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French IT worker in Japan moonlights as rickshaw puller

To quote from a SoraNews24 report:

In the fall of last year, Joris De Bievre was introduced via a mutual acquaintance to the owner of Kanazawa Ichirikisha, a rickshaw tour company that pulls customers around the Kanzawa’s historical sightseeing quarters. “Why don’t you try working with us?” the owner asked De Bievre, who’d previously worked as a guide for Japanese tourists in France, and so he decided to take the rickshaw boss up on his offer.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Astronomer spokesperson

Make that “very temporary” spokesperson.  But it’s a smart PR move, no question, and funny too.

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Bodily service deficiency

Excerpts from a news report out of Pattaya, Thailand:

A late-night dispute unfolded when three Indian tourists called police to remove a Thai bar girl from their hotel room, claiming she didn’t meet their expectations — citing specifically that “her chest was too small” and her figure wasn’t what they imagined.

The three Indian men admitted to hiring the woman from a local bar for companionship, but claimed they changed their minds after she undressed, saying her appearance didn’t match what they had in mind. When she refused to leave without the rest of the agreed-upon payment, they contacted police to intervene.

Police initially encouraged both sides to negotiate a resolution, warning that legal action could follow if they failed to agree. In the end, the tourists received a partial refund, and both parties left the scene without pressing charges.

9V battery flavoured corn chips

I’ll let the press release explain.

Remember the oddly tempting thrill of touching your tongue to a 9-volt battery? New snack brand Rewind is turning that fleeting dare into a (surprisingly tasty) reality with the launch of the world's first 9-volt battery flavoured corn chips.

Bizarre flavour trends and viral food experiments are everywhere on social media, but snacking brand Rewind now wants to take it to the next level. The 9-volt battery flavoured corn chips are part of its mission to help consumers rewind to the good times and to establish themselves as a nostalgia inducing brand from launch.

The desire to touch your tongue to a 9-volt battery is something millions around the world have been tempted by. Pop legend Britney Spears was even asked once in an interview whether she had done so, resulting in a viral video clip. Rewind now offers a snackable way to revisit one of the 90's weirdest shared experiences - no batteries required.


There’s also this disclaimer:

The 9-volt battery flavoured chips contain no actual battery components. We do not recommend or condone licking, biting, or otherwise ingesting real batteries.

Heightened flip-flop marketing

California fashion brand ERL has raised the bar on flip-flops—and their marketing—in more ways than one might imagine. To quote from the VMan website:

ERL — the Venice Beach label known for blending skate culture, ’90s nostalgia, and high-fashion irreverence — has dropped its first-ever flip-flop, and it’s a full-blown, three-tiered, platform-soled ode to California cool. Designed by Eli Russell Linnetz, the ERL Flip Flop comes in three versions: Low, Big, and the mythical Huge (we’re not in standard-issue poolside territory anymore).

The Low is the closest to what most of us think of when we hear “flip-flop”: a one-inch EVA rubber sole, unfussy and close to the ground. The Big, clocking in with a five-inch sole, seems genetically engineered for the post-ironic downtown cool kid, both ridiculous and resolute. And things escalate even further with the Huge. A staggering eight inches high and only available by request, the flip-flop functions less as footwear and more as sculptural punchline.


To quote from the HighSnobiety website:

A conventional pair of suede-strapped and rubber-soled ERL's flip-flops retail at $185; a five-inch pair reaches $375; and they attain the awe-inspiring height of eight inches in their final form, the aptly named Huge Flip-Flop.

Available "only upon request," according to a release, ERL's Huge Flip Flop retails for an astonishing $1,250, making it perhaps the priciest flip-flop on the market, designer or not.

To amplify the inevitable stir drummed up by a four-figure flip-flop, Linnetz lensed an overtly sexed-up campaign in which tanned and toned models wear nothing but its new sandals. Again, ERL photoshoots have always incorporated a cheeky bit of skin — often literally — but simulated sex? That's a first.

Huge flip-flops
Low flip-flops

Get your ex deported

It has the vibes of one of those ex-based Valentine’s Day promotions, except that it is an actual message from the Attorney General of Florida.

We recently got a tip from someone whose abusive ex overstayed a tourism visa. He is now cued up for deportation.

If your ex is in this country illegally, please feel free to reach out to our office. We’d be happy to assist.

RIP Ozzy Osbourne

A spot for Liquid Death from last year that captures some of the fun side of his persona.

Notably, just last month, Liquid Death offered 10 used cans that had been consumed by him, with the pitch that, as and when laws permitted, DNA from his saliva on those cans could enable one “to replicate Ozzy Osbourne and enjoy him for hundreds of years into the future.”

Smell thy neighbour

AXE is promoting its new shower gel line with a bold new spot.

Link to video

‘Serial Butt Slapper’ on the loose

To quote from a report out of Idaho:

Cops in Boise say there’s a SERIAL BUTT SLAPPER on the loose.  He’s been going around on a dirt bike, smacking or grabbing women’s butts as he rides by.

Several women have filed reports over the past month.  All of the butt-slaps occurred between June 18th and July 3rd.

They described him as a while male in dark clothing, often all black.  He also wears gloves and a ski mask.  Cops think it’s either a skull mask from “Call of Duty”, or a Venom mask from “Spider-Man”.

A security camera got a shot of him, but his face is covered and it’s too blurry to see much.  They’re hoping someone recognizes him and calls it in.

So, if you’ll be spending any time in or around Boise this summer, maybe tie a sweater around your waist.

RIP Alan Bergman

I rate the original version of The Windmills of Your Mind as one of the most perfect film songs in terms of the way the lyrics, the music, and the vocals match the vision behind the song and the way it’s shot. 

Keys that jingle in your pocket
Words that jangle in your head
Why did summer go so quickly
Was it something that you said

When you knew that it was over
You were you suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning
To the color of her hair

Lost in Love

A new campaign for Heinz kicks off across Europe.

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Perils of cooking shark

To quote from a news report out of Iceland:

A farmer and a guesthouse owner in Hérað, in the east of Iceland, has been working hard to remove the stench from accommodation facilities in recent days. Tourists cooked shark by mistake in the guesthouse.

Guests who rented accommodation at Útnyrðingsstaðir in Völlar at Hérað planned to cook whale meat but instead bought a fresh shark and fried it in a pan with garlic. A strong smell erupted that lingered in the accommodation.

Stefán Sveinsson at Útnyrðingsstaðir says that now, three weeks later, the smell is finally disappearing – thanks to the good weather.


Also from the report:

The shark dish ended up in the trash and no one tasted it except the dog, who had very bad breath for a long time afterwards.

Entertainment Lessons

From France: a new spot for CANAL+ puts AI in its crosshairs.

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Auto-corrected drug

An excerpt from a social media post by the Polk County Sheriff’s office in Florida, of a recent arrest:

[The suspect] was found to be in possession of marijuana and a drug called methylprednisolone which requires a prescription and auto-correct just to be able to spell it correctly.

Rental grandma service growing in Japan

To quote from a SoraNews24 report:

The service is called OK Obaachan, and for a fee of 3,300 yen to cover transportation and a 3,300 yen per hour rate, you can have your very own grandma. They currently have a roster of about 100 ladies aged 60 to 94 and with a range of abilities from housework, interpersonal skills, historical knowledge, and life experience.

According to the OK Obaachan website, they have been getting a lot of requests for an incredibly wide range of uses, such as teaching how to cook, mediating family disputes, writing things with nice penmanship, and babysitting. They are often also called upon to act as pillars of emotional support and have been requested by men planning to come out as gay to their parents to be present when it happens. A report by ANN News also interviewed some satisfied clients who used rental grandmothers to be present when breaking up with boyfriends or to help with research for reports that deal with changes in Japanese society over the years.

McNapping McFelony

A Facebook post by a local police department in Pennsylvania:

RONALD MCDONALD IS MISSING!

Yesterday, a few unidentified suspects waltzed into McDonald’s and walked out with RONALD McDONALD himself.

We’re not clowning around. This was a full-blown McNapping.

Ronald was last seen smiling, as usual, unaware of the betrayal. Witnesses say he didn’t even put up a fight.

To the suspects:

We get it — times are tough, and therapy is expensive. But kidnapping a plastic icon of joy? That’s a McFelony.

To the public:

If you see Ronald out in the wild — maybe at a party, passenger seat of a car, or sitting awkwardly in someone’s yard — please call us at 570-669-9111.

In all seriousness, we are looking to identify these individuals. Please contact the Nesquehoning Police Department if you have any information. Thank you.

Samuel L. Jackson on the Pyramids

The actor waxes eloquent in a new spot for Adidas Superstar and even gets to say his favourite word.

Link to video

RIP Mark Snow

How The X-Files theme music came about

The X-Files opening credits (Season 1)

Sapiosexy, the documentary

A 7 minute mockumentary, best explained in the words of one of the co-founders of New Zealand’s Doc Edge documentary festival:

We challenged Saatchi & Saatchi NZ to come up with a disruptive idea for this year’s festival and to make documentaries sexy… and they did just that. Sapiosexy in fact.


Link to video

Perfect Sleep

From Canada: a new campaign for sleep brand Casper shows what raw, restful slumber looks like.

Link to video