I Snapped this From a T-Shirt shop in Gatlinburg, TN, smack dab in the Bible Belt.

Tolerated, I suppose by legal departments of real brands. I can’t imagine they have permission.  Protected as a parody?

Hyper tacky IMO.

Saw this in the checkout line at Kroger grocery store. They say never go grocery shopping hungry. You probably shouldn’t go shopping broke, either. Too much temptation.

Actually what you see here is evidence of a slow, but important change in the retail and banking industry.  Kroger already owns a mortgage company, so that’s no stretch, and the other services are easy if you have the capital. Costco and Wal-mart are getting into the banking business, so America is surely getting used to seeing it in non-traditional places. Banks must be scared to death of this - especially those with a branch RIGHT IN THE STORE. But many will simply be confused, probably, into thinking the branch in the store is related to the services.

In reality it’s just an ad for services distributed via a website and via forms at the service desk.  It’s just a bit odd to see it here. What’s next, delis and soda coolers in banks?

I’ll be the first to admit that I admire great business cards, though I rarely use a card myself! (people don’t usually forget my domain name : websiteadvice.com, or my phone number: 888-OnTheWeb) - but these, found on Digg, are pretty cool.  My favorite, pictured here, is only legible if you stretch it…. yes, from a personal trainer.

For a bunch more, see the original post.

I saw this for the first time in Lexington this week. They want you to snap a photo of a billboard (on a very busy road) bring it into a restaurant, and save on your next meal. Okay folks, how’s your Dukes of Hazard driving skills… squeeeeeeaaaal!!!!

SIDE NOTE: I would have sent Ramsey’s Restaurant some link juice, but they have no website - not even a really simple one. As I’ve said before, when you have no web site you’re leaving it up to others to dominate the search results pages for your name when searched. If I wanted to, I could post a page on my site today that would rank in the top 1-3 on Google for their name - and say whatever I wanted. For the record, I would rave about their Buffalo Chicken Salad to die for - but what if someone else had something less flattering to say?

My sharp-eyed accountant pointed out that Google seems to have filed 1099 MISC files without payee tax id numbers (at least on mine) which would essentially make the entire claim invalid. Since I claimed Adsense income as taxable income, this could flag tax trouble for Google…. does anyone else have blank tax IDs on 1099 MISCs from Google?  Is there something about the big “G” that means they don’t have to fully fill in tax forms?

I was working on a client project when suddenly I noticed that all of the results were from New Zealand. I checked my settings - yes, I’m signed in and my home country is set to the US. So I wiped my cookies and even tried another computer. Google is pretty confused who I am. Not only that, it’s showing me Adwords Ads from Arkansas and Frankfort (German) in the same session! I did not log out for these screen shots.

I had to go through a proxy to get work done today. I hope this gets cleared up soon!

The Cruel Shoes Site

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 Search for “Internet Marketing Consultant” in Google USA - Personalized Search Off.  I also saw it for another search or two (as I reproduce it, I’ll post the queries) These are in the sponsored links on the right side. Probably a temporary glitch, but very odd.

 

 

 

 

“Hey there big guy!”.. it says as you approach. Â

From Healthquest Technologies Inc., the makers of “Hope in a Jar” and the “Plantomatic” comes Wizmark, the Interactive Urinal Communicator. “Everyone knows that when it comes to business, location is important” says their website. You’ll get the “ever elusive targeted male audience you are constantly aiming for.”

Surely, soon to come as well…

• Washing your hands will help you stay healthy!
• One to help you increase the tips “Leaving a small tip is like pissing on your waiter.”Â
• Woah… there’s a sale on underwear at Macys!
• Thought about losing some weight? Call 1-888….
• Do you miss the great outdoors? How about a camping trip….

LOL

Steampunk - Science Fiction where characters (often scientists) fight against an oppressive establishment often using ultra-modern technologies presented in Victorian-era form factors.

Okay, I admit it. I’m a steampunk fan. Not as much the literature, but the imaginative machines and bizarre mixes of digital and non-digital elements, craftsmanship, and tactile sensibility of the artists.

I first got a sense of Steampunk type hardware ideas while watching Brazil, Edward Scissorhands, Wallace and Grommit, and Harry Potter. Someday I will own a nixie clock. I have a wood en box in my garage full of antique tools. So I thought it would be a good idea to list a set of great steampunk-like sites that give a well-rounded overview of the phenomenon, along with a few words about each. If you have one to add to this list, post in the comments with a link. I’ll look-see and possibly add it to the main post as well. Steampunk Labs, Artists, History

• Robots of the Victorian Era
• Radio Guy

• Brass Goggles
• Steampunk Magazine - the journal of misapplied technology
• The Steampunk Workshop - awesome stuff and nicely done photos
• Datamancer - home of the home of the The Nagy Magical-Movable-Type Pixello-Dynamotronic Computational Engine (also featured on Wall-Street Journal Video)
• Steampunkopidia
• Dr Grordort’s Rayguns - this site is amazing. Check the custom cases.
• Stephen Berkman - Love the photography style … reminds me of Nine Inch Nails artwork. Perhaps NIN copied HIM!
• The Retrocomputing Museum
• Vladimir Gvozdev’s terrific artwork - sites’ a little hard to navigate.
• Da Vinci Automata - clockpunk
• Stephane Halleux - do not miss this gallery (example to right)
• Steampunk Fashion
• Steam Brass and Fzz - Check the lamps
• Steampunk Jewelry
• Christopher Locke’s Heartless Machine - Check out the Scissor Spider
• A Better World -Gaming console and ipod imagined in Steampunk Style
• Alex CF Artwork - Many Dead Thinks - brilliant research cases.
• Eccentric Genius - Antiques from a Parallel Universe.
• Spookypop - Wow, a lot of talent in one place (note, you must click on the vines on the left to navigate the site.)
• Animals from Junk - Steampunky
• Steampunk Labs
• Insect Lab
• Steampunk Jewelry and Goggles at EDM

Steampunk Devices

• Gramophone Ipod
• Steampunk iPod NEW!
• Steampunk Lamps
• Steam-Powered Computer
• The Electriclerk
• Automatic Tea Machine
• Steampunk Watches
• More Steampunk Watches (you can buy)
• Cool Steampunk Clocks
• Steampunk Tree House
• Steampunk Lightsabre
• The Vulciana Watch - I want one!
• Photos of cool devices on Flickr
• Steampunk iPhone - this thing is the coolest
• VictorioNixie Tube - Awesome Mod of a toy (also on video.)
• A couple of awesome clocks and some amazing Russian stuff.
• Steam-Powered Robot
• Steampunk LCD Monitor (with a few “how-to” photos)
• Pierre Matter Sculpture
• Steampunk R/C Centipede
• Big Steampunk Animals - wow, check out the crashed spaceship

Interactive Steampunk & Multimedia

• A Modern Compendium of Minateur Autometa
• Crazy Machines (my kids love it)
• Nine inch Nails Closer Video (mature / language / NSFW)
• Steampunk Rayguns (G Rated)
• The Golden Compass Movie Trailer

Articles / Blog Posts

• SlashBoing - Steampunk Eye
• Wired - Steampunk Design
• Gizmodo - Steampunk Laptop
• Gizmodo - Steampunk Keyboard
• Cre.ations.net - Jar of Fireflies

Stuff you can buy

• Steampunk Supplies/Salvage from Sequential Glass
• Klockwerks - amazing clocks
• Steampunk Watches
• The J Peterman Company Iron Gothic Clock
• Steampunk Gift Guide - Make Magazine
• Skerror’s bunch of great dark, gothic-modern designs.
• The Golden Compass , the Cryptex and the Spy Insect
• Steampunk iPod Skin (I tried to order this but javascript errors prevented it bah!)

Misc Fun Steampunk-like Sites & Resources for Steampunkers

• Wallace and Gromit Cracking Contraption
• Make Magazine “My God, It’s Full of Wires”

Gears image by mehrit used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License