UPS is testing package delivery drones on trucks so a single driver can make multiple deliveries at once, but how can it make short-range deliveries now, without buying more trucks? A new law in Kentucky allows for package deliveries by golf cart on public roads. Yes, golf carts. [More]
experiments
Study Claims That There’s A Decent Chance You Look Like Your Name
By 2.28.17
Have you ever met someone and immediately thought “You look like a Heather,” and then it turns out they person is actually named Heather? While you might want to believe you have some kind of psychic ability, you probably don’t. Instead, a new study finds that under the right circumstances people can often correctly match names to faces based on social perceptions. [More]
Hungry Shoppers Also Buy More Non-Food Stuff
By 2.20.15
It’s a long-held belief that shopping while hungry leads to a larger than normal grocery bill. A new study claims that you might want also want to avoid hitting the department store on an empty stomach. [More]
Scientists Find Cancer Drug Can Put Alzheimer's On The Ropes In Mice
By 2.10.12
Researchers continue to deliver promising news for patients stricken with Alzheimer’s disease. Months after scientists found that an insulin nasal spray slowed the disease’s progression, there’s evidence that a skin cancer drug managed to reverse the disease in mice. [More]
Audit Stanford Computer Science Courses Online For Free
By 8.22.11
Those who always wanted to tell people they studied at Stanford but lacked the grades or money to apply are in luck, because professors there have made some classes available online for free. Anyone can watch lectures and view class materials, submit assignments and receive feedback. Those who make the grade can receive “statements of accomplishments” from the instructor. [More]
Know What Else Doesn't Rot? A Homemade Burger.
By 11.15.10
There’s a bunch of different iterations of people photographing how their McDonald’s burger left out for a long time doesn’t get moldy, and they’ve gotten lots of internet attention. But they all forgot to do something very simple: make a homemade burger and document it alongside. [More]
What Really Happens To A McDonald's Burger When You Leave It Out
By 10.18.10
Recently photos of a McDonald’s burger left out for 180 days with no visibile signs of decomposing went viral. Consumerist reader GitEmSteveDave decided to recreate the experiment using time-lapse photography and came up with drastically different results. The burger was completely gone within just a short period of time! Also discovered? Time-lapse cats are hilarious. [More]
Town Prints Its Own Money To Get Locals Shopping
By 6.7.10
Last month, a business improvement group in Ardmore, PA issued $15,000 in local currency, which citizens bought at half the face value and which can be spent like real money in stores and restaurants in the downtown area. Strangely, despite the 50% savings promised only $2,900 of it has been spent so far, with thrift stores receiving more than any other type of business. The group is going to launch another money printing campaign in November to try to boost holiday sales, preferably of new things. [More]
Kmart Wants Your Dirty Laundry
By 5.19.10
If you live in Iowa City, Iowa, you’ll soon be able to do your laundry at Kmart. I don’t get it either, but that’s what the retailer has announced. It will be testing a laundromat addition to one of its Kmart stores in the city, and has named it Kwash. I’m assuming you’re supposed to pronounce it K-Wash, but for the first five minutes I kept reading “quash” and wondering how in the hell that was supposed to make me think of clean clothes and cheap goods. [More]
Study Finds Grocery Store Shoppers Are Honest Folk
By 3.24.10
The people on that People of Walmart website may wear some ugly t-shirts, but at least they’re honest when it comes to dealing with strangers. According to a new study that looked at how markets, religion, and the size of a community impact concepts of fairness and punishment, Walmart grocery shoppers in Missouri came out on top in terms of treating the other side fairly and punishing selfishness. [More]
By 7.28.09
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We don’t recommend keeping your savings in your pantry, but in case you were wondering, here’s how much money you can fit into an Apple Jacks box. [Slate]
What Can You Get For $5?
By 7.24.08
Here’s an interesting experiment. This website is trying to use Flickr to explore the relative value of $5 around the world. They’re asking you to take pictures of things that cost 5 bucks and submit them to their Flickr pool, (or email them).
How To Design A Monster Vs Coat Hanger Experiment?
By 3.6.08
One of our readers is an enterprising psych major and he would really like to recreate the Monster Cable vs Coat Hanger test with laboratory-grade methodology, controls, and statistical measures. However, Adam needs your help. What is the minimum equipment he should buy, both audio equipment and coat-hanger-wise?
Do Coat Hangers Sound As Good Monster Cables?
By 3.3.08 — Updated: 3.4.13
Can you tell the difference between music that passed through a pricey Monster stereo Cable, and a coat hanger? A reader forwarded us a post from the Audioholics Home Theater Forum and its author says no. He says his brother ran an experiment on him and four other audio aficionados listening to a new CD from a new group blindfolded. Seven different songs were played, each time heard with the speaker hooked up to Monster Cables, and the other time, hooked up to coat hanger wire. Nobody could determine which was the Monster Cable and which was the coat hanger. The kicker? None of the subjects even knew that coat hangers were going to be used. This is, of course, “nothing new,” a Google of “monster cables vs coat hangers” shows that some users have been saying this for a while. Still, this is an experiment begging to be recreated under controlled conditions (say, for instance, a double-blind test). Science fair project! Read how it went down, inside…
Consumerist ACSI Fund 1st Check In
By 9.10.07
Does higher customer satisfaction lead to better stock performance?
