duh
MIT is suing Frank Gehry over a leaky building. The school asserts that the Stata center has drainage problems and mold growing on its brick exterior. Snow and ice fall from the windows and roofs, blocking emergency exits and damaging shit.
Reality check: And when MIT was thrilled at the unveiling, that the architect hadn't provided another dull box... and when MIT purchased this willfully strange building hoping to ride a free publicity wave... and when MIT's trustees used a snazzy model as bait to snare donors; all of them were able to look at this design and think "Yeah, this is going to be water tight and climate sensitive?"
Aggressively avant-garde buildings don't follow a body of knowledge, they buck it. So while the pricetag to build it is multiplied, the cost to maintain it is likewise astronomical. If they're peeved about the bldg, they can calculate the dollar vlaue for all the free exposure they got having a bldg that focused the worlds eyeballs on their campus.
They bought a publicity machine and they got one; a leaky one.
Hmmm, imagine that. Pay someone a livable wage, treat them with respect and the cost of running your business goes down.
There's lots of business-y stats and numbers in this article, but this one in particular jumped out at me. Wal-Mart's employee turnover rate is 50%. That is totally messed up. What's even crazier is the industry average is 65%. Costco's is 21%.
Other Costco goodness? They don't advertise, and their execs don't take home "fuck you, lowly employee" salaries. The fact that Wal-Mart has a morning "Corporate Cheer" pretty much locks them into the Evil column.
(via kottke)
More Holiday Cheer
The fine art of regifting:
6. Do have the courtesy to clean your regifts. I once got a rice cooker . . . with a couple of kernels of rice still clinging to it. Some hand-me-downs can be passed off as regifts if the packaging is intact, like the wine glasses you’ve belatedly decided to share with a loved one. Just wash the lipstick off the rim, 'kay?
This is why I don't shave
Boycott Gillette uncovers Gillette's nefarious plans to track and photograph people who buy their products.
Jpeg was right!
Thanks Adream!
Six geese-a-laying, Five... Chocolate Tiers...
Dear Graf,
Seeing as you have been such a sweetie this year, I looked into getting you the chocolate fountain you so badly crave. Sadly, at 395 bucks, this three-tiered model might as well be made out of diamonds, and pump rivers of liquid gold. When that didn't pan out I got you a plastic tiara and some delicious mad-cow beef
I'll be home soon with the goods,
love, jpeg
Better late than never, I guess. Finally got around to hooking up the Amazon search box again on the Funds page*. If you're procrastinating your holiday shopping as I am, be a dear and help a server out. If you're doing any shopping through Amazon, think of House 8. It's really simple. Just search for your item using the House 8 form, and a percentage of that purchase goes towards our Associates account. This helps a bit toward paying off the Apple Loan. I swear it doesn't feed Chris' raging crack habit.
* Chris wanted to do some fancier MTAmazon plugin magic, but the XML parser or somesuch isn't working right and I haven't had a chance to look into it.
In unrelated Amazon news, these kinds of thoughts pop into your head (well, ok, mine) when you're a) bored, b) eating lunch alone, and c) a dork.
How much would it cost to buy one of every in-stock item at Amazon.com? And could you use their web services API to do it?
Everyone else is doing it, why can't I?
Cripees! It ain't even Halloween yet, and holiday shit has been out for weeks. So let's hop to it, lil' consumers! Feed the beast that is the good ol' U.S. of A. economy!
My Christmas List.
What do you want?
Buy 3 bombs and your 4th bomb is free!
I wish I was joking, but some articles on washingtonpost.com are now brought to you by Lockheed Martin, the military contractor who is pushing their Small Diameter Bomb with PNAV with the tagline: "Moving Targets have met their match / We never forget who we're working for / Lockheed Martin" (Hit 'refresh' to get the right ad, or just view the screen capture)
Who isn't looking for a good deal on a bomb with PNAV? With some new wrong-headed urge, the weapons industry values you, the third party, as a marketing/PR opportunity. Now I feel even more pride in the Yankee know-how that allows us to kill those who won't accept our gift of freedom.
God Bless America.
God Bless our Bombs.
It's like do-it-yourself bartering!
(Note: I am in no way condoning this type of behavior. I just think it's clever.)
via boing boing
Message from Pazen
"Hey, it's Jeff. You're not going to believe this, but there's actually a person in the acrylic shop on Orleans. Someone's actually buying that stuff. What the fuck!"
I've never spent 16 hours in Home Depot, but it can sometimes feel like it...
HD carries a product called "Real Kill". It is designed to be used on hornets, but the product would be far superior if it was made for use on hippies.
via Kiplog
Hallmark makes a set of stuffed bears (purchase separately) that kiss but only if one is a boy bear and one is a girl bear. Here's a funny mail string between Hallmark and a grandma who's not havin it. Other cross-pollinations are not prevented by the design. (bear three-ways, etc.)
What do you say guys? Let's all pitch in for this collector's piece!
Offensive apparel for the whole family
