generic magazines

The Time Magazine throws out a cover — “Rethinking Heaven”, which, you know, I’m sure they’ve come up with a concept for Heaven that’s novel and new, never been discovered in the millenia of theology on the subject.
Meantime, Newsweek runs a Jesus story, from Andrew Sullivan.  “Quit the Church and Follow Jesus”, or some such.  This is a lag effect which serves to point to the problem of print:  these are your Easter themed magazines, sitting on the shelf while Easter recedes into memory.    The curious thing about the “Quit Church” article is that its message is opposite to one found in a USA Today headline about “Church Reversions” — coming back to your religious faith, which — I suppose these trends are all heading in all directions.

Across the dias, I note the latest issue of Cosmopolitan touts itself as… now get this… “The Sex Issue”.  Which is, of course, every since of this magazine since it was bought by that “Sex and the Single Woman” writer.  (Occasionally you will find references to a serious article or serious writer appearing in the 40s or 50s).  This Sex issue sits across from an issue of Esquire which isn’t a “Sex Issue”, but does have the word “Sex” blaring on its cover.  Well, these two magazines are monthlies, so have to go with something less time-specific than the weeklies’ Religion features.

In other curiosities of Supermarket shopping… I note some redesigns in a few soda bottle shapes.  I assume a lot of market research went into showing that it gets more purchase, but it’s all arbitrary to me.  What they should do is stamp the word “Sex” on the bottles.
I’m also amused by the design on the boxes of Pop Tarts.  I can’t quite explain the pop tarts shown on the box, and from what perspective they’re rendered.  You’re staring at them from above and from a sideways angle — and the pop tarts bend down toward their disappearance line.  It’s all kind of confusing.  It’s why I’ve stopped buying them and have gone over to the generic brand of toaster pastries — at least I know when I’m eating those, my spatial relations won’t slide into a distortions.

Leave a Reply