OK, this is one of the geekier RT posts, so some of you (you know who you are…and so do I) might want to go have a nice glass of orange juice instead of spending time here. I mean, you don’t have to, but don’t say you weren’t warned.
- So you think you’re a font expert? Try your hand at this quiz, then, and let us know the results. Helvetica vs. Arial. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? (I got 18 out of 20.)
- I’ve always been of the opinion that The Hobbit was a better book than any of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I’ve been secretly miffed that Peter Jackson didn’t film it before LOTR. But he’s rectifying that situation now, along with Guillermo del Toro, and given the advances in CG effects, the wait might be well worth it. Anyway, however obsessed I might be with things Hobbitian, I’m a mere pretender compared to the author of this article, who has a very specific and thorough list of criteria to which the casting of Bilbo Baggins must adhere. Must adhere. And, apparently, Toby Maguire need not apply.
- I would love to have any one of these lamps on my desk. I’m particularly drawn to the symmetry of this one.
- Earlier in the week I linked to the blog of Sandy Earl, who is attempting to become the first female to complete the Race Across America (RAAM) on a recumbent. Well, let’s crank up the cycling oddity knob another notch and take note of Martin Krieg who wants to ride a backwards Penny Farthing (an old-fashioned high-wheeler with the small wheel in the front) across the USA (as a part of the 2010 Mayors’ Ride). I’ve never ridden a high-wheeler, but the thought of pedaling a single-speed, direct drive bike over mountain passes gives me the willies, as does the idea of riding the cycling equivalent of a high profile vehicle across the windy Central Plains states.
Well, I got 17 out of 20…not bad for a non-font geek, but then I used to stock the Helvetica press-on letters in the school bookstore. Our daughter decided to have her son’s name tattooed on her wrist. When I asked her what font she planned to use, she looked at me quizzically and blurted out “Aerial,” the only font she knows by name. 🙂
I’d say that is an excellent score, and I don’t think you’re as much of a “non-font geek” as you claim. Only a geek would even attempt the quiz!
Your comment about your daughter’s tat made me wonder if there really is a font named “Aerial.” Of course, there is, but it is muy uglioso. Not Comic Sans ugly, of course, but still nothing you’d want inked on your skin.
Casting for The Hobbit: I have thought long and hard about this and I cannot come up with anyone to play Bilbo. I agree with you – it’s the better story. I agree with that post, too – Tobey Maguire would be a disaster in casting. Good grief. I had not considered James McAvoy – he has potential.
I’m kinda “whatever” about McAvoy. He did get nominated for an MTV award for “Best Kiss” opposite Angelina in Wanted, so he’s got that going for him, but he didn’t win. OTOH, I don’t recall Bilbo doing much kissing in The Hobbit, so perhaps that’s irrelevant.
OK, seriously, he does have that deer-in-the-headlights-but-I’ll-persevere-anyway look down pat, so he might be a good fit.
Aeriel, Arial…see? Who’s the non-font geek now, Font Boy? 😉 I don’t think Arial is really what she wanted either but she’s on her own as far as body desecration goes.
9 out of 20 on the font quiz… but, in my defense I know nada about fonts… only caring about those I really hate… the cutesy, the unreadable, and those with incurable kerning problems.
I feel like such a nerd. I got 19 out of 20, without much effort. Hopefully it’s just a combination of luck and being under 30. As for tattoos, I figure most of the people I see with tattoos aren’t exactly the type to do much reading, let alone worry about what font they’re drilling into their skin. Much whoop for the absence of identifying body marks!