Archive for the 'Potpourri' Category

The Interesting Story of New Coke

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

CokeThe linked article contains the short history of New Coke. Interestingly enough, the whole debacle ended up raising Coke’s market share.

Link: http://www.damninteresting.com/…

Collect $50,000, a Few Pennies at a Time

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

ThiefThis guy took advantage of the fact that when you set up an online brokerage account, the brokerage company will “test” your bank account by making a small deposit. So he wrote a script that opened thousands of accounts linked to a few bank accounts. He was able to collect about $50,000 before getting caught. Although illegal, this was absolutely ingenious. I’m a bit jealous I didn’t think of it first.

Link: http://blog.wired.com/…
(via digg)

Shipping With Amtrak

Thursday, May 1st, 2008

TrainInstead of using standard shipping companies, you can ship via Amtrak and save. The downside is that they don’t deliver directly to your location—packages are picked up at the train station.

Link: http://consumerist.com/…

A New Type of Spam

Thursday, March 20th, 2008

My friend Josh received an ingenious type of spam that uses banner art to spell out the message (and thus circumvent spam filters):

xe    dl  no
ip    jc
 vc  kr
 hc  rv   vv   xjmq    fmltv  wsfm   jbst
 ci  wg   vi      qe  qw  td  ugx       dg
  ixbl    oj   zwxwy  ru  yh  ut     cwxtg
  kqfo    eq  yf  yx  ue  do  gl    om  rb
   wb     vl  jj  il  dz  es  gy    hj  kg
   ke     xl   vdjzj   cerlk  hp     ozkwz
                          mr
                      tlilb

If you look closely, you’ll see that the message is actually made up of text characters:

xe    dl  no
ip    jc
 vc  kr
 hc  rv   vv   xjmq    fmltv  wsfm   jbst
 ci  wg   vi      qe  qw  td  ugx       dg
  ixbl    oj   zwxwy  ru  yh  ut     cwxtg
  kqfo    eq  yf  yx  ue  do  gl    om  rb
   wb     vl  jj  il  dz  es  gy    hj  kg
   ke     xl   vdjzj   cerlk  hp     ozkwz
                          mr
                      tlilb

Daylight Saving Time This Weekend

Friday, March 7th, 2008

ClockIn light of the upcoming switch this weekend, it’s worth noting that a recent study definitively shows that daylight saving time does not save energy—at least not in Indiana.

Link: http://slashdot.org/…

Dilbert in Real Life

Sunday, February 24th, 2008

DilbertAn Iowa man posted this Dilbert cartoon on a bulletin board at work and was fired for it. Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, decided to spoof the situation, starting with last Wednesday’s strip. So here we have a case of art reflecting real life that was affected by the art that’s mimicking it.

Link: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/…
(via Neatorama)

Red Spot Carnival Game Online

Thursday, February 21st, 2008

Red SpotEver played that (extremely difficult) carnival game where you have to completely cover a red circle with five metal disks? As I recall, it was a great way to waste money. All is not lost, however, because there is an online version where you can refine your skills. After quite a bit of practice, I solved it, and am able to repeat it on a fairly consistent basis. Note that the white line around the gray circle counts as part of the circle.

Link: http://www.smart-kit.com/…
(via Neatorama)

FDA Approves Cloned Food

Sunday, January 20th, 2008

CowThe United States Food and Drug Administration has “ruled that meat and milk from cloned pigs, cattle and goats and their offspring is safe.” It’s not necessary to label the products as being from cloned animals.

Link #1: http://news.bbc.co.uk/…

Link #2: http://arstechnica.com/…

Wife-stealing Is Illegal In Mississippi

Monday, January 7th, 2008

DivorceTalk about getting your revenge. And how did he even know about this particular law?

Link: http://afp.google.com/…

Merry Christmas

Tuesday, December 25th, 2007

ChristmasThis short video epitomizes the spirit of Christmas as embraced by Chad’s News. And if you’re reading this on Christmas day, I recommend taking a look here.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/…
(via Engadget)

Groom Swapping

Friday, November 30th, 2007

WeddingIndia definitely has a different way of setting up marriages than we do in the United States. I wonder how the bride felt about this.

Link: http://www.reuters.com/…

What Is Wrong With This Picture?

Tuesday, November 20th, 2007

CrazyTake a close look at the picture in the linked article. There is something very, very wrong with it.

Link: http://www.iambetterthanu.com/…
(via digg)