Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Wordplay for Fun and Not Profit, Yet

A few weeks ago, I uploaded my latest video onto YouTube.  I had been doing a series of these videos ever since I got my computer.  I had a filming app, so I thought that I might as well use it.  For the most part, it has been an endeavor to get more attention for my store, Booknotes, as the videos are all of me creating new versions of the logo for the store.  Well, the most recent of these "Making the Logo" movies had the theme of "Ambigrams."  You can catch the video here.  For anyone who doesn't know, an ambigram is word that is written in such a way so that it can be read the same if turned upside-down.  Frequently, this entails using unique formations of the letters and the connections between them.  Many such constructions use barely legible formations to get the point across.  However, some are readily and easily readable.  For instance, take the word "pod."  In many typefaces, the word will look the same way upside-down.  Just look at the following examples:

        pod         pod       pod          pod

Note that the effect is better in some fonts than others.  Also, I am sorry if you cannot easily turn your screen to see the effect.  Well, I cross-post a link to my videos on my Facebook page, so I can get more people to see them.  I also post the videos directly onto my store's business page.  It makes sense since that is what I am trying to promote.  Anyway, I got an unexpected message from an ambigram fan a few days after I posted the vid on the page.  This is more than I have gotten from YouTube.  Sure, I had a follower (!), but that was months ago.  I don't even think I've had any comments either.  Here, I had a message encouraging me to create more of these ambigrams.  I have yet to respond, especially since this person just debuted their own page full of such wordplay.  I just posted a video to have fun and promote the store, not start a fanbase.  I don't think.  I first learned of ambigrams decades ago from an article in GAMES World of Puzzles magazine, back when it was just GAMES.  I never thought I would ever make one.  Well, I have made more than that, as I have tried to create one based on my name.  It does work.  Technically, it is a form of wordplay even if it is not a real puzzle.  Puzzle and game creation is somewhere between a hobby and a possible profession.  I use possible, since I don't think there is that much money that I could directly make from such a venture.  I don't even have ads set up on any of my sites yet.  I am not even sure how I could set such a thing up, even if I wanted to, which I might.  I could, maybe.  It is obvious there is some type of market for such things.

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