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Highlights From Dealhack
Pixar's new movie Wall-E is about (SPOILER ALERT) a crass consumer culture that eventually ruins the planet by completely covering it with pointless garbage. Humanity, unable to consume itself out of an environmental crisis, moves to space, where it endlessly vacations on giant cruise-ship like habitats. The planet is governed by a huge Walmart-esque mega-store called "Buy ‘N Large." In order to celebrate this anti-consumption message,
Disney has apparently been giving out cheap plastic watches, and has launched a "Buy 'N Large" website where you can buy movie merchandise. [
Slog]
google
The Research Institute has compiled a list of
the most reputable companies in the U.S., "calculated by averaging perceptions of trust, esteem, admiration, and good feeling obtained from a representative sample of 100 local respondents who were familiar with the company." (Then they do some
statistical stuff to it.) Coming in at #1 is Google, which we think is remarkable considering how much data the company has managed to collect over the past several years, and continues to collect with new record-keeping initiatives like
Google Health.
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whoops
So Disney is all upset over some
slightly saucy photographs of 15-year-old
Hannah Montana star
Miley Cyrus, but it seems in their haste to toss out accusations (Disney spokeswoman Patti McTeague told the
New York Times that "a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines"), the company neglected to consider the appropriateness of using obviously under-aged girls on their underwear billboards in China.
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rebates
If you're still wondering where your 5 Free BluRay Discs are, here is the mailing address to send copies of your forms to (not Buena Vista Home Entertainment, as previously reported)
Summer Blu-ray Offer (postmarked by 10/31/07)
P.O. BOX 410338
El Paso, TX 88541-0338
Holiday Blu-ray Offer (postmarked by 2/28/08)
P.O. BOX 410260
El Paso, TX 88541-0260
rebates
A lot of you have written in about problems with the Five Free Blu-Ray Discs promotion that was available
here. The deal was supposed to be, buy a certain Blu-Ray disc player, mail in the coupon and proof of purchase postmarked by February 29, receive five free Blu-Ray movies. Many of you haven't received your movies. What happened?
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above and beyond
While on vacation at Walt Disney World, Paul and Karen (well actually just Paul) accidentally threw out their "engagement, wedding and five-year-anniversary rings." The hotel staff told them it would be virtually impossible to reclaim them, but after the family left, the staff realized the trash hadn't been compacted yet—so they
dug through "bag after bag" of trash until they found the rings.
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disney
Back in 1963, when the boats that carry customers through Disneyland's "It's a Small World" ride were designed, the average male weighed 175lbs and the average female 135lbs.
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disney
Winnie-the-Pooh is the latest character to fall victim to the lead toy contamination epidemic, according to the CPSC, which recalled the playsets yesterday.
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dumb babies, redux
Back in August, the University of Washington issued a press release about a study in the Journal of Pediatrics that examined the effect that baby videos (such as the Disney "
Baby Einstein" series) had on young children.
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travel
The San Francisco Chronicle has an interesting article about the strategies that the big US carriers are taking to restore their tarnished (or completely obliterated, depending on how recently you've had to fly somewhere) reputation for
customer service.
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dumb babies, redux
In response to a letter from the CEO of Disney,
University of Washington president Mark A. Emmert has written his own letter. In it, he stands by the press release issued by the university's media team, saying that it "reflects the essential points made in the research publication." He also reiterates the study's findings:
"The authors found a large and statistically significant reduction in vocabulary among infants age 8 to 16 months who viewed baby DVDs or videos, compared to those who did not view them. They also concluded that more research is needed to determine the reasons for this statistical association."
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dumb babies
A new study quoted by the LA Times says that the popular "
Baby Einstein" videos don't work—and may even stunt your child's vocabulary.
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Consumerist
