Dec 12
You’re not with him/her anymore. The lovely days, over—and so are the days of lovely, considerate gifts. But what if you still want a holiday gesture for your ex? Might as well have it make them feel bad. More »
Mar 21
I’m sure that the folks at Crispin Porter + Bogusky would happily tell you that there’s no such thing as bad press, but by most accounts, it’s shaping up to be a rough couple of weeks for the ad agency. Last week, Burger King dumped the company after a seven year partnership, opting to manage its own advertising “until we have a new agency in place.”
Groupon is calling out CP+B as well, after the dust has cleared on those controversial ads, which led to accusations that the deal site was making light of the situation in Tibet. In a recent interview, Groupon CEO Andrew Mason berated himself for investing too much in the agency’s mission “to be edgy, informative and entertaining, and we turned off the part of our brain where we should have made our own decisions. We learned that you can’t rely on anyone else to control and maintain your own brand.”
As Ad Age points out, Mason was quick to defend the agency after the Superbowl. Mason again, “The firm that conceived the ad, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, strives to draw attention to the cultural tensions created by brands. When they created this Hulu ad, they highlighted the idea that TV rots your brain, making fun of Hulu. Our ads highlight the often trivial nature of stuff on Groupon when juxtaposed against bigger world issues, making fun of Groupon.”
Groupon pulled the ads from YouTube after the protests, but here’s a story from February on the subject, for those who need a crash course.
Mar 10
In apparent fear over the potential of an uprising of the kind recently seen in Egypt and Tunisia, the Cameroonian government this week shut down Twitter service in that country. An official account for the microblogging service confirmed the move yesterday, stating, “Twitter SMS on MTN Cameroon has been suspended by the Cameroonian government. Affected users should contact their MTN representative.”
Dibussi Tande, a Cameroon-based blogger, points out that, up ’til now, Twitter hasn’t actually been a major source of unrest in that country, “Before today’s ban, very few Cameroonians were even aware that Twitter was available in Cameroon via SMS, and the majority of those who were did not even grasp its potential as a tool for political activism.”
The question then, is whether the ban of such a service could actually have the opposite of its intended effect, actually raising the ire of citizens and stoking any sparks of revolution.
“Obviously, the government has failed to learn the lesson from North Africa, particularly in Tunisia where the Ben Ali regime was still toppled even though it had banned all social media sites for years and had engaged in a sophisticated cyber-war with Tunisian digital activists,” adds Tande. “The government has also completely misread the lessons of the February 23 protests; even though Twitter played a prominent role in informing the world of what was happening in Cameroon, over 95% of the tweets which the international media relied on for updates did not originate from within Cameroon.”
Feb 09
Agloves Valentine’s Bundle Warms Hands and Hearts
Posted in: Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili, touchscreen
Still looking for a Valentine’s gift for that lucky lady? If you can’t afford a silver necklace from Tiffany’s, check out this bundle we found from Agloves. Made of silver-coated nylon, Agloves allow you to use capacitive touchscreens while keeping your hands nice and toasty. Normally $17.99 a pair, the company is offering its limited edition Valentine’s Twice the Love Bundle for only $24.99.
The bundle includes one pair of Agloves, one Chocolove dark chocolate/cherry/almond flavor 1.3-ounce bar, and one “I (g)love you” Valentine’s mini card with a poem. It’s all wrapped in a red organza bag with satin drawstrings. Ooh la la.
Unlike other touchscreen gloves we’ve seen, the Agloves’ silver-coated nylon is intertwined throughout the entire glove, so it’s not just your two pointer fingers that can use the touchscreen — the entire glove is a conductor.
Hurry and get this deal before Valentine’s Day!
[Originally posted to TechSaver]
Feb 07
10 Geeky Gift Ideas for Valentine’s Day
Posted in: iPhone, laptop, LED, Mac, Miscellaneous Tech, Tech Toys, Today's Chili
It’s that time of the year again. Stores are wall-to-wall with boxes of chocolates, roses, and cheesy Hallmark cards. If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’re on the nerdier side of the divide, and there’s a good chance your significant other is on that side, too. With Valentine’s Day only one week away, it’s time to start shopping for those V-Day gifts.
If you’re married to or dating a geeky guy or gal, chances are they’d rather get an upgrade in RAM than jewelery or boxers. From cute plush stuffed animals, to bath time fun, we scoured the Web and we were not surprised to find a plethora of geeky gifts perfect for Valentine’s Day. Check them out after the jump!
Dec 26
Day After Christmas Sale: Target
Posted in: Today's Chili
Snowmageddon continues to ravage the East Coast, so I’m still stuck at the old airport. That’s good news for you, however–I’ve got aw bit more time on my hands to ferret out some sweet post-holiday savings on electronics.
This time out, we’ve got some from Target, including deals on iPod docks, digital cameras, laptops, headphones, and more.
Dec 26
Day After Christmas Sale: Toys “R” Us
Posted in: Today's Chili, Toys
Didn’t get any sweet toys for Christmas? Have no fear, Toys “R” Us is slicing the price on a number of its products, post-holiday. The biggest after Christmas deals are happening over in the video day department. The store has all manner of deals on titles for the Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation, and Microsoft Xbox 360.
Dec 26
Day After Christmas Sale: Amazon
Posted in: Today's Chili
It’s overstock time at the North Pole. Those poor elves worked overtime, and now they’ve got stock to spare. The good news is that the day after Christmas is a good time to pick up some pretty sweet deals on electronics.
After the jump, deals on video cameras, laptops, routers, computer accessories, and more.
Dec 26
Happy Boxing Day, all! Fittingly, perhaps, I’m writing this update from an airport in rainy California, crossing my fingers that I’ll be able to make it back into snowy New York before the year is out–JFK’s not looking so good at the moment…
If you’re stuck in the airport like me, what better time to do some online gadget shopping, right? Plenty of stores are attempting to clear out some stock post-holiday, both online and in-person.
Let’s kick it off with some gadgets from Best Buy.
Dec 25
Christmas Day Deals from Amazon
Posted in: Today's Chili
Didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas? Looking for something to do with all of those giftcards and checks you received? Good News, Amazon has some pretty sweet Christmas Day deals going on right now.
After the jump, we’ve got some of the best deals deals in electronics, including video games, phone accessories, hard drives, laptops, and more.
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