[jimmydean]

lmao Geko ... maybe a name change is in the works although it's quite nice they won't have to change the ticker nor the short form

[KevO]

Odd that IBM is only one letter forward than the computer in the film '2001 a space odyssey' - HAL.
Is that deliberate?

KevO

[skiwi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('KevO', 'O')dd that IBM is only one letter forward than the computer in the film '2001 a space odyssey' - HAL.
Is that deliberate?

KevO

[airstrip1]

Of course IBM promote 'change'. If people stuck with their existing systems then they would have no one to whom they could sell their hardware, software or consulting services. Like so much in the world of information technology it is a giant confidence trick. They have to keep churning the 'next big thing' to get the suckers on board.

[troobloo]

Errol Morris, documentary film-maker, has a hilarious series of aborted projects for Miller High Life, including this one about "alternative fuels":

Errol Morris commercial

Too bad it never aired!

[seldom_seen]

that is good!

[markam]

that is a great commercial.

An older, overweight man, bicycling in snowy weather. Makes you believe that americans can overcome everything.

Of course, in reality, the streets would be littered with the corpses of older, overweight men, as the keeled over from heart attachks.

[seldom_seen]

The SUV is one is pretty good too...

http://www.errolmorris.com/commercials/ ... r_suv.html

and recycle

http://www.errolmorris.com/commercials/ ... cycle.html

[Carlhole]

Commercial

[AnniCat]

Watching the pregame show and superbowl tonight (all for the commercials of course) and they've already shown 2 commercials related to alternative energy on ABC.

At $230K (or whatever insane amount it is) for 30 seconds, how many different commercials to acclimate us to a non-oil based society do we think they'll show?

[mekrob]

$230? Ha, you missed it by a decimal place or a decade. Try between 2.4 and 2.5 mil. People I was with laughed at the "I guess it easy to be green" commercial. Thought it was dumb. Try a lot of commericals

[AnniCat]

Dumb or not, there were still 5 commercials pertaining to a non-oil based future. For the number of people that those ads reach, I think that's significant.

and yeah, I knew it started with a 2.

[Ludi]

I think it will take much more than a few commercials. I don't know if anyone remembers "the environmental decade" which was actually the first couple years of the 90s. A very short decade. Many commercials were "green-themed" or "green-lite" such as the "Tread Lightly" car campaign. Car ads would show sport-utility vehicles going off road with a little caption underneath that said "tread lightly." Now they usually say "professional driver on closed course" or something like that. But the "environmental decade" passed without a trace and today most people still see the idea of being "green" as quaint, or cute, or just plain silly.

Thankfully, even here in Tex-ass there seems to be a slight movement toward renewable energy with some cities offering windpower credits if you're willing to pay more for your electricity. The "Windtricity" program.

[bentstrider]

As if SUVs already don't have a bad enough reputation, I recently caught a GM commercial last night.
It has this Suburban with a suburbian family driving down a highway pulling a boat.
Next, we see several Toyota Echo-looking vehicles passing by with kids, dogs, cargo,.etc, spread through each seperate car.
I guess this was just one of the many ignorant/arrogant ways SUV makers are trying to keep their fingertips on the proverbial cliff edge.

[AmericanEmpire]

Local car dealership. Said "We all know the damage to the Gulf Coast refining caused our gas prices to soar but now they are returning to normal. So come on in and buy our new line of GM trucks and SUV's"
Your average American believes this shit too. Couldn't possible be anything wrong with the supply before and after the hurricanes could there. Couldn't possibly be that we are running on reserves and things aren't normal. Couldn't possibly be headed for a decline in oil reserves. No we got centuries of oil let. Only temporary weather related problems were the culprit.

[rogerhb]

Don't forget that Belgians and Japanese are falling over themselves to lend anyone money.

Why is it Belgians? I have no idea but apparently it is their fault, down to strong beer and chocolate forcing them to save money, I think.

[fossil_fuel]

<rant on>

the one where the wife and the real estate agent on the phone are trying to convince the husband to buy the house they've been looking at. the husband is very nervous, tired looking and acts like he doesn't want to do it. you can tell he's working his ass off to support his family and the last thing he needs is more debt, such as a mortgage on a house he can't afford (probably one of those interest-only or negative amorization pieces of financial witchcraft). his wife tries to guilt trip him with "it's in a great school district, our kids will be going to school soon, think of the children". the real estate agent chimes in helpfully with "you can do this" and other "supportive" comments. finally, he gives into his wife's manipulation and agrees to buy the house. my guess is that if this were a real couple, in a few years they'd be divorced and he'd still be paying the mortgage on the house which now only SHE lives in.

<rant off>

[Ludi]

Yeah, that one bugs me too.

[Aaron]

Bitter?

[fossil_fuel]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Aaron', 'B')itter?