Books that made me, #4: Transmetropolitan, by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson.

This comic was one of the reasons I considered being a journalist. The unstoppable service of truth above all else is something I can relate to.

A higher calling as license to ignore the lesser rules and regulations of society. This appeals to me for many reasons.

The other thing that made Transmet special was the (totally apt) predictions on the future of media and journalism. A stunning amount of it has seemed to come true already, but good sci fi is always more about the present than the future.

Books that made me, #3: Media and Cultural Studies Keyworks was my first comm studies text, assigned in an English coded 3rd year class called “Theory of Mass Media”.

Before that course was finished, my education, and ambitions, shifted completely. Being able to flip from Baudrillard to Adorno to Foucault made that possible.

Books that made me, #1: The Rebel Sell, by Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter.

I had always had an issue with ‘rebellion’, in the teen suburban north america sense. This book helped me to understand why, and clued me in to the trend of ‘race-to-the-bottom’ explanations for pop cultural shifts that were my stock in trade throughout university.

Sometimes being an eccentric obsessive is the best marketing strategy.

[Email marketing from Gil Scott Heron.]

A taste of tomorrow’s post.

evangotlib:

creativead:

kels3y:

great advertisement. smart.

Simple is win.

Comic / display window, Queen St West.

rcoleman:

Pepsi Branding vs. Coke Branding over the years… heh…

noneck:

I’d like to say that Coke’s confidence in it’s brand and it’s identity is what gives me confidence in consuming the product — but it’s really just the fizzy deliciousness inside that little Diet Coke can that keeps me coming back for more. - via masshole

Change is Good. Not-Change can also be Good.