Two Brain Cells

I have a problem with the built-in camera on my MacBook Pro. If I angle the screen so that the camera is pointing at my face, the screen is uncomfortable to look at. Allow me to explain.

Normally I arrange myself and my laptop like this:

The screen is angled so that it is roughly perpendicular to my line-of-sight, and my eyes are slightly higher than the top of the lid. This provides a lovely, expansive computing experience, approximately like this:

However, the iSight camera is positioned at the top of the screen, and stares straight out:

This means that the resulting camera image is centered too high:

Of course, I can adjust the angle of the lid downwards so that the camera image is centered on my beautiful fizzog:

But if I do that, the arrangement now looks like this:

The camera is perfectly aligned, but I’m having to stare down at my screen at an angle:

(Angle in photo slightly exaggerated for dramatic effect.) It feels cramped and wrong and I can’t stand it for long.

Mac users are usually pretty obsessive about their computers, and are quick to whine about perceived design faults, but I haven’t heard a peep from anyone else about this situation. Am I really the only person who has this problem? Am I using my laptop in a completely non-standard position? Am I nuts?

I saw a terrifying plush reindeer doll in Sainsbury’s last night. It was shaped like a egg. Why was it shaped like a egg? I do not know why it was shaped like a egg.

Here’s a page from the Sainsbury’s website that shows all their Christmassy characters in ‘print out and colour in’ form, including my friend, Eggdeer. They managed to get the Eskimo and the polar bear pretty normal, and although Father Christmas is slightly egg shaped too, at least he’s recognisable as Father Christmas. But the egg-shaped reindeer is just weirding me out big time.

This new logo is embarrassingly naff. Look at all the gradients! And why is that central circle off to the right like that?

According to their Chief Marketing Officer, Lawrence Flanagan, the new brand identity “follows an extensive analysis of the MasterCard brand and the value proposition it represents to constituents”, and the new logo reflects the company’s unique, three-tiered business model as a franchisor, processor and advisor.

It all becomes clear! They are obviously trying to communicate that they are an all-knowing, yet transparent advisor, with a strong emphasis on security (notice the thick perimeter wall around Mr Advisor), who are becoming increasingly friendly with their (yellow) franchisees, but without leaving the important (red!) processing part of their business out in the cold. Or something.