Kingpin

Having loved Firefly so entirely that I’ve watched the entire fourteen-episode run about eight times in a row, I thought I’d try another highly-recommended seven-year-old show with a somewhat longer production run.  I’m speaking, of course, of the five season run of The Wire.

I’m only three episodes in and the jury’s still out, but I already love the star drug dealer’s tutorial on how to play chess:

Now look, check it, it’s simple, it’s simple. See this? This the kingpin. A’ight? And he the man. You get the other dude’s king, you got the game, but he trying to get your king too, so you gotta protect it. Now the king, he move one space any direction he damn choose, ’cause he’s the king. Like this, this, this, a’ight? But he ain’t got no hustle.

This the queen. She smart, she fierce. She move any way she want, as far as she want. And she is the “go get shit done” piece.

All D’s Are Diesel!

Zipcar stands out as one of the few companies willing to use plain language to communicate with its customers. Even in a list of rules, they explain their policies the way I’d expect one member to explain them to another:

Can I park in a commercial zone during my reservation?

Nope. Even if your Zipcar happens to be carrying commercial plates (as they do in some cities) you’ll still be a sweet target for those meter maids.

Thus, when I see a very specific warning about a particular type of car, I have to believe it’s not there because a lawyer demanded it, but because it’s been a genuine source of confusion for members.  This one frightens me a little:

Scion xD

automatic transmission
5-door—4 doors, 5 seatbelts

The “D” in xD does NOT stand for Diesel. The xD takes regular unleaded fuel!