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Microsoft stocks up on Heroes soda, clearly has a thing for lemon-lime
We're not exactly sure what's up with using sodas to celebrate the launch of something, but apparently, the folks in Redmond just totally dig it. For (at least) the second time in as many years, Microsoft has selected a lemon-lime beverage to create buzz (and fizz, we suppose) about a particular product launch. C'mon Microsoft, we know you like to stick to your guns, but what's a fellow got to do to get some rebadged NuGrape?
Beverage companies blame video games for obesity
On Monday, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom submitted a proposal that he hopes will curtail obesity by applying a financial deterrent to drinks with high fructose corn syrup - in other words, a surcharge on soda. (Amount of surcharge has yet to be defined.) Understandably aggravated by this measure is the American Beverage Association, who pulls out one of our favorite red herrings in its defense.Said Kevin Keane, senior VP of the ABA, "It makes no sense to single out any one single cause of obesity, which is a complex problem." As quoted by the International Herald Tribune, "Keane said that if Newsom really wanted to fight the fat, he would take on computer and video game companies, which Keane said lured children inside when they should 'be outside burning calories.'"Yes, folks, by this logic we shouldn't even bother to worry about soda causing obesity when video games - not Dance Dance Revolution or Rock Band drums, mind you, those other video games like BioShock and Spider Solitaire - are the bigger Cause of Fatness. In a wholly accurate scientific study, Joystiq editors reported feeling approximately 15 calories surge from our controller, through our hands, and into our bloodstreams for every double kill in Halo 3. We jest, of course, but continuing with Keane's logic, we must say it makes no sense to single out video games when the real problem of obesity is existence itself. If Mayor Newsom really wanted to fight the fat, he should combat our very existence. If he obliterates that, then there'll be no more obesity.Update: The ABA sends a response letter to Kotaku.[Image Source. Via OXM; thanks, PrivateRyan]
Tetris ice cubes for the remarkably unashamed
Some of us prefer to hide our geekiness, fearing a loss of social status and reduced favor with the opposite sex. Others know that such things are mere trifles, and display their dorkdom with honor and pride. For those of the latter, we would point you to a step-by-step walkthrough of how to make your very own tetromino ice cubes. Yes, it must be Tetris craft week all around the intertron.The steps are clearly written and easy to follow, but some woodwork and silicone supplies are required. If you're a handyman (or woman), go make yourself some cubes: they'll go wonderfully with that Russian vodka. Just kidding. We mean pop. (Punch Out!! reference FTW)
Japanese vending machine offers free drinks for watching ads
In a marketing case that just sounds too good to be true, vending masters Apex Corp. have purportedly laid out plans that will bring free or subsidized non-alcoholic beverage to thirsty consumers who are willing to watch a 30-second commercial before partaking. Aiming to launch next month in Japan, the MediCafe project will give users the option of plunking down the ¥70 ($0.58) to ¥120 ($1) required to purchase an item, or watching an advertisement for half a minute while the machine dispenses their liquid of choice. It was noted that not all drinks would be free, as some advertisers would only be offering up discounts in exchange for your attention, but this still sounds like a much more legitimate way to receive gratis soft drinks than other alternatives we've seen.[Via PlasticBamboo]
Nintendo and Coca-Cola team up to hook you up
Nintendo, maker of that Wii console we love so much, and Coca-Cola, maker of that soda we love so much, are teaming up to give away a multitude of prizes on select cans of Fanta, Sprite and Dr. Pepper starting May 14th until July of this year in the UK. The ultimate prize consists of the "Ultimate Wii Games Room," which features a Wii console, Wii Sports, 26" Samsung LCD TV and a mini-fridge stocked to the brim with Fanta, Sprite and Dr. Pepper. This prize will be given out on a daily basis at the start of the promotion.
DIY solar heater constructed with aluminum cans
A solar-powered air conditioner doesn't do one much good during a Vermont winter, but rather than cranking on the heater (or huddling under the heated Hello Kitty mat) just to heat things up in a relatively small garage, a clever DIYer set out to concoct his own solar heater using scrap parts and a bit of free time. The solar wall was primarily built with black-painted soda cans, a wooden wall, plexiglass cover, and an inlet and outlet to channel the air around. The homegrown "solar furnace" captured the sunlight beaming onto the south side of the building, and as cool air found its way into the toasty cans and rose through drilled out portals, it managed to heat up a respectable 15-degrees Fahrenheit before escaping into the garage. The creator did note that his next attempt would sport a relocated inlet and be much larger in size, but if you're interested in putting a few in-the-way parts to good use next winter, be sure to hit the read link for a pictorial how-to.[Via HackNMod, thanks Joe]
Soda machine "hack" yields extra beverages
C'mon, we've all wondered just what it'd take to nab an extra snack or soft drink from that soulless, computerized vending machine, right? Even if you haven't pondered such mischievous thoughts, you've probably muttered to yourself more than once how the robo-fridge took your money and didn't give you a tasty treat. So this "hack" goes out to you with a bone to pick, here's how to turn the tables on those carbonated money snatchers. In a video documentary shot by two (intelligently) undisclosed individuals, they trick one of those fancy conveyor belt-equipped pop boxes into thinking it has failed at dispersing the requested beverage. Once it believes that you're fuming mad and only moments away from striking the machine, it simply returns your money while the drink remains on the belt. If you haven't figured out the rest, you simply reinsert your recently refunded coinage, and repeat the process until the belt runs out of room (or you hear someone coming). While this one may not be not founded on more idealistic principles, we can bet it sure feels good to know if we really wanted to be, we could finally be on the duping end of the ever-dubious soda machine confrontation -- now, somebody give this a whirl on one of those iPod / digicam vending machines. [Read link possibly NSFW.][Thanks, RedBull Runner]
Haven't Seen Him Since He Went AFK Bio
See, this is exactly the kind of stuff that makes that psychologist lady think we're all crazy.Salt from Spinebreaker points us to a picture (above) that some enterprising (and extremely thirsty) player has taken. It's a bunch of cans (147, according to someone on the Forum who might actually have counted them) of Dr. Pepper, laid on the floor and spelling out the name of our beloved pasttime. At least it was all cans of Dr. Pepper, and not his less-educated brother, Mr. Pibb.Pretty impressive. But give me a call when someone does a color version of the Burning Crusade logo.
Microsoft rolls out Windows Vista soft drink
Windows Vista, the operating system, is still not due out until whenever Microsoft is ready maybe January 2007, but the refrigerators in Redmond are already stocked for the party. Presumably in an attempt to get those lackadaisical coders back on track, Gates and Co. has ordered a supply of Windows Vista beverages to compliment the plethora of other free refreshments available at the office. Decked out with the updated Windows logo and a URL to the company's internal Vista site (we've already tried to access it to no avail), the special-edition can of Talking Rain "sparkling water" is apparently just the thing to get those gears churning at Microsoft HQ. Although we don't expect these to be made available anywhere that undercover gold master copies of Vista aren't shuffling around, this just might be an obscure sign that we'll see the OS on store shelves this decade, and hey, we'll drink to that.[Thanks, David]
