Comments on: Ink cartridge rant http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Mon, 20 May 2013 22:02:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: robcat2075 http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-963092 robcat2075 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-963092 They need what this sports website has, software that writes the cliches for you: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/business/28digi.html?scp=1&sq=software%20sports&st=cse They need what this sports website has, software that writes the cliches for you:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/business/28digi.html?scp=1&sq=software%20sports&st=cse

]]> By: 13strong http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-962907 13strong Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-962907 Hmm, thought it sounded fake, but the horrible spelling/grammatical mistakes make me think otherwise. Hmm, thought it sounded fake, but the horrible spelling/grammatical mistakes make me think otherwise.

]]> By: Caroline http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-962912 Caroline Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-962912 The Buggre Alle This ink cartridge page? The Buggre Alle This ink cartridge page?

]]> By: bwcbwc http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-962924 bwcbwc Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-962924 Reminds me of some of the ad copy on woot.com. I wonder if they picked up a former employee. Reminds me of some of the ad copy on woot.com. I wonder if they picked up a former employee.

]]> By: Baron Karza http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-962928 Baron Karza Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-962928 I think that the grammar looks too poor to be from a professional copywriter. If it is from one, I'd like the job please.. I think that the grammar looks too poor to be from a professional copywriter. If it is from one, I’d like the job please..

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-963705 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-963705 "This Account Has Been Suspended" Now that's VERY stupid, SEO wise. “This Account Has Been Suspended”

Now that’s VERY stupid, SEO wise.

]]> By: Oskar http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-962940 Oskar Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-962940 The best part is at the bottom, in small text: <blockquote>*Page yield is approximate.</blockquote> Well, you don't want to get sued, do you now? The best part is at the bottom, in small text:

*Page yield is approximate.

Well, you don’t want to get sued, do you now?

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-962948 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-962948 Reminds me of my high school history test responses. Reminds me of my high school history test responses.

]]> By: penguinchris http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-963720 penguinchris Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-963720 I never understood sales-speak. Surely they realize that crap turns people off? Give me just the facts, or if you're a good writer, add some humor like these examples. I assume the people who can only do sales-speak are incompetent. I never understood sales-speak. Surely they realize that crap turns people off? Give me just the facts, or if you’re a good writer, add some humor like these examples. I assume the people who can only do sales-speak are incompetent.

]]> By: cjp http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-962953 cjp Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-962953 Hiring a grade five ESL student to write your ads is a questionable business move. Hiring a grade five ESL student to write your ads is a questionable business move.

]]> By: freetard http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-963233 freetard Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-963233 I'm sure the guy's boss isn't too happy that their website was DoS'd into oblivion because of his hilarious rant! I’m sure the guy’s boss isn’t too happy that their website was DoS’d into oblivion because of his hilarious rant!

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-962981 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-962981 Oh man - Caroline beat me to it - I was immediately reminded of Gaiman and Pratchett's _Good_Omens_ as well... Oh man – Caroline beat me to it – I was immediately reminded of Gaiman and Pratchett’s _Good_Omens_ as well…

]]> By: jimkirk http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-963763 jimkirk Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-963763 Decades ago IBM printed manuals were famous for pages with nothing but "this page intentionally left blank" on it. One manual had a screed about the idiocy of that, the number of trees wasted, et cetera inserted under the blank verbiage that some tech writer snuck into the manual. Decades ago IBM printed manuals were famous for pages with nothing but “this page intentionally left blank” on it. One manual had a screed about the idiocy of that, the number of trees wasted, et cetera inserted under the blank verbiage that some tech writer snuck into the manual.

]]> By: M http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-962999 M Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-962999 American Science Center (now American Science and Surplus) was doing this 30 years ago in their shoddy newsprint pre-internet catalogs. They were doing it because most of what they sold then was industrial small parts surplus, and in many cases they really didn't know the purpose the part they were selling was originally intended for, so they made things up, in The Onion style. These days they mostly know what they're selling, and the listings are a lot less interesting: http://www.sciplus.com/ American Science Center (now American Science and Surplus) was doing this 30 years ago in their shoddy newsprint pre-internet catalogs. They were doing it because most of what they sold then was industrial small parts surplus, and in many cases they really didn’t know the purpose the part they were selling was originally intended for, so they made things up, in The Onion style.

These days they mostly know what they’re selling, and the listings are a lot less interesting: http://www.sciplus.com/

]]> By: M http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-963003 M Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-963003 Here's a page that shows a shadow of the past in some of the descriptions: http://www.sciplus.com/index.cfm/go/front.tagged/tag/mommo Here’s a page that shows a shadow of the past in some of the descriptions: http://www.sciplus.com/index.cfm/go/front.tagged/tag/mommo

]]> By: Jonners http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-963006 Jonners Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-963006 It's a faint echo of a famous* rant by Scott Murray of The Guardian newspaper a few years back: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2003/mar/14/cricketworldcup2003.overbyoverreports * Well-known among cricket fans online, anyway. It’s a faint echo of a famous* rant by Scott Murray of The Guardian newspaper a few years back:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2003/mar/14/cricketworldcup2003.overbyoverreports

* Well-known among cricket fans online, anyway.

]]> By: teapot http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-974270 teapot Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-974270 Booklets are a bastard because page-wise everything is in fours. If you want to create a consistent layout there will invariably be 'wasted' pages. I suspect they printed "this page intentionally left blank" on it because they got a million jackasses calling their customer service asking why some pages of their manual had not been printed. I can see this irking a tech-minded person, because the mantra there is efficient design but in the printed material world, its not the same... Printing stuff is always wasteful. Booklets are a bastard because page-wise everything is in fours. If you want to create a consistent layout there will invariably be ‘wasted’ pages. I suspect they printed “this page intentionally left blank” on it because they got a million jackasses calling their customer service asking why some pages of their manual had not been printed.

I can see this irking a tech-minded person, because the mantra there is efficient design but in the printed material world, its not the same… Printing stuff is always wasteful.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-963010 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-963010 Back when I was an inexperienced web developer, I wrote a bunch of funny test text to make sure my changes were working correctly. Only I forgot to remove the text before making the new site live. Fast forward to the phone call threatening to fire me at 12:05 on New Year's Eve. Now I just add an extra period at the end of a sentence when I need to test... Back when I was an inexperienced web developer, I wrote a bunch of funny test text to make sure my changes were working correctly.

Only I forgot to remove the text before making the new site live.

Fast forward to the phone call threatening to fire me at 12:05 on New Year’s Eve.

Now I just add an extra period at the end of a sentence when I need to test…

]]> By: chazlarson http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-963278 chazlarson Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-963278 We've got a surplus shop here in Mpls/St.Paul [Ax-Man Surplus] where all the signs in-store are short versions of this sort of thing. My favorite recent find was on a box of triangular trigger spray bottles. It read, "We lost the sign for the triangular spray bottles. $1.95 ea.". We’ve got a surplus shop here in Mpls/St.Paul [Ax-Man Surplus] where all the signs in-store are short versions of this sort of thing.

My favorite recent find was on a box of triangular trigger spray bottles. It read, “We lost the sign for the triangular spray bottles. $1.95 ea.”.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-963025 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-963025 I love their approach. Their descriptions (even the non-funny ones) are written in plain english, not sales speak. Perhaps ironically it makes me want to buy their stuff more. Nice site too. I love their approach. Their descriptions (even the non-funny ones) are written in plain english, not sales speak. Perhaps ironically it makes me want to buy their stuff more.

Nice site too.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-963310 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-963310 If the writer was trying to suspend his account, then indeed mission accomplished. He is clearly not afraid to risk what he has, and I have no doubt he will quickly find a much more rewarding job. Maybe even with a company that understands that there is no such thing as bad publicity :-) If the writer was trying to suspend his account, then indeed mission accomplished. He is clearly not afraid to risk what he has, and I have no doubt he will quickly find a much more rewarding job. Maybe even with a company that understands that there is no such thing as bad publicity :-)

]]> By: Lobster http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-963057 Lobster Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-963057 Don't worry, I'm a few weeks away from solving this problem forever. (Hint: it's a trained octopus) Don’t worry, I’m a few weeks away from solving this problem forever.

(Hint: it’s a trained octopus)

]]> By: Christopher Vigliotti http://boingboing.net/2010/12/09/ink-cartridge-rant.html#comment-963061 Christopher Vigliotti Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-963061 dig it dig it

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