"Obsession" by Mazda

I changed a brake light in the '05 MPV yesterday. The light bulb unscrews from an opening in the housing... that is exactly the same shape as one of those famous spinning triangles. Is it just me, or is that slightly obsessive? Do any other manufacturers do this subliminal branding thing?

Maybe it's just a coincidence and you're the obsessed one?

You're seeing conspiracies where none exist.

I'll bet you believe in Bigfoot, UFOs and a multishooter conspiracy on Kennedy's death.

Take a look at the ventilation control buttons in a MINI Cooper. Now, look at the badge.

My dad's '66 Fulvia's door handle pushbuttons are the same shape as the Lancia badge.

The back windows on some of the newer Chevrolet "crossover" SUVs (Traverse comes to mind) remind me of the old hood emblem on the front of the old 210 sedans/ Bel Air's.

ransom wrote:

so is the dark patch at 9:00 O-Clock a blown apex seal???

Stealthtercel wrote: I changed a brake light in the '05 MPV yesterday. The light bulb unscrews from an opening in the housing... that is exactly the same shape as one of those famous spinning triangles. Is it just me, or is that slightly obsessive? Do any other manufacturers do this subliminal branding thing?

what's wrong with it? it helps build brand recognition across the range.

Granted it can be taken too far with Ford's oval obcession when it came to the jelleybean shaped Taurus.. especially the wagon.

I kinda wish my '05 MPV had a turbo'd 3-rotor in it. That would be cool, at least until I had to put gas in it.

I swapped the entire RH taillight assembly a while back after my wifey backed into something with it. I never noticed the triangle thingie.

The triangle thingie is what the bulbs screw into. If you changed the whole housing c/w bulbs I don't think it would be obvious. This is part of why I'm so intrigued by the whole deal: rotor-shaped holes in the seats of an RX-8 I totally understand: everybody can see them. But taillight bulb sockets in an entirely different vehicle??

Stealthtercel wrote: The triangle thingie is what the bulbs screw into. If you changed the whole housing c/w bulbs I don't think it would be obvious. This is part of why I'm so intrigued by the whole deal: rotor-shaped holes in the seats of an RX-8 I totally understand: everybody can see them. But taillight bulb sockets in an entirely different vehicle??

Now you've got me itching to pull the bulbs out of a perfectly good taillight just to have a look! Curse you!

I have to say, I walked past an RX-8 a couple of weeks ago, and cringed at the holes in the seats.

There are many places to put holes, creases, depressions, and imprints on a car. There are reasons both practical and aesthetic for the shapes chosen for all these features.

Banging on about the magic spinning triangles to that extent just reminds me of the terrible plastic halloween costumes I remember kids having where the bulk of the costume consisted of a plastic bib with a picture of what they were supposed to be on it.

Or like the Adidas driving sneakers which I still grudgingly buy. The first ones looked like shoes race drivers wear. And then they sprouted faux carbon fiber inserts in places that made no sense. And then they sprouted vents that looked like they belonged on the car, not the shoe. (EDIT: they've gotten kinda dumb-looking, but I really like the stiffish sneaker soles for both general wear and driving; hence the still buying them, though they're getting thin on the ground in the waning of fast and furious marketing)

They'd let designers who had no appreciation of the subject matter take over and just start making whatever connection made sense to their non-racing brains...

Well, if you don't want to hear about it, then get off my lawn!

ummm adidas makes heals???? ugly as sin cant believe anyone would spend 430 dollars on them heals but still wtf!!!!

In reply to KATYB:

I'm cringing as I blow $60 on sneakers. I shudder to think what the designers would do given the aesthetic/functional requirements for heels and the price point. It might make me feel better about the sneakers, but I don't think I want to know...

And now that Racinginc has made me think of it, the rear marker lights on my Dad's 69 Toronado were the shape of the Olds Rocket. Very cool memory – thanks!

ransom wrote: In reply to KATYB: I'm cringing as I blow $60 on sneakers. I shudder to think what the designers would do given the aesthetic/functional requirements for heels and the price point. It might make me feel better about the sneakers, but I don't think I want to know...

functional? how is a heal ever functional? and yes they are hideous http://www.y-3store.com/item/store/Y-3/tskay/D8050A6E/rr/1/cod10/44289554KT/gender/woman/agerange/Adult/areaid//sts/ thats one of the better looking ones...

its scary when you get to this http://www.y-3store.com/item/store/Y-3/tskay/D8050A6E/rr/1/cod10/44289578RD/gender/woman/agerange/Adult/areaid//sts/

KATYB wrote: functional? how is a heal ever functional?

Exactly; the designers are under almost no constraints. One shudders...

no constrants? you get these...

In reply to mad_machine:

lol. thank god that is not a real shoe.

real enough that you can buy them and try to wear them

Devious shoes

see that right there makes me want to wear sneakers for the rest of mylife its a ballet shoe that you couldnt dance in and is a promise to break every toe u have if you tryed to walk. ok end of thread jack im too upset to even consider the fact that some poor women has actually purchased those.

sorry to have upset you, Katy. I knew about those shoes because I had a girlfriend who had a pair. They were mostly worn IN bed for fun.. but I think she did try to walk in them on occasion.

She never broke any toes.. so she was either successful or just never got far enough.

omg. ill admit i wear heals constantly normally in the 3-4 inch range. this is for 3 reasons (one my partner is 5'10 and wears heals herself alot so i dont look like midget girl) (2: im too lazy to hem up slacks and jeans so heals get worn alot so i dont walk on them) 3: well they make my butt look nice. but something like that omg i would never even try and if i were to see them in a store id prob start laughing histericlly. (this coming from the girl who has a pair of 4 inch healed bowling shoes)

Continuing the threadjack with car related shoes:

Hotlinked, of course.