Archive

Archive for April, 2010

The Other Guys

April 28th, 2010

I love anything with Samuel L. Jackson in it. Simply cause it will get you drunk.

Comedy ,

Want to be successful? Start painting your house blue!

April 23rd, 2010

That’s right!

A study in the UK done earlier this year found a correlation between average salary and house colour.

Who thinks to check that?

Here are the house colours compared to annual salaries of the occupants:

House Colour Average Salary (CAD)
Blue $58,569.96 CAD
Red $36,221.47 CAD
White $36,065.65 CAD
White $36,065.65 CAD
Worst Colour
Green $20,195.09 CAD

So generally speaking, people who live in blue houses earn three times more than their green-homed counterparts.

Please note these numbers are in Canadian Dollars but they are based on UK households.

From The Times of India: Paint your house ‘blue’ for success

Interest

Creepy man – Not a Photoshop

April 22nd, 2010

A while back I saw this great post of photos that were not Photoshopped.

Now that the camping season is on its way back into my life I catch a glimpse of this photo from a camp trip last year.

If you look close you’ll see a man in the driver-side mirror.

This was not Photoshopped. Nerissa took this as I was driving.

Personal, Wacky ,

Top four worst companies in America

April 21st, 2010

I think it says a lot when three of the top four worst companies in America are back in contention for this years Consumerist Worst Company in America contest.

Bank of America, Ticketmaster, and Comcast are no strangers to this competition, and I think that speaks very poorly of their customer service.

Cash4Gold made a surprising first round elimination of the incumbent AIG, who was awarded the title last year. I think that also says a lot.

There were some companies that came out punching, but managed to get eliminated in the later rounds. The big shockers in my opinion were Apple and PayPal.

Not that I’ve ever had particularly great service from PayPal, but their service for me has always been good or fair.

And I can only presume Apple did so well in this competition because of growing pains and the launch of the poorly received iPad.

I know most of my readership is Canadian, but who is your pick for worst company of the year?

From Consumerist: Meet Your Worst Company In America 2010 Final Four!

Rants, Service , , , ,

The Story of Bottled Water (2010)

April 20th, 2010

This video actually sums up the last infographic about bottled water really well. Thanks Mike!

Videos

Why people in St. John’s should not buy bottled water

April 20th, 2010

I have been arguing this for years, but bottled water consumption in a place like St. John’s is totally needless.

Some large corporation is making billions off your cost-of-bottled-soda purchases.

Furthermore people are spending ridiculous amount of money on something that is better provided for free. Especially in St. John’s where tap water is clean, healthy, and delicious.

Has it occurred to bottled water buyers that Memorial University stopped vending bottled water for a reason?

Check out this infographic to get an idea what you are getting yourself into when you drink bottled water.

Key points:

  • Bottled water is 10,000 times more expensive than tap water (when it isn’t already free)
  • 40% of bottled water is nothing more than tap water
  • Bottled water often does not meet health standards
  • Bottled water is not tested for e. coli
  • Bottles are wasteful, very few are actually recycled.

Rants , ,

The song I was born to

April 20th, 2010

On the day I was born When Doves Cry by Prince and the Revolution was the number one song in America.

Personal ,

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog in 8-bit form

April 16th, 2010

The great web-based series has been recreated like an old-school 8-bit RPG video game.

I have so much love for this.

Comedy, Videos ,

Studded tires for city driving

April 15th, 2010

I can’t say it should be illegal, because undoubtedly some people do need to use studded tires.

But the average intra-city driver does not need studs in their tires. Why people in St. John’s are adamant to have studs when they are driving on slush-cover asphalt is beyond me.

If wearing studs was neutral to city infrastructure I wouldn’t mind. But it’s not!

Studded tires cause severe damage to roadways when under regular use.

They are banned in some states in the US because of the damage they cause compared to the relative safety benefits they provide. Studded tires only perform better directly on snow or ice and have less traction when on asphalt.

“Pavement ruts caused by increased wear from studded tires can cause the dangerous conditions of trammeling, hydroplaning on accumulated water in the ruts, excessive road spray, and premature damage to pavement markings.”

To top it off cars with studded tires require as much as 1.2 to 15% more gas than cars without which contributes poorly to the environment.

It is still a matter of great debate between the advantages and disadvantages of using studded tires, but those who use them tend to contend they are safer. Studies show that radial tires actually offer comparable safety without all of the asphalt damage.

I rant about this today because it is clear that studded tires have become very popular and you can see it in the roads of St. John’s. There aren’t many roads in the city right now that aren’t adversely affected by the use of studded tires.

People who use studded tires should be subjected to a tax that goes to pay for fixing the roads they destroy.

From Washington.edu: Studded Tire Information
F
rom Tire Information World: Studded Tire Report

Rants , , ,

Greg Pike makes Hot Chip music video… apparently

April 14th, 2010

Rieti sent this along to me and asked me about when I did this video.

When I started the video I thought he meant I looked like one of the band members.

But wait for the grand entrance. You’ll be shocked ;)

Dance for your lives.

Comedy, Music, Personal, Videos , ,