bookofjoe

'The one function that TV news performs very well is that when there is no news we give it to you with the same emphasis as if there were' — David Brinkley

But it's not just TV news, it's all news media: I mean, the daily newspaper has to have a front-page story with a big headline by default, even if it's about the latest high school grinding kerfuffle.

I'm reminded of a wonderful line from a Mad magazine sendup of the New York Times, to wit: "All the news that fits, we print."

If nothing else, advertisers have to have a hanger on which to drape their wasted dollars.

Now Google's nosing around in newspapers and magazines, sticking its nose under the tent, as it were.

Tom Phillips, who runs print operations at Google, says the company wants to be a friend to newspapers.

Turns out that it's been running tests of advertising in both newspapers and magazines for nearly two years, and that magazines didn't offer nearly as great an opportunity as papers.

Phillips told the New York Times in a November 6, 2006 story, "Low-frequency media doesn't share as much of what we are good at."

He said daily newspapers let Google's advertisers test campaigns across a range of publications and change them quickly.

Huh.

I guess I'm more high-frequency that low, given that I'm daily like a newspaper.

Then why aren't ads running here?

Maybe the clue phone ringer is turned off.

Hard to know when you can't find the phone.

Super Bowl Cake Pan

Are you ready for some football [stadium-shaped cake]?

Then you've come to the right place.

From the website:

Stadium Cake Pan

Stadium-shaped cake practically decorates itself!

Serve this cake at halftime and sports fans will cheer!

This cast aluminum Bundt® pan with non-stick finish makes it easy to bake.

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$32.

The cake can be included — but you have to make it.

MIT Center for Advanced Hindsight — 'Research into what might have been'

Dan Ariely, Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Behavioral Economics, runs this wonderfully-named research group.

Mission Statement:

The goal of the center and its members is to be able to have great insights (in hindsight) about a large and diverse set of research projects. Obviously this involvement is restricted to work done by other researchers and work done by individual members of the center is off-limits. The Center for Advanced Hindsight is a non-discriminating institution, examining published as well as unpublished work, and work of researchers of all ranks.

Over the years member of centers have examined a wide areas of research including prospect theory (both the probability weighing function as well as the value function), cognitive dissonance, heuristic and biases, the hot hand effect, the Samuelson's paradox, the effects of emotions on decision-making etc.

NASCAR RaceCooler — 'Made from actual tires used on the NASCAR Race Circuit'

From the website:

RaceCooler

Hand-crafted from actual race tires used on NASCAR circuit races.

Each RaceCooler is unique, exhibiting all the stress and wear that you would expect an actual raced tire to show.

Production is limited to the availability of used tires from each race.

Each cooler is custom hand-assembled.

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Vrooom.

$249.

Rojo.com — 'Rojo means RSS with mojo'

Well, that disqualifies me.

I mean, I still think RSS means "real stupid, sucker," 'cause that's exactly how I feel after repeatedly spending time and effort failing to learn how to benefit from it.

But that doesn't mean you have to be like me.

Rojo.com claims to be "creating the best RSS feed reader on the web... so you can discover and read news and blogs as efficiently as possible."

USB Handwarmer Mouse

From the website:

USB Warmer Mouse II

USB Warmer Mouse II is not an ordinary mouse but can keep your hand warm, especially in winter or in a chilled working place.

Upper side of mouse will heat when you switch on the warming function.

Come on! Get one! Say goodbye to your frozen hand!

Features:

• Quickly reaches stable temperature (at 45+/-1°C) for warming your hand

• Hand warmer + optical mouse combo with high resolution to 800dpi

• Made of safety material to avoiding damaging mouse component

• Perfect for use in winter and/or cold working place

• Device temperature remains about 45°C

• On/off switch for warming function

• Plug-and-play — no driver required

• Supports Windows NT/2000/Me/XP

• Electric current: 400MA+/-20MA

• Dimensions: 121mm x 65mm

• Scroll without scrollbars

• Cable length: 140cm

• Comfortable shape

• Ergonomic design

• Weight: 97g

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Red, White, Black or Yellow.

$23.

Helpful Hints from joeeze: How to make your champagne more bubbly

It's so simple, even I could do it.

Wipe the glasses (the inside, booboo) with a cloth or paper towel.

A report by scientists in France (fitting, what?) published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showed that wiped glasses show "an excess of effervescence" due to the hollow cellulose fibers knocked off a cloth or towel acting as "nucleation" (bubble formation) sites.

[via Sharon Begley's "Science Journal" column in the Wall Street Journal]

Official bookofjoe Dust Pan & Broom Set

It took nearly a year out back in the skunk works to get precisely the right shade of green but we did it.

From the website:

Dust Pan/Broom Set

Tough duo picks up light spills.

This nesting set tidies up small spills on hard floors.

No need to get out the floor vac or a bulky broom and dustpan.

Keep this set handy — it's every bit as efficient as the big broom or electric sweeper!

The broom nestles inside the dust pan, so you're never searching for one or the other.

Perfect for tidying pet areas or making a quick sweep before guests arrive.

Even the kids will want to help clean up!

8¼" x 8½".

Plastic.

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Every gift bag at the upcoming bookofjoe 2007 Award Show™ will contain — among other things — this nifty duo.

You don't think I'm gonna clean up after by myself, do you?

As if.

$14.95.