Comments on: Possibly the greatest ad for books, ever http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Fri, 24 May 2013 12:29:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Andrew Porter http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1645205 Andrew Porter Mon, 04 Feb 2013 01:25:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1645205 These books are classics of science fiction; they were NEVER released under different titles. ROBOTS HAVE NO TAILS was a collection of stories involving Gallagher, whose creator made him when he was drunk. The robot liked to admire himself in mirrors. Beer features in all the stories, and it turns out the robot is the perfect beer.... ack! These books are classics of science fiction; they were NEVER released under different titles. ROBOTS HAVE NO TAILS was a collection of stories involving Gallagher, whose creator made him when he was drunk. The robot liked to admire himself in mirrors. Beer features in all the stories, and it turns out the robot is the perfect beer…. ack!

]]> By: Preston Sturges http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644924 Preston Sturges Sun, 03 Feb 2013 16:16:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644924 What about geegaws, gizmos, and gimcracks? What about geegaws, gizmos, and gimcracks?

]]> By: Art http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644906 Art Sun, 03 Feb 2013 15:50:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644906 Hey, Mr. Earth Man! I want to be an Earth Man too!  Budda-Bah. Budda-Buh-Ba. Buh-Ba. Hey, Mr. Earth Man! I want to be an Earth Man too! 
Budda-Bah. Budda-Buh-Ba. Buh-Ba.

]]> By: Eden S.-G. http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644858 Eden S.-G. Sun, 03 Feb 2013 13:50:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644858 Sorry, you're right. Sorry, you’re right.

]]> By: tacochuck http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644856 tacochuck Sun, 03 Feb 2013 13:10:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644856  GNOME is a Desktop environment, not a linux distribution.  GNOME is a Desktop environment, not a linux distribution.

]]> By: NickPheas http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644834 NickPheas Sun, 03 Feb 2013 08:28:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644834 Can we be sure it's not a forgotten masterpiece?  5 the others have held up.  Can we be sure it’s not a forgotten masterpiece?  5 the others have held up. 

]]> By: Halloween_Jack http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644819 Halloween_Jack Sun, 03 Feb 2013 06:46:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644819 "Crammed full of chuckles and startling gadgets" sounds exactly like the sort of thing that Chris Ware used to write in his pages full of fake comic ads. “Crammed full of chuckles and startling gadgets” sounds exactly like the sort of thing that Chris Ware used to write in his pages full of fake comic ads.

]]> By: Paul Shuster http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644775 Paul Shuster Sun, 03 Feb 2013 03:30:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644775 Maybe it's a female robot? Maybe it’s a female robot?

]]> By: Paul Shuster http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644774 Paul Shuster Sun, 03 Feb 2013 03:29:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644774 Also, planetary origin assumption... Also, planetary origin assumption…

]]> By: Kibo http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644772 Kibo Sun, 03 Feb 2013 03:19:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644772 They're just using "man" as the opposite of "robot". "Woman" wouldn't be appropriate because all right-thinking Earthmen know "woman" is a synonym for "dishwasher". Besides, we don't know what this scary robot's capable of. Everyone he's staring at might be a man now! GREETINGS, EARTH-MANS READING THIS, YOU HAVE JUST TURNED MALE BECAUSE OF MY EYE-RAYS. YOU HAVE BEEN GENDERVIZED. BEEP. They’re just using “man” as the opposite of “robot”. “Woman” wouldn’t be appropriate because all right-thinking Earthmen know “woman” is a synonym for “dishwasher”.

Besides, we don’t know what this scary robot’s capable of. Everyone he’s staring at might be a man now! GREETINGS, EARTH-MANS READING THIS, YOU HAVE JUST TURNED MALE BECAUSE OF MY EYE-RAYS. YOU HAVE BEEN GENDERVIZED. BEEP.

]]> By: SamLL http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644763 SamLL Sun, 03 Feb 2013 03:04:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644763 Jarring implicit reader gender assumption in the big headline? Jarring implicit reader gender assumption in the big headline?

]]> By: Kibo http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644760 Kibo Sun, 03 Feb 2013 02:59:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644760 And, for anyone who finds the big-shouldered Scary Laser Death Robot too menacing, here's some non-threatening line-art of Asimov using his mental powers to symmetrize butterflies: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tellygacitua/3941366671/ And, for anyone who finds the big-shouldered Scary Laser Death Robot too menacing, here’s some non-threatening line-art of Asimov using his mental powers to symmetrize butterflies:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tellygacitua/3941366671/

]]> By: Kibo http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644753 Kibo Sun, 03 Feb 2013 02:43:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644753 Ooh, that's Ludlow Tempo Heavy with the alternate characters that make it think it can try to pass as Linotype's Metroblack No. 2, rather than the ones that make it look like Futura Bold.  Such pointy "A"s! I still wish someone would finally digitize all the styles of Tempo, especially the happy slightly-curly italic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/myfonts/7008821545/sizes/o/in/photostream/ Sorry for the tangent, it just always makes me sad to see cool old graphic design using the few common fonts of the 20th century that HAVEN'T been digitized to keep them in circulation. If Asimov ever writes his first book again, how will we advertise it? Arial? Papyrus? ...Comic Sans? (Also, "Daddy, what was a 'Please rush books I have listed on separate sheet with my enclosed remittance'? When were 'sheets', Daddy?") Ooh, that’s Ludlow Tempo Heavy with the alternate characters that make it think it can try to pass as Linotype’s Metroblack No. 2, rather than the ones that make it look like Futura Bold.  Such pointy “A”s!

I still wish someone would finally digitize all the styles of Tempo, especially the happy slightly-curly italic:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/myfonts/7008821545/sizes/o/in/photostream/

Sorry for the tangent, it just always makes me sad to see cool old graphic design using the few common fonts of the 20th century that HAVEN’T been digitized to keep them in circulation. If Asimov ever writes his first book again, how will we advertise it? Arial? Papyrus?

…Comic Sans?

(Also, “Daddy, what was a ‘Please rush books I have listed on separate sheet with my enclosed remittance’? When were ‘sheets’, Daddy?”)

]]> By: Douglas Rushkoff http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644744 Douglas Rushkoff Sun, 03 Feb 2013 02:09:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644744 Robots have no tails?  Robots have no tails? 

]]> By: Joseph Francis http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644740 Joseph Francis Sun, 03 Feb 2013 01:40:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644740 Somewhat interesting wiki page for the publisher http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnome_Press Asimov was not happy with them. Location looked nice. I street viewed it out of idle curiosity. Somewhat interesting wiki page for the publisher
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnome_Press
Asimov was not happy with them.

Location looked nice. I street viewed it out of idle curiosity.

]]> By: Eden S.-G. http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644739 Eden S.-G. Sun, 03 Feb 2013 01:39:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644739 Funny that the name if the publisher is the same as the Linux distro., – GNOME. Funny that the name if the publisher is the same as the Linux distro., – GNOME.

]]> By: sockdoll http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644735 sockdoll Sun, 03 Feb 2013 01:15:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644735 It's a picture of a robot just looking at a banana, from the banana's point of view. It’s a picture of a robot just looking at a banana, from the banana’s point of view.

]]> By: Paul Shuster http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644724 Paul Shuster Sun, 03 Feb 2013 00:27:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644724 Ah, I used to read all these guys (and C. L. Moore, the distaff side of Padgett, too!) as a kid.  I don't know if I've read anything except for I, Robot on this particular list though.  (Sometimes they re-released stuff under different titles.) Ah, I used to read all these guys (and C. L. Moore, the distaff side of Padgett, too!) as a kid.  I don’t know if I’ve read anything except for I, Robot on this particular list though.  (Sometimes they re-released stuff under different titles.)

]]> By: Preston Sturges http://boingboing.net/2013/02/02/possibly-the-greatest-ad-for-b.html#comment-1644718 Preston Sturges Sun, 03 Feb 2013 00:11:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=210358#comment-1644718 Definite Cybermen vibe in the graphic. Definite Cybermen vibe in the graphic.

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