I know it’s a popular event to get a chance to ring the opening bell the NY Stock Exchange, but this was just weird. Why is Darth Vader allowed to ring the opening bell this morning? Flanked by Imperial Storm Troopers? Were the traders wondering what was going on that morning? I love Star Wars and all, but that’s just weird.
I read this on Gizmodo today [link] earlier today, reposting picture here. This man brought his iMac to Panera Bread. And he’s playing World of Warcraft no less. And he’s older. That’s just odd.
Has he won the unconditional respect of the entire Internet, forever?
I’m officially tired of watching movie trailers in the movie theater. I want the world to understand that is a big statement for me. Traditionally, I’ve always enjoyed the trailers. Years have passed, and now, if I have to sit through one more trailer, I’m gonna cram popcorn in my ears until the sweet bliss of deafness protects me from these trailers.
So what happened, you may ask?
I have paid $10 to watch a movie. I’m not a loser, so I’ve probably brought my wife or friend, so this could be over $20 for two. I want to see the movie, but have limited time. I know I’ll have to get seats early, so I’ll get stuck watching 20-30 minutes of the same 8 commercials and anagrams repeating over and over. I then have to watch the trailers. Meanwhile, I’m on a tight schedule, and can’t waste my time on movies I don’t care about.
There are good trailers and bad trailers, but the trailers are always the same theme. See MSNBC’s 5Top of awful movie trailer clichés. I’ve heard them all, and I’m absolutely sick of them. “Everything you know is about to change.” Oh really? Is it now?
Finally, the most important point of why I don’t want to watch movie trailers at the theater anymore. I’ve already seen it. Look, back before the Internet made everything you know change (ha ha), watching a trailer at the theaters was the only way you’d know about upcoming movies. It was new, it was fun, it was exciting. Flash forward to today. There are entertainment news websites that tell you what movies are being produced. At any point up to the movie’s release, there is a multitude of information out there for the fans. Teaser trailers. More teaser trailers. Trailer #1. Trailer #2. Red band trailers. Production stills. And even a movie synopsis or two. You name it, it’s been out there for a while over the course of a year or two.
And that’s the key point. If you are a fan, you’re already aware of the movie, and have seen the trailers to the movies you want to see on opening night. Why should you want then sit and see that trailer again, and all the crappy trailers to the crappy movies that you don’t want to see, before you ever get to see the movie you wanted to see in the first place?
So, I stumbled upon this 2006 clip from a radio show somewhere in the U.S. It’s similar to those prank calls done by some radio stations like New York City’s 103.5 KTU’s War of the Roses program. If someone has suspicions that the significant other is cheating on them, the radio station offers some sort of incentive to the possible cheater, to find out what they would do. Who would they send flowers to, who would they take somewhere, etc.
Check out the clip. I considered if this bit could have been a fake, but the woman’s reaction sounds too authentic.
In this segment, the suspected cheater name is Raj (and yeah, he’s Indian), and without giving any surprises away, he should really have just stopped talking. Or maybe not even opened his mouth at all. Damn.
Read an interesting article on MSN Money about outlet malls, titled “Are Outlet Malls for Suckers?” Hmmmm, it was a thinker, but it confirmed some of my suspicions. Back in college, I once worked at an outlet store one summer, so I know about it first hand. There are different types of outlet stores. Some have damaged or “less desirable” merchandise from the regular stores, some sell lower-end merchandise, and others sell the exact same products as the regular mall stores. In all, prices varied.
It all depends on what you want, and what you want to pay for. I wasn’t aware of all the psychological and marketing thought that goes into the location of an outlet store, the pricing, the discounting, etc. Maybe I’ll take that with a grain of truth. In the end, I’d still follow the recommendations the author lists:
Pay attention to details.
If you don’t know, ask.
Research prices before you go.
Deepen the discount.
Check the clearance racks.
I find that I like Brooks Brothers, and have been shopping for my work clothes there since I starting working out of college back in ‘99. However, I don’t like to pay the outrageous prices at the regular stores. I find the “346″ brand pretty good (or “good enough for me”) quality at more reasonable prices. I bought my first two suits for work back then, and they’ve been great quality.
