I received this mysterious letter in the mail a while ago - looks like its something pretty urgent and unquestionably official. I especially like how they put the important message in quotes. After all, which sounds better, stuffy old Important, or "Important", which allows pretty much any reader to interpret the gravity of the situation however they want?

Over the past year or so, I've become more and more attached to Pandora, and not just because it's a fine (and rare) example of a forward-looking technology in the horribly misguided music industry. It also happens to be a great source for discovering old stuff you would never hear normally, or even old album covers that provide infinite entertainment value, like this one:



You have to admire the literalness. Just imagine the brainstorming sessions:

Album designer 1: Ok, this one's got a song called "pickin' wild mountain berries"
Album designer 2: Hey, let's have them picking wild mountain berries!
Album designer 1: ....and holding hands!
Album designer 2: How are they going to pick the berries if they're holding hands?
Album designer 1: I don't know, it doesn't matter - it's just setting the mood.
Album designer 2: Oh, I get it! Hey, let's turn that mood level up another notch by putting them in a pink circle!
Album designer 3: Sounds good, but we have to focus: how will people know that they're picking wild mountain berries?
Album designer 1: How about giving JoJo a bucket....a bucket that's color-coordinated with his sweater and hat!
Album designer 2: What's the bucket for?
Album designer 1: The wild mountain berries, what else would it be for?
Album designer 2: Of course!....Ok, send JoJo and Peggy off to the nearest wooded area, let's get this done today! Now, what's a soul shake?

They just don't do this kind of thing anymore, and it's a doggone shame.