In a couple of days, Spokane will make its annual sacrifice to the basketball gods—and more than 200,000 players, fans, and volunteers will do their part to ensure Hoopfest’s status as the world’s largest 3-on-3 street basketball tournament.

Not only do I heartily approve of the economic shot in the arm, I also gape at the military-like precision with which the entire downtown area undergoes a remarkable transformation.

Particularly when it comes to handling the, er…load. Perhaps mindful of the Turkish proverb “Nerede çokluk, orada bokluk” (“Where there are people, there is excrement”) Hoopfest organizers have done yeoman’s work in securing what certainly must be the Western hemisphere’s entire inventory of Porta-Potties—and tastefully assembled them to properly serve 40 city blocks.

Yeah, sure, the athletes are great and all that, but this is truly an impressive feat.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

A week ago, our oldest daughter graduated from high school. The following Sunday, this milestone was celebrated with family, friends, and classmates. It was a beautiful event. The house, yard, and deck were as perfect as we could make them. The weather, food, and invited guests were delightful. We could have stopped right there and be left with all the wonderful memories this rite of passage has to offer. But no, that wasn’t enough for her graphic designer parents. This needed to be a branded event—with the proper messaging, colors, and tchotchkes!

There were the prerequisite and strategically placed streamers and balloons, pictures from birth through her 18th birthday, and various trophies with academic achievements from grade school on up. But we just had to special order and display her future school’s branded materials. And we couldn’t be without those custom-colored M&Ms featuring the guest of honor’s miniature likeness, favorite sayings, and her college’s color scheme.

Even the custom event T-shirts were important. They featured the names of her close-knit circle of friends along with their universities of choice. Fortunately, we considered the demographic (and high GPAs) and opted for the bright lime green shirt color. As it turned out, her high school friends and their parents loved the free giveaway (many could be seen wearing them throughout the evening). This, of course, only goes to prove the value of branding. After all, there really is no better testament to this than hearing an 18-year-old scream, laugh, and nearly cry over a shirt with her name on it.

posted by: CK Anderson  |  category: the design life  |  make a comment

This is fun. But a word about Oklahoma’s tagline, if I may: Are you frickin’ kidding me??? It has the sickly sweet smell of focus groups and the fingerprints of a taxpayer-funded committee all over it. Bet it cost ’em a pretty penny, too.

Oh, and by the way, Virginia, I’m not exactly feeling welcomed.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: the design life  |  make a comment

Last weekend—and, it turns out, for the first time in my life—I read a Sports Illustrated article from beginning to end. Written by Frank Deford, the man GQ called “the world’s greatest sportswriter,” the story is primarily a reminiscence; a look back at five decades in the trenches.

One line in particular struck me. Early in his career, Frank had wondered aloud to SI‘s managing editor, Andre Laguerre, whether writing about sports was really substantial.

“Frankie, it doesn’t matter what you write about,” said Laguerre. “All that matters is how well you write.”

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: the writing life  |  make a comment

So I was reading a news release from a reputable NYSE-listed corporation the other day, and I came across the phrase “was comprised of.” This, much like the use of “reference” as a verb, causes me no end of consternation. (“Comprise” means “to consist of” or “be composed of”; “was comprised of” is therefore redundant.)

Corporate communication is rife with bad writing, due in large part to simple ignorance—not to mention marketing types’ insatiable need to speak in jargon—which, in turn, leads to the unnecessary manipulation of the English language.

I’m all for celebrating the glorious mosaic of our diverse, dynamic, and living language, but c’mon. Change is only good when it’s needed. And you don’t need “of” when you write “comprised.”

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: the writing life  |  make a comment

A new world record was set recently in ferret legging—the “sport” in which contestants place a pair of live ferrets in their pants and, well…wait. The last man standing is declared the winner.

The rules are simple: no underwear, and your pants need to be loose enough “to allow easy ferret access between the legs.”

New record-holder Frank Bartlett, a 67-year-old retired teacher, lasted 5 hours, 30 minutes.

UPDATE! The definitive article on ferret legging was written by Donald Katz and appeared in Harper’s Magazine back in 1992. Click here for the story.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  comments(3)

From “In Praise of Idleness” (1932):

Work is of two kinds: first, altering the position of matter at or near the earth’s surface relatively to other such matter; second, telling other people to do so. The first kind is unpleasant and ill paid; the second is pleasant and highly paid. The second kind is capable of indefinite extension: there are not only those who give orders, but those who give advice as to what orders should be given. Usually two opposite kinds of advice are given simultaneously by two organized bodies of men; this is called politics. The skill required for this kind of work is not knowledge of the subjects as to which advice is given, but knowledge of the art of persuasive speaking and writing, i.e. of advertising.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

According to this infographic, every country in the world is best at, or has the most of, something. Like Senegal and it’s gasoline bunkers, for example. Or Argentina’s horse meat production. I’ll let you see for yourself how the USA shines.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment