Foggy Hollow Searchlight

One of our writers was getting a little too creative... We rejected this ad copy on the basis that it is, well, entirely fiction. But it made nice writing. Do you think anyone would have bought one because of this story?

Searchlight

I stopped to catch my breath. I'd been running for a half hour along the shore, over the jagged rocks and through woods, and was getting nowhere fast. I looked up at the night sky, bogged by storm clouds. No moon in sight. All I could see was my breath... some of my final breaths, perhaps. It was nearly midnight. Where was I? How did I get here? My vessel wrecked somewhere on the Atlantic shoreline, a few nautical miles south of Halifax, or so I thought. The faint howling in the dark, drizzly night was getting louder, adding to what I was positively certain would be my untimely death. I couldn't see the blood pouring from my knee, but the warmth on my hand told me all I needed to know. It was no use, I'd never—wait... what was that in the distance?

It was the brightest light I'd ever seen, like staring into the mid-day sun. I followed the beam of light through the dense fog. I didn't know where it was leading, and I didn't care. I needed something, anything, to give me some hope. I walked for what seemed like an eternity. Where was this light coming from?

Here I am, years later, and I don't need to tell you how that fateful night ended. I like to think part of what kept me alive was instinct and intuition, but I know better. It was that searchlight, a good kilometer down the shoreline, that kept me going.

It belonged to an old fisherman. He kept that light burning all through the night, figuring someday it might well save his life if he ever sailed too far off shore. Well, I thanked him kindly, then got my own. And now you can have yours.

The Foggy Hollow Searchlight isn't just practical and useful, it's also a great way to add light and decor to your home.

The Florence Duomo

Italian Egg on our Afinia Faces...

Some things I know. For everything else, there's the Internet.

Unfortunately, as it turns out, not everything on the Internet is true. So our first round of research and ad copy on the Florence Duomo model included some, er, minor fallacies.

Fortunately, and not surprisingly, one of our customers gently pointed out the, um, 6 significant errors.

This is now one of my favorite customers because this is the kind of thing I would do (if the topic were something I knew about, which clearly it is not).

His name is Jon. Jon's e-mail subject was 'Helpful suggestion'. It then proceeds to point out factual errors, without suggesting anything. (okay, so 'fix the errors' is more or less implicit...)

• The Florence Duomo was begun in 1296, which is the 13th century. (We had 12th. This is a more or less common error. So, kids, remember: This year, 2009, is part of the 21st century. One variation on this common error can come in handy if you want to look older. When you are 15, you can tell people you are 'in your 16th year'. Remember, Afinia is not recommending anything illegal, and we are not liable for consequences derived from this useful piece of English idiomatic custom. Technically, you still need a drivers license.)



• The Florence Duomo was designed and built by Brunelleschi, not Michelangelo. (It's all Italian to me!)



• Michelangelo lived in the 15th and 16th century, not the 12th century. (Come on now, we were only off by 3 [hundred years]!)



• The spelling of his name is not "Michaelangelo". (Yes, but you have to admit our way is cooler. When I get to the other side, I'll have a chat with my friend Micky A about changing his name spelling)



• The model, while attractive does not resemble the dome of the Florence Duomo. (Okay, I'm stuck here. To my untrained eye they look similar. But I have the feeling this guy knows what he's talking about. My intuition says he's not working off a photo from a history book... He's probably seen it in person.)



• Neither does it resemble the celbrated dome at St Peters, which Micheangelo did design, other than the cute ogee brackets, which have been moved from the lantern to the barrel portion of the structure. (Okay, I'm definitely out of my league here.)

Kudos to Jon for cleaning our clocks (or domes) architecturally.

Welcome

Once upon a time, there were a couple of guys that worked in electronics for so long that they wanted to try something different. This is their story.

Afinia is an adventure story. In the process of travelling around the world, they developed a taste for unique and fine things. They touched, examined, hefted, and, well, ogled thousands of products from around the world.

We (abrupt change from third person!) offer only the very best of the things we have found. We search for things that stand out in their category. That's why you find the (shameless product plug!) Frank Lloyd Wright Globes from Replogle. Not just a $59 special from (in the interest of not getting sued, we have omitted the name of the big store with the red bullseye logo here) with a paper ball and a plastic base. You know, the good stuff. If you don't understand the purpose of a $350 globe, well, move along.

If nothing else, you should spend some time reading our product copy on the website. I think it's interesting reading - we spend a lot of time writing it ourselves and trying to really create a sense of each product's cool-factor.

We've even hidden some funny things in the site - ranging from quirky examples to tear-jerking one-liners.

This site, Afinia Times, is an outlet for the stuff that didn't really have a place there. Quips that didn't fit in the copy. Background information that helps you understand the product. And an insider glimpse in to a catalog company that you generally won't get without working for one.

By the way, we also pride ourselves on our grammatical and spelling prowess. That's part of what makes our product copy great. But we have deliberately hidden mistakes throughout the website, and there's a small prize if you identify one and alert us. The prize is (drumroll) a sense of satisfaction at having been able to better us in our pursuit of linguistic excellence. Someday maybe we'll give out t-shirts too.

Enjoy.