A random sampling of away messages (one per line, but not always) of folks on America Online Instant Messenger follows:
sometimes it hurts to be a girl.
so hungry…
one
This is the biggest crab I’ve ever seen. Wow. HIHOHIHO it is off to work I go!!
shut up
crap.
things missing from england/wales:
- oreos
- mountain dew
- corn dogs
crap
Some interesting things to point out. Two separate people, who do not know one another, both had “crap” as their away message at the same time. I think this is beacuse of the versatility of this word: it can be both a noun, “I have crap to do,” or simply an exclamation summarizing the zeitgeist of a situation: “Crap.”
Additionally, people seem to want to share something cool or their general mood (or share when they are sleeping … this seems to be the only consistent thing where people actually report what they are away doing). That’s the thing about away messages. Originally, they were meant to be a sort of dynamic answering machine … when somebody left you a message, they received information about where you were in response, giving them a better opportunity to contact you. Now, away messages seem to more commonly give the emotional temperature, newest fascination, or insight into the personality of the people who issue them. They are like a social thermometer, with rather unparalled insight into the person (when viewed together as a ‘body of work,’ that is). Basically, then, repeatedly reading a person’s away message gives you a picture of the person with surprisingly sharp focus. A strange and little window into people’s hearts are these away messages.
Honestly, though, I wasn’t aiming at any deep insight into this … I just hoped to make you chuckle that people said “crap” in their away messages.
Best steaks in New York City - This place has been the best steakhouse for in New York for 22 years straight. Also, I seem to have a propensity for talking about places to eat that I have never been … doesn’t make a lot of sense (see In-N-Out Burger).
Vis a vis your cover of The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights,” I’d like to say that, I get it. When you strip away the (albeit magnificent) electronic(a) going on in the background of the original, your acoustic version cuts closer to the heart … it has fewer things to get in the way as it slices into one’s inner sanctum. And yes, I know you guys licensed the song to Mars, Inc. for an M&M commercial, and you know what? That’s ok. Fine by me. The song is still great, even with the goofy kaleidescopic imagery that goes along with it in the commercial (which, in and of itself is not bad; the constrast between music and video is striking). In fact, that delectable clip on the commercial is what reminded me again of your cover, which I had only given 10 seconds of playing time in the past. The track of which I speak is spinning right now: I think I understand what you were thinking when you sang this, and what Ben Gibbard of the Postal Service was thinking when he, surely in a moment of inspired poetry, penned the words.
Also, I am sure you are proud to have Dntel in your company, as musicians who work closely with Mr. Gibbard on the scene. Incidentally, Dntel is responsible for a truly magnificent song called “Umbrella.” (Listen to it On Amazon.com, though the sample doesn’t quite do it justice). Anyhow, I’d like to thank you all for writing music that blows one’s socks off, but only if one lets it. Incidentally, are you aware of this little factoid about Dntel?
Dntel is pronounced din-tell. Tamborello admitted that the name was not intended to mean anything. When asked to create a meaning for it, he quoted it as a shortened version of “Don’t Tell.” He admits that this meaning is a bit of a stretch.
Record label: Found - Sometimes, and quite surprisingly, it’s hard to track down information about things. So, I’ve done it for you. Here’s Feist’s record label!
Also, if you can spend any time napping in a field on a summer day when you are younger — do so. That can be the place you visit in your mind when you’re standing on a crowded subway, stooped with back pain, sweating like your pores are water-piks, while a beggar in stained and drooping sweatpants yells in your ear.
Brilliant Way to Preserve Snowflakes - Cold runny superglue and some microscope slides will preserve snowflakes indefinitely. This is so cool. Will try next winter. Remind me.