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How ‘How it Sucks’ Sucks
Or, How To Make Money Off of a Weak Website That Pulls Data From Amazon and Offers Nothing New Or Remotely Interesting. But I felt that title was a bit too wordy.
I came across HowItSucks [HIS] (which I will not link to in fear that you might go to their site and artificially boost their numbers) a week or two ago and thought it was a good idea but hadn’t had a chance to check it out until today. The theory behind HIS is that when you are buying a new gadget (it is focused on Electronics) you read primarily good reviews. HIS is suppose to be bad reviews on products, highlighting their flaws so you know what you are getting yourself into before you buy. Sounds like a great concept. The problem comes from the execution. Read more »
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Don’t Buy Into It
If you are fed up with mass consumerism and think that the capitalist paradigm we live in is bringing about the destruction of the planet, maybe the shopping and sales on Black Friday are something you don’t want to participate in. Well then, how about Buy Nothing Day.
Buy Nothing day is the Friday after Thanksgiving and was created by Adbusters in order to create “a 24 hour moratorium on consumer spending - participate by not participating.” In a protest against mass-consumerism and consumption each year on Black Friday in the US (and the following day internationally). The concept isn’t just to protest one day of shopping but rather to change the way people shop, moving away from a culture of over indulgence indulgence and focusing on “starting a lasting lifestyle commitment to consuming less and producing less waste” (again thanks to Wikipedia).
So, your choice. Whether you rush out to the Black Friday Sales or support the Buy Nothing Day movement, enjoy your Friday.
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American Madness Black Friday Sale!
You may have noticed the increased posting today and yesterday. This is because Josh and I have been building up a pile of posts here for those of you who plan on reading over the next two days while we are off enjoying our Thanksgiving dinners. Don’t expect much from the two of us on Thursday or Friday, but hopefully the 12 or so post that have already gone up this week will tide you over.
If not and you find yourself lost for something to do on Friday, there are always the infamous Black Friday Sales where some grandmother in Middle-America is bound to get trampled going for a $15 DVD player at Wal-mart.
For those of you up to actually attending the sales you can get a jump on them and map out your plan of attack using TGIBlackFriday, a website that has gotten its hands on some of the Black Friday circulars and has published its findings on their site. So, go now, check it out. Keep in mind though, according to Wikipedia: “‘Black Friday’ was originally so named because of the heavy traffic on that day, although most contemporary uses of the term refer instead to it as the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit).” So you might be better lugging that new flat screen via public transportation rather then driving it home in your car.
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Danger Alert
You know that friend of yours, the one who is always wearing Crocs and talking about how comfortable they are when folks try pointing out that they are god-awful-ugly?
Well, that friend may be in danger, especially while riding escalators. The Japanese National Institute of Technology and Evaluation has issued a warning to the public about Croc safety. Some 40 individuals in Japan have suffered Croc-related injuries, usually at the hands of an angry escalator. This includes a 5 year-old girl who reportedly lost 3 toenails and suffered a broken toe.
If this isn’t enough reason not to wear Crocs, consider that they are hideous shoes and wearing them anywhere in public, except the beach, should be considered a hate crime against all of humanity (unless the person wearing them is under the age of 8 or Mario Batali). Just remember, if you lose a toe to an escalator or if angry mobs come for you due to your blatent disregard of style, you’ve been warned.
Oh, speaking of Crocs and Mario Batali, back in May it was announced that he will be the new spokesman for the company.