Brain Blenders

Ice

Today's deeply moving topic is one of my most passionate - Ice. Not the street name for diamonds...nor the prospect of placing an informant on "chill" - but actual frozen water. Well...almost. Not just any ice will do...as a matter of fact most ice leaves me ...cold.(ahem -thank you, I'll be here all week)

No - only Sonic's Ice will do it for me. Turns out I REALLY like NUGGET ICE. That's what it is called. Scotsman makes the machines that put out that crunchy ice that retains the flavor so soundly, and crunches so easily. I don't care how cold it gets...I will still eat the ice. And I am not an ice eater...typically. That hard cubed ice or the hump-back-home ice is not my cup of tea. I just would rather go without ice all together if I can't have the Nugget ice.

It's so much a part of the Sonic Drive In recipe that even their instructions start with the filling of the cup with ice. 2/3 full of ice to be exact...just the way I like it.

I know the rest of the world doesn't "do Ice" the way we do in the USA. But, you guys don't know what your missing with Scotsman Nugget Ice...it's the best part of the drink. Finish your beverage quickly so you can jiggle your cup and crunch your ice.

Cereality

Great concept!  Restaurant comprised simply of cereal in in a  Chinese take out container. Wait, did I say "simply"? Still a great idea...has launched in Arizona  State will be everywhere before you know it.

open journalism

"Anyone can help with Wikinews. If you see a headline linking to an empty story, you can create it. If a story needs to be moved to a new title as events develop, please move it. If you know of a headline story from other sources but don't have time to write a story, don't hesitate to add that headline without a story.

Everything here is under construction, so please give us some time to sort out the policies and procedures before relying on Wikinews as a source."

The same company that killed encyclopedia sales is on the forefront of making the consumer the reporter with Wikinews. I love their line - Everything here is under construction, so please give us some time to sort out the policies and procedures before relying on Wikinews as a source...great idea. But, what seperates this from a message board, or a rumor mill? Is it high end articles about ecological consequences, or world affairs that will make wikinews different from so many other online sources?

I think the difference may be "FREE". The fact that ANYONE can use them as a source could be the difference that eventually kills Reuters or the Associated Press. The fact that AP and Reuters charge for their content helps keep their reporting consistent. But possibly biased...they are in the business of making money, and when your paycheck is on the line - you report what you need to report.

Wikinews, is in the business of reporting the news, not making money.  The problem they run into is that - AP and Reuters are trusted - even if felt to be slightly biased - but trusted that if they say a camel pile-up happened on Route 66 in Nowhere, OK then you can pretty well trust that it happened.

Over time, and as policies become trusted and Wikinews gathers a following, the reporters themselves keep the news source reliable. The Consumer Creator - changing the way we now get our news.

I can almost hear the kicking and screaming from the conventional news services now.

Reinforcement to the article courtesy Wired.

Approaching 200

BrainBlenders is approaching 200 articles!!! Kinda like a birthday for a blog, as far as I am concerned. I need ideas on what should be the 200th article. Quotes? Lists: Top Ten Articles on BB, or Coolest things I've seen in 04? Best One-Liners from TV or movies? Give me some assistance...Let's make this about togetherness!!

Nintendo DS

Nintendo released the DS today...and rather than write a review of the machine, and some of the games, like many other sites will invariably do, I thought I would create a pictorial account of the Gameboy. Check it out...

GTA on the GBA

Life just keeps getting better for gamers. Halo 2 created such a buzz ($125 million in day one) that Prima, a division of Random House sold over 270,000 copies of the games strategy guide. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas sold almost 2 and a half million copies of it's game in October (and will probably eclipse sales of Halo 2 due to the fact that PS2's outnumber Xboxes almost 3 to 1). Then Half Life 2 has garnered a lot of pub without the multi-million dollar advertising campaign behind it.

And now Grand Theft Auto is out for the Gameboy Advance! Life is good!! Which brings up a valid point about handheld gaming, and it's IMPORTANCE in the world. All you hear is the negative reporting surrounding the graphic violence of GTA - what about the game as a deterrant? Hmmm, ever think about that? Maybe, while I am driving around town, and some old lady cuts me off - instead of attacking her car with a tire iron at the next stop light...I would just turn on my Gameboy Advance and take out my aggression on GTA? I think we need to start passing these things out to everyone...instead of dirty looks and cell phone drivers...we'd have people speeding to the red light so they could resume their games. Of course, you'd probably have a few people who would continue to play while they attempted to drive...and that MIGHT cause accidents - but you have to take the good with the bad.

Also, when is it going to be possible to just download the game off the dub (www)? I would probably owe the game developers a lot of cash if I could pull the game I wanted right when I wanted. Is it me, or wouldn't it be SEVERELY convenient?

Metrosexual Ronald McDonald

Ok...I'm kinda loving it. The Japanese Ronald McDonald guy kinda creeps me out. Windows Media But the girl version is better(WMV)...but what's wrong with Ronald over seas? He needs a make over that bad? Japanese culture is feeding ours right now...we'll be seeing the NEW Ronald soon...check out these commercials. If the links don't work...go to the source(The Superficial)

Bring out yer dead...to Costco

In August of this year Costco started offering caskets in two test markets in Chicago. At the time people made a lot of jokes and the spokesman for the National Funeral Directors Association, said he didn't think Costco's entry into the casket market will significantly impact the funeral home business.

Well, couple of months later and Costco is still selling a lot of "people planters"!! I was in Chicago last week, and a gent with me (thanks David) walked up to a cashier working at Costco and asked them how many coffins they sell and she said, "HONEY, you would not believe!!"

Granted, it's a little odd to walk through the check-out line in Costco and there is your choice of coffins right next to the aluminum siding options...but it makes sense. Cosco casket FAQ's

I mean, I know you're grieving when someone close to you dies...but it doesn't mean you have to throw your brain away when it comes to burying them properly. Obviously, the Costco folks are ahead of the curve on this business opportunity...I think convenience and having options for your burial needs in other places could be a model for success...somebody get me the number for 7-11.

I knew I knew ya...they used to call you Jaw Bone!!

JawBone is military technology applied to consumer electronics...as their website says "Hear and be heard like never before on your cell phone." The trade-off for mobility is often poor sound quality - but with Jawbone, that could be an aspect of the past.

I would love to have the ability to have a decent conversation anywhere with background noise being a minimum...and as one of the first people I knew to have an earpiece for my cell, I certainly have no problem walking around with the bone colored apparatus of Jawbone on my ear. Kinda looks like that communicator that what's her name wore in star trek. As a matter of fact...I think I would buy one for the look alone, it's that hot.

Problem for me is that my phone isn't compatible with the Jawbone...so alas...I pine away for technology never to be tasted. (p.s. - the "I knew I knew ya" quote from the title of this piece is a line from the movie House Party. And the line goes...."Oh, I knew I knew You!! I even know your name! They used to call you Jawbone!! [turns to the husband] You're a lucky man, a lucky man!!)

Starbuck's Art

I am in Chicago...again, and last night I went to  "Avant-Grande" An Art Exhibit by Starbucks Employees. Turns out Starbucks employees suck at art. HA HA...jokey jokey...Actually there were some really good pieces there, and Starbucks did a great job of promoting the night because it was wall to wall people. The pic I have here was my favorite...turns out it was the most expensive piece as well....$20,000. I know - seems high, but it was pretty awesome. Done by Barrett Dvorsky called "The Balance or Power". Then there was an Elvis picture I can't remember the title, should have been Elvis, or King, or "Nana-and peanut butter samich" but it wasn't. I would have taken shots of everything I liked, but I started getting the "stink eye" from the real art aficionado's.

I learned a lot about Starbucks this week. For example: not only is music VERY important to the company, rumor has it they even tried to buy a Chicago musical landmark that has been a famous venue for bands. Another rumor is that they operated a club under a different name in San Francisco couple of years ago to explore live music. I can neither confirm nor deny those rumors, but I know for sure they will go out of their way to hire a person with special needs. If somebody can't work the register, they find a job for them to do.

Here is a company that gains ground as it progresses...and that progression is serious and quantifiable "The company, which has grown from six outlets in Seattle to more than 8,200 stores worldwide since 1987, plans to open 1,500 more next year." From the Baltimore Sun

As they get bigger they continue to reach out in anti-corporate ways...and in today's market that seems to be a key to long-term growth...make yourself seem smaller.