The original is still the best (And always was.)

LEGO faces lots of competition. Firms such as Mega Bloks, owned by Mattel, and Block Tech make blocks that are copies of LEGO's building blocks.  The Block Tech packaging even states that the blocks are "Compatible with other leading brands".) 

I saw this Block Tech kit at Dollar Tree where it was available for $1.25 CDN. I was curious about the quality of the blocks so I purchased the kit.

Packaging photograph for  Block Tech "Space Heroes" vehicle

Looking at the photograph of the vehicle on the box it looked as if the kit would be easy to build.

Assembly instructions for  Block Tech "Space Heroes" vehicle

However, the building instructions do not match the photo and in fact it was impossible to build the vehicle using the steps listed in the instructions. (The attachment of the rear horizontal fins, under the wings, is further forward on the photo than in the instructions.)

It just goes to show that the original, LEGO, is usually the best. The Block Tech kit may be cheap, but it is just that. The finish on the blocks is not as good, the injection moulding marks are more obvious, and the instructions are just wrong.  

Sometimes a "bike" is not a "bike"

I ride a "bike". I own a couple of "bikes". I expect to see advertisements for things "bike-related" when I am on-line. Sometimes they are useful, but many times they are not.

Advertisement for Eagle Riders Rentals & Tours, BBC website
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-42135963

The problem is that the kind of "bike" that I ride has nothing whatsoever to do with the type of "bike" that this firm is offering to rent. I ride a Norco road bicycle and a Rocky Mountain mountain bicycle. I do not ride a motorcycle and do not have a license to ride a motorcycle.

I have been seeing these advertisements on-line for a few months. (This one was on the BBC News website.) I've never clicked on one and probably never will.

Another piece of poorly targeted advertising, in this case driven by an algorithm that is too dumb to know the difference between a bicycle and a motorcycle.

One of these things is just like the other

Embroidered crest on Anon snowboard goggles

At the local thrift store my daughter found a pair of Anon-brand snowboard goggles. (Anon is a sub-brand of Burton.)  I looked at the logo and immediately thought of of the NASA logo.

NASA logo
Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/NASA_logo.svg/1200px-NASA_logo.svg.png

In my youth I was a bit of a space nerd and know the NASA logo well.

I can't imagine that this is just a coincidence. But if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then NASA should consider itself very flattered.

Why do I see Spanish?

I am a member of Science World in Vancouver. there are now signs up at Science World that tell you that it takes only 2.5 visits to pay for a membership. (I go more than 2.5 times per year.) The best part of having a membership is that you don't feel obliged to go for the whole day. If your young companion is feeling bit knackered after an hour or so then you can just leave and you re not out of pocket.

My daughter loves math and when we were downtown on Sunday she saw an advertisement on the SkyTrain for this exhibit, so we went.

Logo of Math Moves! exhibition
Source: https://www.scienceworld.ca/math-moves

I was a bit perplexed by the induction of Spanish on the signs.

Sign on exhibit, Math Moves, Science World, Vancouver, BC

I enquired with the staff and they told me that exhibit had been produced by a museum in Minnesota.

Logo for the Science Museum of Minnesota
Source: https://www.scienceworld.ca/math-moves

Given the large number of Spanish-speakers in the United States, the inclusion of Spanish on the signs is not really a surprise. No downside to having an extra language on the signs. Gives me a chance to brush up on my nonexistent Spanish.

Making something practical into something useful

Concrete block, Science World, Vancouver, BC

You commonly see these concrete blocks as part of a retaining wall, or similar structure. They are also used to ensure that vehicles don't end up where they are not supposed to go. These blocks weigh hundreds, if not thousands, of kilograms and are thus there to stay. But they are also ugly as sin.

That is why I thought that this change to the blocks was so nice. By making a minor change to the design of the mould, the blocks can still fulfill their purpose, and also provide a seat for tired pedestrians. A great modification.

Who is protected with this card?

Consumer Product Ownership Registration

After 22 years our fridge was reaching the end of its life and so we decided to buy a new one. As with virtually any appliance these days, the manufacturer want to get all of the customer's personal information. Even though the card says "Registration information for internal use only", most people probably expect that their personal information will be parsed, sorted, bundled, and sold to a wide range of interested parties.

The thing that I find most interesting is that the firm's lawyers felt it necessary to add a line to the bottom of the registration card.

"Failure to complete and return this card does not diminish your warranty rights."

So, does this mean that "even if you don't fill out this card, you can still sue our pants off when your appliance catches fire"?

I just want a little bit of logic, but I'll settle for avoiding food poisoning

Controls on Bravetti slow cooker

Normally with controls on any heating appliance in the kitchen the further you rotate the knob, the hotter it gets. But for some reason Bravetti has decided not to follow that practice.

Excerpt from Bravetti slow cooker user manual
Source: http://kitchen.manualsonline.com/manuals/mfg/bravetti/bkc203.html?p=1

I presume that the firm is afraid that people will not cook their food properly and thus use the "Keep Warm" setting to create a bacterial cesspool in their kitchen. Sounds yummy.

Weird typography. I wonder if this was planned?

2018 Rocky Mountain Element Carbon 70
Source: http://www.bikes.com/sites/default/files/models/Web_Element_C70_C1_Profile.jpg

Rocky Mountain makes lovely bicycles. Fast and tough. My Rocky Mountain Element bicycle is about 10 years old, and while it still works fine, technology has caught up with it. I am still running 26" wheels and the new 29" cross country bicycles are such a vast improvement. So, I'm contemplating a new bike for next year.

The other big change in cross country bikes is in the drivetrain. Bikes commonly had two or more chain rings up front, while newer bikes have only one. This bike uses the SRAM Stylo crankset.

SRAM Stylo logo
Source: https://www.sram.com/truvativ/family/stylo#sm.000177v3t5e4ve4fwkj12oy6iyofu

SRAM Stylo crankset on 2018 Rocky Mountain Element Carbon 70 bicycle (Detail)
Source:http://www.bikes.com/sites/default/files/models/Web_Element_C70_C1_Profile.jpg 

The odd thing that I noticed is that when the Stylo logo is upside down it spells out "GIRLS". 

Now there is nothing wrong with that. I've had my ego handed to me on a platter by fast women in every bicycle race I've ever entered. (I'm talking about you people like Sandra Walter! http://www.sandrawalter.ca) But a weird piece of typography none the less.

I have not seen this since the mid-1970s

Front of Kraft Dinner "Original" package

I've seen Kraft Dinner in the shops and have seen it there for years. But this particular box of Kraft Dinner was something special. It had no UPC bar code.

Since the 1970s retailers have insisted on UPC bar codes on all consumer packaged goods. I wonder how the heck this stuff is making it into the store?

Sometime you will see packages without a UPC code, but this is not a package that is intended to be sold individually. Halloween candies are a good example.

But I have no idea how this happened. The package does have a QR code on the bottom, but this could not be read by the checkout scanner. (And the QR readers that I have on my phone didn't like it either.)

Bottom of Kraft Dinner "Original" package

Oh, please tell me that they planned this

Sign on the exterior of the building, Extreme Air Park, New Westminster, BC

Brand sticker on the bathroom hand dryers, Extreme Air Park, New Westminster, BC

This is pretty remarkable. The trampoline park has their own brand of hard dryers in the bathrooms. How many hand dryers do they need to agree to buy get their own private label models?

Of course it could just be a coincidence. But if it is a coincidence I'd like to think that the owners of the park made a conscious choice. It would have been great an opportunity to pass up.

Simple and visible

IceAlert sign, New Westminster, BC

I saw this sign in parking lot near the Amazon warehouse in New Westminster. When the temperature gets to freezing blue wedges are displayed on the sign.

Three stages of IceAlert sign.
Source: http://www.icealert.com

These signs are a simple way of alerting drivers, and pedestrians, of potentially slippery conditions. Today many vehicles provide similar feedback, but these signs are a good additional warning. Of course the problem is that most people do not have idea idea that these signs exist or what the blue wedges mean. On first glance I though it was a variation on the nuclear fallout shelter sign.

Fallout Shelter sign
Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/United_States_of_America_Fallout_shelter_sign.jpg/1200px-United_States_of_America_Fallout_shelter_sign.jpg

Still about falling, but the yellow and black sign is about radiation from the sky, the IceAlert one is about your backside hitting a frozen sidewalk.

The pervasive effect of Star Wars

Mutant tomato

bb8 Droid
Source: http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/6/68/BB8-Fathead.png/revision/latest

Among the cherry tomatoes on my daughter's plate last night was this small one with, as they say in England, a little bit on the side. My first thought was that it looked like the bb8 droid from Star Wars.

Amazing, but not really surprising, how elements from popular culture can rise to the top of our consciousness. 

Those who live by the tech shall die by the tech

Hudson's Bay Company restaurant, Vancouver, BC

Menu screen at Hudson's Bay Company restaurant, Vancouver, BC

Having your menu on a display screen is great. Prices and products can be easily updated. You don't waste a load of money when you print up signs only to have to get rid of them a few days later. And typos can be corrected immediately.

But if you depend on technology then you have to be prepared to deal with the inevitable failures. About once per week I see an electronic sign that has "crashed". Not at all surprising, but frustrating for both the customer and the retailer.

Darn, I had my heart set on that cat

Advertisement for Gorillapod in London Drugs flyer

I saw this ad in a London Drugs flyer back in June. I do like the disclaimer that the $89.99 price for the  Gorrilapod does not include either the camera (Sort of what you expect) or the cat (What?).

I like that someone had a bit of a sense of humor.

The way of the future?

Insert accompanying subscription renewal form
(Bloomberg Businessweek)

Is this a foretelling? I see a day, in the not too distant future, when pretty much all magazines will cease to publish paper versions.

I think that will be a shame. Now I'm not a complete lucite who rejects all technology. (A blog with over 1,000 posts from someone who has been writing for the WWW since the mid 1990s would seem to indicate that I'm comfortable with the technology.)

No, I like the sheer randomness of print. I can leaf through a magazine, or newspaper, and come across a story that I find absolutely fascinating. And one that an algorithm never would have picked for me.

So, yes, I see a day when none of my magazines will arrive on paper and I'll be a bit sad.

I hope it turns out better

Advertisement for Halos mandarins
(February 2016, O-The Oprah Magazine) 

Most children love mandarins. Easy to peel, seedless, sweet, and just the right size.

I don't recall encountering this brand in the stores. (Perhaps they don't make it across the border into Canada.)

The one thing that I find unsettling about this advertisement is that the child's default reaction to an empty mandarin box is "Tantrum".

I would have thought that perhaps some take on the angelic halo on the packaging might be a better response and a better fit with the brands image.

The campaign that never stops (spawning imitators)

The "got milk" logo
(Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Gotmilk.png)

Primal Pet Foods tee shirt

The 'got milk" campaign was launched in 1993 by the California Milk Processor Board. Since then it has spawned countless imitators.

I saw "goat milk?" this week on a student's tee shirt. The tee shirt was produced by Primal Pet Foods to promote the firm's pet foods that include goat's milk as an ingredient.

I wonder how much longer parodies of, and references to, this campaign will run.

Nothing says you're out of date like...

Hagen's Travel & Cruises, West Vancouver, BC

The Internet has hammered the travel business. While the majority of travel used to be booked through travel agents, most is now booked on-line. Sometime I wonder how travel agents survive. This travel agent is located on Marine Drive in West Vancouver and has been going since at least 2000.

But a look in the window tells just how up to date this firm is.

Canadian Airlines sticker

Canadian airlines was acquired by Air Canada in 2001. But evidently 16 years later this travel agent is still an approved agent.

Canada 3000 sticker

Canada 3000 sticker

Canada 3000 was a discount charter airline. It was found in 1988 and went out of business in late 2001, affected by the air travel downturn after the September 11th attacks. And the rather tatty sticker tells about it being, "A New Affordable...".

Service with a smile.

Card included in RoadID order

I love good service. I don't encounter it as often as I'd like, but when I do find it I'm pretty happy.

When work and weather cooperate I like to ride my bike and when I ride I tend to be by myself. As a result my fear is that I'll have an accident and no one will know who I am or who to contact. For 10 years I've been wearing a RoadID when I ride. But there is no point is wearing an ID if the information engraved on it is incorrect.

As everyone in the family got new cell phones and thus new numbers it was time for an updated ID.

I ordered online and a week or so after the ID arrived. And inside was this card from Linda Hart, evidently the person who packed my order.

Everything was packed well and arrived safe and sound. It may not seem like a big thing, but someone doing their job properly, and having some pride in doing a good job, is a welcome sight. I've sent her an email to tell her that her packing skills were indeed wicked-good. I wonder if I'll hear back?

Straight outta Leamington

French's ketchup dispenser, A&W, Vancouver

The ketchup business has taken some weird turns in recent years. In 2013, after about 40 years as a loyal customer, McDonald's stopped buying Heinz's ketchup after Heinz hired the former CEO of Burger King. The same year Heinz announced that it was closing its ketchup plant in Leamington, Ontario.

A year later French's started selling ketchup in Canadian grocery stores, using tomatoes from Leamington. Now you can find French's ketchup at fast food restaurants such as A&W.

By most estimates, Heinz has over 80% of the ketchup market in grocery stores in Canada, but in the Canadian food service sector French's is making a dent. Will this result in a reduction in the amount of Heinz ketchup sold in the stores? Time will tell.

Making a small dent in a big problem

Burger bag, A&W (Obverse) 

Burger bag, A&W (Reverse) 

Let weekend I took my daughter trampolining. On the way we stopped at an A&W location for lunch. I was surprised that the packaging for the burgers and french fries was paper bags. I have grown used to the clamshell packaging, either paper or styrofoam, for fast food. This move by A&W is a great step towards removing plastics from the waste stream.

According to some sources, e.g. the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, by 2050 the total weight of plastic in the world's oceans will exceed the total weight of fish.

That is a rather sad statistic. The graphic below that shows the flow of plastic packaging and explains why so much of the plastic ends up not being recycled.   

Plastic packaging recycling from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
(Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jan/19/more-plastic-than-fish-in-the-sea-by-2050-warns-ellen-macarthur#img-2)

Buying glue to make slime

Elmer's Glue point-of-purchase display at Staples (Detail)

Elmer's Glue point-of-purchase display at Staples

This is an odd display. The purposes of the display, apparently quite successful from the empty shelves, is to sell glue.

But the main selling point on this display is not to use the product to stick things together, but instead to use the glue as an ingredient to make slime.

An odd piece of marketing, but anything that sells more glue is probably just fine with the folks at Elmer's.

A strange sampling exercise

Sample of Villaaggio Artesano bread

Yesterday morning I picked up a couple of these samples of bread at Georgia and Granville in  Vancouver. (The marketing firm had 15, 000 samples to hand out, and six people to do it.)

This bread is made by Villaggio, which is part of Canada Bread, owned by Groupo Bimbo from Mexico.

Grupo Bimbo brands (Source: https://www.canadabread.com/our-brands)

The sample, is single slice in a cellophane package, is probably the most wasteful product sample that I've ever seen. A single slice? I can't even make a sandwich.

Sample of Villaaggio Artesano bread (Detail)

And the best before date is either November 10, 2017, or October 11, 2017.  For the sake of the people who ate the same I hope it is the former.

Do display's really build profit?

KiKat master carton, Safeway, New Westminster

I saw this box at one of the cash desks at a Safeway store.

Do displays actually build profits? I'm sure that they do, but does Nestle have any research that backs up this claim?