Pets aren’t toys. Tracey understands that, and she wanted to teach her son how to care for a small pet. They bought a tank and all of the extras, let it sit for five days, then returned to the store to get the actual fish. That’s when a helpful employee told them that she wouldn’t sell them goldfish for a small aquarium, because the fish would eventually grow too large. [More]
At Least You Won’t Get Stranded At Sea If The Cruise Ship Is Land-Bound
By June 14, 2013
If you’ve found yourself entirely put off by the idea of climbing aboard a ginormous floating funhouse, for fear of say, becoming stranded at sea and wading around in sewage, but you still have a hankering for that maritime flavor, you’re in luck. A new hotel is touting itself as the world’s first cruise ship-themed accommodations. [More]
Lost Bus Driver Adds 100 Minutes To Morning Commute, Gets Angry When Passengers Try To Help
By June 14, 2013
Remember those Sunday versions of the Family Circus comic where Bil Keane would use a dotted line to trace the adventures of one of the little scamps who did everything but get the milk they were sent to the store to buy? Well, replace that wholesome scene with an angry, lost bus driver and a busload of worried passengers and you have an idea of what happened yesterday in New Jersey. [More]
The Best Way To Rid Your Home Of Bed Bugs Is Definitely Not Setting It On Fire
By June 14, 2013
Anyone who’s ever been plagued by bed bugs knows how the little critters can turn your world into an awful, creepy crawly nightmare. But while one man didn’t mean to set his home on fire while trying to rid the house of bed bugs, trying to heat up the suckers with a hair dryer, space heater and heat gun accomplished just that. [More]
Joan Jett Sues Hot Topic Over “Blackheart” Trademark
By June 14, 2013
I don’t shop at Hot Topic because I’m not a teenage girl, but I’ve heard that the stores exist. But I am old enough to remember Joan Jett and the Blackhearts at the height of their fame in the early ’80s. But now two generations are colliding in a mess of tee shirts, push-up bras, and nail polish as the rock star’s record label sues the retailer over the Blackheart brand. [More]
Study: Cable TV Could Help Keep Birth Rates Down In World’s Rural Areas
By June 14, 2013
When you see a bunch of TV characters living in swank, unbelievably large city apartments, just palling around and being well, friends, doesn’t it kinda make you wish you had a similar life filled with drinking endless cups of coffee and decorating with kitschy, bright colors? What you see on TV often influences your life, and in the case of women in rural parts of India, having cable TV could be contributing to keeping the birth rate down. [More]
Kodak Takes Another Slow, Sad Step Toward The Death Of Film
By June 14, 2013
Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last and continues to fight for relevance. You may be surprised to learn that one of the business lines they’ve kept has been film manufacturing for still photography and movies. Not enough, though, because Kodak is about to lay off the 61 workers who make acetate film base in the company’s Rochester, N.Y. home. [More]
Southwest Wins Customer Over With $75 Voucher She Didn’t Ask For
By June 14, 2013
We’ve said it before and we’re about to say it again — Proactively reaching out to customers who’ve had a bad experience will (almost) always be more effective than trying to apologize and make good later. To illustrate that point, we bring you the short story of Alexandria and Southwest Airlines. [More]
Why Should I Care About New Fuel Economy Standards? Because Money Is Nice To Have
By June 14, 2013
Don’t you just loooove watching the dollars and cents tick up as the gallons slowly glug into your car’s gas tank? No you don’t, because no one likes spending large chunks of change to fuel their vehicles. And maybe hybrids or electric cars don’t have all the bells and whistles you’ve come to expect. What’s a discerning, wallet-conscious consumer to do? [More]
Fannie Mae Fires Head Of Office At Center Of Kickback Scandal
By June 14, 2013
A few weeks back, we told you about the Fannie Mae office in Irvine, CA, where some employees have been accused of taking kickbacks from real estate brokers in exchange for priority access to the bailed-out mortgage-backer’s lists of repossessed properties. Now comes news that the head of that office has been given the boot “for performance issues.” [More]
You Have No Right To Sing “Happy Birthday” — At Least, Not On Film
By June 14, 2013
The next time you get the bright idea to film your family party singing “Happy Birthday” and use it in a movie, be prepared to pay up. Because although you might think it’s the sort of thing that’s in the public domain, someone actually owns it. Unless, that is, a movie company gets its way and wins the right to make it free for you and me. [More]
NFL Banning Bags, Purses, Fanny Packs, Seat Cushions From Stadiums
By June 14, 2013
For the last couple years, the NFL has been trying to get people into stadiums, especially in markets where seats are available but it’s easier and cheaper to sit at home and watch the game on a huge HDTV with surround sound (and no one spilling beer or throwing batteries at you). But the league’s latest move seems intent on keeping people away from stadiums and in the non-invasive comfort of their homes. [More]
DirecTV To Customer Whose House Burned Down: Bummer, Now Give Us $400
By June 14, 2013
For those not paying attention to the awful news out of Colorado right now, fires are ravaging the state, destroying hundreds of homes and causing millions in damage. One man who lost his home this week was left with little but ashes, and as he pulled himself together enough to start canceling his utilities and other things the former house no longer requires, DirecTV tells him it’s going to charge $400 for that destroyed equipment. [More]
Parking Is So Bad In Boston, Woman Is Willing To Pay $560,000 For Two Spots
By June 14, 2013
Although I may not have my very own set of wheels to tool around town in, I know that finding a parking spot is a golden moment, a second of bliss often accompanied by tiny parking fairies raining down happy dust. But apparently the parking situation is so bad in Boston, one woman was willing to plunk down $560,000 for two parking spots. [More]
Wealthy Americans Face Catastrophic Shortage Of Mansions
By June 13, 2013
As the housing market heats up, there’s one population that is truly suffering: rich people. As houses don’t stay on the market for long, houses priced at $1 million or more are in short supply. [More]
Microsoft Hopes Publishers Will Provide More Value To Consumers If Xbox One Games Can’t Be Resold
By June 13, 2013
Microsoft continues to try to convince concerned consumers that the highly restrictive policies for lending out, reselling, and giving away Xbox One games are actually just the next step in entertainment evolution and that we’ll all come to thank the company for what it’s doing. [More]
Apple Exec: I Protected Consumers From High E-Book Prices By Letting Publishers Set High E-Book Prices
By June 13, 2013
Earlier today, Apple executive Eddy Cue — the architect of the company’s iTunes and e-book business — took the stand in court to face questions about his company’s role in alleged price-fixing of the e-book market, where he admitted that Apple had actually mulled over an even worse idea than mere price-fixing. [More]
Is Brand Perception Tricking Our Brains Into Not Thinking About What We’re Tasting?
By June 13, 2013
Most of us have seen hidden-camera tricks where some unwitting subject raves about what they are eating because they have been told it’s a certain brand or from a well-regarded restaurant, only to find out it’s a generic frozen dinner from the supermarket. What if these people aren’t necessarily pretending to like the food? A new study shows that brands may make us so predisposed to an opinion that we don’t use the part of our brain that helps to make such judgements. [More]
