Look, pilots, we know that times are tough, but when security asks you to remove your belt and shoes, you probably shouldn’t laugh and drop your pants, ok? Because if you do, you’re going to end up detained and will have to explain yourself to a judge. Just ask United Airlines pilot Michael Slynn, who forgot this relatively simple advice yesterday in Rio de Janiero. [More]
international
BP Gulf-Sized Spilling Occurs In Nigeria Annually, But Nobody Cares
By 6.15.10
For America, the BP spill in the Gulf is a “tragedy that never should have happened,” requiring, “the largest environmental response in this country’s history. In Nigeria, they just call it “Thursday.” [More]
Chase Charges $5 To Use Non-Chase ATMs Outside The U.S.?
By 4.21.10
Chase says this about using non-Chase ATMs: “$2 each for any non-Chase ATM withdrawal, balance inquiry or transfer. $3 per ATM withdrawal outside the U.S.” You might think that means it costs $2 in the U.S., and $3 outside. You’d be wrong. [More]
"Robin Hood" Hacker Exposes Banks Awarding Secret Bonuses Despite Paycut Promises
By 2.24.10
A hacker has stolen the tax information for over 1,000 Latvian companies, and is now revealing, via Twitter, which banks did not take the paycuts they promised in return for government bailouts, and which are awarding secret bonuses. [More]
You Want Broadband At Home? Fine, British Telecom Wants $70,000
By 2.18.10
The Walker family, who live in a 150-person village in England, would like to upgrade their dialup Internet connection to broadband. Unfortunately, in order to do that, British Telecom insists that they would need to install higher capacity equipment for the entire village, and send the Walkers the £45,000 ($69,788) bill.
It probably goes without saying that BT has a monopoly.
What Does Prosperity Taste Like? Beef.
By 2.13.10
What does prosperity taste like? According to McDonald’s in Singapore, it tastes like beef. From a historical point of view, I suppose that’s true.
What’s a Prosperity Burger? It’s a beef or chicken burger on a long bun, almost like a small sub sandwich, with onions and a black pepper sauce. If you want mega prosperity, apparently you need to add some twisty fries.
(Thanks to Dan for the picture!)
Customer Banned For Life From Tim Hortons For Complaining About Coffee
By 2.10.10
According to various news sources in Canada, a man in New Brunswick has been banned for life from both of his local Tim Hortons coffee/donut shops after complaining a few times too many about the burnt taste of the chain’s decaf. Now he makes his own coffee at home, which is probably just as well for everyone involved. [More]
Banker Caught Looking At Nudie Pics On Live TV
By 2.9.10
An investment banker apparently forgot or didn’t know his colleague was doing a live interview and was caught looking at nudie pics in the background on live TV. The SFW fun starts at about 1:03. Hey, pushing around money is very stressful, a guy needs some kind of release. Two things make this video even better: 1. The guy keeps checking out pictures as he talks to another coworker and 2. At the very end he turns around and faces the camera, his face showing that he’s just realized that his appreciation for the female form has been caught on camera. [More]
You Can Now Make VOIP Calls On Your iPhone Using 3G
By 1.29.10
I’ll keep this short because it’s Apple-related and we all need a break from that company: Apple has removed its ban on using your iPhone’s 3G “connection” to place VOIP calls, so now you can use an app like Fring to place overseas calls even when you’re not around a Wi-Fi hotspot. Call quality in those moments will naturally depend on AT&T’s ability to provide a good 3G connection, so keep your expectations low, but still it’s good news for any iPhone/AT&T customers looking to save money on calls. [More]
T-Mobile Doesn't Believe That You Moved To England
By 12.13.09
Chelsea moved to London while she was still under a T-Mobile USA contract. This would be a perfectly legitimate reason to let her out of her contract without an early termination fee. Unfortunately, she wrote to Consumerist, she can’t prove to T-Mobile’s satisfaction that she no longer lives in the United States. [More]
Child Labor? In MY Local Store? It's More Likely Than You Think
By 9.13.09
Was anything you own made with forced or child labor? It’s more likely than you think. Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor finally released a long-awaited report on the use of child labor or forced labor worldwide. The unsurprising result: Children and forced laborers work in agriculture, mining, and manufacturing worldwide.
McCurry Defeats McDonald's In Trademark Infringement Lawsuit
By 9.9.09
In a victory for little guys worldwide, the Malaysian restaurant McCurry has won an epic trademark battle against McDonald’s. Yes, McDonald’s. McCurry has been open for ten years, and has spent eight of those fighting McDonald’s. They won on the grounds that nobody could possibly ever confuse the two restaurants.
Chinese Police Say Walmart Shopper Beaten To Death After Botched Receipt Check
By 9.8.09
Chinese state media says that a woman accused of shoplifting was allegedly beaten to death by 2 employees of a Walmart in eastern China. A police report says that the employees stopped the woman on the street near her home (which is also near the Walmart) and demanded to see her receipt. One report says she refused because she was unsure of the employee’s identities, another says she handed it over, then took it back.
Customer Bills Companies For Time Wasted — Pret A Manger Actually Pays Up
By 9.2.09
Pret A Manger is a sandwich shop. Paul McCrudden is an eater of sandwiches. The relationship seems uncomplicated. It probably was, at least until Mr. McCrudden decided to log all of his activity for six weeks and then send invoices for the time he spent interacting with brands. Some might call this an interesting social experiment. Others, a dick move. All we know is that Pret A Manger decided to pay him, and the letter they sent is hilarious. Oh, and the check is nice too.
Driving Your Rolls Royce Through The Wall Is Not A Good Way To Lodge A Complaint
By 8.28.09
This is probably something we shouldn’t have to tell you, but apparently some people are confused. For example, this guy: He decided to drive his 1983 Rolls Royce Silver Spirit through the wall of a store after a dispute over the delivery of a mattress.
The Big Mac Index: Globalization At Work
By 8.23.09
Sure, McDonald’s operates all over the world now, but that doesn’t mean that everyone can afford their products easily. As proof, The Economist has spent years updating its Big Mac Index, which uses the local price of the McD delicacy to estimate the purchasing power of consumers in about 120 countries. Recently, UBS cooked up its own twist on the index, calculating how many minutes the average person would need to work at their job in order to earn that precious, precious Big Mac. Predictably, a worker in Nairobi must work the longest—over two hours—while a worker in Chicago would only need to work 12 minutes.
Boa Constrictor Discovered Lounging On Top Of ATM
By 8.22.09
Is this boa constrictor discovered on top of an ATM in Serbia part of an attempt to control the scourge of mice nesting in ATMs, or just the latest international crime syndicate to take up ATM skimming?
