Monday 2/24/25
National Tortilla Chip Day
National Trading Card Day
Twin Peaks Day - "Diane, it's 11:30 a.m., February 24th. Entering the town of Twin Peaks," FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, played by Kyle MacLachlan, dictates into his tape recorder, as he makes his entrance into the town of Twin Peaks and into the television series of the same name.
World Bartender Day
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AskReddit asked, "What statement makes you roll your eyes immediately?" And here were some of the most popular responses:
1. Overly corporate jargon . . . "synergy," "bandwidth," "let's circle back," or "Let's drill down, and do a deep dive into the core metrics before we reinvent the wheel on our verbiage."
2. "Alpha male."
3. "I've done my research." Especially when it was a YouTube video.
4. "We've ALWAYS done it that way." Quickest way to become extinct.
5. "I'm just being honest." Jerks justifying the things they say.
6. Bringing up astrology randomly . . . like, "I'm a Libra, so . . ."
7. "My truth." It feels like saying "my feelings are more important."
8. "Do you know who I am?" The classic!
9. "Money can't buy happiness." Another classic.
10. "You're just too sensitive!" It's just a way to avoid personal responsibility over your actions and words.
11. "I'm shook" or "That triggers me."
12. "Woke." Especially as a pejorative.
13. "As a mother . . ."
14. "I'm not racist, but . . ."
15. "I probably shouldn't say this, but . . ."
16. "I don't usually write reviews . . ."
17. "Everything happens for a reason."
18. Starting any statement with "Yeah, no."
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Remember Apple's old "There's an App for That" ad from 2009? We may have finally hit a point where there really is an app for everything.
A private security service called Protector just hit the App Store this week. People are calling it "Uber with guns."
For $1,000, you can have an armed guard pick you up and shuttle you around town in an Escalade for five hours. They're either retired law enforcement or active duty.
The app was announced last year. But you might have heard about it last month when they did a video showing what COULD have happened if the gunned-down healthcare CEO had the app.
It's only available in New York and L.A. for now. There's a $129 annual fee, and prices START at $1,000. You can pay more to protect multiple people or have a motorcade with up to three Escalades.
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You may be waiting for an artificially long time when calling customer support because the company wants you to solve your own problems.
Hewlett-Packard (or "HP") has just added a MINIMUM 15-minute wait time for everyone dialing in to their call center. It just started yesterday, although only in Europe for right now.
And they're admitting that the purpose is to encourage people to use their online resources to solve their own problems.
They're targeting the people who are clogging their phone lines with issues that can be easily handled online, or by using virtual chatbots.
But the collateral damage will hit the people with more complicated problems . . . who HAVE already exhausted the online options.
There's no word yet on if or when this system could make its way to the U.S. . . . but you've got to think it's coming.
If only we had an agency that would look into these things and regulate them. hmmmm too bad it's been disbanded!
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Are you a self-absorbed narcissist? Well, it's a good thing you're paying attention to yourself . . . because no one else is.
A new study found people who act like they're better than everyone else are more likely to be ignored, rejected, and left out of stuff. So, if you think you're the best . . . but didn't get invited to that party this weekend . . . maybe it's BECAUSE you think you're the best.
The study found we tend to avoid hanging out with people who act superior. And narcissists are also really good at noticing when they've been left out.
When it happens, they tend to get defensive about it . . . act even MORE narcissistic . . . and it makes us want to hang out with them even less. So it's a vicious cycle.
At work, it might mean you're more likely to be left off email chains or have your ideas ignored. On weekends, it might mean you're left sitting at home stumped by the fact that you didn't get invited out to the bar.
Now who do we know that is a flaming gaping narcissist?
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The maker of Stanley Cups is being sued for trademark infringement.
The hardware company Stanley Black & Decker is suing the maker of Stanley drinkware over its use of the name.
If you're wondering why it's happening NOW . . . more than a year after Stanley tumblers were all the rage . . . it's because they apparently went too far, and gave "Stanley" a BAD name.
In a lawsuit filed this week, Stanley Black & Decker says the makers of Stanley drinkware violated an agreement from 2012 about when and how it could use the name . . .
And when millions of the mugs were recalled last year, the use of the name Stanley made it seem like the defective products came from Stanley Black & Decker. It's unclear how much they're seeking in damages.
Could Hockey be next? I mean they literally have a Stanley Cup!
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Today's Useless Fact of the Day - Kleenex tissues were originally invented in 1924 as a way to remove makeup. But so many people wrote the company to say they were using them as disposable handkerchiefs that all the marketing shifted to that by 1930.
The term for this is genericization, and it's rarely good for brands. Even if their name becomes a household word, it loses its meaning as a market preference. When you make your shopping list, you might actually be making a brand product names list — with no intent to buy the brand name!
Kleenex is #1 on the hatchwise.com list of brands that have become genericizationed.
2. Thermos
3. Chapstick
4. Popsicle
5. Band-Aid
6. Post-It Note
7. Q-Tip
8. Crock-pot
9. Jacuzzi
10. Google
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