Showbits

The Super Bowl is about to begin, and for many people, the main attraction is the commercials. Since recent studies show that a three-hour telecast of a football game has only 11 minutes of actual gameplay, this evening will be a greater bounty for advertisement viewers than for sports enthusiasts.

If history is any indication, it'll be an especially good evening for geeks. Computerworld is running a gallery of ten favorite IT commercials from Super Bowls past (and two terrible ones). Yes, Apple's iconic and much-parodied 1984 ad is there — how could it not be? — but I think my favorite of the lot is "Cat Herders", reminiscent of one of the AFI's funniest films of all-time, City Slickers:

Meanwhile, Network Associates' ad came 15 years after that seminal geek film, WarGames:

What are some of your most memorable Super Bowl ads, from either this year or ones past?

Aliens and Predator used to be renowned horror series, but their latest entries have devolved into uninspired action and camp. So it seems fitting that Sky TV of New Zealand has promoted their recent Alien vs. Predator marathon with these advertisements:

[Show as slideshow]

If only more galactic conflicts could be resolved so cerebrally. It may not make for great cinema, but it's a heckuva lot more relatable. For more love between these two extraterrestrial foes, check out the web comic Alien Loves Predator.

(Hat tip to Dayton Ward)