| |
| Current Topic: Miscellaneous |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Miscellaneous |
12:10 am EDT, Aug 19, 2002 |
"David Novak made 11 cents an hour baking bread during his stay at Eglin Federal Prison Camp in Florida. Now he makes a nice living advising white-collar felons on what to expect on the inside. Read on. It might keep your CEO scared straight. " This article is not as fun as I was hoping it would be, but I'm forwarding it anyway. For your morbid curiosity... Welcome to Club Fed |
|
Have You Ever Tried To Sell A Diamond? - 82.02 |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Miscellaneous |
12:13 am EDT, Aug 18, 2002 |
"The diamond invention -- the creation of the idea that diamonds are rare and valuable, and are essential signs of esteem -- is a relatively recent development in the history of the diamond trade..." There is a member of my circle of friends who is seriously obsessed with the idea of getting a diamond engagement ring from her boyfriend, which has lead to some discussion about what diamonds are worth and where they come from. Of course, the meaning is in the eye of the beholder, but we're a bunch of snobby intellectuals so articles like this tend to get forwarded around anyway. This is a fascinating discussion of the relatively recent invention of the "tradition" of giving diamond engagement rings and the economic and marketing machines operating in the background. Of course, this article was published in 1982, so obviously we know that any threats to the De Beers empire in the early eighties were handled, and while our generation is very marketing savvy, the girls still want those rings. Most of them anyway... How many other cultural traditions that you and I grew up with are simply products of Madison Ave? Have You Ever Tried To Sell A Diamond? - 82.02 |
|
`But Officer, I Didn't Do Anything!': From The Tampa Tribune |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Miscellaneous |
2:06 am EDT, Aug 9, 2002 |
"Off-duty troopers, hired at $30 an hour, picked motorists at random and directed them to pull off the interstate into a rest stop, where Palm Pilot- toting interviewers waited. No, this roadside checkpoint wasn't looking for drunken drivers. The survey, which will cost about $150,000, was commissioned by the Florida High Speed Rail Authority to gauge public interest in riding a proposed 120 mph bullet train. " This is downright strange... `But Officer, I Didn't Do Anything!': From The Tampa Tribune |
|
BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Kidnapping for kicks in New York |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Miscellaneous |
3:42 am EDT, Aug 7, 2002 |
"A bizarre new service offering 'designer kidnapping' for thrill-seeking New Yorkers is dividing opinion across the city.
Brock Enright, a 25-year-old artist, has created a business where people pay him thousands of dollars a time to be violently abducted. " BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Kidnapping for kicks in New York |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Miscellaneous |
3:39 am EDT, Aug 7, 2002 |
Random punkish printing company. Their website is fun. Search for the hidden Roach Bomb G-phile. BRO PRINTS |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Miscellaneous |
1:59 pm EDT, Jul 26, 2002 |
This guy built a Mech in his backyard. Consider this next time you decide you "don't have time" for that project... :) WizKids - MechWarrior |
|
ABCNEWS.com : Pricey Pop Concerts Keep More Music Fans at Home |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Miscellaneous |
2:13 pm EDT, Jul 17, 2002 |
"A survey of the North American concert industry by trade publication Pollstar showed the top 50 acts sold a combined 10.6 million tickets in the first half of the year, down about three percent from the year-ago period (10.9 million tickets) and off 18 percent from 2000 (12.9 million tickets).... Album sales in the United States have tumbled 10 percent year-to-date, according to data from tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan published in Billboard magazine." Album sales are off at a steeper percentage then concerts this year. Is this proof that MP3s are cutting into album sales, or are album sales simply bottoming out more slowly... ABCNEWS.com : Pricey Pop Concerts Keep More Music Fans at Home |
|
