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January, 2007 Archives | Homepage
Time Warner Marketing Campaign Creates Bomb Panic in Boston In a unwise and poorly planned publicity stunt
Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner, placed small electrical devices containing batteries and blinking lights in various locations around the city of Boston. The devices featured one of the mooninite creatures from the Aqua Teen Hunger Force cartoon. The mooninite seen on the devices found in Boston even has his middle finger extended as if he is sending a very rude message to Boston metropolitan area and its 2.8 million residents. Reuters reports that the small devices were initially perceived as bombs. The Boston police force was sent into action.
The day-long scare began when a suspicious package was found on a steel beam under a bridge in the morning. Police stopped traffic on a major interstate highway north of Boston, cordoned off the area, deployed a bomb squad and blew it up.One mooninite threat destroyed -- but it would not be the last. By afternoon, at least eight other similar suspicious packages were discovered, each triggering a security alert involving emergency crews, federal agents, bomb squads, police and the U.S. Coast Guard.Turner Broadcasting issued an apology and said they had given law enforcement officials the location of the mooninite magnetic lights in advance. "The 'packages' in question are magnetic lights that pose no danger," Turner Broadcasting System Inc., a unit of Time Warner Inc., said in statement.If Turner Broadcasting really did contact law enforcement as they claim their message must not have gotten out because the city of Boston went into full alert to find and remove the threat and protect the city. The discoveries in Boston triggered the biggest city-wide security alert since the September 11, 2001, attacks.Boston has every right to be angry at Time Warner for this stunt. Everyone knows that putting devices containing wires or batteries in strange spots all over town is going to raise an alert in this day and age. Turner Broadcasting's publicity team must not have noticed the bomb scare Mission Impossible III generated last year when small plastic boxes with wires poking out of them were placed in newspaper racks to promote the movie. Update 2-1-07: Some Mooninite marketing prank videos can be found on VideoNacho.com. Posted on January 31, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Treehugger is discussing this bizarre bike-like means of transportation.
Drop your prejudices and hesitations for a second, and give Curtis DeForest some credit for thinking outside the box. DeForest recognizes that major drawbacks of the modern bicycle include the exposure of the rider to accidents and the limited speeds which the average cyclist can maintain. The conventional bike places the weight of the rider above the wheels' spinning axis, an inherently unstable situation (as any cyclist forced to stop fast well knows). Also, conventional bikes use only leg-power, carrying the upper torso as dead weight. And did someone mention saddle-sores? HyperBike solves all those problems. And there is more to come, as this creative inventor's vision will get a boost from the NASA funded Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program in the development of the next model.TreeHugger says the inventor of the bike compares riding the bike to swimming. The website for the bike says it is as fast as a car -- too bad there isn't a video available of that. We'd love to see one of these Hyperbikes keeping up with highway traffic. One problem is that it is too big to store in a garage and at 200 pounds it is pretty heavy. Gizmodo says the bike is too hideous for them to ride. EcoGeek points to another website for the Hyperbike. There is a video on this site that shows the Hyperbike moving but only at slow speeds. Posted on January 30, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Doughnuts With a Buzz Some brilliant mad scientists have now created caffeinated donuts and bagels. The doughnuts pack as much caffeine as two cups of coffee, so if you add coffee to your doughnut snack, you'll be totally buzzed throughout your morning. Each pastry, or bagel if you were to prefer this caffeine-delivery system, would contain a jolt worth one to two cups of coffee, thanks to years of experiments and brainstorms performed by molecular biologist Robert Bohannon. Make way for the Buzz Donut and the Buzzed Bagel.Extra caffeine, fat and calories -- what's not to love? Posted on January 29, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Nicole Kidman in Car Crash Nicole Kidman was escaping from zombie aliens on the set of her new film, when the car she was in had a nasty crash. US Weekly says that there were actors hanging off the hood during the action scene. Luckily, Nicole was not seriously injured and reportedly returned to the set the same day. Although reportedly some crew members were slightly injured. Oscar-winning Australian actress Nicole Kidman and seven other people were injured when a high-speed film stunt went wrong in Los Angeles today. Kidman suffered minor injuries on the set of an alien thriller in Los Angeles when her car crashed into a light pole during filming, police said.You can see the video of the crash here. It was a very nasty crash, no question. We're glad no one was seriously hurt, although it looked like Nicole was shaken up. And we're not sure how "minor" the crew's injuries really were. Posted on January 26, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | K-Fed Superbowl Ad Infuiates Restaurant Industry Kevin Federline's new ad which will run during the Superbowl has absolutely infuriated the fast food industry, which claims that the ad makes fun of people who flip burgers for a living. A restaurant trade organization has expressed "serious concerns" about an upcoming Super Bowl ad featuring Britney Spears' estranged spouse going from the recording booth to the fast-food counter. The 30-second ad for Nationwide insurance is scheduled to air during the third quarter of Super Bowl XLI on Feb. 4.Life certainly came at K-Fed fast. One minute he's Mr. Britney Spears living in a Malibu mansion and partying in Vegas every weekend and the next minute he's broke. Although he might have a promising future in the fast food service industry if he apologizes profusely for making the ad. Posted on January 24, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | This giant red doll created by a South Korean artist has an actual beating heart. Tokyomango discovered the large red scultpure on this site. The doll or sculpture is part of an exhibit in in Seoul, South Korea. It looks like the kids are looking for the heart on the wrong side of the giant red doll. Try the other side kids! It's also a possibility that the heart could intentionally be on the wrong side of the doll. As Wired's Table of Malcontents blog suggests: "But then again, maybe giant dolls have a different anatomy than we humans." If the doll were yellow it might pass for a giant version of AOL's Running Man. The blogger at Gems Sty thinks this might be a gentle doll. Another blogger thinks it would make a great video game chair. Everyone's got their opinions about the giant red doll.
Posted on January 23, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Are Celebrity Gift Bags Really Shrinking? Reuters reports that the celebrity gift bags at the Sundance Film Festival are getting a little lighter this year. Robert Redford chafes at the descent of what he calls "ambush marketers" on the celebrities attending the Sundance Film Festival he founded as a showcase for independent film without all the commercial trappings of Hollywood. But he may be encouraged by the latest trends in so-called "swag" on the sidelines of this year's event. Celebrity gift baskets, a phenomenon driven by companies' hopes that celebrities will be shown using their products, are becoming lighter and greener and just a bit more discreet. Stars at Sundance also have more opportunities to make donations to charity, from underwear for a local women's shelter to phone cards for soldiers. And who is playing the leading role in this new version of swag? None other than the tax man.It sounds to us like the swag bags aren't getting lighter at all -- the retailers and celebs are just getting sneakier about it. Didn't they learn anything from the Wesley Snipes' current IRS troubles? Posted on January 22, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Ellen DeGeneres has bought 1,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies. She does love the cookies, but the purchase was to help a troop in Ohio make enough money for a trip to New York. You just never know who will buy a few boxes of Girl Scout cookies -- or a thousand. Ten-year-old Alexis Moyers of Geneva, Ohio, is a fan of comedian Ellen DeGeneres. So she e-mailed the talk show host to ask if she would buy some Girl Scout cookies to help her troop pay for a trip to New York.We think that ten-year-old Alexis Moyers of Geneva, Ohio, has bright future in sales ahead of her. Posted on January 19, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Royal Mail Delivers Letter With No Address A Christmas card sent by a Welsh steelworker with only a name, a map and the words "somewhere here" actually made it to its destination reports the Sun Online.
Crafty Paul Bates sent a Christmas card to a long-lost pal in this envelope with NO street name, NO town, NO postcode - yet it arrived!The Sun Online article says the postcard was delivered nine days later by the UK Royal Mail. The letter made it thanks to a postman who recognized the name written on the card. (via Boing Boing) Posted on January 17, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | More Americans than ever are having a Coke or other carbonated beverage in the mornings instead of coffee. It's not unusual for Dee McKinsey to have three cans of Coke before she leaves the house each morning for her job as the regional director of boards and volunteerism at the American Cancer Society in Chicago. "There is nothing better than the feel of Coke on the back of your throat in the morning," said McKinsey, a morning pop drinker since the 1970s, savoring the cold, stinging sensation that coffee drinkers just don't get. But these days, more people are enjoying that chilled morning jolt as they increasingly turn to soft drinks instead of coffee, flaunting mom's no-pop-for-breakfast rule many had in their youth.The article goes on to describe morning commuters and their pop habits. One guy has to have an extra Moutain Dew in his briefcase or he gets "desperate." Have you ever opened a can of pop after it's been rattling around in a backpack or briefcase for hours? It's like an instant Coke Bomb. Maybe this guy needs to just carry more quarters with him. Who wants a warm, shaken Mountain Dew as a pick me up? Posted on January 16, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Terri Irwin Named Australia's Tourism Ambassador Terri Irwin has been named as Australia's Tourism Ambassador. The appointment comes in the middle of the Australia Week festivities, which are an annual event to promote Australia to the world. Later Irwin shed her khaki for a black gown and the seamless aplomb of the A-listers at her side for a gala that honoured Steve Irwin's memory. "I am absolutely delighted," Ms Bailey said of Irwin's decision to accept the invitation at a media conference held at lunchtime on Saturday.Terri looked amazing in her floor-length black gown -- it was nice to see her out of her khaki and having a good time. We think she'll do a great job promoting Australia and carrying on the work of her late husband, Steve. Posted on January 15, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Angelina Jolie's Adoption Scandal Angelina Jolie took a lot of heat for criticizing Madonna's decision to adopt from the country of Malawi, sanctimoniously saying how she would never take a child away from a country where there were no real adoption laws. But according to Page Six, Angelina's adoption of Maddox from Cambodia was a disaster for other potential adoptive parents. PARENTS who have encountered difficulties adopting children from countries like Cambodia are shocked that Angelina Jolie would dare to say anything about Madonna's adoption in Malawi of her son David. Jolie told French magazine Gala she would "never take a child away from a place where adoption is illegal." Yet Jolie failed to mention that she adopted her Cambodian son, Maddox, through a group that was later found to be guilty of fraud. Now procedures have been tightened up, and it is next to impossible to adopt from Cambodia.Yikes. That certainly puts a different spin on things, doesn't it? Posted on January 11, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Humpback Whale Breaks Yacht, Says Sorry
A humpback whale accidentally destroyed some guy's yacht, then came back to apologize.
A sailor whose yacht was destroyed by a humpback whale off New Zealand said he had got a good "vibe" from the giant mammal and thought it was trying to say sorry, local media said on Wednesday. Lindsay Wright was sailing his brand-new 10-meter (30-ft) trimaran, named Loose Goose, about 80 nautical miles off the west coast of North Island on Tuesday when he hit the whale.We do love humpback whales -- too bad the Japanese are absolutely determined to resume whaling and wipe them from the face of the Earth. Posted on January 10, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Inventor of Ramen Noodles Dead at 96 Momofuku Ando, the creator of Ramen Noodles has
died at the age of 96.
Nissin Food Products Co., the company Ando founded, said on its Web site that he died Friday after suffering a heart attack. Born in Taiwan, Ando founded his company in 1948 from a humble family operation. Faced with food shortages in post-World War II Japan, Ando thought a quality, convenient noodle product would help feed the masses.Millions of college students have lived on Ramen noodles and they have Ando to thank for this inexpensive sustenance of life. Farewell, Ando: rest in peace. Posted on January 8, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Giant Gavle Goat Survives Christmas The BBC reports that the giant Gavle goat has survived the holidays thanks to extra flame-proofing. This is only the 11th time the 43-foot goat has survived being burned down or destroyed in the history of the giant goat.
The giant 13m (43ft) goat in the city of Gavle was dismantled after surviving Christmas for only the 11th time.The goat will now being stored in a secret location until next Christmas when it will be threatened again by arsonists and other giant straw goat haters. You can read more about the huge straw goat ritual here and here. Posted on January 6, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Britney's Record Company Not Jiving With Her New Album Britney has headed off to an Arizona spa after her disastrous New Year's Eve, when she either passed out, fell asleep or fainted at the end of her party at Pure in Caeser's Palace in Las Vegas. But Cindy Adams has the real scoop about what's happening in the pop princess' downward-spiraling life. And it's not pretty:
YOU'VE maybe heard about Britney Spears' sort of fall-down meltdown in Las Vegas just after the stroke of the new year. What I have heard that you haven't heard is that her seeming out-of-control spiral personally might be the downbeat of major inharmony professionally. And whether the one affected the other or which one caused the other, who knows?Britney, you are actually teetering on the edge of the abyss now! Below waits Tara Reid, Tiffany and Debby Gibson. Don't let it happen -- go to rehab. Get a new producer on your album. Get pap shots of in the park with your kids looking happy and healthy. And call Justin right now! Beg if you must, but he's the only one who can save you now. (Photo courtesy PURE.) Posted on January 3, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Britney Collapses In Vegas on New Year's Eve Britney Spears partied like it was 1999 on New Year's Eve and eventually collapsed, then was rushed out of the nightclub Pure by her handlers.
Robin Leach
tells all:
Less than one hour into the New Year, pop-princess Britney Spears collapsed at the PURE nightclub inside Caesars Palace. Just 50 minutes earlier, she had hosted two countdowns to usher in the New Year - one inside the VIP section at the hip hot nightspot and a 2nd up on the club's upper outdoor terrace overlooking the famed Vegas Strip where fireworks were shot off from seven casino-hotel rooftops.Our long national nightmare is apparently not over. Britney! Where is the comeback you promised us? This is just horrible. We want the panty and champagne police to move in with that girl before she loses her custody battle and is reduced to singing in malls -- like Tiffany did in the 80s. (Photo courtesy Splash News.) Posted on January 2, 2007 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | |
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