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July 13, 2010 • 11:13 PM 3

Empire State Building going green


In an effort to green itself, the tallest building in NYC is replacing each of its 6,514 double-hung, dual-pane windows…aka 26,056 panes of glass!

The cost of this project is a mere $13 million, and by ways of energy, is said to cut use by 38% and about $4.4 million per year (that’s impressive).

The building has earned a score of 90 (out of 100) from the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Energy Star” program. That means a building constructed at a size (102 stories), a time (1930) and a pace (about 14 months) not known for energy efficiency now ranks in the top 10th of commercial office buildings.

While this project is currently underway…most NYC residents (and even employees with offices in the Empire State Building) are probably unaware it’s even happening, since the windows are being removed and installed after office hours.

If you’re reading this AND you live in NYC…then you can consider yourself in the know.

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

July 12, 2010 • 10:59 PM 0

Apple iPhone 4 = FAIL?


If you’re one of the thousands who ran out to buy the latest iPhone 4, and are annoyed with the constant dropped calls…Consumer Reports has come to the rescue with a fool-proof solution.

Duct tape.

Yes, for about $5 a roll, you can solve the issue on your $199 (and 2-year AT&T contract) phone.

Here’s a thought… Maybe Apple should focus on creating that AWESOME dependable product, rather than appease its brand fanatics by churning out new products each year.

Filed under: Business, Tech, , , ,

July 12, 2010 • 10:24 PM 0

Italy’s new laws reminiscent of Seinfeld’s “Good Samaritan” law


As soon as I read this article, I immediately thought of the Seinfeld finale.

Remember when the whole cast happened to be in some middle-of-nowhere town, and witnessed an overweight man getting mugged? And they got arrested for it?

Well apparently, the good council members of local towns in Italy have decided to take it upon themselves to crack down on anti-social behavior.  What kinds of behavior?  My favorites include:

The coastal town of Eraclea, near Venice, prohibits the building of sandcastles on the beaches because they can “obstruct the passage” of people strolling along the strand.

and

On the island of Capri, wearing noisy wooden clogs is banned.

There are over 150 such laws in Italy.  You may want to familiarize yourself with the list before visiting.

Filed under: Business, Random, World, , , , , , ,

July 9, 2010 • 2:32 PM 1

‘…[pet] chickens are like peanuts, you can’t just have one’


This article, in the WSJ no less…definitely trumps my former post about interesting pet-owner Only in NY…

Apparently there’s a whole world of chicken-enthusiasts!  Who knew?  I certainly didn’t.

There are no firm statistics on the number of pet-chicken owners in the U.S. BackYardChickens.com’s growing membership is one indicator it’s more than a flash in the pan. The information and networking site says it has more than 60,000 members today, up from 35,000 a year ago and 12,000 in June 2008.

Pet chickens??  Really?

I guess, with the current economic climate, some people are opting to grow their own food…eggs-producers included.  This though, is not the Farmer Joe I had in mind.  Of course if you’re going to have a pet chicken, you need to accessorize them.

Beyond birds, the company also sells accessories such as $25 chicken diapers and $8 saddles, which are protective aprons for the hen, to keep her feathers from getting pulled out by a frisky rooster. They sell coops, heat lamps and decor for chicken lovers, such as a $10 black hen tape dispenser.

And if you have questions there’s

…Coop D’État LLC, a pet-chicken consulting and retail company…

Dogs can’t be the only pet with a ridiculous guru (aka Dog Whisperer), no…chickens can have them too!

Andy G. Schneider of Alpharetta, Ga., who calls himself the Chicken Whisperer, hosts a daily hour-long Internet radio show on raising backyard chickens that attracts around 15,000 listeners nationwide a month, according to BlogTalkRadio. He sells Chicken Whisperer gear off his website, including T-shirts, watches, mugs, mouse pads and bumper stickers.

So, has this convinced you to join the chicken-enthusiasts? Personally, I’m going to stick with dogs.

Filed under: Business, Random, , , , , , ,

July 5, 2010 • 9:31 PM 0

Join the friendly skies with your own flying car


The flying car is here folks.  THAT day has arrived.  The Terrafugia is reminiscent of the Jetsons.

The makers of this aircraft want their product to be classified as a “Light Sport Aircraft” so that people would only need 20 hours of flying time, to operate it.

According to its maker, the Terrafugia can transform from a roadable vehicle that can hit a highway speed of 65 mph to a winged aircraft in 30 seconds.

The plane version can cruise at about 115 mph (185 kph) and cover about 400 miles (644 kilometers) worth of turf before needing a refill of regular unleaded gas.

Oh right, and the price tag… a mere $200K.  In this day and age, when $1M, isn’t that big a deal..what’s $200K?

Filed under: Business, Tech, , , ,

July 1, 2010 • 8:00 AM 0

FREE wifi at Starbucks starts TODAY!


Don’t forget!  Starting today – July 1st – Starbucks is offering their wi-fi services…for FREE!

Starbucks is partnering up with Yahoo! (amongst other companies) to ‘help enrich your [yes, YOU!] coffeehouse experience’.

What are Starbucks, Yahoo! (and other partnering companies) getting out of this?

On Wednesday, Yahoo! announced that over the next 3 years, they will repurchase $3B of their stock (in an effort to raise the value, by limiting the amount of shares in the market).    Starbucks’ stock (SUBX) isn’t doing too hot either.

Does brand loyalty necessarily = higher stock prices?  I wonder if free wi-fi is the answer…? I guess time will tell.

Filed under: Business, Marketing, Tech, , , , , , , , , , , ,

June 25, 2010 • 8:30 AM 0

World Cup Fever? Eat a lion burger.


Right, you heard me.  A lion (king of the jungle) burger.

A restaurant near Phoenix is selling them at $21 a pop.  The owner of the restaurant said:

“In Africa they do eat lions, so I assume if it’s OK for Africans to eat lions then it should be OK for us.” Mr Selogie added: “We thought that since the World Cup was in Africa that the lion burger might be interesting for some of our more adventurous customers.”

Makes sense to me.

Apparently the meat is from a free range farm, regulated by the USDA,  in Illinois.  The owner goes further, and mentions that lions aren’t on the endangered species list.

You know what..if this helps with sales, I say, why not?!  This economy is pretty sucky…so you have to get creative.

Would I try it?  Maybe.  I bet it tastes like chicken.

Filed under: Business, Marketing, Random, , , ,

June 25, 2010 • 8:00 AM 0

You won’t be able to skip these commercials…


…not because I’m promising that they’ll be awesome, but because literally, you won’t be able to.

This summer, if you happen to be shopping at one of nine Bloom grocery stores in Maryland and/or Virgina, don’t be surprised it you see a small tv screen on the shelf by the ketchup bottles.   Yes, my friends, you can view a commercial AS YOU SHOP.

In California, there’s talk about selling ad space ON license plates.  That’s really quite brilliant, if you ask me.

When the vehicle is moving the license plate would look like the ones we’re used to now, but when the vehicle stops for more than four seconds a digital ad or other message would flash. The license plate number would always be visible.

I recommend we all save clippings of our favorite print ads (emphasis on print/paper)…I’m thinking they’ll be considered “antique” before we know it.  🙂

Filed under: Marketing, Tech, , , , , , ,

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