Some companies provide employees with rooms full of ping-pong or foosball tables, TVs, and comfy napping pods as a way to relax or kick-back for breaks during the day. Amazon is reportedly taking a more zen approach to inspiring workers: creating a garden/jungle/conservatory-like new workspace. [More]
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Science Says All Our Cell Phone Use Is Driving Bees Crazy
By 5.12.11
It turns out cell phones distract and annoy more than just drivers, moviegoers, golfers and teachers. According to scientists, bees get all kinds of crazy when cell phone signals scramble their senses. [More]
The Secret Life Of The Majestic Plastic Bag
By 8.17.10
Have you ever wished the plastic bag from American Beauty got its own spinoff? Your dream has come true. This is a mock nature documentary narrated by Jeremy Irons that follows “one of the most clever and illustrious creatures: the plastic bag” from its first birthing into the wild all the way to its ultimate home, the Pacific gyre. [More]
Make It Yourself
By 8.28.09
If you really want to claim the title of the most do-it-yourself Consumerist reader, you will grab this book (free PDF) and learn from it. Just don’t come back here and post about it in the comments.
Comcast Says Lightning Caused Emergency Alert System To Show QVC
By 8.8.09
Remember Jim? His Comcast cable box randomly responded to the emergency alert system (EAS) by tuning in to QVC. According to a source inside Comcast, rogue lightning strikes set off the EAS, even though there wasn’t an emergency. Two things happen when the EAS activates: the cable box switches to a local channel, and Comcast replaces the local programming with an alert. In Jim’s case, the box switched to the emergency channel—which happened to be QVC—but since there wasn’t an emergency, there was no special broadcast. So what can you do next time your cable box independently declares an emergency?
Walmart Frozen Green Beans Come With Free Frog
By 7.22.09
Mmm, delicious green beans! Oh wait, what’s that? Kermit, nooooooo!
Man Sues Walmart After Being Bitten By Snake, But Keeps Going Back For The Deals
By 2.17.09
Ah, the irresistable pull of bargains! A man in Florida is suing Walmart because he was bitten by a pygmy rattler while shopping in the garden center in 2008. His is the third such attack in a Walmart in Florida since 2006, and he’s claiming the retailer should have taken better steps to prevent rattler bites after the first two attacks. Our favorite detail, though, is that he won’t stop going to Walmart, because “their prices are too good to shop elsewhere.”
This Foreclosed Property Is An Excellent Home For Bobcats
By 9.7.08
Unlike prospective homebuyers, this pair of bobcats went absolutely wild over a foreclosed Lake Elsinore home. According to the L.A. Times, the bobcats were likely attracted by an outdoor koi pond, which isn’t just decorative, but serves as a fabulous source of drinking water. Like any suburban couple, the pair is expected to stay until the kids are old enough to leave.
