Month: January 2020

Christopher Meloni reads thirst tweets about his ass

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Christopher Meloni Reads Thirst Tweets

First thing’s first – this content is probably NSFW. You don’t actually see Christopher Meloni’s butt in this article but there are plenty of sexual references to it.

I admit I enjoy seeing Elliot Stabler when I watch SVU reruns every weeknight on 5 USA. But not for his ass. No, that posterior worship is reserved for the people of the internet as he found out when he read thirst tweets about him.

What’s the fascination with Christopher Meloni’s bum?

Look at the guy. From his time on the drama series Oz, to his 12-year stint on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the actor has garnered fans of his acting and physique in equal measure.

And there are a lot of web pages about his ass. BuzzFeed made the video at the centre of this article, but in 2015, Alex Naidus and Lara Parker co-wrote Literally Just 17 Pictures Of Christopher Meloni’s Butt, with the subheading “It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.” Do a search to find the rest (with photographic evidence of said derrière).

Thirst tweets

The video clocks in at just under 3 minutes but that’s enough time for Chris to dive into some of the raunchiest thoughts of Twitter and he loved every one of them.

His favourite tweet involved someone’s imaginary conversation with a partner, a “Christopher Meloni mask” and making the “bumm bumm” sound from Law & Order when they… just watch the video and find out for yourself. This post is too erotic.

Pentagram refresh Fisher-Price's logo and it's lovely

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Fisher-Price logo

I loved my Fisher-Price tape recorder. They don’t make them like that anymore (mainly because kids don’t use cassettes in 2020). Even though I recorded some of my finest voice work in the 90s, the logo was quintessentially retro.

Well, Pentagram did what they do best and freshened things up. The result is really good, in my opinion.

The new branding by Pentagram refines the visual identity and expands it to a customized kit of parts that gives Fisher-Price the flexibility to function consistently in a variety of environments. The exuberant use of colorful graphics and unconventional typography captures the brand attributes of fun, action, play, celebration, silliness and joy.

Pentagram

As you can see from the logos below, the changes are very subtle. The new “f” is lower case and fused with the “i” to make a ligature. The “p” is lower case too but the “h” remains intact from the original.

Fisher-Price logo

The cosmetic changes are small on their own but grouped together, along with the new “FP” wordmark, it’s a brilliant brand refresh.

John Carpenter and Kurt Russell are the ultimate duo in film commentary

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John Carpenter and Kurt Russell are the ultimate duo in film commentary

I’ve expressed my dislike for horror movies before. Well, my avoidance at least. But I love The Thing.

It’s a classic for a reason and even though it contain my #1 least favourite horror elements to endure (transformation scenes), they’re so good, I can tolerate them. It’s intense, claustrophobic, and a brilliant movie.

One thing I like to do with a good or interesting film is to research it. The Web has made it easier to do dig deeper, between blogs and database sites like IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.

Did you know: John Carpenter’s favourite genre isn’t horror but, in fact, westerns. He calls Howard Hawks and Sergio Leone two of his favourite filmmakers.

That’s why film commentaries help so much. You get to hear facts straight from the director’s mouth. But when that director is John Carpenter, you’re in for a great listen. And when you add Kurt Russell and his raspy laugh? It’s a comedy movie on its own.

Stream the condensed version below. If you want to listen to the full commentary, check it out on YouTube. And thanks to the person on Twitter who posted it (sorry, I can’t remember you if you somehow read this).

"The Thing" Commentary: Condensed Version

Was Jim Carrey an asshole on the set of Man On The Moon?

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Jim Carrey as Andy Kauffman in Man On The Moon

I’m currently reading through the archives of kottke.org and stumbled on this article from March 2002 commending Jim Carrey’s performance in Man On The Moon. And then I remembered the documentary about his behaviour on the set of the film.

For anyone who hasn’t seen the film before, Man On The Moon is a biopic about the late American comedian Andy Kaufman, with Carrey starring as Kaufman. It looks at his life from childhood to his infamous personas including Latka Gravas and Tony Clifton.

The film got mixed reviews at the time and made a loss at the box office but Carrey managed to win a Golden Globe for his performance.

Was Carrey’s method acting unnecessary?

In 2017, Chris Smith directed a documentary about the film called Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton (known simply as Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond).

It showed Jim Carrey’s performance as Andy Kauffman on-set, including his commitment to method acting even when they weren’t filming. And that was the basis for Nitpix’s critique of Carrey’s behaviour in Jim Carrey Is An Asshole Method Actor.

Method acting is where an actor immerses themselves in a role, taking on that persona as if it were really them. The technique first came into prominence during the 1930s. Famous method actors include Daniel Day-Lewis, Marlon Brando, and Robert De Niro.

The critique makes some good points about Carrey’s decision to stay in character(s) beyond reasonable levels of decency. But I feel like the meta jokes and tangents reduced its credibility (although that might have been the point).

The questionable portrayal of Andy by Jim

The pivotal point made in the critique was the fact that Carrey overacted. The essence of Andy Kauffman’s comedy was his awkward, anti-joke delivery. In comparison clips, you see Andy’s real-life performances against Jim’s and you see a clear difference.

As one YouTube commenter said, “Jim doesn’t even play Andy Kaufman like Andy. He plays Andy like Jim Carrey.”

Stream it below and judge for yourself.

Jim Carrey Is An Asshole Method Actor (Jim & Andy) - NitPix

Atkinson Hyperlegible is a typeface that helps readers with low vision

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Atkinson Hyperlegible in print

Over the last few years, I’ve taken more of a keen interest in accessibility.

I forget myself sometimes but when I remember, I add alt text to images on Twitter, reduce my use of emojis, and avoid ASCII memes like that 2020 meme from last week. Another element of improving accessibility is readable typography and Atkinson Hyperlegible is a step in the right direction.

What is Atkinson Hyperlegible?

Atkinson Hyperlegible is a typeface created by Applied Design Works, in partnership with The Braille Institute. Its purpose is to:

  • Increase legibility for readers with low vision
  • Improve comprehension
  • Help develop better character recognition

The name comes from J. Robert Atkinson, a blinded cowboy from Southern California who founded the Universal Braille Press, later known as the Braille Institute of America.

Did you know: J. Robert Atkinson published the first Braille edition of the King James Version of the Bible.

“Hidden in plain sight” is a bad cliché to use but it works

Atkinson Hyperlegible doesn’t seem that different from other geometric typefaces out there. But that comes from my perspective; I don’t have any vision problems. The beauty of Atkinson Hyperlegible is the distinctive characters that make it stand out.

The key elements of this font are:

Recognisable footprints

The letter boundaries are clearly defined so they’re legible when blurry.

Differentiated letterforms

1, I, i, and l could all be mistaken for each other in many typefaces. Same for 0, O, and Q. They’re all lines and circles with little variation. But with Atkinson Hyperlegible, each character has a unique look.

How many letters are there?

With 248 glyphs, this font has everything you’ll need for most Roman-lettered languages. I particularly like the inclusion of mathematical symbols.

Where can I get the font?

Unfortunately, this font isn’t available yet. Applied Design Works is still working on it although they have approached Microsoft and Apple with a request for them to include Atkinson Hyperlegible in their OS’s.

If/when it comes available, I’ll update this post.

Atkinson Hyperlegible on some merch

A common misconception is all people with some form of vision impairment needs Braille. That’s not the case. With Atkinson Hyperlegible, the spectrum is covered with clearer typography and improved legibility. This ingenuity was rewarded last year when Applied Design Works won the 2019 Fast Company Innovation by Design Award in the Graphic Design category.