Archive for March, 2009
Would You Like Pee With That?
by dag on Mar.05, 2009, under Uncategorized
Okay, the Dutch are fuckin’ weird. I mean at first I was running into things that sounded funny and don’t work well when translated into English. For example, a large chain of banks here is called Rabobank. Yes, I feel safe storing my money at Rabobank. This is one business that’s not going to catch on in English speaking countries without some serious rebranding. I believe it’s owned by the same people who run Hoolduppa Liquorstoor. (note, have yet to actually see any Hoolduppa Liquor Stores but I bet they’re around somewhere) Maybe they’re just in it for the insurance money?
But that’s just words that translate funny. I’m sure there are lots of Englilsh words and brands that sound hilarious in Dutch. Then I came across a chain of stores that sells French fries, or “frites” as they’re known on the continent. And this is their logo / mascot:
That’s right, the logo for a company that sells food is a peeing cherub. I believe it’s actually a famous statue or something. But it gets better. I don’t speak Dutch, but some things are pretty clear without translation.
Yes, it is a fast food chain called “Mannekin Pis.” Here is one of their vans:
The logo on the van is even better, as it appears the cherub is actually peeing directly on the fries…
Needless to say, I did not buy fries from this place. Although I’m sure they don’t actually use urine as one of the ingredients. Then again, who knows? Like I said, the Dutch are fuckin’ weird.
When Buying Tickets, Always Enunciate Clearly
by dag on Mar.02, 2009, under Uncategorized
I guess the lady at the airline ticket counter misheard me when I asked for a ticket to Amsterdam. I thought it was odd when the clouds started to get pixelated, and this horribly familiar music started to waft out of the air. And now here I am in, oh god…
(continue reading…)
Kinetica Art Fair, London
by dag on Mar.02, 2009, under Uncategorized
This weekend I went to the Kinetica Art Fair, an exhibition of kinetic and interactive and otherwise contemporary art. Mad props to Jodi for letting me know this was going on. I took a ton of video and tried to upload it all, and thus I found out for the first time that YouTube will only allow you to upload 10 videos per day 🙂 So I got a couple more to put up later.
Arts et Métiers Station, Paris Metro
by dag on Mar.02, 2009, under Uncategorized
I shot these vids a couple weeks ago when I was in Paris, and only rediscovered them today. Definitely the coolest looking subway station I’ve been in, although still not as cool overall as Kendall station in Boston, ’cause that’s interactive.
