When new advertising meets old computers

From: Derek Peschel <dpeschel_at_eskimo.com>
Date: Mon May 22 19:34:04 2000

Target put a multipage color catalog in last Sunday's paper. The catalog
combines full-page photos of people using outdoor toys (bicycles, snorkels,
tents, etc.) with photos of the toys against garish solid-color backgrounds.

Although the effect is rather unsettling (Life magazine meets Wired?) the
strangest part is the image of *six-hole paper tape* that marches across
the middles of all the pages. Obviously old computers have some sort of hold
on our culture, though it could just be as an abstract design cliche.

I haven't yet decoded the tape (if it says anyhthing at all). Luckily I
just got _Computers and Typesetting_ which covers plenty of obscure
typesetting codes (which is the only area I know of in which six-hole tape
ever became popular).

For non-US people: Target is a large "buy everything here" store, fancier
than K Mart or Wal-Mart but still rather cheap. My mom sarcastically called
it "Tar-ZHAY", as in the French pronounciation, for a while. :)

-- Derek
Received on Mon May 22 2000 - 19:34:04 BST