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Happy MAR10 Day 🍄 (Super Mario Bros., 1985)
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Happy Birthday Jon Hamm (1971) — Don Draper, Mad Men
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Happy Anniversary ☎️ — first telephone call (1876)
Mario, Mad Men, and the Telephone
Today’s Link Salad connects three very different moments in cultural and technological history.
First, MAR10 Day — widely celebrated as Mario Day, because “MAR10” resembles the name Mario. Nintendo’s famous plumber entered gaming history with the release of Super Mario Bros. in 1985, launching one of the most recognisable characters in global entertainment.
Second, today is the birthday of Jon Hamm (born 1971), best known for playing Don Draper in Mad Men. Draper is the archetypal 1960s advertising executive — sharp, focused, and ruthlessly competitive.
Finally, today also marks the anniversary of the first telephone call in 1876, the breakthrough that began the global communications revolution.
The image for today’s post plays with those three ideas.
In a pixel-art race set in the Mushroom Kingdom, Don Draper is driving ahead of the field in a Mario-style kart. Behind him, his fellow advertising executives are all talking on their mobile phones.
The visual joke is simple.
Draper is winning the race because he is the only one not distracted.
The telephone was one of the most transformative inventions in history. It connected people across cities, countries and eventually the world.
But modern mobile phones present a curious twist to that story.
They are extraordinarily useful tools — yet many would argue they are also one of the greatest sources of distraction ever invented.
Today’s image celebrates the brilliance of the telephone… while gently reminding us that the smartest move is simply to keep your eyes on the road. 📞🍄🏁