The Coke Christmas Commercial – Holidays Are Coming with Artificial Intelligence

Ahhhhh, it’s the holiday season! Cool mornings. Lights on houses. Bing Crosby on the radio. And Coca-Cola commercials. Except this time, one of these things is not like the others. With such a volatile culture, where it feels like we’re practically walking on egg shells, it’s nice to know that around Christmas time we’ll always have a warm, cheerful Coke commercial to bring us together. Well, folks are coming together but, unfortunately for Coca-Cola, it’s for all the wrong reasons. Met with firm rejection from most everyone with real intelligence, here’s Coke’s 2024 artificial intelligence-created Christmas ad.

As the kids would say… srsly? I find it hard to believe this was approved by X number of departments and executives. Needless to say, the obvious use of AI is not going over well; no one on social media is holding back. If you want a more detailed break down of the ad and the work that went into making the AI look real, check out this Forbes article.

If it weren’t for the song, I’d fully agree that the ad comes off more like a well-done high school project by a student who has a promising future. But for a billion-dollar brand that uses “always the real thing” as their catchphrase, maybe using fake intelligence isn’t the win they think it is. Plus, it pales in comparison to its predecessor from nearly 30 years ago, which looks a thousand percent better than the new one.

I actually felt a few goosebumps watching this old one. With the new ad, I feel nothing. It makes me wonder if other brands will embrace AI, too, and I’m thinking about the Budweiser clydesdale horses. If they’re turned into artificial intelligence, I’m moving out of the country. I’ve always wanted to live in Texas anyway.

-Out of the Wilderness

Triathlon Bicycle Accident – A Stitches Update

Over a month ago I experienced my first in-race accident as I cycled back towards the transition area for a sprint triathlon in northwest Florida. Did I crash into another cyclist? Bump pedals battling for the #1 spot? Nope and nope! If you guessed hitting a traffic cone, you win. Here are two recaps: The setup and The pictures (warning: Pics are detailed including cuts and blood).

But like I said, it’s been about a month and a half now. I’ve only ridden my bike a few times since then and I think part of that is because of a stress tucked back in my mind, not wanting to have a sequel, even if the accident wasn’t *that* bad. I went out for 18 miles this morning and just felt slow and cautious. Cars rolling by, sticks on the ground, a few wrong turns, deer crossing in front of me, and yes I definitely rolled over a squirrel but it scurried away so I’m going to assume it’s just fine. Run training has been fine, getting back into neighborhood runs as well as morning interval training. I’ve been swimming, too, and might have finally solved the pool chlorine allergy.

So the stitches. It was a horizontal mattress suture, I removed the stitches myself and everything has turned out really well. I’m so impressed with the doctors and staff at Gulf Breeze Hospital in the Pensacola area. Here are a couple of photos of “then”: the first few days of stitches and “now”: how the scar is looking today.

Then…

Now…

I don’t have any races planned for the rest of 2024 which makes me feel a little lost. I guess having something to work towards–an event on the calendar– is a huge motivator for working out. Who knew?

Do you have any scar stories you want to share? Leave a comment below…

-Out of the Wilderness

Apple Pay and Babe the Blue Ox Commercial – The Music and More

Do you know anyone who collects weird things? Or are you that someone? It’s ok, this is a safe space! And you’re not alone. I have little metal rings from all the dog collars one of my pups chewed through. And the woman in this commercial collects plates with various folktale images painted on them, displayed for all her friends and family to see. Completely useless without food on them but hey, ‘Merica! Freedom!

However, in this collection of plates, one is missing. This is where Apple Pay comes in. Check out the ad then scroll down for more info…

You can see the look of approval on the face of Paul Bunyan once the woman secures the plate. Never mind that he looks like the pastor at the church I used to go to in Nashville. Shoutout to Church at Avenue South and AB! I had to look up Babe the Blue Ox to be reminded of the connection with Paul Bunyan and then also found the random, large statues erected in Minnesota.

[pic from Google maps]

The Music. The soundtrack for this commercial is a song called “One Track Mind” by Chromeo, which couldn’t be more fitting for someone who gets fixated on something they MUST have, and then the adrenaline when there’s only one left. Here’s the full song from 2018.

I’m glad Darla Davidson was able to find the plate she’s probably wanted for a long time! It’ll give her such satisfaction having a full glass case of cherished antique plates. And yes, according to her Apple Pay credit card info, that’s the woman’s name. What can I say, I got fixated on finding little details about the ad!

-Out of the Wilderness

No more pool chlorine allergies!? A triathlon training update…

Until I started swimming in a pool more regularly, I had no idea my body would react the way it did to the water. A full day, sometimes multiple days, of sneezing, runny nose, and congestion. It was… the. worst. I thought it was a chlorine allergy… which turned out to be mostly false. Here’s a bit of the discovery in more depth.

Was I now at the mercy of the chlorine levels of the public pool for the rest of my life???? Would I have to call each time to find out the parts-per-million to make sure my body wouldn’t flip out for days on end afterwards? I was basically at a loss for what to do next. That is, until a new friend reminded me of nose clips. I had purchased one before (Tyr brand from Walmart) but it felt so super tight that I returned it immediately, without ever testing it in a pool. I thought every nose clip would be as tight as that one and my nose just doesn’t do good when it’s pinched.

But this morning I gave the idea another chance.

Last week I had ordered 2 nose clips from SwimOutlet.com (because of that friend who recommending trying a nose clip again), each with a different design so I could test which worked better on my face. I tried both– one for 1,000 yards and the other for 500 yards. That equalled about 45 minutes in the pool (yeah, I’m a slow swimmer!) and since then, barely any nasal problems at all. What a relief, right!? It might be the case that I can swim more frequently, which is something I didn’t think I’d be able to do anymore (at least not comfortably).

Here are links to the two nose clips I’ll be using for the foreseeable future. Let me know if you’ve found something that works, too!

Sporti nose clip

Swim Secure nose clip

-Out of the Wilderness

Etsy Found Waldo in New Commercial

Maybe we were asking the wrong question all along! In a new Etsy commercial, people all over the world asking “Where’s Waldo?” find him but no one ever stops to ask, “Who’s Waldo?” Check it out then scroll down for more…

I had sort of forgotten about Waldo until this ad reminded me how much I loved those books. Such interesting scenes, incredible detail and sometimes it was just impossible to find him! I may even order some for Christmas this year. Here’s the Amazon link if you think you might want a book or two for family members, too.

I had no idea Waldo had a significant other. Apparently Wenda’s the one who takes the picture, the image we see in books. She dresses in a similar fashion to Waldo, but with an added green skirt (traditionally). I also didn’t know that the title of the series is only called “Where’s Waldo?” in North America. In other countries it’s called “Where’s Wally?” Hmm, who knew? If you want a “Where’s Wally?” book, here’s one on Amazon.

I like the ad from Etsy. It’s got that nostalgic quality for anyone who grew up with Waldo/Wally and offers a glimpse into what Etsy can do for us in modern times. Cool commercial. I have a feeling I know what might be used in an upcoming commercial… if the 90s are chic right now. Remember these? But good luck working them into a commercial 😵‍💫

[book available on Amazon]

-Out of the Wilderness