2001: Product Placement Oddity



I watch a lot of films. My friends and most of my family have an understanding that when I say a lot.. I mean an unhealthy amount of DVD's and new release movies are part of my daily existance. I also watch some films more than others. 2001: A Space Odessey is one of those films that I've seen dozens of times and each time I see something new or have a new thought or inspiration from this wonderful film. There are many things in life that I have waited for my son to be of age so that I can share them with him (and he might enjoy or get something out of). I felt that it was time for him to watch 2001 the other night. About 26 minutes into the films when the first dialogue is being spoken he started showing signs of being bored. Sigh. Maybe in a few years he'll enjoy it more. We kept watching the film and only about 10 minutes later into the film (at 35:11 to be exact). WHAM! There was my company's (Whirlpool) logo on one of the futuristic appliances. I've been working for Whirlpool for almost four years, primarily focusing on connected/intelligent appliances. My current work has me looking futher into the future in advanced concepts. Well, staring right back at me was a real flash back, an automated food preparation appliance straight from 2001, er... 1963. It was at this point in the film, after taking a screenshot and performing a quick CSI-like photo enhancement that my son said "cool". Not quite the reaction I was hoping for. The pictures are of 1) the food tray, 2) the scene with the appliance and 3) a close up of the logo on the appliance and 1960's Whirlpool logo and insignia for comparison. I'll never look at the film the same way again.. oh btw.. I started working for Whirlpool in 2001.