Posts from November, 2008

As we learned from Pulp Fiction, bacon is good. And apparently it’s good for more than eating. Just thought I’d notify you Cyber Monday shoppers of some interesting bacon gifts I discovered thanks to a friend who identifies himself as a bacon (um, we’ll just use the world “fan” instead of what he actually said).  Perpetual Kid has bacon wallets, bacon floss, and my favorite: bacon and egg breakfast bandages.

Two MIT students have created a stock market for sports tickets. The site features a real-time exchange where prices fluctuate just like on the New York Stock Exchange. The idea is that you can buy tickets to the big game, for less than face value, months before the game.

The site is designed for hardcore fans to get tickets to see their team in the big game. However, just like the NYSE there is also a trading aspect to the ticket market. Pretty impressive, right?

Gamblers and underdog (Cubs) fans beware:  If your team does not make it, you lose your investment.

A great flash site and a very cool concept, IMHO:

https://www.yoonew.com

Or as this author puts says, search as we know it is dead.  Search becomes social, essentially:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4259135.html

And apparently Microsoft is working on just this thing, with collaborative searching:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4292830.html?page=2 (see #7, collaborative search)

My mind’s too simple to make sense of it all, but it looks like there are some big things coming.

So I want to whine and kick and scream because this hasn’t rolled out to my Google account yet, but Google launched SearchWiki today. Instead of testing it, I have to sit back and envy others who are using it and tweeting about it.

Here’s an article on Mashable about how it works: http://mashable.com/2008/11/20/google-searchwiki/

According to Mashable (and jerks who already have the feature), SearchWiki allows you to re-order search results, remove or add links to the search results page, and leave notes with any listing which others will be able to view.

Wow, major changes.

Everyone has their favorite web browser. Personally, when I discovered tabbed browsing in Firefox I nearly fell out of my chair. Once IE got on board with tabs, it was about who had the best pop-up blocker. Then came the advent of ‘Add-Ons’ and the debate got a whole lot more confusing. Earlier this year, when Google Chrome beta was released, I decided it was time to find a winner in the browser battle.

I found a lot of different opinions and reasons for liking one or disliking another.  For me, it came down to performance (after all, it has to keep up with my tab count). Here is the study I found:

Beta Browser Speed Tests:  Which Is Fastest?

Apparently they are both threatened with extinction. Well, according to this article by the Wall Street Journal. Ouch.

Motrin’s got a mom problem. Why? This:

This is a web ad that was launched as part of a print and online advertising campaign for Motrin on Sept. 30th, and it’s a great example of two things:

1) Copywriting matters.

2) Word of mouth combined with web 2.0 is powerful thing.

So, what happened here is Motrin designed a campaign that is obviously targeted to a very valuable demographic: women with children. Their primary message can be found in the Clintonesque tagline they’ve used at the end of this ad: “Motrin. We feel your pain.” Nice, right? Simple enough. Makes sense. And then it all goes downhill.

Someone at Motrin decided that the best way to make this connection would be to focus on the aches and pains associated with wearable baby carriers – which have become popular with parents over the past several years because of the unique bonding experience they provide. This too, is all well and good, until you read/hear the first line of the ad:

“Wearing your baby seems to be in fashion.”

Hmmm. Right off the bat, you’ve got problems. First, this statement could (and coincidentally, did) imply that wearing your baby in a carrier has more to do with appearing fashionable or hip than bonding with your child (think Paris Hilton clutching a miniature dog on a red carpet). Generally, anything that may compare someone’s child to a celebutant’s chihuahua is unwise. But, there’s still an opportunity to clarify with the follow-up statement, which includes the phrase:

“Supposedly it’s a real bonding experience.”

So close! Replace “Supposedly” with “There’s no denying that” and you’re home free! Until this next doozy:

“I’ll put up with the pain because it’s a good kind of pain. It’s for my kid.” (getting warmer…) “Plus, it totally makes me look like an official mom.” (Cold)

Clearly, nobody ran this copy past anyone from the target audience-or a good editor (which, for the record, is almost always a wise move). As you might expect, mothers of America were none too pleased, and they voiced their dismay in a big way. The ad was pulled after two days of a massive mommy 2.0 backlash on Twitter and blogs across the internet.

Motrin’s new PR problem is a perfect example of how little appealing graphics and a good idea (or intentions) mean if the copy isn’t right.

Looks like astronauts will soon get their drinking water from recycled urine. My favorite quote from the article:

“Agency officials say the water from the system will be cleaner than U.S. tap water.”

Maybe Bear Grylls is actually on to something…

Whew! We didn’t make the list.

PC World – Top 11 Lamest Blogs

I actually know of a few blogs that are lamer than these. Why is it Top 11 anyway?

Put two spaces between your sentences.  It’s not proper typesetting (which Cathy also pointed out).  I’ll work on it.