# Things You've Never Noticed, and Now You Can't Stop Noticing **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 26, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368 "2004-06-26T23:28:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/61 "2004-06-30T03:03:42Z")
> [@usar\_jag](#): > > For me, I have never noticed the arrow in the Federal Express (FedEx) logo, until someone pointed out what a smooth, almost subliminal advertising technique that is… In a similar vein, the logo for the Big Ten athletic conference ([www.bigten.org](http://www.bigten.org)), there’s an “11” hidden in the negative space on either side of the T. Because there are 11 teams in the Big Ten. When I watch movies, I often start to pay attention to how often (or how infrequently) the actors blink. In the movie **Forrest Gump** there’s stock footage of JFK and RFK right after each other, and each wipes his hair out of his eyes. So then I started watching politicians to see if they do the same. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/62 "2004-06-30T03:15:58Z")
> [@Lightnin'](#): > > Shannon Dougherty. You know, from 90210 and that damn scare show on Sci-Fi. > > Several years ago, I noticed that her left eye is higher and squintier than her right… and now. I. CAN’T. STOP. SEEING. IT. > > Honestly, she’s now become absolutely hideous to my eyes. _shudder_ Yeah, a friend ruined her for me a couple of years back with that same trick. She’s a freak! My other one is that the studio audience laughs after almost EVERY LINE in “That 70’s Show”. Line - Laugh - Line - Laugh - Line - Laugh. It’s unnerving. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/63 "2004-06-30T06:06:26Z")
I had to follow a FedEx truck for eight blocks this afternoon. YOU BASTARDS! ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/64 "2004-06-30T11:17:19Z")
[Wachovia Bank](http://www.wachovia.com/misc/0,,231,00.html). Not for their free checking promotion. Not even for the fact that the first part of this decade seems to be their time to reign supreme in the small bank universe. That will change soon enough when they become a little more established and get swallowed by an even bigger fish. Small bank dynasties only last as long as your typical Rosie McDonnell production run on Broadway. It’s their name: **Wachovia**. At first, when there were just a few branches in the area, I didn’t give their name a moment’s thought. I assumed they took their namesake from either a Wisconsin Indian tribe or from founder’s Slavic mother-in-law. Recently, as I was driving down road and happened to pass the 5th Wachovia branch within a 2 mile radius, I realized their name wasn’t likely taken from Eastern Europe or the American Midwest - but probably came from a Madsion Avenue type with a 7-figure salary and NY accent. _Wachovia / Watch Over Ya_ - It _can’t_ be a coincidence. Things like this just don’t happen by mistake. That cutesy little name I originally assumed was rooted in some long passed tradition was more likely coined to subliminally give people who keep their money there a false sense of security. Since my epiphany, there are even more branches and I’m getting more paranoid. They’re _‘watching over me’_ everywhere - like Big Brother. I can’t hide. I’m not afforded any privacy. I’m starting to think they’re not a neighborhood bank at all. Perhaps they’re just a front for some evil cabal from the illuminati, the UN one-worlders in black helicopters and the homeland security department. ---
**Author:** ![Winnie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e480ec/32.png) [@Winnie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winnie)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/65 "2004-06-30T14:18:37Z")
A few years ago I was pulled over for having my tags extremely expired (I completely flaked out and didn’t ever renew them). Now I have to look at everyone’s month/year stickers on their license plates to see if they’re expired. If I do see someone’s expired I watch it as long as I possibly can. I notice people’s expirations everywhere I go. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/66 "2004-06-30T14:37:33Z")
**I See Fat People** I had never really paid much attention to how many overweight people there are in this country until recently. Now, I can’t seem to go anywhere without seeing a behemoth packed into clothes that are three sizes too small (man or woman). I don’t know if it due to all the reporting about obese children, or the low-carb diet issue, but, man, I’ve noticed that there are a whole lot of people out there who are in terribly poor physical condition. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/67 "2004-06-30T15:09:50Z")
> [@usar\_jag](#): > > …For me, I have never noticed the arrow in the Federal Express (FedEx) logo, until someone pointed out what a smooth, almost subliminal advertising technique that is… Your OP as well as **easy e** ’s Big Ten athletic conference hidden 11 reference reminds me of the Chicago White Sox logo that came into vogue about 10 years ago: [Image Link](http://www.famousfoto.com/tin-signs/bb7.jpg) _[Wilson Brian Key]_ It looks too much like the word Sex to be an accident _[/Wilson Brian Key]_ ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/68 "2004-06-30T15:36:12Z")
**Winnie** , when my husband and I started dating, he pointed out expired tags (the little stickers) all the time, and now I see them, too. I can’t help but look for them. **plnnr** - me, too. I was fat recently, and have lost just over 70 pounds during the last year through to diet and exercise. I can’t help but notice how fat and out-of-shape a lot of people are. We’ve been going to the pool every day the last two weeks since school let out, and I can’t help but see people (and kids!) who are just enormous and yet stuffing themselves with junk from the candy machine and snack bar non-stop. - This is NOT a slam against overweight people. I know there are many, may reasons people are overweight. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/69 "2004-06-30T18:52:40Z")
…Also, about the blue lines in between posts, they are of varying thickness. Some are one pixel thin, and there are steps in between that one and the full thick one. ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/70 "2004-06-30T19:21:30Z")
I catch myself obsessing over whether I’m breathing with my “diaphragm” (and usually just end up giving my stomach muscles a good workout) or if I’m leading with my right foot to much when I walk. (The second obsession is somewhat legitamite, though: in college I biked a lot and ended up disproportionately building up my right leg muscles, which led to some painful knee problems.) ---
**Author:** ![JohnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/71 "2004-06-30T20:31:52Z")
> [@JohnBckWLD](#): > > Not even for the fact that the first part of this decade seems to be their time to reign supreme in the small bank universe. That will change soon enough when they become a little more established and get swallowed by an even bigger fish. Small bank dynasties only last as long as your typical Rosie McDonnell production run on Broadway. I think Wachovia has grown to the point where they’re no longer in the small bank universe. From Yahoo financials, they’re the sixth largest money center bank in the country in market cap. Their pending acquisition of SouthTrust may make them the fourth largest bank in the country, according to this [Yahoo](http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/040621/323/ewdhw.html) article. So, get used to the name, I’m afraid it’s going to be around for a while. And, while they _claim_ a more innocuous [origin](http://wachovia.com/inside/page/0,,132_148,00.html) for their name, now that you’ve pointed out the phrase “watching over you”, I’m actually hearing in my head “walking over you”, which might be more accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/72 "2004-06-30T20:35:58Z")
Teeth. Mother of god, TEETH. I’ve been working in an orthodontist surgery for the last six months and I am now obsessed with mis-aligned teeth. I can’t help noticing when someone has a diastema or buccally placed lower incisors. These words don’t mean anything to anyone outside of the dental profession but they haunt ALL MY WAKING HOURS. Teeth. Everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/73 "2004-06-30T21:06:30Z")
> [@JohnBckWLD](#): > > Your OP as well as **easy e** ’s Big Ten athletic conference hidden 11 reference reminds me of the Chicago White Sox logo that came into vogue about 10 years ago: > > [Image Link](http://www.famousfoto.com/tin-signs/bb7.jpg) In a more self-aggrandizing vein, former Cleveland Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien bought a minor-league basketball franchise in Toronto several years after his disastrous NBA stint. Stepien nicknamed the new team the Towers. In the logo, the base of the CN Tower formed an “N” between the “W” and “E” of “TOWERS”, while the “T” and “S” were larger than the intervening letters. So the (presumably intended) effect was to subtly announce that “TS” ( **T** ed **S** tepien) was the **OWNER** of the club. ---
**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/74 "2004-06-30T21:25:15Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > OK, here’s one for almost everyone to observe - Microsoft’s cursors are wonky. Look closely, and you’ll see the tail isn’t in line with the point. I’ve always noticed this but i cant say it bugs me in all honesty. National Express’ logo (i think its theirs) is the arrow made up of mirrored N… i think it always jumped out at me as a shark… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/75 "2004-07-01T00:18:57Z")
Thanks, **Monstro** , I’ve been wondering about those ugly weed-trees for years. That must’ve involved a fair amount of research, identifying it by name. Men’s eyebrows. Highly-arched half-moon brows. Unibrows. Unkempt brows that would look so much nicer with a bit of shaping. Overgrown, tufted old-man brows… When I was younger, I never really noticed them, one way or the other. Music by bands I like (and of my generation) being co-opted by commercial interests. I’m resolutely ambivalent about it – proud and happy for them, glad they managed to get well paid (often for the first time) for their music – but a bit sad, too. I’m not talking about the Beatles, the Stones, or The Who, but The Beta Band and the like. The latest spotting: “Uncontrollable Urge” by Devo, in a car commercial. I’ve written about this before in these boards, but… the stock “WWII-airplane-going-down-in-flames” sound is used in action movies, and esp. James Bond flicks. Doesn’t matter if it’s a helicopter or what, it still gets the jet (prop?) scream. If any aero experts can elaborate further on this sound, I’d be grateful. In movies and TV, characters opening the fridge door very wide and leaving it open for a ridiculous period of time. (Although some people I know do this, too, so maybe it’s not just a cinematic visual cliche.) Movie-'fridge corollary observation: those only-in-the-movies 'fridges that emit a brilliant white light. Used frequently in the '80’s and in supernatural thrillers. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/76 "2004-07-01T03:27:35Z")
[walken]I’ve, got a fever and the; only cure is. more cowbell[/walken] (Punctuation added for that extra Walken feel). But other then that, the song Bang a Gong. Ever since I noticed that they say “You’re dirty sweet” 8000 times during the course of the song, I have to change the station when it comes on. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/77 "2004-07-01T06:34:20Z")
> [@No Disguise](#): > > The cowbell in Blue Oyster Cult’s _Don’t Fear the Reaper_. Damn SNL. You’re going to hate me for this, but Fleetwood Mac’s Hold Me also has a cowbell. I saw the SNL sketch a while back, and for the most part forgot about it except that it was about one of those late '70s/early '80s bands in a recording studio. Somehow I misremembered Fleetwood Mac instead of BOC. They showed the sketch again more recently and I thought “wait a minute - that’s not the band I thought it was.” Now every time I hear Hold Me I hear that damn cowbell! ---
**Author:** ![Daftbugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Daftbugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daftbugger)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/78 "2004-07-01T12:33:53Z")
Michael Winner looks like a koala. You’ll never take him seriously again. [For those who don’t know what he looks like](http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/36615000/jpg/_36615217_winner150.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/79 "2004-07-01T12:56:26Z")
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=156600&highlight=afghan+hound+cher](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=156600&highlight=afghan+hound+cher) **SnugtheJoiner** ruined Cher for me in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368/80 "2004-07-01T13:06:15Z")
What’s all this about the Microsoft cursors not being straight? Do you mean the standard Windows mouse arrow? It looks straight to me, as far as possible with the limits of pixelisation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-never-noticed-and-now-you-cant-stop-noticing/252368.md?page=5)