IceCream
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Caption contest: Bing bus goes searching for search results
Bus. Ice cream truck. Personal space invader. Vessel of illicit speaker transport. It's all semantics, anyway. Darren: "Man, this smoke is great, but damn if I'm not suddenly craving an orange Push Up." Joe: "Unlike the Street View car, the Bing truck is equally at home on the street or at a rave." Chris: "In the event the authorities get too close for comfort, Bing is prepared to take its entire operation mobile for weeks at a time, stopping only to refuel." Don: "At last, the real decision engine is revealed." Richard Lawler: "Ok, so the plot is, we pick up "models" off the street... and find low cost plane tickets, product reviews or a nice restaurant for them. That's it." Ross: "Creative Picture Framing" indeed, Microsoft. Creative picture framing, indeed. Joanna: "Didn't we just do a sketchy tech van caption contest!?" Richard Lai: "For the last time: we don't sell froyo here." Tim: "Creative Picture Framing was a front for GHOST: Google Hating Operatives with better Search Technology. Jeeves had already arrived in his blacked out Benz, but the Altavista boys were nowhere to be found." Myriam: "Oh, I see! It's an art car for Burning Man... Right." [Thanks, Hosain]
Share Happy vending machine dispenses ice cream for a smile (and your soul)
We thought the Let's Pizza machine was wild, but this next item is downright scary... and delicious! The brainchild of Unilever (the company that owns Ben & Jerry's, Good Humor, Breyers, Klondike, and Wall's), Share Happy is a $20,000 Sapient-built ice cream vending machine that takes your picture, using facial recognition to determine if you're smiling and Photo Booth-esque features (superimposing "funny hats, a mustache, glasses, bow tie, afro hair, things like that," on your mug) to coax you into smiling. And once it determines that you are smiling, it gives you a free ice cream treat -- but not before collecting valuable demographic information by analyzing the image for things like gender and approximate age and asking you to sign away your likeness for promotional use. The images are sent to Unilever HQ a few times an hour, using either Ethernet, WiFi, or 3G. Camera shy? Don't worry, you'll still be able to pay for your junk food the old fashioned way. Currently being tested in Singapore, Lisbon, and Paris, with a UK test planned "soonish." Check the thing out on video by hitting the source link.
Taking it too far: Ice Pod ice cream bars
Oh, those crazy Norwegians. Ice cream maker Henning Olsen has announced their plans to produce a chocolate covered-ice cream bar that looks like, you guessed it, an iPod. The iPod Classic, to be exact. But wait, there's more! Each "IcePod" as they're called comes with access to a free song by a Norwegian artist. Details are unclear as to exactly who is providing the download, though. Supposedly they're in production right now and should hit stores sometime in March.Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet speculates whether the IcePod will draw Apple's attention in a less-than-sweet way. Keep your eyes peeled, Norway-bound TUAW readers, and let us know if you see one of these, and what the deal is with the download.Thanks, Jørn!
Dr. Whippy keeps the soft serve comin' to cheer you up
Ah c'mon, it's essentially a foregone conclusion that ice cream leads to happiness, so it's no surprise to hear of an invention like Dr. Whippy. This ingenious device reportedly analyzes ones voice as he / she answers questions and determines how stressed the individual is, and as you may expect, the more unhappy one seems, the more ice cream is dispensed. Score one for the pessimists.[Via WeMakeMoneyNotArt]
What ever happened to All I Want for Xmas?
Remember the "All I Want for Xmas is a PSP" fiasco from last year? Well, one of our readers, Michael, cued us in on the surprising (and delicious) fate of Sony's marketing blunder. It now takes you to the Haagen-Dazs website, which proudly advertises their new cinnamon dulce de leche ice cream. Yum! Could this be a hint at an upcoming Haagen Dazs PSP game? Will firmware 4.00 include free wireless ice cream? You tell us!
Scoop brings glam to the ice cream truck biz
Yeah, we know, we all scream for ice cream, but the Scoop startup is looking to add a dash of glitz, glamor, and flashing lights to the traditional ice cream truck biz, which is admittedly overdue for a refresh. The UK-based endeavor will be hitting the streets with Mystery Machine-esque vans that sport a bright flashing spoon atop the roof, chalk-written phrases on the paneling, and hot orange rims to boot. The idea, which took home the gold in CPB's "Blue Sky" competition, stands out from the trucks of yesteryear by handing out branded spoons and delivering delightful flavors in Chinese take-out boxes (pictured after the jump), somewhat catering to adults as well as sugar-craving kiddos. Sure, this may not be a 100 miles-per-hour thrill wagon, nor a Xbox 360-packed rental bus, but it definitely holds it own in the (flashy) "meals on wheels" category.[Via CNET]
Japanese PSP owners never eat dairy again
I love watching Japanese commercials. More so than American commercials, they teach you a lesson. This one, from Sony, shows why you should update your PSP firmware. Because if you don't, they'll keep on making more ads like this! For the love of all that is holy, please, please update your PSP firmware so that we may never see a commercial like this one here in the states.
