If for no other reason than that I’ve never accidentally stumbled into it while looking for the restroom, I assume the cargo hold of a plane is pretty well separated from the passenger cabin. Still, if asked to disembark from a plane because of a loose bear, I damn sure would.
Yellow Is Not
In their own words, they’ve been “color blind since 1926”.
Thursday, August 10th, 2023
It’s not good news when a business with 30,000 employees goes bankrupt. It may be especially bad when that company is part of the already-strained supply chain, as trucking giant Yellow is. Or was.
Still, there might be at least one small upside to the demise of Yellow Corporation. If their vehicles no longer travel the roads of the United States, it will at least mean an end to my brain being broken by their painful logo:
For far too long, America’s drivers have been needled by this contradiction:
[Photo courtesy of Yellow Media Resources]
The above photograph shows Yellow’s latest, and presumably last, truck design. Previously, the problem was actually even worse, as the company used bright orange cabs:
Maddening! That image comes from via the company’s blog, specifically a post entitled “Why are Yellow’s Trucks Orange?”. The short answer is that the company’s name originates from an early association with a taxi operator owned by one of the company’s founders, which was called “Yellow Cab Co.”. Meanwhile, the logo color was chosen later, for safety:
Harrell enlisted the help of chemical company E.I. DuPont’s paint division for a recommended color that would be more visible on the road, regardless of weather conditions or the time of day. The winning color was one that DuPont coined “Swamp Holly Orange.” Soon, Yellow’s entire fleet of cabs and trailers bore the eye-catching color, all in the name of greater safety.
While it’s nice to know the history, I simply cannot accept the decisions that were made. Surely yellow is also an eye-catching color. Heck, until 1954 American Stop signs were yellow, and our school buses have been yellow since 1939. Given the company’s name, a bright, high-visibility yellow would have been a natural fit. And yet, we got “Swamp Holly Orange”. Yuck all around.
I imagine the company will be parted out, with assets like trucks sold off to other carriers, where they will be repainted. But if a new owner takes over the whole operation, please, in the name of all that is holy. Either change the logo:
Or change the name:
Previously in confusing orange businesses: Orange Businesses
The Garden State Stands Alone ∞
Alone and silly
Wednesday, August 9th, 2023
With a recent change to the law in Oregon, New Jersey now stands alone in its goofy insistence that drivers not pump their own gas.
The Dope Weed ∞
Marihuana!
Tuesday, August 8th, 2023
Via Universal Hub, we have a wonderful tableau from 72 years ago, as captured by the Boston Herald:
It’s described thusly:
Police began their annual chore-cutting down a mysterious growth of the dope weed in a field off Willow court, Dorchester. The growth has several times been mowed, uprooted and burned over, but it still thrives. Patrolmen John Abraham, William Doyle and Thomas Mullen help in eradication.
The whole image is amusing, including the kid in the background who looks to be sticking his tongue out at the camera. But I was most tickled by the left-most man, who is presumably Patrolman Abraham:
It’s probably just a bad snap, but it sure looks like this officer may have been sampling the contraband.
Let’s Not Make America Florida ∞
Then he went inside and got take out.
Monday, August 7th, 2023
There are plenty of items worth noting in this terrible story of the death of an old man in the Sunshine State. For one thing, the accused is charged with “aggravated manslaughter on an elderly person”, though he is himself an elderly person. For another, despite owning a luxury car and (presumably) being a member of a country club, the accused is apparently seeking the services of a public defender. That’s odd.
But the kicker is can be found, slightly buried, here:
As Moore approached Zook, he exclaimed, “You hit my car!” the affidavit alleges. Zook exited his car and asked to exchange insurance information, the affidavit says, but Moore hit Zook’s jaw, pushing him backward. Moore continued punching Zook before realizing the Lexus wasn’t actually his car, the affidavit states.
Yes, 75-year-old Robert Moore attacked and ultimately caused the death of 87-year-old Dean Zook, for the sin of hitting the front bumper of a car that wasn’t actually Moore’s. Those prison conversations are really going to be something.
“Hey, old man, what are you in for?”
“Oh, me? I killed a guy for hitting not my car.”
More People Than You Might Think Still Have Landlines ∞
Most of those landlines, however, aren’t POTS lines.
Friday, August 4th, 2023
The landline telephone is disappearing in America, as nearly 75% of people having cut the (phone) cord to go strictly with cellular service. Still, that means a quarter of Americans do have a landline, and that population is heavily concentrated in the northeast. The reason? Bundle pricing with home internet service. The Washington Post’s Department of Data has more on this intriguing phenomenon.
If You See Something, Leave a One-Star Review Something ∞
Please note that even the defendant’s mother disputed his alibi.
Thursday, August 3rd, 2023
I find it difficult to understand the thinking behind witnessing a car crash, following the perpetrator and confronting him, and leaving a one-star Google review, all while not providing information directly to the police. Nevertheless, it apparently did the trick.
If It’s Not Rocks, It Might Be Insects ∞
This is not appetizing.
Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023
Alright, what exactly is going on, Trader Joe’s?
Previously in inedibles: Danger: May Contain Rocks ∞
A Very Brief Moment of Warmth ∞
Will it feel good for even a couple of seconds?
Tuesday, August 1st, 2023
Despite the fact that he’s recently been indicted for dozens upon dozens of very real crimes, Donald Trump is currently the front-runner to be the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
Well, one Republican told it like it apparently is:
Former Georgia official compares nominating Trump to ‘peeing your pants’
‘It’s gonna feel good for a couple of seconds, but then you wake up,’ former lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan says
That may not be the classiest analogy, but it did give me a doleful laugh.
Sun Bears Look Like People ∞
“It’s too hot for a man to wear a bear suit” is quite a defense.
Monday, July 31st, 2023
I don’t actually think a zoo in China has a human masquerading in a bear suit , but I do find it hilarious that it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
