A word from the Vogue Book of Etiquette (1948, Simon & Schuster) about conversation at a dinner party:

The hostess starts the conversation first with the man at her left, the host with the woman at his right. If there is an uneven number of guests, the hostess may talk to two guests (the two at her left, or the ones at each side of her), but if she has not done this, guests should be careful not to leave one of their number stranded.

Stupid Ad #1: When advertising a somewhat cutting edge movie rental service, it might seem logical to push a new release. And if you’re particularly smart, a new release that was wildly in demand during its theatrical run. If this is truly the way it works, then one can only assume that Netflix believes no movie since 1997 has been as awesome as Men In Black. That said, part of the appeal of using Netflix is its implied guarantee that few titles will ever be completely checked out, so this advertisement at least succeeds in quelling my concerns about Men In Black‘s availability next time I need to see it (which is monthly, obviously).

Stupid Ad # 2: Who would EVER click a link that says More Ads? What sort of person chooses to view more? What kind of marketing strategy is this?