A while ago I watched a mildly amusing ad for a job listings website called The Ladders. The ad showed a tennis match where the crowd mobs the court because they all want to play. The idea is that The Ladders only features $100K+ jobs for $100K+ job applicants:

Then today I watched an ad for French bank BNP Paribas. The ad showed a tennis match where the crowd mobs the court because they all want to play. Sound familiar? Well, judging from the production one could ask if the two companies didn’t just use the same idea but the same advertising agency:

Both ads are currently running on CNN. I guess the real question is who is going to sue whom for stealing the idea.

My parents come to visit tomorrow and thus, I am vacuuming my apartment. But if I’m being honest, I usually walk around with socks on so that I don’t end up with dirty feet. It’s not that I’m unclean; I’m just really lazy, and vacuuming makes me work up a sweat that causes me to realize I’m embarrassingly not as fit as I once thought. Unfortunately, this extreme state of denial doesn’t change the fact that people I care about (and who, as family, have the right to openly criticize me) will be visiting tomorrow. With its patented Root Cyclone Technology, Dyson’s new Dyson Ball DC24 vacuum claims to have all the incredible suction power of a regular Dyson, with improved maneuverability to boot. With the hallowed hoover in hand, I took a swipe around both my apartment and my work to see just how great this little wonder is. Get the whole story

With today’s consumer-grade technologies advancing to such an extent as to rival their high-end (i.e. unaffordable) professional equivalents, we average Joes and Janes have the capability to produce pretty much any media we want. Digital cameras, with their automatic face detection, motion capturing, red-eye reducing, colour correcting functions can make anyone’s snapshot into an award winning photo. Ok, that’s a bit of a stretch, but you get the idea. Software likewise is enabling the average consumer to Photoshop and video edit like a pro (or to think so anyway).

It should therefore come as no surprise that you can even publish your own bookstore-quality softcover! With $12.95, you can build a truly jaw-dropping coffee table book that will make your party guests do a double take when they can’t believe they see your name printed on its cover. We’re talking about stylized, well layed out, customizable works of art here people. That’s what you can do on Blurb.com. A couple of friends sent me this link (thanks Marina & Angela!) and it just blew me away. Imagine surprising your mother with a breathtaking art book of her paintings…or building a slick and glossy photo book of your two-year old tyrants that will knock their grandparents’ teeth out…or the ultimate wedding book that would put Martha Stewart’s scrapbooks to shame. Think business books, portfolios, children’s books…oh, the possibilities.

And it’s simple to boot! You just download the FREE Blurb BookSmart bookmaking software (works on both Mac and PC), follow the instructions to add photos, artwork, and text…and when you’re satisfied with your creative output, just place the order for the book online. You even have the option of putting your book in the Blurb Bookstore for sale to anyone willing to pay your assigned price (yes, you keep 100% of the markup and no, if you don’t make your book public, no one will have access to it or its contents – your book is copyrighted and that copyright belongs to you). Get the whole story

Those of you familiar with my posts have a vague idea of my aversion to science. For those not yet in the loop, allow me to explain: I suck at science, which is why I support great events like the PMC-Sierra Science Fair Fun Run. On Sunday, May 25th at 9 am, runners of all ages will be winding their way around beautiful False Creek all in the name of BC’s young scientists. Since its creation eight years ago, the run has raised over $300,000 for the Dr. Michael Smith Endowment Fund, giving schools the opportunity to develop and maintain stellar Science Fair programs. The number of participants has more than doubled since its inception and you can join in at the starting line outside TELUS World of Science. Not only do you get out for a good run to raise young minds, you also get a sweet t-shirt and the chance to win some great prizes. But the best part? Free admission to Science World from 11 am to 6 pm! There’s more, so click on! Get the whole story

As we reported way back in April, the so-called “hack” of Canadian music station MuchMusic by a mask wearing dork is nothing but a bad ad campaign for a new contest the station is running.

On their new Phind the Phreak site, they proudly proclaim:

First, we want to assure our viewing public that the MMVAs have not been hacked. Nor is this a virus campaign. All employees have received a clean bill of health. We are just hip to the Interweb.

Right. Because using words like “hip” and “Interweb” with a capital i show that you are at the very leading edge of modern youth culture. Or at least it did back in 1972.

This must be the most ill conceived advertising campaign in modern history. For one, it backfired almost immediately as our posting about how it had to be an ad campaign got more views and a higher Google ranking than the actual phreak615 blog. And from all the flack people have been shooting out in comments on this blog and many others, it’s pretty clear that the viewing public find the campaign both annoying, insulting and stupid at the same time. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone actually enters the contest.

Considering that the Dabbler team and our many commenters pretty much solved the riddle before it was even announced, I think it would only be fair that the prizes are handed to us. But that would be admitting that their half-assed scheme really was a bad idea and that they have lost touch with their own target audience.

Sorry MuchMusic. I am most unimpressed. Next time, how about hiring someone who actually knows and understands modern youth culture, not to mention the Interweb?

This week, we’re profiling the social butterflies of the Vancouver SPCA: Kit Kat and Bear

Kit Kat has confidence in spades! This spunky little Shiba Inu cross walks with an air of authority and isn’t afraid of any dog that gets in her way. She isn’t one to pick a fight mind you, but if she senses that there may be competition, she’ll lie down in pounce mode and watch her rival like a hawk.

In addition to being doggy ninja material, Kit Kat is quite the acrobat. She’s the only dog I’ve met who pees with both her hind legs up balancing only on her front paws. She’s not always as stable as she might like but she practices like crazy. In between her acrobatic rehearsals, Kit Kat likes to take sudden dives into whatever patches of grass or dirt are available. It’s a slightly odd sight and usually somewhat unexpected when she decides to dive head first into the ground and squirm, roll and twist around like she’s got an itch on her back she just can’t scratch. A man who witnessed one of these sudden outbursts of wriggling actually stuck his head out the window to comment.

But don’t try and make fun of this little ball of fluff. If she understood you, she’d probably snub you like she snubbed my doggy treats. I had asked her to sit and she did so I gave her a doggy biscuit only to have her take it from my hand, put it on the ground, and pee on it. Point taken.

For details on Kit Kat, click here.
BC SPCA Vancouver Shelter: 604 879 7721 or vancouver@spca.bc.ca

Now, everyone will agree that better looking people generally receive better treatment. This week I found out that the same goes for dogs! Click on to read about Bear!

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Morbid as it may seem, we all have to come to grips with our mortality and talk about that which is inevitable. Nobody wants to sit down and draw out plans to implement in the event of a death or incapacitation, but not to do so would cause unnecessary stress and avoidable complications to the loved ones that are left to sort things out. If anything, planning for your own eventuality is the the most compassionate gift you can give to the family that survives you.

Those going on retirement are most likely the ones that are taking this issue most seriously, but you’d be shocked to know that according to statistics from the American Centers for Disease Control, young men aged 15 to 24 have three times as many deaths as do women in the same age group and in the 20 to 29 age group. I definitely think designating a surrogate when you’re barely out of high school is a little extreme, but it does show you that you shouldn’t wait too long to make some very important long-term decisions.

I love statistics and I just received an ABA (American Bar Association)-commissioned poll with findings showing that more than twice as many Americans talk about planning for health care emergencies than take action. With us Canadians generally sharing a similar way of life, I wouldn’t expect our own numbers to deviate too much from these results so click on to read the full press release from the ABA. Get the whole story

Are you experiencing feelings of jealousy when a co-worker or friend returns from vacation? Hmmm…then I’m afraid you’ve got a bad case of vacation envy, a direct result of a pervasive condition now known as Vacation Deprivation.

North Americans are prone to workaholism as they continue in their never-ending pursuit of happiness – that is, the ever increasing acquisition and consumption of goods and services. We should be looking to Europe though, to find a better balance in our lives. People over there (and of course I’m generalizing) take the time to enjoy what they already have…and it works too! Companies are as good as the workers that back them up so happy workers mean profits. And what’s the best gift you can give an employee? More vacation time! According to Mad Morten, a minimum of three weeks paid vacation is mandatory (yes by law people) for every Norwegian worker, regardless of seniority. I tell ya, I’d certainly be more willing to take on that extra project with this kind of incentive.

But it’s not always just about having enough vacation time. I used to dread planning a holiday because my company wouldn’t spring for a temp in my absence so that even when I was supposed to enjoy my time off, I’d be stressing about the mounting work that awaited me. That is perhaps why according to this year’s Vacation Deprivation survey, nearly one third of British Columbians are not taking all of their vacation time.

Click on for more of the Ipsos-Reid findings and find out how we can keep this condition from spreading (management make note!) Get the whole story

We all remember the nasty photos of Britney that came out last year immediately after a trip to the Restylane clinic. Oh, you mean you don’t keep up with the manic craziness that is her life on a daily basis? Weird. Ok – I’ll give you the run down. The paps snapped Brit in her car leaving the clinic attempting to cover the ridiculousness that had become her plumper, duck billed lips. Normal side effect? Or botched procedure? Let me tell you, if that’s the result I’d rather avoid both. Lip plumping glosses have been around for a while now but one of our readers had one she wanted us to give a try: City Lips Instant Lip Plumper (advanced formula). So we put it up against one of the hippest brands on the market to see how they compared. I now call to the ring our two contenders – City Lips vs Urban Decay. Let’s keep this clean ladies, and most of all, big, plump and beautiful. Fight! Get the whole story

Reena’s Tips of the Week:

Sure, everyone knows that olive oil is great for the heart. And yes, it even possesses some inhibiting properties for certain cancers. But if you think its health benefits stop there, then you have to click on to see what else this Mediterranean liquid wonder can do.

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