February 02, 2005

College columnist hides unethical message in column about ethics (first letter of each paragraph)
posted by moooshy 19 years ago
  • That Was Absolutely Tremendous.
  • I read a great story in some history book or other about how the compositors at the Times back in Victorian days once or twice set up a page so that the white space spelled a choice obscenity if viewed from far enough away. Googling doesn't seem to turn anything up.
  • It would have been better if the column had actually said anything of substance rather than just meandering on for 2 pages.
  • They used to blame this sort of thing on the printer's devil.
  • Quixotic? It may seem so, but there are those who might disagree with you. Understand that some people might find this sort of thing to be clever. For sure, we all have differing tastes, but it's precisely those differencest that make life interesting. Finally, shut your gob.
  • Middleclasstool, that's not right. Our discourse should be civil. Now don't do it again. Keep things fluffy in the garden. Easy if you try. You're not a bad person. Flinging can be fun, I admit. Indeed, I've done my share. Let's leave it at that. The less said the better. Expect no more on this from me. Right, where'd I put my quff?
  • Lovely, this article? A dolt might think so. Me, I find the humor here to be anything but Excellent.
  • I was only able to make it halfway through the article. Joy's writing seemed forced and I'd already found the joke. U of P either has generally low standards or her editors thought the joke was funny enough so justify the space. Seems their journalism department isn't all that concerned about quality. Their other sections look pretty bad, too. Having gotten that out of the way, that comment about the times looks interesting. Anyone made any progress tracking down a scan? Don't really have to time to look myself. salmacis, what to give it a shot? Eventually it should turn up. xxx's (that's hugs, not porn) to whoever finds it.
  • mexican - I tried Googling different phrases but no joy. I think the book I read it in was a miscelleny of anecdotes by Julius Norwich and there was definitely a picture. Funnier still, I think they picked some long dull speech by the PM which the Times used to print verbatim back in the day. He also pointed out early examples of 'the pen is mightier' joke a la SNL, and the fun the subs had with a Britsh called Foukes - "Foukes off again" whenever he left for Antartica and the like. I'll keep my eye out.
  • Abiezer_Coppe - Here is something similar, though it turnedout to be a hoax: Johnson shows a poster created in 1959 for Pfäfferli+Huber Pharmaceuticals by a Swiss designer named Ernst Bettler. A young woman clutches her head with her hands and the word ‘Kopfschmerzen?’ (headache), printed at an angle across the image, combines with her arms to form the letter ‘A’. Clearly she would benefit from the company’s pain reliever, Contrazipan. The poster, Johnson records, is one of four which, displayed side by side, spelt out the word ‘Nazi’ – a helpful little typographic illustration shows how. Posted in public places, they revealed P+H’s ‘Nazi roots’ (Johnson gives no further details) and the Swiss public was outraged. Within six weeks, the pharmaceutical company had gone out of business, making this a highly effective early example of ‘culture jamming’ by one of the movement’s ‘founding fathers’. It’s a fantastic story. The only problem is that none of it actually happened. Every element – Bettler, P+H, Contrazipan, the posters – is a fabrication.
  • Cheers yentruoc - interesting stuff. I'll update if I find that article. A bit of googling shows the book I was thinking of was by John Julius Norwich called 'Christmas Crackers' - sort of a miscellany of various nonsense. My mum's got a copy. Maybe she'll scan the page and mail it me and I'll put it on my site (though I may have misremembered).
  • Thanks, Abiezer. I would like to see the Times page if it exists, but that wasn't my primary intention in posting a comment.
  • Scroll down for hot George Sand action.
  • "Frantz Listz"?
  • OK, a quick translation ... (since there are errors in the page I linked to); reading every other line of the text gives ... I'm very excited to tell you that I still have a mad desire to be fucked, and I'd like it to be by you. I'm ready to show you my arse, and if you want to see the rest of me naked, please come and visit. I will prove to you that I am the deepest as well as the hottest woman you could dream of, since your prick is good and long, good and hard, and loaded up; run over here quickly and put it to me.
  • Also, "Frederick" Chopin. I feel a great disturbance in the Force: as if, somewhere in Alabama, my seventh-grade French teacher just exploded..
  • Hah! The Babelfish translation (which is a damn sight better than my French) seems like a candidate for The die is cast, you will cut the mustard or face the music: I am very moved to say to you that I ' included/understood the other evening well that you wanted always insane to make me dance. I have the memory of your kiss and I would like well that it is a proof there that I can be loved by you. I am ready to show you my affection very désinteressée and without cal bottom, and if you want to also see me revealing you without artifice my heart very naked, come to make me a visit. We will cause as friends, frankly I will prove to you that I am the sincere woman, able to offer to you the major affection like narrowest in friendship. In a word, the best proof than you can dream, since your heart is free. Think that loneliness where I ha cock is quite long, well dûre and often difficult. Thus, while thinking of it, I have the large heart. Thus run quickly and come me to make it forget by the love where I want to put myself.
  • You did, ah, read the bit about "every other line"? And I sincerely hope you're not suggesting machine translation is total pants ...