Weeks after CurrentC was delayed (again) and half the team was laid off, the mobile payment that was supposed to serve as a merchant-backed alternative to payment systems from Apple and Android may be over for good. Or at least that’s the impression one might get from an email sent to testers of the system. [More]
end of an era
Microsoft Ends An Era: Support For Internet Explorer 8, 9, And 10 Stops Next Week
By 1.6.16
The end is nigh: as of Tuesday, January 12, Microsoft will issue its final support patch for versions 8, 9, and 10 of its Internet Explorer browser, bringing one of the web’s clunkiest tools one step closer to vanishing. [More]
FAO Schwarz Flagship Closes In NYC, Forcing All Those Giant Stuffed Animals To Find A New Home
By 7.15.15
The doors will close, the giant piano keyboard will fall silent and all those giant stuffed animals will lose the attention of adoring crowds when FAO Schwarz’s New York City flagship closes today. Will there be a clearance sale on ginormous tigers, or an auction of oversized musical instruments? It’s unclear, though Toys “R” Us, the owners of FAO Schwarz, says it’s looking for a new home to sell toys and bring in tourists again. [More]
Costco May Finally Start Accepting Something Other Than American Express
By 11.6.14
Costco may be very generous with the free food samples and might have a very forgiving return policy, but when it comes to paying with a credit card at the warehouse club, customers have only one option: American Express. But a new report claims that we could be seeing the end of Costco customers being forced to use their AmEx when buying 872 lbs. of steak and enough toilet paper to keep a small nation clean. [More]
Slot Machine’s 20-Year Reign Of Stinginess Ends After Player Hits $2.4M Jackpot
By 8.25.14
For the last two decades, one slot machine in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas has been the darling of players, with someone reportedly giving it a whirl every five seconds. But it’s never coughed up the big jackpot in all its years… until now. [More]
Blockbuster Officially Killing Off Remaining Stores And DVDs By Mail
By 11.6.13
Children of the future will most definitely need a lesson on what a video store used to be, perhaps in How People Used To Do Stuff Before The Internet 101, especially now that Dish Network has announced it’s killing off its remaining Blockbuster stores and shuttering the DVD by mail service. [More]
Verizon Wireless May Follow AT&T, Drop Unlimited Data Plans
By 6.22.10
When Verizon Wireless begins to introduce plans for its next generation data network later this year, don’t expect to see any all-you-can-eat unlimited offerings. In an interview with BusinessWeek, the company’s CFO said the company will likely have to change how it bills for data consumption as more data-hungry smartphones and apps enter the marketplace–and that means tiered data plans similar to the ones AT&T has introduced to help control data consumption. [More]
Tavern On The Green Auctioning Off Ladies Riding Tigers And Other Crazy Stuff
By 1.12.10
Now you can own a piece of the twinkly and storied history of the (bankrupt) Tavern on the Green by jumping in on the auction action. To appease a gala ballroom’s worth of rapacious creditors, everything must go! Lot 598: Etched Glass Mirror of Lady Riding a Lion (starting bid: $2000). Lot 617: Four Sets of Six Mother of Pearl Caviar Spoons (starting bid: $100). Maybe buy some place settings and a few choice pieces and recreate your own Tavern on the Green in your breakfast nook? [More]
