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December 25, 2010 • 1:20 PM 1

ATMs dispensing cash are so passé


Last week, a mall in Florida debuted a new ATM machine.  Just swipe your credit card, and poof, out comes a 24-karat bar or coin.

Thomas Geissler, the inventor of the Gold to go machines says:

“Instead of buying flowers or chocolates, which is gone after two or three minutes, this will stay for the next few hundred years,” Geissler told the Associated Press. But he also envisions that the machine, which is making its North American debut at the upscale Town Center Mall in Boca Raton, will draw “serious investors” who don’t want to buy gold at pawnshops or over the Internet.

I’m wondering if there will be a security escort for customers?  The ATM vestibule was designed and created for a reason.  Just because the ATMs will be placed in upscale areas, doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily safer to purchase your gold bars and coins out in the open.

Well, not to take away from the excitement,  I recommend you keep this link handy, so that you can be best prepared when the GoldtoGo machines debut in your area.

Filed under: Business, Finance, , , , , , , , ,

December 23, 2010 • 6:13 PM 0

Advertising of the future, brought to you by BMW Germany


Forget print, banner/Internet or mobile advertising… BMW is taking the advertising to a whole new level.

BMW Germany is literally getting into consumers’ heads, by burning its logo onto the insides of their eyes.

I know, that sounds sort of freaky, but it’s actually quite ingenious.

Using pioneering new “flash projection” technology, BMW is testing a cinema spot in Germany that does not feature a visible logo. Instead, a bright photo flash occurs during the ad, and a few moments later the audience is asked to close its eyes.

At this point, the audience sees an after-image of the brand that has been created by the flash. The letters “BMW” appear before them, in the same way that you might see a bright spot if you had been looking at the sun and then closed your eyes.

Check out the spot in the YouTube video below.  Obviously, you won’t get the same effect, but you’ll learn how BMW Germany put the commercial together, and see real-time reactions of the audience.

Who knows, this may be a glimpse into the advertising of the future…

Filed under: Business, Marketing, Random, Tech, World, , , , , , ,

December 9, 2010 • 8:31 AM 0

Do not track me, at a click of a button


In response to the FTC’s call for regulation of tracking (by way of cookies), and in effort to cater to its users, Microsoft has announced that

IE9, set to debut sometime next year, will offer Tracking Protection Lists, a feature similar to current popup blockers, that can stop specified websites from tracking users’ online behavior through cookies or other methods.

Thank you Microsoft.  Looking forward to this feature.

Filed under: Business, Marketing, Social Media, Tech, , , , , , , , ,

December 8, 2010 • 8:19 PM 0

Product placement, Oprah style


Talk about awkward product placement…

In a lead-up to her Ultimate Australian Adventure, Oprah Winfrey last week aired Oprah’s Aussie Countdown, which featured a segment with a report by Australian TV personality Carrie Bickmore. Ms. Bickmore’s report, meant to educate the audience on Australian culture, sparked an upset when she said Australians like to spend time at “hip hangouts” called McDonald’s.

How’s that for a slap in the face?  I guess Harpo execs think that their target audience is a bit slow on the uptake.  Come on..really?  Hip hangouts called McDonald’s??

In shocking news..

A spokesman for Harpo confirmed that McDonald’s was a sponsor for the Aussie Countdown episode, along with Qantas (an audience member received a free trip for two to Australia), Motorola (audience members received free phones) and Tourism Australia, which is covering the ground costs of the visit (no money is going directly to Harpo).

Had the production team given this a little more thought, I’m completely convinced that they could have come up with a better way to incorporate McDonald’s into the show.

Filed under: Business, Food, Marketing, , , , , , , , , ,

November 26, 2010 • 7:30 AM 3

Face, face, face, face (am I going to get in trouble now?)


You’ve probably already heard about this by now… the US Patent and Trademark Office has agreed to let Facebook trademark the word face. Specifically in these instances:

“Telecommunication services, namely, providing online chat rooms and electronic bulletin boards for transmission of messages among computer users in the field of general interest and concerning social and entertainment subject matter, none primarily featuring or relating to motoring or to cars.” 

For all those who thought I was going a little overboard when I’ve previously compared Facebook to Big Brother… who looks like the crazy one now?

Filed under: Business, Marketing, Social Media, Tech, , , , ,

November 15, 2010 • 9:56 PM 4

If reusable bags are bad for the environment, how should we carry our groceries?


If you’re a semi-eco-friendly individual, you probably own at least one reusable grocery bag. It’s sort of your contribution to the environment-at-large.  One small step…  Well, I am here to advise you to check the label of origin of that bag… make sure that it’s made in the USA, and not in China.

…reports from around the country have trickled in recently about reusable bags, mostly made in China, that contained potentially unsafe levels of lead.

I know what you’re thinking…what now?

Concerns have proliferated so much that Senator Charles E. Schumer, a New York Democrat, sent a letter on Sunday to the Food and Drug Administration, urging the agency to investigate the issue.

I say use paper, and check to see where your reusable bag is made.  Maybe US companies will finally start noticing that outsourcing EVERYTHING has its side effects…

Cheaper labor does not equal better quality.  I’m just saying.

Filed under: Business, Green, Health, , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 10, 2010 • 6:08 PM 1

A picture’s worth a thousand words, or so the FDA hopes


Today, the FDA unveiled 36 proposed cigarette labels.

Designed to cover half of a pack’s surface area, the new labels are intended to spur smokers to quit by providing graphic reminders of tobacco’s dangers.

Some of the warnings include: “Smoking can kill you“, “Cigarettes cause strokes and heart disease“, “Cigarettes are addictive.”  I found the images pretty graphic…so you can click on the links above to view them for yourself.

I had no idea, but apparently the US was the first country to put require warning labels (Surgeon General’s..) on all packages sold.

So when does this all happen?

The agency will accept public comment on the 36 proposed labels, and expects to choose the final nine by June. By Oct. 22, 2012, manufacturers will no longer be allowed to distribute cigarettes for sale in the United States that do not display the new graphic health warnings.

I find it hard to believe that in this day and age, the general public is not aware of the dangers associated with smoking… It will be interesting to see if this has a big effect on smokers.

Filed under: Business, Health, Marketing, , , , , , , , ,

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