Jason O’Grady’s Blog

Which one(s) are you going to?

• Coachella - April 25-27 - India, CA (Roger Waters, Prince, Jack Johnson)
• Jam on the River - May 23-25 - Philadelphia, PA (The Flaming Lips, Bassnectar and Disco Biscuits)
• Sasquatch - May 24-26 - George, WA (R.E.M., Modest Mouse, MIA)
• Bonaroo - June 12-15 - Manchester, TN (Pearl Jam, Chris Rock, Tiesto)
• All Good Festival - July 11-13 - Masontown, WV (Phil Lesh & Friends, Widespread Panic, Gov’t Mule)
  
• Lollapalooza - August 1-3 - Chicago, IL (Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, NIN, Kanye West)
  
• Virgin Mobile Festival - August 9, 10 - Baltimore, MD (Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Kanye West, NIN, STP)
  
• Austin City Limits - September, 26-28 - Austin, TX (Bob Dylan, Bjork, The Killers, Wilco)

Philadelphia Food Fight Lands Cousins’ Cheesesteaks in Court
By Jef Feeley

Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) — Two grandsons of Pat Olivieri, the Philadelphia hot-dog vendor credited with inventing the cheesesteak sandwich in the 1930s, are battling in court over the right to be the city’s “King of Steaks.”

Frank Olivieri Jr., who runs the family’s 74-year-old South Philadelphia cheesesteak stand, Pat’s King of Steaks, sued his cousin last month for allegedly misusing their grandfather’s name. Rick Olivieri is accused of incorporating Pat’s trademark phrase and crown logo in advertisements for his own shops.

At stake is the title of cheesesteak king in a city where stands like Pat’s and cross-street rival Geno’s crank out the sandwiches 24 hours a day, mounding thinly sliced fried steak on an Italian roll with melted cheese and fried onions.

“This is not a family-feud kind of thing,” said Scott Pollack, Frank’s attorney. “If someone is using our trademarked material, regardless of whether they are a family member or not, we’re going to take steps to make them stop.”

Frank Olivieri contends that his cousin engaged in trademark infringement, unfair competition and trade name infringement through his use of the Pat’s King of Steaks material, according to the complaint, filed Oct. 16 in federal court. He’s asking a judge to bar further use and force Rick Olivieri to pay unspecified monetary damages.

Neither Rick Olivieri nor his lawyer, Charles Bruton, returned repeated phone calls for comment. In papers answering the complaint, Rick Olivieri denied misusing his cousin’s trademarked material. No trial date has been set, Pollack said.

More at Bloomerg.com.

I live about 10 minutes from Atlantic City and I found this blog post especially interesting - and true.

From a design/experience perspective, casinos are fascinating places:

1) There are no windows. Gamblers have no idea whether it’s light or dark or sunny or rainy outside.

2) There are no clocks. Dealers are forbidden from wearing watches. Time becomes meaningless.

3) There’s intentionally poor navigation. They are built like mazes meaning it’s usually tough to find a way out.

4) There’s a constant barrage of noises. Slot machines spin, games ding and dong, coins hit metal, there’s the pitter patter of the people running the games, etc. Many of these sounds, like the ringing of the slots, is there to give you a false sense of hope (“If all of those bells are ringing, somebody must be winning!”).

5) Loose slot machines — ones that pay out more often — are placed near highly trafficked areas (e.g. the aisles, change booth, restaurants, etc.) so more people witness winners.

6) There’s constant research on all aspects of the sensory experience: scents, colors, interior design, and the angles of lights (e.g. light that hits people’s foreheads is a no-no because it apparently drains gamblers of energy).

7) The attire (or lack thereof) of everyone who works there contributes to the atmosphere (e.g. dealers in uniforms, pit bosses in suits, servers in skimpy outfits, etc.)

For the other seven, click over to 37 Signals corporate blog.