#nerd chic

This 1992 masterpiece is essentially the prequel to every Wes Anderson movie ever made. While the parents are busy modeling the "Generic 90s Suburbanite" starter pack, complete with pleated khakis and a sensible blouse, their children have clearly arrived from a future where they run a successful artisanal mayonnaise shop in Portland. The boy is serving pure "Junior tax auditor" energy with that denim-on-bowtie violence, and the girl looks like she's about three seconds away from critiquing the photographer's lighting setup. The copy claims the parents don't recognize them, which is fair, because these kids are clearly the only ones with a distinct brand identity.

AO3 Link

Summary:

Nerd chic ...?

Sharon showed me this inquiry, posted on Facebook by a man she knows:

"Did you know that Lansing, Michigan was the home of the Pocket Protector? It was invented by Hurley Smith. Does anyone out there know how to contact any family members?

Ah-ha ... a research project in the works .

It struck me that Lansing was the perfect place for such an invention - highly practical but about as non-flashy as it gets. I can picture Oldsmobile engineers in their short-sleeved white shirts with pockets securely protected.

According to the Internet, Smith patented the PP in 1947, when fountain pens were notorious leakers and newly-invented ballpoints weren't much better.