Are you looking for answers in all the wrong places? Perhaps a Ouija board will reveal the guidance you seek. The Museum of Talking Boards contains galleries of previously manufactured boards and planchettes, and those currently in production. And if your question can’t wait for a trip to the toy, errr, mystical supply store, there are online boards ready for your query.

In college I would sometimes argue with other Chinese students about which won ton wrapping technique is best (the right answer: however your mom did it). There was, however, agreement on the proper method for creating a pot sticker. So I wasn’t surprised to find that the SF Chronicle’s detailed description of the pot sticker pleating technique was entirely familiar. The accompanying drawings clearly illustrate the various steps. Of course the key tool you may be lacking is the specially shaped rolling pin my dad made me, patterned after the one my mom brought with her when she moved to the U.S.

Information I’ve never needed before: Winterizing your Irrigation System. There are different specifics for different sprinkler systems. Brrr.

Remember when the swirly logo and the swooshy logo were all the rage? Are they looking dated yet (flush!)? Graphic Design:usa has gathered up the latest round of logo trends. Evolving from the swoosh is the “slinky” and from the swirly is the “natural spiral.” (via xBlog)

It’s a boy! Weighing in at 9 pounds, 11 ounces, Harry Joseph Letterman arrived in fine late night fashion, two minutes before midnight. His dad was back at work the next day.

Paul Shaffer took over hosting duties for David Letterman on short notice Monday evening. Presumably little baby Letterman, due in “early November,” was making an entrance. Hopefully by the time you read this there will be happy news.

In a carpeted warehouse on a farm near Mount St. Helens, Wayne Sutton has amassed a collection of 1,000 chain saws. Some came from retired lumberjacks or their wives. Nowadays he also bids against other saw collectors on eBay. And it’s not just the saws that he loves, but the idea of having wood at the ready on a cold night for a toasty fire.

Wander through the well-stocked pantries of twelve ethnic cuisines and compare them to your own. The item unfamiliar to me was ackee, the Jamaican national fruit.(via Pop Culture Junkmail)

When the N.Y. Times asked “eleven prominent men and women” (and it was actually 8 men, 3 women) what technology or gadget they would like to see invented, the selected group was nicely eclectic (Margaret Cho, Donald Trump, Scott Adams) but they should have rounded it off with a prominent homekeeper (male or female). Unfortunately, there aren’t any. Or are there? They should do a followup piece on normal folks with regular jobs who don’t have assistants. (via gizmodo and Techdirt)

DeBeers’ Heavy Right Hand

Long-time readers know a recurring topic here is shedding light on the marketing of diamonds and the manipulations of DeBeers. An ad campaign recently began pushing the diamond “right-hand ring”. Launched over the summer by the Diamond Trading Co., the message is aimed squarely at women and entices them to buy their own diamond rings as a symbol of their independence (the DTC is “the rough diamond-trading arm of De Beers,” essentially their marketing arm, so you can substitute “DeBeers” when you read DTC).

An article in Professional Jeweler clearly spells out the DTC’s campaign goals and design directives. The target woman is 35-64, has “been married at some point, received diamond jewelry before and needs only her own permission to treat herself.” The campaign seeks to promote right hand rings for women to express their “independent, worldly, assertive sides,” distinct from the left hand ring, which is of course reserved for DeBeers’ big moneymaker: diamonds emotionally connnected to your family commitments. The strict design edicts state that “Ring designs should be oriented in a north-south direction and use a lot of open, or negative, space; should fit in one of four categories: modern vintage, contemporary, floral and romantic; rings can contain a mix of round or fancy shapes and should include at least one diamond of 20 points or more”.

Perhaps realizing that the diamond “cocktail ring” had aged beyond chance for a retro-style comeback, DeBeers started promoting right-hand rings in 1999 with a design competition. Since then, they’ve savvily crafted the distinct design guidance, and honed the emotional message of independence for women. Jewelry designers and the fashion industry are jumping on board.

Despite losing some of their monopolistic market share, bad publicity over conflict diamonds, and the trend towards “branded diamonds” DeBeers continues to act as the dominating marketing power. From the very beginning of the “a diamond is forever” engagement ring to their “three stone diamond jewelry” campaign (one stone each to represent past, present and future), and now this “right hand” ring concept, they have been the sheperds of the public mindset towards diamonds, creating opportunities to sell even more while retaining remarkable cachet. Will their generic advertising fall by the wayside as other suppliers gain market share?