Just a link round-up
Dr. Pepper just had a really stupid idea for a treasure hunt in Boston. Did they not watch the city overreact to the Aqua Teen Terror Plot? This idea actually is reprehensible: Dr. Pepper announced via a clue in one of their promotions that it had buried a coin worth as much as one million dollars in the 347-yea-old Granary Burying Ground, final resting place of no less than John Hancock, Paul Revere and Samuel Adams. The city Parks Department first learned of the 23-city treasure hunt for coins redeemable for up to $1 million after contestants complained Tuesday that the graveyard was closed due to icy paths. Fearing damage to the burying ground, parks officials kept it off-limits to treasure hunters. Dr Pepper abruptly ended the promotion in Boston on Thursday, and said it would instead award $10,000, the value of the Boston coin, in a random drawing of area residents who registered for the contest.
Consumerist has a really fun round-up of secret menu items at American chain establishments. I've always been able to get any Taco Bell item regardless of the current promotion, but it is interesting to learn that it is generally accepted that they'll make any historical menu item. I had no idea about the "unhealthy" secret Jamba menu! Starbucks actually has corporate policy that they have to meet whatever insane drink demands you conjure.
Photos of unconventional VW bug modifications/customizations.
Consumerist has a guide to the 10 Worst Marketing Gaffes of All-Time, ranging from New Coke to the Blue Screen of Death at a press conference to the Tylenol scare of 1982, and more.
For the geeks out there, I give you the 10 Largest Databases in the World: Library of Congress, CIA, Amazon, YouTube, ChoicePoint, Sprint, Google, AT&T, NERSC, and the World Data Centre for Climate. Honorable mentions go to Neilsen Media Research, MySpace, United States Customs, and federal laboratories at Lawrence Livermore, Sandia, Los Alamos, and Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique Direction des Applications Militaires.
One last fun reference tool is the history of logos of famous brands. I've always loved the story of how a student created the Nike swoosh in 1971 for a few bucks. The Target logo is the only other one that stands out as sharply as the Nike one for me, but it is missing from the glossary.
Consumerist has a really fun round-up of secret menu items at American chain establishments. I've always been able to get any Taco Bell item regardless of the current promotion, but it is interesting to learn that it is generally accepted that they'll make any historical menu item. I had no idea about the "unhealthy" secret Jamba menu! Starbucks actually has corporate policy that they have to meet whatever insane drink demands you conjure.
Photos of unconventional VW bug modifications/customizations.
Consumerist has a guide to the 10 Worst Marketing Gaffes of All-Time, ranging from New Coke to the Blue Screen of Death at a press conference to the Tylenol scare of 1982, and more.
For the geeks out there, I give you the 10 Largest Databases in the World: Library of Congress, CIA, Amazon, YouTube, ChoicePoint, Sprint, Google, AT&T, NERSC, and the World Data Centre for Climate. Honorable mentions go to Neilsen Media Research, MySpace, United States Customs, and federal laboratories at Lawrence Livermore, Sandia, Los Alamos, and Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique Direction des Applications Militaires.
One last fun reference tool is the history of logos of famous brands. I've always loved the story of how a student created the Nike swoosh in 1971 for a few bucks. The Target logo is the only other one that stands out as sharply as the Nike one for me, but it is missing from the glossary.