah too. Which is, like, even worse. (NOT REALLY THAT MUCH OF A SPOILER, BUT IT’S OVER)
• “The boss says, ‘Get there on time;’ the leader gets there ahead of time. The Builder makes sure ‘getting there’ matters.” More: The Builders’ Manifesto.
• A thorough, detailed case study by the company responsible for NBC’s current comprehensive branding campaign, focusing on the campaign’s dynamic use of bold colors. You should click this, but I’m really not gonna be able to talk you into it. That’s fine.

But Wait There’s More

If Earth had rings like Saturn, what would our sky look like?

Something Completely Drupal

Monty Python is now using Drupal.

• In The Office According to The Office, son nerds out on some business theory, evaluating the American version of (and some of the British) The Office as a workplace thesis instead of as a work of TV comedy.
• 5% of fans expect customer service, but 100% deserve it: When polled, very few people admit the reason they interact with businesses via social media is to get service. But when asked how they would like companies to interact with them, a majority wished for service. Revealing! Your customers want great service, but they don’t want to have to go out of their way to seem like they want it.
• MONTAGE TIME: Titled “The Wire - 100 Greatest Quotes,” it’s not quite that, but it comes close. The source is too rich — I mean, you could make a fantastic video of just the 100 greatest Bunk quotes. This actually works as a decent trailer for the show and hits enough plot points to feel like a brief recap.

  Not child-friendly, due to cussiness:

  No “Got to. This is America, man”? No “How my hair look, Mike?” No Dookie or Namond? “They screw up, they get beaten. We screw up, we get a pension”? Kima’s version of “Goodnight, Moon?” This could go on forever. But I’d be lying if I said it was easy to only watch this video twice in a row!