Word: toying
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...Fish and Bicycles The possibility that the segway will be viewed as simply a high-end toy, a jet ski on wheels, is one of Kamen's greatest concerns, especially after Sept. 11. He wants his machine taken seriously, as a serious solution to serious problems. That anxiety was one of the reasons he and his team decided to concentrate at first on major corporations, universities and government agencies--large, solid, established institutions--rather than dive straight into the consumer marketplace...
...Empty consumerism becomes the running theme of the book, typified by the series of stories about Rusty Brown, a nasty collector of pop-culture detritus. He lives in filth but owns the complete Summer of '87 Happy Meal toy series. It's the only work by Ware to clearly condemn a character without offering any sort of forgiveness. This gives the Rusty Brown vignettes a certain savagery but with limited scope. The whole book, owing chiefly to its "gag" format, begins to feel like the same note being hit over and over. It lacks the rich development of the Jimmy...
...child too young to have illusions. What is, is--and is seen with wondering ruthlessness. The son of nonreligious Jews, Andris, whose father was a partner in a dairy business, first shows himself to the reader on his third birthday, Sept. 2, 1939, scooting in a new toy car along the promenade on the banks of the Danube. Grove does not mention that one day earlier, Hitler had invaded Poland...
...front half of every floor. You could see into the apartments on all four stories, like a doll's house." In March 1944 the German army marched into Hungary: "The German soldiers...wore shiny boots and had a self-confident air about them. They reminded me of my toy soldiers...I was impressed." Soon the Jews were required to wear a yellow Star of David. The Nazis took away the family's radio: forbidden. They arrested the building superintendent's wife for bringing chicken soup and mashed potatoes to Andris when he was sick: against the law to feed Jews...
Savvy marketers know that before you can sell a new toy for kids you have to seduce the parents too. Since the world is full of folks over 30 with fond memories of pogoing till they dropped, it's about time someone reinvented this retro favorite. The new Airgo replaces the metal springs of classic pogo sticks with an air pump for a smoother, quieter ride. Of course, kids--and grownups too--may have to land on their fanny a few times before they get the hang...