Tag: Shopping

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rePost::UPDATED: Avatar Box Office Opening: $77 Million Domestic, $242 Million Worldwide, Biggest Debut Ever for an Original Film | /Film

[Update: This morning, the estimates for Avatar‘s domestic and worldwide box office take were revised. Avatar performed better on Sunday than initial estimates. The headline has been updated with the correct figures. The following article will be updated as more details come in.]
On this week’s episode of the /Filmcast: After Dark, veteran film journalist Anne Thompson stopped by to discuss Avatar and its box office prospects. While our full podcast review of Avatar won’t happen until Tuesday night, Anne made two points/predictions that I found particularly interesting: 1) She predicted a $1 billion worldwide box office take for the film when all is said and done – a remarkable achievement for any movie, but not as high as the $1.8 billion of Cameron’s Titanic, and 2) There was a high possibility that Avatar would not open as strong as other blockbusters (i.e. over $100 million domestic for opening weekend); it’s based on an entirely new property and the marketing featuring the Na’vi imagery hasn’t been as good as it could have been. Despite this, she predicted, word of mouth will carry it for weeks to come.
via UPDATED: Avatar Box Office Opening: $77 Million Domestic, $242 Million Worldwide, Biggest Debut Ever for an Original Film | /Film.

If we don’t support the dreamers, the people daring to break the mold, the people who delight us, the people who remind us the reason we fell in love with movies ; we are only stealing from ourselves that delight, that wonderment, that joy!!!

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rePost::Laredo could be largest US city without bookstore – Yahoo! News

Laredo could be largest US city without bookstore
By PAUL J. WEBER, Associated Press Writer Paul J. Weber, Associated Press Writer – Wed Dec 16, 4:37 pm ET
LAREDO, Texas – The final chapter has been written for the lone bookstore on the streets of Laredo.
With a population of nearly a quarter-million people, this city could soon be the largest in the nation without a single bookseller.
The situation is so grim that schoolchildren have pleaded for a reprieve from next month’s planned shutdown of the B. Dalton bookstore. After that, the nearest store will be 150 miles away in San Antonio.
The B. Dalton store was never a community destination with comfy couches and an espresso bar, but its closing will create a literary void in a city with a high illiteracy rate. Industry analysts and book associations could not name a larger American city without a single bookseller.
“Corporate America considers Laredo kind of the backwater,” said the city’s most prolific author, Jerry Thompson, a professor at Texas A&M University International who has written more than 20 books.
Since the closing was announced, book lovers in Laredo have flocked to the small store located between City Trendz (“Laredo’s No. 1 Underground Hip Hop Shop”) and a store that offers $4 indoor go-kart rides to stock up on their favorite titles.
Schoolchildren even wrote letters to the parent company, Barnes & Noble, begging for the store to stay open.
“Without that store, my life would be so sad and boring,” wrote a fifth-grader named Bryanna Salinas, who signed her name with a heart.
via Laredo could be largest US city without bookstore – Yahoo! News.

This is sad. I hope the new store opens earlier than planned!

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Paradox Of Choice Experiment::Is less always more? : Cognitive Daily

Such a simple but illuminating experiment, click through to find their results!

But is less always more? Most of the studies on number of choices have either given participants a very small or a very large number of options. Does this mean just one choice is the best? Or is there some larger number of choices that is optimal?
To find out, Avni Shah and George Wolford set up a table in a busy corridor at Dartmouth University and asked passersby to help their department select the best pen to order for its supply closet. They varied the number of pens sampled from 2 to 20. Each pen was similarly priced at around $2, and while each pen was different, all were “roller-ball” style pens with black ink.
via Is less always more? : Cognitive Daily.

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rePost:How To Disappear:FT.com / Magazine – First Person: Frank Ahearn

There are three key steps to disappearing. First, destroy old information about yourself. Call your video store or electricity company and replace your old, correct phone number with a new, invented one. Introduce spelling mistakes into your utility bills. Create a PO Box for your mail. Don’t use your credit cards and the like.
Then, create bogus information to fool private investigators who might be looking for you. Go to one city and apply for an apartment. Rent a car in another one.
The next, final step is the most important one. Move from point A to point B. Create a dummy company to pay your bills. Only use prepaid mobile phones and change them every month. It is nearly impossible to find out where you are unless you make a mistake.
This is the general rule, but some cases are trickier than others. No problem if you are self-employed, but let’s say you’re a bus driver or a teacher. Then your wages will go on your name. I once had to move a lawyer who was threatened by a former client. Lawyers need a licence. She became a legal consultant.
via FT.com / Magazine – First Person: Frank Ahearn.

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True Fans::Offsetting Behaviour: Economics of Scalping: Trent Reznor edition

NIN gets 10% of the available seats for our own pre-sale. We won a tough (and I mean TOUGH) battle to get the best seats. We require you to sign up at our site (for free) to get tickets. We limit the amount you can buy, we print your name on the tickets and we have our own person let you in a separate entrance where we check your ID to match the ticket. We charge you a surcharge that has been less than TicketMaster‘s or Live Nation‘s in all cases so far to pay for the costs of doing this – it’s not a profit center for us. We have essentially stopped scalping by doing these things – because we want true fans to be able to get great seats and not get ripped off by these parasites.
I assure you nobody in the NIN camp supplies or supports the practice of supplying tickets to these re-sellers because it’s not something we morally feel is the right thing to do. We are leaving money on the table here but it’s not always about money.
Being completely honest, it IS something I’ve had to consider. If people are willing to pay a lot of money to sit up front AND ARE GOING TO ANYWAY thanks to the rigged system, why let that money go into the hands of the scalpers? I’m the one busting my ass up there every night. The conclusion really came down to it not feeling like the right thing to do – simple as that.
via Offsetting Behaviour: Economics of Scalping: Trent Reznor edition.

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I’ve been mulling what I like to call as the “great service coalition”. Basically it’s like a club for people who crave great service, who are willing to pay to be served great! It’s about being an extremely shy person and people serving you knowing that.  Simply put tips just don’t work most of the time.  Still thinking about how to implement this, hope I find a way.

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Now Playing : I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You

I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You
by Colin Hay
I drink good coffee every morning
Comes from a place that’s far away
And when I’m done I feel like talking
Without you here there is less to say
I don’t want you thinking I’m unhappy
What is closer to the truth
That if I lived till I was 102
I just don’t think I’ll ever get over you
I’m no longer moved to drink strong whisky
‘Cause I shook the hand of time and I knew
That if I lived till I could no longer climb my stairs
I just don’t think I’ll ever get over you
Your face it dances and it haunts me
Your laughter’s still ringing in my ears
I still find pieces of your presence here
Even after all these years
But I don’t want you thinking I don’t get asked to dinner
‘Cause I’m here to say that I sometimes do
Even though I may soon feel the touch of love
I just don’t think I’ll ever get over you
If I lived till I was 102
I just don’t think I’ll ever get over you

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What's Playing: Don't Panic by Coldplay

Don’t Panic by Coldplay
Bones, sinking like stones,
All that we fought for,
Homes, places we’ve grown,
All of us are done for.
And we live in a beautiful world,
Yeah we do, yeah we do,
We live in a beautiful world,
Bones, sinking like stones,
All that we fought for,
And homes, places we’ve grown,
All of us are done for.
And we live in a beautiful world,
Yeah we do, yeah we do,
We live in a beautiful world.
Here we go, here we go
And we live in a beautiful world,
Yeah we do, yeah we do,
We live in a beautiful world.
Oh, all that I know,
There’s nothing here to run from,
‘Cause everybody here’s got somebody to lean on.

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rePost:Strangely Comforting 20090515:Story of his life: Time and again, American Music Masters honoree Les Paul saw a need and invented something to fill it – Music – Cleveland.com

'88 Gibson Les Paul Standard
Image by maury.mccown via Flickr

As for his greatest claim to fame — the solid-body electric guitar — Paul takes it in stride.
“I just feel as though if I hadn’t done it, someone else would have,” he said. “It was meant to be. Why me, I’ll never know, but I’m very grateful it was me.”
via Story of his life: Time and again, American Music Masters honoree Les Paul saw a need and invented something to fill it – Music – Cleveland.com.

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What's Playing? Jumper by Third Eye Blind

Third Eye Blind
Image by BigBlue via Flickr


Jumper
Third Eye Blind
I wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend
You could cut ties with all the lies
That you’ve been living in
And if you do not want to see me again
I would understand
I would understand
The angry boy, a bit too insane
Icing over a secret pain
You know you don’t belong
You’re the first to fight
You’re way too loud
You’re the flash of light
On a burial shroud
I know something’s wrong
Well everyone I know has got a reason
To say
Put the past away
I wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend
You could cut ties with all the lies
That you’ve been living in
And if you do not want to see me again
I would understand
I would understand
Well, he’s on the table
And he’s gone to code
And I do not think anyone knows
What they are doing here
And your friends have left
You’ve been dismissed
I never thought it would come to this
And I
I want you to know
Everyone’s got to face down the demons
Maybe today
We can put the past away
I wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend
You could cut ties with all the lies
That you’ve been living in
And if you do not want to see me again
I would understand
I would understand
I would understand
Can you put the past away
I wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend
I would understand…

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