Reading the listings is sort of sad, actually. Some sellers claim to have no idea why their boxes were banned, others are being perfectly honest about modding the console and violating Microsoft's Terms of Use. Gamer beware.
(Photo:lJake2kl's)
]]>Yes, we've redesigned the site. We've also moved to a brand new home, and we're still unpacking, so it may take a little while to find everything. But we're pretty sure everything's here, or at least it will be once we tip the movers and they agree to unload the truck.
That includes commenting. If you're a regular commenter, and you have an email address associated with your account, you should be getting an email very soon with instructions about how to log in and reset your password. It's coming. Really. In the meantime, how about helping us with some of these boxes? That one over there looks like it's filled with odd-looking t-shirts from Walmart.
]]>Was Coca-Cola given any pause by the experience of key competitor Tropicana, which less than a year ago unveiled a new package designed by Peter Arnell that was met with confusion and criticism from consumers? "We certainly didn't know what [Tropicana] was doing. We saw it when everyone else did," said Brian Kelley, president, general manager-still beverages at Coke. "The competitive actions they took didn't really impact us. We had to make sure we maintained the equity while modernizing it and maintaining the appeal and that's what we did."
Identifying a fruit juice brand with images of fruit instead of amorphous orange blobs is definitely an improvement.
Coca-Cola Juices Get Ready for a New Look [AdAge]
RELATED:
"Loyal Customer" Backlash Forces Tropicana To Abandon New Packaging
Tropicana's Failed Packaging Design Was A Real Life Poochie
My father-in-law passed away last week after a long, drawn out few months of mental illness. Very traumatic time and a very difficult situation.
In an attempt to try and remember the happier times of this man's existence, I collected a hundred or so pictures from times throughout his life. Some were pics that I scanned, some were from my digital camera. The plan was to put them in the visitation area so that people could remember the good times.
So my grieving wife and I go to Walmart the morning of the funeral to print them out. Normally we wouldn't go to Walmart for this, but the funeral is in a small town and time is limited. Everything goes well with the printing, and I'm kind of amazed at the convenience and quality of the output. "Who says technology is cold and heartless?" I think to myself. It really came through in our time of need.
Then we get to the counter to check out, and the warmth of humanity kicks in.
"I'm sorry, I can't sell you some of these" the lady says. She then proceeds to go through the stack, pulling out every school picture and talking about copyright.
"Even the ones from 1956?!?" I asked.
"Yes, copyright is permanent" she replies. She also pulls out a several other pictures, because apparently if they even look professionally done, that's all the criteria they need to cite copyright. If it just looks copyrighted, this lady wasn't going to let us have them.
Meanwhile, my wife is sitting there looking on solemnly as pictures of her smiling, deceased father stack up to head to the shredder. I can see her tearing up and her lip quivering a bit. She quietly says "we're headed to a funeral".
"I know", replies the woman (not un-politely) "But I don't want to lose my job". I decided not to escalate an argument given the situation.
I did manage to claim one victory...his medical school graduation picture which I believe was done privately since I saw some other pictures along with it. After some insistence on my part, the lady let me sign a form and keep that one.
Fortunately I was able to use a digital LCD picture frame to include the complete set at the funeral. But the prints from Walmart were thoroughly parsed for any infringing material. I'm sure the photographers of the 50's and 80's can sleep safe knowing that their income was protected by the Walmart photo department.
First, a quibble: this employee is misinformed. As much as companies like Disney would like this not to be the case, copyright is not "forever." The copyright term that would apply to a professional photograph taken in 1955 would be 120 years. That's a long time, and may seem like "forever" compared to a human lifespan, but it's not.
If this couple had come in to reproduce photos a professional photographer had recently taken of their child, or to print out copyrighted pictures downloaded off the Internet, should Walmart put a stop to it? Yes.
But does the man's family have a reasonable chance of finding the original photographer of school pictures taken 50 years ago? Even if they could, is it likely that that photographer is both still alive and has retained all of his negatives?
What do you think?
(Photo: John Northrup)
(Thanks to MostlyHarmless for the first tag!)
]]>The winning bidder is an unknown Canadian company that apparently wants to bring a soccer team to the Detroit area.
From the Detroit News:
"We had hoped it would have brought more, but now the city can be freed of its upkeep and get it back on the tax rolls," Leeb said. Pontiac Mayor Clarence Phillips said he was "disappointed" but knew the city had to shed the costly structure. Councilman Everett Seay said he expects someone — possibly a prospective buyer turned down in recent years — to file a lawsuit to block the sale.
"The citizens of Pontiac deserve better," Seay said. "This is pennies on the dollar (of what it cost). It goes to show how bad times are ... Worse, we don't even know who bought it."
The company, which Leeb described only as a Toronto-based group of real estate investors and a "family-run business," was one of four bidders considered during an auction at the Marriott Hotel. Others bidders were not identified and most left without talking to reporters.
It's too bad nobody told us they were accepting bids. Then again, Consumerist doesn't really believe in dome blogging.
Silverdome sale price disappoints [Detroit News]
(Photo:MRBECK)
Read the full article at the MintLife blog.
"How to Avoid Unnecessary Car Costs" [MintLife]
(Photo: adobemac)
Sophie's choice:
(Photo: Zed and 2 Naughts)
]]>Reading the listings is sort of sad, actually. Some sellers claim to have no idea why their boxes were banned, others are being perfectly honest about modding the console and violating Microsoft's Terms of Use. Gamer beware.
(Photo:lJake2kl's)
]]>PREVIOUSLY: The Article Cash4Gold Doesn't Want You To Read
]]>This morning, I purchased breakfast at the Jack in the Box drive through. They asked if I wanted to donate $1 to Big Brothers, and (feeling generous) I agreed. When I picked up my order, they gave me a cute little antenna ball for making a donation. Later, looking at my receipt, I noticed that my "donation" was listed as the purchase of an antenna ball, and that I'd been charged tax.
I thought I was donating money, not buying a trinket, and I didn't expect to pay sales tax on a donation. So, does the charity get any money from this transaction or not?
Today he wrote back and said Jack in the Box responded to his complaint:
After I wrote to you and to Jack in the Box, they called me. Apparently, they consider this not to be a donation, but a purchase of an antenna ball, with 70% of the purchase price (not including tax) going to charity.
I checked and signs at the store do say that this is a purchase, but you can't see those signs from the drive through, so when I was asked if I wanted to donate, I had no way to know this wasn't a straight donation.
Maybe donating at the drive-through window isn't a good idea in general, since it's not the best place to see things like fine print.
(Photo: steevithak)
]]>Free Thrifty Thanksgiving eBook (PDF) [Money Management International]
]]>It seems that the cover photoshopper decided that Mrs. Kutcher had too much flesh on her left side.
From BoingBoing:
Note how the upper part of her left thigh/hip is basically missing (our right). Did she have some sort of weird car accident that left a wedge of meat missing from it? The fabric even magically floats above the missing thigh. Ha!
Hey, ew.
Was Demi Moore Ralph-Laurenized on "W" mag cover, with missing hip-flesh? [BoingBoing]
]]>The MSNBC says that police are currently looking for two suspects that attempted to rob the T.J. Maxx in Venice, FL Tuesday night.
Details are sketchy and conflicting but according to some witnesses and news reports two gunmen in ski-masks stormed the store and there may have been some hostages taken. The suspects left before police arrived.
Police have not released descriptions of the suspects. A few of the people inside the store were hiding, but police would not say why it took so long for all of them to come out.
"I don't know that information," Hill told the HeraldTribune.com. "There could be a lot of reasons."
After teenager Hayley Vanslow, one of the last "hostages," ran from the store at around 1:30 a.m., Sarasota County Sheriff's SWAT teams entered it and searched it but did not find the suspects. After sending in a police dog at 2:30 a.m., police cleared the scene.
We're not entirely sure what "hostage" (in quotes) is supposed to imply. It seems this whole recession thing is a bit of a double edged sword for TJX.
Police seek T.J. Maxx robbery suspects [MSNBC]
TJX Profit Up 47% As Retailer Sees More Customers;View Raised [WSJ]
(Photo:MSNBC)
(Thanks to Ashi!)
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