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07 Apr 2010 20:32

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Biz, Culture: NBC is trying to subliminally convince you to recycle

  • In this case it fell right into the realm of what we do. We’d have to say no if it hurt the integrity of the show.
  • “The Office” executive producer Paul “Toby the HR guy” Lieberstein • Discussing his network’s push to get his show (and every other on their many networks) to produce one environmentally-themed episode each year. (In the case of “The Office,” Dwight dressed up as a superhero obsessed with recycling.) It’s called “behavior placement,” and like product placement, the goal is to get you to buy stuff. The journalism world has something like this – if a newspaper publishes a weekly section about cars, it’s because they want to sell car ads. But the way NBC handles it is way beyond what most networks do. It’s this sort of innovative thinking that got Jay Leno on the air at 10 p.m. Remember that. source

14 Mar 2010 11:57

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Music: Acrassicauda: Yes, there is a heavy metal band in Iraq

See these dudes here? They’re the only band in Iraq that plays heavy metal. You know you have to be hard and heavy if you can avoid IEDs. source

12 Feb 2010 09:31

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U.S.: Dallas weirded out by all the white stuff it has on the ground

  • 12.5″ it’s called snow, Texans; get used to it source

22 Jan 2010 12:30

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Offbeat: Star Wars Kid, the sequel: An awkward sword expert in a sweatsuit

  • Remember “Star Wars Kid“? It was one of the earliest viral videos and it ruined the kid’s life for a number of years, mainly because he didn’t put it online. This guy is like a grown-up version of “Star Wars Kid,” except he knows how to use his sword and perhaps doesn’t realize how awkward the sweatsuit and ponytail make him look. We look forward to this guy becoming a pop culture phenomenon, too.

11 Jan 2010 10:58

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Offbeat: Meet the dumbest, time-suckingest machine ever made, guys

  • We admit that this machine would probably keep us busy for a few hours. Totally.

11 Jan 2010 09:39

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Offbeat: Creepy people, shut-ins impressed by Roxxxy the Sex Robot

We know that girl just barely got her head in there, but if we cut any lower we risked showing Roxxxy the Sex Robot sitting in an unladylike position. Sorry. source

09 Jan 2010 15:11

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Offbeat: In Vietnam, Google’s there when you need it most

For some reason, you can buy Google-brand toilet paper in Vietnam. The virgin pulp paper does the job better than its competitors because it’s well-engineered. source
 

18 Nov 2009 10:23

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Tech: Microsoft can’t sell certain versions of Windows in China? Uh, OK.

  • You mean legitimate copies of Windows sell in China? Microsoft has an odd situation on its hands. A Chinese court said that due to licensing agreements involving some fonts, the company has to stop selling certain version of Windows in the country. You know it’s a sad statement on your company – and the country blocking you – when analysts in the article talking about the agreement say it won’t have much of an effect due to widespread piracy in that country. source

13 Nov 2009 11:40

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Offbeat: Lauren Johnson can’t stop sneezing; we kinda feel bad

  • This isn’t a medical mystery; this is a standing opportunity to get out of any class you want, Lauren Johnson. Just don’t overdo it.

26 Oct 2009 10:20

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Offbeat: Flu vaccine + hot cheerleader = Dystonia + WTF is wrong with her?

  • We honestly have no idea what to make of this. It’s honestly very sad and unbelievable, but we’ve never seen anything like it before, so we’re just kind of awestruck. Dystonia sounds like the scariest disease ever, and Desiree Jennings got it from a flu shot. WTF? source