The Apple Commercial with Jane Goodall – Good and Bad Ideas

There are good ideas. There are bad ideas. And then there are GREAT ideas and according to Apple, those start on a Mac computer. Here’s their new commercial featuring the voice of anthropologist Jane Goodall.

The truth is not so sparkly. While some ideas that start on an Apple computer are great, most of the ideas are terrible. Trust me, I have a Mac and I have some terrible ideas. It’s like players in a professional sport. Those are the tippy top of all the talent in the world. But there are many, many other really good athletes, even more average athletes, and multiply that by a thousand for the athletes that “try their best.” Trust me, I’m an athlete that tries my best.

With that said, I’ve had a few great ideas and yes, they started on a Mac! Most of my professional work is video editing and that is 100% on a MacBook. I have moments of brilliance cutting and splicing clips together. Take a look at some of my work below.

I’m totally bragging now. Two of my best (or most favorite?) ideas were also completed on my computer. About 10 years ago I was laid off which is, of course, not something people usually smile about… but during that season, I started writing a lot more. I had written quite a bit for the job I was leaving so it was natural to keep writing, however I was just not getting paid for it anymore. The writing turned into 2 children’s books and I love both of them very much.

The Brave Bamboo

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Big and Small, God Made Them All

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Fortunately for you, I’m not sharing any of the bad ideas that started on a Mac, those are probably deleted and gone! I’m hoping the good, and great, ideas keep rising to the top like a star athlete on the field. How about yourself? What ideas have you pursued, using your computer as a tool to help you get there?

-Out of the Wilderness

Kevin Hart in iPhone 17 commercial – bad jokes, good music

Technically it’s a Verizon commercial but double technical because it’s ALSO an iPhone commercial. And it stars Kevin Hart so I guess that makes it triple threat. A star, a phone, and the best network in under 30 seconds. Take a look then scroll down for more…

The Humor. I don’t want to be a Scrooge so close to Christmas but I bet someone else out there has grown tired of Kevin Hart’s humor. I used to think he was funny but now? Notsomuch. I’m gonna get coals in my stocking for saying that, aren’t I? I’m sure he’s a good dude and I like that he smiles a lot. Adding positivity into the world is a good thing, so I wish him the best and I hope he makes a name for himself. 🙃

The Phone. The iPhone 17 looks like the back end of the discontinued Pontiac Aztek. Shoot, so much for being positive, huh? At the end of the day, most flagship smartphones are great. The iPhone is a great tool. It’s just that I detest the design of the 17. I go into more details here but needless to say, you’ll never catch me with one. I’ve been team Android for a long time and the 17 has never made me more sure of that decision.

The Song. The soundtrack to this commercial, and the best part of the whole ad, is “You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate. Here’ the full track from the 1970s.

Speaking of Christmas, why not pick up my two children’s books for a kids you tolerate? Check them out below…

Big and Small, God Made Them All

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The Brave Bamboo

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-Out of the Wilderness

The Alternate Super Bowl Halftime Show – Why Now?

Upon the announcement of an alternative Super Bowl Halftime Show, the thought topping all my thoughts is this– “Why didn’t someone do this sooner!?” There’s an answer for that but for now I’ll just say I’m fascinated that, for the first time in Super Bowl history, there will be a choice for which performance to watch between the two halves of football. Such a genius idea. Bad Bunny might call it brillante. Except that Bad Bunny is the reason anyone even dreamed to have another option for a halftime show.

a real bad bunny

There have been 59 Super Bowls before the upcoming championship game and not once (that I can remember) has there been an event promoted as a halftime alternative. One reason there’s a swell of support for an alternate show, as stated above, is Bad Bunny. He was chosen to perform and almost immediately the NFL received backlash about picking a performer who’s purposely not performed in the U.S. (for whatever political reasons) and doubled down by telling viewers they have a few months to learn Spanish. The second reason is that for the last few years (not coincidentally lining up with the year Jay Z’s Roc Nation became the halftime show’s production company), the halftime shows have… how would people say this… they’ve sucked! It goes back to 2020 with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. The list of performers since then doesn’t get any better. The Weeknd, who couldn’t find his way out of a mirrored maze. West coast rappers, who are all in their 50s and 60s and probably have arthritis (now 50 Cent is “in da club”… the arthritis club!). Rihanna, walking around as if she was lost in IKEA. Usher, I don’t remember this show at all. Kendrick Lamar, all his music is starting to sound the same.

So why not offer fans an alternative? Part of the reason it’s not happened before is ROI. Return On Investment. It wouldn’t have been beneficial in any way to try competing with the ratings of acts like Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, The Who, Prince, Bruce Springsteen. Bands and performers that appealed to a wide variety of NFL fans. And yes, those were halftime performers before Jay Z took over.

Right now the only brand offering an alternative is Turning Point USA but I can envision years in the future where there are even more options. Especially if Roc Nation remains in place as the official production company for NFL Super Bowl Halftime Shows.

-Out of the Wilderness

Ice is back with a brand new… song?

October is icy and I’m not talking at all about the weather! First, Google has an ad with people talking into ice cream cones. Didn’t see that one coming. Second, everyone’s favorite white rapper (no offense, Eminem) is back with a brand new invention song. Didn’t see that one coming either, but isn’t it just what we need in 2025?

I was just a middle school boy wearing Jordan shoes, sporting a Starter jacket, and crushing on Wendy Binstead. Or was it Heather Abbott? Either way, I always appreciated how Vanilla Ice gave a shout out to my mother in “Ice, Ice Baby.” That was sweet of him. Well, he’s back and he’s still got the 5.0 with the ragtop down so his hair can blow. Does my mom get another shout out, though?

Vanilla Ice comes across as someone who hasn’t ever taken himself too seriously, which is super refreshing, isn’t it? Adam Sandler is another star who knows his farts stink just like ours do. It’s cool to see these two in a music video together, along with a hero in a half shell. I’ve never really loved Ford Mustangs but Ice’s 5.0 is rather sweet, I’ll admit.

-Out of the Wilderness

The ChatGPT Pull-Up Commercial – The Music and What GPT stands for…

ChatGPT recently helped a dude raise his dating game and now it’s helping a dude raise his body. Literally. Gravity is crazy, right? We get excited about pulling our bodies up a few feet like we’re supernatural or something. Have you ever thought about what angels must think of us humans? We get fascinated by some simple things! 🤣

Speaking of simple things, the music. More on that below but first check out how ChatGPT helps get bigger, faster, stronger…

The Music. We are simple creatures on some levels, so the song choice fits. It’s “Someone, Somewhere (In Summertime)” by Simple Minds. Here’s the full track…

Also, have you ever wondered what GPT stands for? You and I are in the same boat then… it stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer.

-Out of the Wilderness