Screen grabs: disoriented, time-traveling Hodgman takes call on upside down iPhone
By Ryan Block 
posted March 20th 2008 12:54PM
posted March 20th 2008 12:54PM
Our latest micro-series, Screen grabs chronicles the uses (and occasional misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with a screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com.
Last night's Daily Show discussion on the nation's impending recession prompted John Hodgman (aka PC) to bust out his Uncle Rico-esque time machine to take a peek into our collective economic future. We're still trying to decide whether it's richer in irony that (not unlike Jon Stewart) Hodgman uses an iPhone, or that he pulled it out and used it upside down Charlie Sheen / Bionic Woman style. Video after the break.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Update: The Hodg-man emailed -- it wasn't intentional. Apparently he was worried about breaking the antique stock-ticker and was distracted. Although we'd like to think it's because he just used a real life time machine -- for reals. Either way, there you go.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Update: The Hodg-man emailed -- it wasn't intentional. Apparently he was worried about breaking the antique stock-ticker and was distracted. Although we'd like to think it's because he just used a real life time machine -- for reals. Either way, there you go.
Was he looking at a picture??? If you are looking at pictures then
you can easily hold it upside down...
Considering that he is "PC" in the Mac ads he may not have ever used an apple product...
I'm just kidding, it is a very easy mistake, expecially since he didnt even look at it when he picked it up.
Actually he's been a mac user since '84...
The only reason I know that is because I just looked up the guy on wiki... Did you know he wrote about hoboes? How awesome is that?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hodgman
@Luigi193
It's true he wrote about hobos, but he made up everything he said. The Areas of My Expertise (full title: An Almanac of Complete World Knowledge Compiled with Instructive Annotation and Arranged in Useful Order by myself, John Hodgman, a Professional Writer, in the Areas of My Expertise, which Include: Matters Historical, Matters Literary, Matters Cryptozoological, Hobo Matters, Food, Drink & Cheese (a Kind of Food), Squirrels & Lobsters & Eels, Haircuts, Utopia, What Will Happen in the Future, and Most Other Subjects) is really a funny book, I highly recommend it. It's written like an old almanac, full of facts, figures, history and useful information... But it's all just made up and very amusing.
I'm a PC because I tried using Apple products, and then went back
i so saw that last night and thought it was hilarious, if it was intended or not
Yes, and John Stewart has a stack of blue pages that he doesn't use...it's called a "prop". If the phone had been the right way, would you be convinced there was someone on the other end?
Or rather, "Jon"
Jon does use those blue pages for reference, they're the script to the show. As the crowd shuffles out after each taping, one of the assistants gives them to an audience member, with Jon's scribblings on them.
I've got some from Aug 2007, and no they're not on ebay. :D
Is that Stewart's iPhone of Oscar fame or does Hodgman have his own?
We of course can answer this because we all work backstage on The Daily Show.
Luigi- the best thing about Hodgeman are his 700 hobo names as read by him in his classic (audio) book:
Areas of my expertise: An Almanac of Complete World Knowledge Compiled with Instructive Annotation and Arranged in Useful Order by myself, John Hodgman, a Professional Writer, in the Areas of My Expertise, which Include: Matters Historical, Matters Literary, Matters Cryptozoological, Hobo Matters, Food, Drink & Cheese (a Kind of Food), Squirrels & Lobsters & Eels, Haircuts, Utopia, What Will Happen in the Future, and Most Other Subjects
My personal favorite Hobo Name is: Bum-hating Virgil Hatebum
I'm a Mac user and I never really cared much for those commercials. Those two grown men acting like little kids was sort of weird. I never liked Apple making fun of PCs even though it was supposed to be in good humor. I wonder if those ads really did help Apple to sell computers to PC users.
I did enjoy the Mac ad with Gisele Bundchen (that guy dressed as a drag queen was a laugh) and I thought the Vista vs Mac security ad was mildly amusing, but none of that stuff would I take seriously. If I was a PC user those ads sure wouldn't make me switch. PC guy was very likeable, but Apple guy came off as a bit of a snob. I'll be glad when they retire those commercials.
I only know that Macs are selling like crazy and whatever the cause of that is I'm truly grateful for. Personally I think it's the Apple stores that make people want to buy Macs.
or its not important enough to talk about
Hodgman is hilarious. His book "Areas of my Expertise" is great on audio book, wth Jonathan Coulton's help! Good stuff. Bill@SW360
See, you guys are all nuts. These are all special edition upside down iPhones that they only give out to stars like Hodgeman and Sheen.
Yeah.. I bet it all makes sense now to the rest of you.
The irony is that he's the PC 'geek' and yet he has enough of a life to either not know or not care which way he is holding the iPhone. That makes him freakin' James Bond compared to the people for whom this is a issue.
Did anybody else catch the Python (Monty) reference in this scene?
The bird? I didn't recognize any specific line but I was waiting for it.
ironically enough, i saw this last night and i was wondering if anyone else caught the fact that it was upside down... engadget can read my mind...
Yes. & they recommend you stop thinking about that thing you were thinking about. You know the thing. Wait. Stop. You're thinking about it right now.
Obviously, the only way to know for sure if we're in a recession is the presence of Space Invaders.
anyone notice the fat nano on the time traveling helmet?
We're still trying to decide whether it's richer in irony that Hodgman an iPhone...
What?
AT&T service is still so horrible in the future that you have to hold the phone upside down?
I wonder if he payed a dollar for that bird ringtone.
Boo hoo hoo, I'm a grumpy troll.
Later...
Peace out!
Lighten up Rick.
Take a deep breath. Feel better?
I personally don't mind that this site is pro Apple and pro Blu-Ray.
I've been an Apple-Head for about 4 years now and this is one place I come to get my daily fix.
You do realize that you don't HAVE to come here if it's not to your liking.
There are plenty of sites out there bashing Apple that you could join.
I'm addicted to Apple and don't want to live in a world without it.
They must be putting something in the stuff.
"We're still trying to decide whether it's richer in irony that (not unlike Jon Stewart) Hodgman an iPhone, or that he pulled it out and used it upside down Charlie Sheen / Bionic Woman style."
???
That's just a bunch of words disguised as a sentence. What the hell?
maybe it's just me, but i think that's the xbox live headset he's wearing as part of the "time machine" too.
the original xbox live headset, that is. you can clearly see a cord going down, its got a larger microphone, a silver strip, then goes back to the ear, and when he turns his head I believe I see the behind-the-head band that those original xbox live headsets had too.
maybe i'm just looking where there is nothing
But I spent a lot of time on xbox live and that looks familiar
The main character on "that other short-lived NBC based-in-SF show that may or may have not had a time traveller or two in it"* did the same thing! Are Upside-Down iPhones a new customization, not unlike the diamond studded ones?
*(Journeyman)
Yeah when I saw him do that I thought to myself he was using it upside down but quickly forgot it.