Anonymous Postcard

July 21, 2010 12:50 PM

Ever want to tell the Beta 90 Computer company it was time for a name change? Or maybe you have it in for 2008 and thought that year sucked. A vegetarian Chick-fil-A sandwich request? Or you can submit your own claim and Tucker Nichols has you covered. He'll make a postcard, find the appropriate person, and send it.
posted by cjorgensen (14 comments total)

David Rooney, curator of timekeeping at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, is an awesome guy: I think that parts of 2008 certainly did suck, so I'm with you there. So far, 2009 seems pretty good, but at only February I think it's a bit too early to call, so I'm keeping my options open. Such is the linearity of western thought.
posted by cirripede at 1:03 PM on July 21, 2010 [6 favorites]

Holy shit. Beta 90 builds computers for my company.
posted by brundlefly at 1:48 PM on July 21, 2010 [2 favorites]

I appreciate the concept as art, but what would ever compel a recipient to investigate the postcard they received?
posted by boo_radley at 1:56 PM on July 21, 2010

I appreciate the concept as art, but what would ever compel a recipient to investigate the postcard they received?

What's not compelling about a random postcard? And the web address is right there on the card?
posted by eggman at 2:05 PM on July 21, 2010

I love the recipients he chooses when people send messages to intangible ideas.
posted by roll truck roll at 2:15 PM on July 21, 2010

Ah, Lazlo Letters, I missed you, too! (amazon, book link)
posted by cavalier at 2:16 PM on July 21, 2010

Claim No.:
057220090626

To:
Hurricane namers, National Hurricane Center, Miami, FL

Claim:
I would like to see hurricane names more closely track baby naming fashion--more Phoebes, Chloes, and Jadens ripping through our towns.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 2:25 PM on July 21, 2010

SELF LINK ALERT [/BLINKTAG]

(jk, just obvious kindred spirits eh?)
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:47 PM on July 21, 2010

Mr. Jackassletters is probably the best possible MeFite to post about something like this. He's going to be more aware of others doing similar stuff to him and reluctant to promote any of them unless they were seriously awesome. (I know some people who'd avoid linking to anything better than their own stuff, but cjorgensen is totally NOT one of them)
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:41 PM on July 21, 2010

The vegetarian says Chic-fil-A's sandwiches are so delicious. How do they know this? My mother in law made chicken salad for Mrs. Tashtego. We joked for years afterwards about chickens being vegetables.
posted by Tashtego at 5:17 PM on July 21, 2010

Tashtego: "The vegetarian says Chic-fil-A's sandwiches are so delicious. How do they know this?"

We're not always born veggie. I know what gyros taste like, and I long for them every waking hour.
posted by brundlefly at 5:19 PM on July 21, 2010 [1 favorite]

Thanks, oneswellfoop and Potomac Avenue.

People send me this kind of stuff because they know I like it. A friend passed this along yesterday.

I like how Tucker Nichols solved an ethical problem I have. I love the Lazlo Letters, but my biggest criticism is that by adopting a persona Don Novello is able to take stances I don't think he would have with his given name (I could be wrong). I consciously decided to use my real name for this very reason. If I were doing this anonymously, I think my project would be quite different.

By having the content be reader generated Nichols not only gets dedicated followers, but also gets to distance himself. An anonymous letter to Sarah Palin would be different than one signed by the real author. He doesn't have to have an opinion. He just has to find an address and make a postcard.

Sure, he gets editorial control, and can still make a statement with the construction of the cards, but the sentiment/blame can always be passed onto the content creators.

This is also the convergence of two of my interests. I also love paper craft.
posted by cjorgensen at 5:28 PM on July 21, 2010

I wish I knew of a good vegetarian gyros substitute. Veggie burgers are just as good as beef to me but I don't know if they could make gyros as good or a Chic-Fil-A sandwich for that matter. I was a vegetarian for a couple of runs of several years each time and it was always just exhaustion at the lack of options when traveling that got me.
posted by Tashtego at 11:19 PM on July 21, 2010

I want to meet David Rooney, Curator of Timekeeping, Royal Observatory, Greenwich. I have to believe that he's already a mefi because he sounds fantastic.
posted by victoriab at 8:19 AM on July 22, 2010