The Social Security Ponzi Scheme

In at least one respect, Social Security is even worse than a traditional Ponzi scheme:

 

 

Bike Repair Vending Machines

As the current regime draws nearer to the day when we cannot afford to drive cars, it’s good to know that people are working on alternatives: like the bike repair vending machine.

The Fixtation is really just a vending machine, but with bike parts instead of snacks (though there are some snacks in case you’re getting hungry on your ride). What makes it most convenient is the bike mount and tools–attached with aircraft cables to prevent theft–alongside the vending machine. You can replace that flat or adjust your brakes yourself without dealing with the characters who usually are employed at bike shops. Of course, you may not know how to replace a popped tube yourself; now is certainly the time to learn, so you can take full advantage of the Fixtation when it moves into your city.

Via: http://www.fastcompany.com/1768512/bike-repair-vending-machine-for-bikers-on-the-go

 

Progress

Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded–here and there, now and then–are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.

This is known as “bad luck.”

–  Robert Heinlein, in “Time Enough for Love,” 1973

 

Wood pulp in your taco?

QUICK! What keeps pre-packaged shredded cheese from clumping, low-fat ice cream creamy, and pre-made milk shakes smooth? You guessed it! WOOD PULP. They call it “cellulose,” but it’s just powdered wood pulp. The industry loves this stuff. It’s cheap. It helps stabilize food, lowers fat content, increases fiber. Did I say it’s cheap?

Via http://www.foodrenegade.com/would-like-some-wood-pulp-your-shredded-cheese/

 

 

In the academic world, you think now and decide never; and in the government, it’s just exactly the other way around.

 

G. Warren Nutter,  economist and former Assistant Secretary of Defense

 

Sharp Swiss: Anti-PowerPoint Party

Switzerland’s new “Anti PowerPoint Party” (APPP) claims that PowerPoint sucks the creativity, spontaneity and audience interest out of any given topic. “If you do a PowerPoint presentation and it goes well, in 95 out of 100 cases if you do it without PowerPoint, the version without PowerPoint will beat it,” said Matthias Poehm, the president of the APPP, in a not very exciting video presentation.

He has a lot of unverifiable statistics to back him up. By assuming that across Europe, 11% of the 296 million employees are being subjected to twice-weekly PowerPoint presentations, Mr. Poehm calculates that lost productivity due to PowerPoint amounts to €110 billion per annum.

You’ve gotta love those Swiss!

Via http://blogs.wsj.com/tech-europe/2011/07/08/swiss-party-campaigns-against-powerpoint/?mod=google_news_blog

 

Apps for Everything: Let the Fetus Pick Its Name

Available now at the App Store, an app to let the unborn pick its name: Kick To Pick

Is the app that lets your beautiful bump choose their own name from thousands of baby names or even a shortlist created by you.”

The app plays selected names, with the iPhone over the big bump.  When it senses a kick, that’s the name that the fetus picked.

My reactions:

1. If you’re lame enough to need an iPhone app to pick your baby’s name, you’re probably too lame to have an iPhone.
2. If you believe that the fetus is really picking its name, you’re certainly too lame to have a baby.
3. Yet, I have to admire the entrepreneurial spirit that could dream up and sell such high-tech snake oil.

 

Odd Odds: Likelier to Survive a Plane Crash than Click a Banner Ad

 

Sort of makes you wonder why they bother, doesn’t it?

Via http://www.businessinsider.com/its-more-likely-you-will-survive-a-plane-crash-or-win-the-lottery-than-click-a-banner-ad-2011-6?op=1

 

Those Amazing Japanese: A $4,000 watermelon

The Japanese really like their watermelon:

A prized Japanese watermelon fetched nearly $4,000 on Monday at an auction in Sapporo. Yes, $4,000.

But before you choke on your own slice of citrullus, that four-figure price tag is actually a steep fall from the fruit’s peak season several years ago, in what may be a sign that the country’s highly regarded luxury fruit market is the latest victim of tightening consumer purse strings.

The rare Densuke watermelon, a solidly black, smooth-as-a-bowling-ball gourd, sold on the first day of seasonal bidding for 300,000 yen, which translates into about $3,740, according to the Sapporo Central Wholesale Market. While the seeds aren’t gold, the fruit is lauded for its crispy texture and extra sweet juice. And grown exclusively in Hokkaido, there are only about 100 of the stripeless watermelons available on the first day it goes on sale each year….

The highest-ever paid price for the fruit was 650,000 yen, or about $8,100, at the Maruka Asahikawa Wholesale Market in 2007.

I’ll stick with the green melons, even if I have to deal with the seeds.

 

We Should Be Very Grateful

Several compelling statistics remind us to be thankful that we are Americans.

http://www.fubiz.net/2011/05/25/village-of-100-people/#more-160757

 

Why California’s Broke: $200,000 lifeguards

According to a city report on lifeguard pay for the calendar year 2010, of the 14 full-time lifeguards, 13 collected more than $120,000 in total compensation; one lifeguard collected $98,160.65. More than half the lifeguards collected more than $150,000 for 2010 with the two highest-paid collecting $211,451 and $203,481 in total compensation respectively. Even excluding benefits like health care and pension, more than half the lifeguards receive a total salary, including overtime pay, exceeding $100,000. And they also receive an annual allowance of $400 for “Sun Protection.” Many work four days a week, 10 hours a day.

Via http://orangepunch.ocregister.com/2011/05/10/lifeguarding-in-oc-is-totally-lucrative-some-make-over-200k/44783/

 

Rent a country for $70k per night

Ever want to rent a country?

You’ve heard of renting a palace, renting a mega yacht, even renting an island. How about renting a country? For $70,000 a night with a two-night minimum and a very strict cancellation policy, you can rent Liechtenstein. Yes, the entire country.  You can rent the country for a conference, a party – whatever you drum up for you and your 900 closest friends.

Now, if you’re forgetting your high school geography, Liechtenstein is a tiny Alpine country – population 35,000 – tucked between Austria and Switzerland.

So what to do with your own nation? Well, how about starting with a wine tasting at the prince’s estate while watching your own fireworks show. You want to make this a very personal experience? You can rename the city streets and town squares as you wish and even print your own temporary currency with your face on it.

Now, if you do decide Liechtenstein is the perfect place for your party, please don’t cause too much of a ruckus. The nation has only a handful of police officers and no military.

Surely, breakfast included.

Via: http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/25/for-70k-a-night-you-can-rent-a-country/?hpt=Sbin

 

The Customer’s Always Right

(A customer comes up to the counter, and looks at a bottle of wine we’re sampling.)

Customer: “What’s this?”

Me: “It’s a tempranillo.”

Customer: “What is a ‘temper-nillo’?”

Me: “It’s a red grape from Spain.”

(The customer picks up the sample cup, and looks at it in confusion.)

Customer: “This is a grape? I could’ve sworn this was wine.”*knocks sample back* “How about that!”

Via: http://notalwaysright.com/page/5

 

Thomas Sowell is a genius

“The first lesson of economics is scarcity: There is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.” ~ Thomas Sowell

 

Citroen has a very witty advertisement, about a man pretending that his car has lots of high-end features.  It’s a great example of communication without words.