Universal TechTronics calls the converter box the "Miracle ClearView TV," and promises "No Bills: New ClearView TV receives free channels, no need to pay for cable to get the new digital picture quality and sound." These guys really like the word "miracle."

"They’re really targeting the senior citizens who are going to be confused and not up-to-date on the technology,'' said Alison Preszler, a spokeswoman for the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

The ad is designed to look like a news article and features that smiling older gentleman displaying his actual warranty certificates. The Better Business Bureau has seen the ad appear in newspapers in Portland, Ore.; Memphis, Tenn.; Atlantic City, N.J.; Charlotte, N.C.; and the state of Ohio.

"Think twice before buying a digital TV converter box from this man" [Los Angeles Times] (Thanks to Paul!)
RELATED
"BBB warns of DTV converter-box scam" [Consumer Reports]
"A Sucker Is Converted Every Minute"
(Image: Los Angeles Times)

PedEgg Accused Of Gross Injustice [The Smoking Gun]

What are we looking for?

For example, in this AmbienCR commercial, the announcer says:

"Sleepwalking and eating or driving while not fully awake with amnesia for the event have been reported."

Driving while not awake? With amnesia? Neat!

If you've noticed a disturbing side-effect in a tv drug ad, watch the ad again and write down exactly what the announcer says and the name of the drug, and email it to us at tips@consumerist.com. Put "Disturbing Side Effect" in the subject of your email. If you can find a clip of the advertisement on the internet, please include a link. If you have a commenter account, feel free to leave your suggestion in the comments.

We'll pick the top 10 and feature them in a Consumerist post. Thanks!

I'm a regular reader, but this is the first time I've felt the need to write in. Not because I'm mad or need to vent about anything, but because I found something you guys might find as hilarious as i did... I noticed a couple of posts about trains today on the site, and as such I thought to myself, hey I wonder how much a train ticket to Tulsa, Ok is from here(where a good friend of mine lives). Now what makes this funny to me is the Google response to my entered text of .... "train tickets"

Now notice if you will the 1st sponsored link. CHEAP TRAIN TICKETS
and where does it take you www.delta.com, which even against my better judgment I clicked on. Thinking maybe they have a deal with Amtrak or something, and that I would be able to look at train schedules and such, but lo and behold my amazement when I realized this was in fact just Delta Airlines site, and had absolutely nothing to do with trains.
Thought you guys might enjoy that.
Zach

We tried these searches a few times and sometimes Delta appears at the top of the main results list, sometimes not. If it doesn't appear on the main results area, it always appears at the top of the right margin under sponsored links (pictured above.) We're not sure whether Delta is responsible for this misdirection or one of their affiliate advertisers, but either way it's misleading to potential ticket buyers. Come on Google, will you do anything a company pays you to do? Ok, don't answer that. Even though they rhyme, we know for a fact that trains and planes are different, don't try to derail our logic.

Wal-Mart's free service allows sellers and buyers to haggle over items in 7 different categories, but before you get too excited you may want to check out the list of items which are prohibited from Wal-Marts free ads which include blood, bodily fluids or body parts, animal parts or fluids, nonprescription drugs, prescription drugs and medical devices, including but not limited to defibrillators, hypodermic needles or hearing aids. That about takes all the fun out of it for us.

One thing we like about Craigslist is their relative neutrality. It's not weighed down by paid sponsors in the way that Google and E-bay seems to be. However, with Wal-Mart's new service, advertisers can pay Oodle.com for higher placement on their search results. While this surely bolsters income, it could render the service less usable. Unless Wal-Mart thinks such things through, we could see their new internet ads ending up like their online-movie service. Extinct.

Wal-Mart Adds Free Online Classifieds [Wall Street Journal]
Wal-Mart challenges Craigslist [MSN Money]
(Photo: Dysolution)

On Wednesday, Kieffe & Sons posted a statement on their website, apologizing to "all who were offended." As commenters pointed out, saying you're sorry that someone got offended is not the same as actually apologizing for what you said. Now, according to the Bakersfield Californian, we find out even the non-apology wasn't genuine.

“I don’t regret the sentiment at all,” said Kieffe, who bought the 48-year-old dealership from his father in 1974. “It’s what we believe.”

. . .

The dealer’s Web site Thursday bore a statement about the ad that included an apology “to all who were offended.” Kieffe said he’d been contacted by Ford Motor Co. after the manufacturer heard complaints from numerous “blog-lo-dites.” The company asked him to post something saying he was sorry if he’d offended anyone, Kieffe said.

Kieffe said he will continue using J.W. Horne for the dealer's ads. Horne also confirmed that he wrote the trolling, single-entry blog that went up on Thursday.

Ford Says "Shut Up" Ad Was a Mistake, But Dealer Stands Behind It [Bakersfield Californian]
PREVIOUSLY: California Ford Dealership Radio Ad Tells Non-Christians To "Sit Down And Shut Up"
(Photo: Amy Watts)

According to the Bakersfield Californian, Rick Kieffe, the dealership owner, said he doesn't remember approving the ad (emphasis added):

“It’s just something that went by us,” said Kieffe, who does not attend church but considers himself “a Christian spirit.” “We’re obviously sorry that it offends a given segment who identifies themselves as atheist.

Kieffe said he received a flood of angry phone calls from people around the world who saw blog posts about the story. Kieffe's advertiser, or someone claiming to be him, apparently didn't get the memo, as he has posted an unapologetic screed conflating gay marriage with the purchase of a Japanese car (seriously).

PREVIOUSLY: California Ford Dealership Radio Ad Tells Christians to "Sit Down and Shut Up"
Car Dealer Regrets Ads Telling Non-Christians to "Sit Down and Shut Up" [Bakersfield Californian]
(Photo: Amy Watts)

The ad reads:

Did you know that there are people in this country who want prayer out of schools, "Under God" out of the Pledge, and "In God We Trust" to be taken off our money?

But did you know that 86% of Americans say they believe in God? Now, since we all know that 86 out of every 100 of us are Christians who believe in God, we at Kieffe & Sons Ford wonder why we don't just tell the other 14% to sit down and shut up. I guess maybe I just offended 14% of the people who are listening to this message. Well, if that is the case, then I say that's tough, this is America folks, it's called free speech. And none of us at Kieffe & Sons Ford are afraid to speak up. Kieffe & Sons Ford on Sierra Highway in Mojave and Rosamond: if we don't see you today, by the grace of God, we'll be here tomorrow.

The ad has been running on radio stations in southern California since at least February, according to one blogger. She wrote to Ford headquarters, but received a reply that because the dealerships are independently owned and operated, she should get in touch with the management at the dealership.

Here's the audio of (most of) the ad:

The Underground Unbeliever [via BoingBoing]
(Photo: Amy Watts)
(Audio: Karen Peralta)

"The 50 Greatest Commercial Parodies of All Time" [Nerve.com via Neatorama]

5. Goldenpalace.com at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
A man donning a purple tutu with the words "Goldenpalace.com" painted on his torso, jumped off of a high dive board into the olympic swimming pool. Greek officials were not pleased, slapping the man with 3 months in Greek prison. Ultimately, he was released and given a fine of a few hundred dollars.

4. Microsoft Zune at South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas.
At the SXSW, a man was simply posting bright large Zune posters in different locations, but it would seem that the hatred of Zune spreads far and wide. He was detained and handcuffed by police as onlookers were heard yelling things such as, "We'll have none of your advertising for your DRM'd crippleware'd crappy MP3 player littering our town!"

3. "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" movie poster campaign.
This campaign featured posters across the country that read, "You suck Sarah Marshall." However, the real Sarah Marshalls' of the country were none too pleased. In response, new posters went up that read, "You suck Judd Apatow," a hostile salute to the film's producer.

2. Nvidia manufactures hype with fake forum fanfare.
A few years ago, Nivdia was accused of making fake posts in forums to tout their new product. This is probably the most common guerilla-marketing tactic since it is so easy to do. Because Nvidia is such a big company with a ravenous fan base, their forum forgeries seem to be the most infamous. The Consumerist featured this story in early 2006.

1. Aqua Teen Hunger Force and the Boston bomb scare of 2007.
Approximately 20 glowing signs depicting a character from the cartoon series were mounted in strategic areas around Boston, including places around bridges and overpasses. The areas seemed a little too strategic for Boston officials who summoned the bomb squad to dismantle the innocuous signs. The stunt cost Turner Broadcasting Company $2 million which went to reimburse Boston PD and Homeland Security. Apparently, the city feared the dreaded "Lite Brite" bomb, so popular among terrorists.

5 Great Examples of Guerilla Marketing Gone Wrong: Olympic Belly-Flops To the Boston Bomb Scare [WebUrbanist]
(Photo: WebUrbanist)

By comparison, the PC World columnist points out a recent AT&T letter he received that announces how AT&T will be using his account data for marketing purposes unless he jumps through some opt-out hoops online or by mail. "An opt-out (versus opt-in) policy is a lousy way to gain approval for using private data," he writes, "and frankly it ticks me off." Hooray for Loopt for recognizing privacy on some level.

"First Location-Based Cell Phone Ads Get Privacy Thumbs-Up" [PC World]

RELATED
"Loopt"

The campaign taps into the national pride of Mexicans, according to Favio Ucedo, creative director of leading Latino advertising agency Grupo Gallegos in the U.S.

Ucedo, who is from Argentina, said: "Mexicans talk about how the Americans stole their land, so this is their way of reclaiming it. It's very relevant and the Mexicans will love the idea."

But he said that were the campaign to run in the United States, it might fall flat.

"Many people aren't going to understand it here. Americans in the East and the North or in the center of the county — I don't know if they know much about the history.

"Probably Americans in Texas and California understand perfectly and I don't know how they'd take it."

Meanwhile, the campaign has been circulating on the blogs and generating strong responses from people north of the border.

"I find this ad deeply offensive, and needlessly divisive. I will now make a point of drinking other brands. And 'vodka and tonic' is my drink," said one visitor, called New Yorker, on MexicoReporter.com.

Reader Paul Green goes into a discussion on the blog Gateway Pundit of whether the U.S. territories ever belonged to Mexico in the first place, and the News12 Long island site invited people to boycott Absolut, with one user, called LivingSmall, writing: "If you drink Absolut vodka, you can voice your approval or disapproval of this advertising campaign with your purchases. I know I will be switching to Grey Goose or Stoli and will never have another bottle of Absolut in my house.

What do you think?

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

McCollum said the main culprits are third-party companies that advertise ringtones and other services on the Internet, often promising that the service will be free. When customers—often teenagers—sign up, they or their parents are then surprised to find charges on their wireless bill.

"They will download this thinking it's free because the advertising on the Internet says it's free," McCollum said. And when the charge shows up on the bill, it's not always clear what it is, either, he added.

"This advertising is wrong, it's deceptive ... and it's all over the Internet," he said.

AT&T (T: 35.06, +0.23, +0.66%) Mobility has agreed in the settlement to police such agreements with third-party providers and make it clear what the charges are for.

"It's going to say 'ringtones,' and it's going to give them an opportunity to cancel," McCollum said.

"AT&T to repay Florida customers" [Orlando Business Journal]
"AT&T Mobility Agrees to Pay Consumers for 'Free' Ringtones" [Fox Business]

SFX: Doorbell rings 3 times.

VERIZON: Good morning! Have you heard about THE FIBER?!

HOMEOWNER: I think I'm taken care of in that department.

VERIZON: But I'm talking about Verizon's kind of fiber!

HOMEOWNER: And I'm talking Time Warner Cable. They've been using fiber optics for over a decade. Welcome to the program!

ANNOUNCER: Call 1-888 TWCABLE today and get roadrunner highspeed online and home phone service for as low as $29.95 each for the first 12 months.

HOMEOWNER: Ooh, you're looking a little bunched up. Need some help?

Tivo says that for the fifth year in a row (since the company started tracking viewership data, in fact) the commercials were more watched than the game, with the most popular ads enjoying a 5 to 30% larger audience because they're re-watched repeatedly.

Nielsen disagrees and lists an entirely different set of winners—"Budweiser's horse/Dalmatian spot, Coke's parade balloons, Diet Pepsi's Max, FedEx's pigeons and Pepsi's Timberlake." Their data, however, comes from "200 people who were polled online," so it sounds like typical Nielsen nonsense.

"TiVo: E-Trade Won Super Bowl" [BrandWeek]

RELATED
"How About Those Super Bowl Ads!"

The South Carolina Board of Education approved the plan last month, and appears to be moving forward with it.

"I never thought [advertising inside school buses] was a good idea to start with," said Donald Tudor, South Carolina's DOE School Transportation Director, "but when you run a state program and districts request this be set in motion, you do it so they can make a choice. Ultimately, I couldn't think of a good reason why they shouldn't have the option."

For its part, SAC promises the ads will be age-appropriate, promote a healthy and productive life, and are directly approved by district appointed personnel. Ads sold thus far are from local businesses.

"School Buses Latest Victim of Ad Creep" [BrandWeek]
(Photo: Getty)

The spokesman continued, "We will be talking to the supplier with regard to how the branding came about.

"Shop pulls "Lolita" bed for young girls" [Reuters]
(Photo elements: Getty)

Remember, though, that although pre-planning can save you and your family a lot of unnecessary stress later, pre-paying could be a waste of money and often only benefits the funeral home, not you.

"Advertising of note" [Flickr]

RELATED
"Prepaid Funeral Planning: Don't Do It!"

"Microsoft Helps Put Ads on Computerized Shopping Carts" [PC World]
"Microsoft Helps Build Ad-Carrying, Smart Shopping Carts" [InformationWeek]

Not that Cabot is too concerned about that, apparently, since they're going after wives with this spot:

Cabot's market research shows that while their cheese is eaten predominantly by men, it is purchased mostly by women. She wanted a series of ads that would convey to women that when guys get together to drink beer and eat cheese (which is not often enough, by the way), the cheese they want to find in the fridge is Cabot.

The ad said,

"Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for 3 weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet."

"The ad cost a fortune, but you know what? I'm telling people what happened here. I'm not just going to put the car for resale when there's nothing wrong with it, except the driver made a dumb decision," Hambleton said.

Steven Hambleton, a freshman business major at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, obviously was not one of the callers. And he didn't feel much like talking when contacted Tuesday.

"I don't think you can print" his response to the ad, his mother said. "He's very, very unhappy."

"'Meanest mom on the planet' sells son's car — after finding booze in it" [Des Moines Register]

RELATED
"'Mean Mom' Gives Son Public Lesson on Drinking" [ABC] (includes video interview)
"'Mean Mom' Sells Son's Car After Misdeed" [Associated Press]
(Photo: Good Morning America)

About the book, which seems pretty valuable, actually, if you're a film buff:

Each review is a rave review; that is, I only review films I love and believe others will enjoy. Merely good films are left unmentioned. I also include what no other film review source does: I provide 4 to 5 screen shots from each documentary to give you an idea of what the texture of the film is. And I only review documentaries that can be seen easily on DVD or tape at consumer prices (either as Netflix rentals, legal downloads, or online purchase). Documentaries available only in theaters, or as high-priced "educational films" are regrettably ignored.

If you choose to see the ads, they will appear in a gray sidebar on the right, adjacent to the pages of the book, just outside the frame of the page, as shown below:

These ads are inserted into the PDF by Adobe (using the Yahoo ad network) when you open the file. Like Google Adsense ads, they are contextual. That is, Adobe/Yahoo tries to match the content of the ads with the content of text on the the pages, in my case, text about documentaries. The ads I see at this moment of writing are mostly about apartment rentals, but they change each time one opens the book. The way Adobe/Yahoo "knows" about the content of the PDF is not by crawling the web, but by the author (me in this case) submitting the PDF to their machine the first time, which then stamps it with a registration code, so it can remember what's in it when someone far away opens it on their machine.

• the process is opt-in, so you won't see the ads unless you agree to;
• the ads appear on Adobe Reader 8, but supposedly the file will still open, ad-free, on older Reader versions;
• the ads appear to be selected based on the content in the book, not on any user-identifiable data (at least that's what Kelly's description above leads us to believe—the odds are high we'll end up having to edit this bullet).

"True Films eBook" [Cool Tools]

RELATED
"Adobe And Yahoo! Placing Ads In PDF Documents"

"With Subaru, it's all about subtlety," says John Nash, whose agency, Moon City, apparently designed this ad for the elusive tranny demo. "Ads can be playful, but never crass. ... Maybe he likes to cross-dress, who knows?"

Other applications of the patent include using it to create DRM content or to insert ads dynamically at playback of already downloaded content:

The playback token may be implemented as a digital rights management (DRM) license acquired in response to playback of the predetermined content. Another aspect involves a content insertion engine for inserting ads or other predetermined content into the playback of downloaded content.

There were some successful campaigns, too, but we're not AdWeek, so we're just going to focus on the failures. They're more fun anyway:

Bad Ideas

• Suicide-themed spots from G.M., Volkswagen, and Washington Mutual. The suicide bit was edited out of later airings of the G.M. spot.


• Orville Redenbacher's CGI doppelganger, which has almost put me into therapy. Pulled after six months, and the agency responsible for it was fired.


• The Snickers ad that "showed two lugs harming themselves after they had kissed by mistake." Many people claimed the controversy was intentional, but Snickers aired the ad only once and then pulled both it and the related website, which included more clips of straight guys freaking out.


• Virgin Mobile used neighborhood-specific posters throughout New York City (where every neighborhood has a distinct name and personality). Unfortunately, the ones that made fun of the Upper East Side were put up in the Upper East Side.

"A Year for Quick Hits and Fast Flops as Campaigns Broke New Ground" [New York Times]

RELATED
"GM changing robot suicide ad" [CCN Money]
"Let's let Orville rest in peace" [AdFreak]
"Snickers yanks ad campaign" [Canada.com]
"Virgin Mobile Installs NYC Neigborhood-Specific Ads In Wrong Neighborhoods" [Medaibistro Fishbowl]

The Tom Ford ad has always confused us: the product is a cologne that a man would wear to (theoretically) smell more attractive to a woman—yet the ad implies the cologne smells exactly like a woman's nethers, which means the man would attract other men—other straight men? Or he'd attract gay women? This ad is confusing, or else it's perfect and the product is aimed solely at bisexual masochists. Or maybe tranny hookers.

"The Most Controversial Ads in Fashion History" [Debonair] (Thanks to John!)

The ads from the cable giant read:

Dear Neighbor,

We recently contacted you about the federal requirement to convert all broadcast television stations to digital-only broadcasting. If you currently use an antenna or apartment building equipment to receive your TV signal, you may experience a disruption of your TV service.

The Optimum Network has the new digital format already in place, which means Optimum customers will continue to receive all of their television channels in brilliant digital picture and sound.

To make this transition easy and ensure you continue receiving uninterrupted TV service, we have a special low cost offer for you:

Get our Digital Basic Package for just $19.95 a month for a year including FREE installation.

Starting on January 1, 2008, the federal government will offer $40 coupons to help subsidize the cost of a converter box. The government has also committed $5 million to educate the public about the switch. Of course, England spent $400 million on public education ahead of their transition, but they didn't have good-natured private companies like Cablevision to help spread the word.

Swindled consumers would pay $240 (plus tax) for the first year of Cablevision's service, instead of $20 for a converter box. Warn your grandparents that this is not a good deal.

People are your partners [House of Naked] (Thanks to Joe!)
Digital Television (DTV) Tomorrow's TV Today! [DTV.gov]

We're curious how this actually works, since Adobe and Yahoo! say that no special software is needed.

The text-based ads are displayed in a panel adjacent to the content with no moving or flashing elements. Each time the PDF is viewed, ads are matched by Yahoo to the content.

"Adobe and Yahoo test running ads inside PDF documents" [Reuters]
(Image: Gutenberg Project)

The redirect isn't triggered on every visit, so it's been hard to track, but watch the video for a walkthrough of what exactly happens. The easiest thing to do to get out of the malware loop is force-quit your browser—it's likely you can even go back to the website you were on and not have to worry about the ad being triggered again. But it's embarrassing for DoubleClick (and troubling to us) because it shows they don't have the ability to screen and catch malware that's hidden inside Flash files. The company has announced that it's implemented a new security system to catch and disable these ads, but it hasn't yet confirmed that it can identify similar ads in the future that might use the same technique.

"Hackers Use Banner Ads on Major Sites to Hijack Your PC" [Wired]

RELATED
"Canada.com Infected With Trojan-Installation Browser Hijack" [Sudosu]
"Rogue Anti-Virus Slimeballs Hide Malware in Ads" [Wired]
(Photo: Getty)

From CNNMoney:

Brad Olson, the founder of Gottadeal.com, a Web site that markets itself as one of many "official Black Friday deals sites," told CNNMoney.com that he received an e-mail Wednesday from lawyers representing Wal-Mart (Charts, Fortune 500) warning him against "improper release" of the No. 1 retailer's Black Friday sales circular.

And he isn't the only one. Neal Rapoport, founder of Dealtaker.com which also leaks Black Friday ads, received the same legal notice from Wal-Mart on Wednesday.

"It has recently come to our attention that you and/or your company may potentially obtain possession of and untimely release Wal-Mart's sales circulars, advertisements or other information prior to their authorized release dates," the law firm Baker Hostetler, which represents Wal-Mart, wrote in a legal notice e-mailed to Brad Olson and obtained by CNNMoney.com.

The notice said Wal-Mart's circulars are protected by copyright laws, and any unauthorized reproduction, publication or distribution of that information prior to Wal-Mart's release date of Nov. 19 for its Black Friday ads "violates Wal-Mart's right."

"To the extent that the methods of acquisition or use include criminal activity, criminal penalties may also apply," the notice said.

Wal-Mart: Stop leaking Black Friday deals [CNNMoney](Thanks, Brad and Andy!)
(Photo:vidaarctique)

There are three types of sellers you should watch out for:

1. Sellers who never ship the merchandise. Look for at least 100 unique messages "attesting to the seller's reliability," and consider using either eBay's own escrow services or a third-party one that you know is legitimate (i.e., don't let a suspicious seller choose the escrow service).

2. Sellers who accept really low bids. It's likely the seller is trying to scam you and other bidders with a too-good-to-be-true offer.

3. Sellers who use multiple usernames. You can report sellers you suspect of this activity, but it's hard to prove, writes Wired. Regardless, you should drop out of the auction immediately if you suspect the seller may be bidding on his own item under another name.

You should also take the time to familiarize yourself with the security information on Craiglist and eBay, as well as check out OnGuard Online, a government-sponsored online security resource for consumers that covers pretty much every type of online activity.

"Spot a Fake Listing on Craiglist" [Wired]

RELATED
Craigslist Security Warnings
eBay Security Center
OnGuard Online
(Photo: Getty)

Viacom Branding used neuromarketing to test ads in episodes of South Park in Great Britain and Ireland, in what sounds like a bizarre focus group experience: "The two dozen subjects each spent an hour inside an fMRI scanner watching four programs while their brain activity was measured." However, the results—that ads that are "congruent" with the programming, like alcohol-based drinks, outperform "incongruent" ads for things like the Red Cross and Tetley tea—seem to be no-brainers. But an executive says that the results make it clear that even more attention should be paid to the context of an ad.

Another project used EEGs and eye-tracking programs to measure responses to ads placed in virtual walk-abouts of famous cities. They found that "saturation campaigns produce diminishing returns."

So far, neuromarketing has been confined primarily to Europe and kept largely under the radar in order to avoid what could be negative public reaction. But a creepy Stanford University experiment earlier this year showed that we can actually predict what test-subjects will buy based on past purchases and brain scans, and we can't imagine American ad agencies or companies wanting to miss the chance to sell more things, faster—without consumers knowing exactly why the ads work so well.

"This Is Your Brain on Advertising" [BusinessWeek]

We can't find a copy of the commercial online (can anyone send in a link?), but according to posts all around the web, it features a little girl crying out, "And you never run out of money!"

[Update: thanks to readers Wesa and Pda_tech_guy, here's a low-quality YouTube clip of the commercial.]

We think Mattel should introduce the "Dang, I Grew Up" Barbie playset, where Barbie spends her entire paycheck on Rent-a-Center furniture while trying to make the minimum payments on her dozen or so 30% interest rate cards. But then again, since this is Barbie, once her credit score hit 300 or so the playset would probably just bump it back up to 800. Responsibility is so for nerds and foster children.

(Thanks to David!)

"Barbie Fashion Fever Shopping Boutique Playset" [Amazon]

(We're not kidding—it gets Itchy & Scratchy violent without warning at the end.)

Fly Jumpers Junior [Metafilter]

RELATED
FlyJumper product page at Amazon.co.uk
PoweriZers at American Amazon site

What's more, he'd appreciate it if you drove really slowly in traffic so that the people behind you can sit and think about how broken their pool is, and how they'd love it if Brian would come over and make it into a serious Playboy Mansion-type waterfall affair. For a price.

The world is a twisted, twisted place.

Your Ad Here, on My S.U.V.? And You'll Pay? [NYT[
(Photo:Jeff Topping/NYT)

The ad campaign, which launched last March, was based on a Telephia report that actually noted AT&T Wireless (then Cingular) did not have the most reliable network in New York, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. A recent JD Power report gives that honor to T-Mobile in most markets. Similarly, a report from Consumer Reports placed Cingular/AT&T at the bottom of their rankings for reliability and satisfaction.

AT&T Yanks 'Fewest Dropped Calls' Campaign [DSL Reports]
(AP Photo/Kathy Wilens)

It's a Video-On-Demand service called "Start Over" because all you can do is "start over."

It'll work with your DVR, with the following conditions from TWC: "You will not be able to use the Fast-Forward keys on a program you started over, and you will not be able to start a recording of a show that you have started over and conversely, you may not "Start Over" a program, you have previously set up as a DVR Recording."
From DSL reports:

As the name indicates, the service only lets you start programs over — while content is still stored remotely. The service won't let you fast-forward through ads and only works for "selected" shows and channels, according to Time Warner.

The company is also launching a new service in South Carolina this October called "Look Back," which allows subscribers to watch previously broadcast episodes of popular TV series. This service, too, makes sure that you can't fast-forward through ads in order to placate broadcasters, and only lets you view programs from that day.

Time Warner Redefines the DVR [DSL Reports]

The player's ability to don, kick, toss or use products is part of the appeal. In "Super Monkey Ball," players try to get their monkey characters to collect Dole-branded bananas. And in "Tony Hawk's Project 8," players use Nokia phones.

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

For advertisers, they're not just games [LA Times]

Many entries are mediocre, if not downright bad, and sifting through them requires full-time attention. And even the most well-known brands often spend millions of dollars up front to get the word out to consumers.

The High Price of Creating Free Ads [NYT]
Top This TV [YouTube]
(Photo: cloudzilla)