Aptly titled “Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps,” Oliver Stone is set to shoot the sequel to his movie that glorified excessive greed to some, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas). To others it was a warning of the toll trading can take on an unwitting stock broker Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen).
Stone laments how the first film resonated with today’s Wall Streeters.
“I can’t tell you how many young people have come up to me in these years and said, ‘I went to Wall Street because of that movie,’” says Stone.
The upcoming sequel to the 1987 classic features the return of Michael Douglas in the role that made him… well him. Supporting actors include Shia LeBeouf, Josh Brolin, Susan Sarandon and Frank Langella.
It is interesting to note that Jim Cramer of CNBC’s “Mad Money” will make an appearance in the film. One wonders if this is his civic duty that Jon Stewart commanded of him earlier this year.
They say there are two constants in life: death and taxes, so when the Internal Revenue Service decides to invade the virtual computer massively multiplayer online [MMO] game known as Second Life a few heads should turn (as well as a few eyes start rolling).
Virtual Worlds & Social Networking Project Manager Frank Stripe said, “In 2008, the IRS project team established a presence in the Second Life virtual world with the goal of exploring the potential use of this environment for recruitment and training purposes. The team has created the IRS Careers Island and constructed a sky platform with an IRS Careers Center and an IRS Education Center. A number of building design configurations have been tested. A number of education and entertainment features have also been built to attract residents to the simulation (sim). All basic construction has been completed and the sim has been opened to the general population in Second Life since February 2009.”
Stripe goes on to say about the advertising they spend
In the physical world, we could spend hundreds of thousands, if not millions, on sponsoring a race car that displays our brand in a field of thirty or more other cars. In the SL virtual world, we have spent a few thousand dollars to build complete entertainment and communications venue that includes a race course. IRS branding throughout the venue not only displays our messaging, but it also instantly dispenses marketing collateral and links to our Careers web site.
Did the IRS gain some form of competition that requires them to even enter the sphere of advertising? They are the one agency that will go out of their way to find the “deadbeats” and make them pay. Can the IRS even “reshape” their public image? Sigh. Now people who are much too overweight can learn about the benefits given to people who are married and not hanging out in their parent’s bonus room above the garage.
So I was standing in the grocery store the other day with my mother. Somehow the topic of Cash for Clunkers got brought up. I was thinking to myself, “I wonder how many folks have taken part in the program thus far.” Looks like I have a number. 240,000. That’s a metric shit ton of cars that have to be completely destroyed.
I hate to link to anything related to Time.com but they have a decent article explaining some of the numbers involved and how this program is likely to have little to no real world benefits. I can’t wait to see more people on their Sunday drives… to the nearest three Walmarts to do price comparisons on Pillsbury crescent rolls.
Today marks the 64th Anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb. Occurring at 8:15 AM a blinding white light surrounded the city. People were thrown about, eyes melted onto faces, babies were instantly aborted within womens’ stomachs and hundreds of thousands of victims would suffer the specter that is leukemia until their premature death.
Not the most pleasant day to remember but a critical day in the forging of our future. View the images here and check out my review of John Hersey’s Hiroshima here.
Here’s an interesting article I just read via the Drudge Report so I thought I would link it here. Apparently Japan is interested in testing out a new prototype space pant to see how it holds up. The test: wear said pant for a month and analyze the results. Poor Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata was the unlucky guinea pig in this sick experiment.
Designed to resist the rigours of lengthy space travel, the anti-static, flame-resistant, odour-eating, bacteria-killing, water-absorbent smalls have been put through their paces as part of a project aimed at ensuring that future space travellers will need only minimal space in their suitcases.
“We’re going to go beyond the Moon some day, and little things like this will seem like really, really big things when you’re far away from Mother Earth,” Mike Suffredini, manager of Nasa’s space station programme, said.
The test went well and none of Wakata-san’s fellow crew members complained of the ’stank. Apparently, despite the near infiniteness of space it is important to leave that extra change of clothes during those long hibernation pod trips to Celestion 4. I just wonder what people on Earth will do once they get their hands on such pants. On second thought…
How often do you find yourself staring down the barrel of a shotgun as you are forced to hand over the controller to your favorite video game system? If you answered more than once than Master has a deal for you.
A new Xbox 360 security kit enables the user to lock their TV to a nearby support post or table. Oddly enough the device does not protect the detachable hard drive or any other devices attached to said Xbox such as a Rock Band drum set or guitars. Some say money can’t buy you love, but $29.95 can help you rest easy knowing your $299 purchase will be around when the forensics team is sweeping through your bloody apartment.
The summer of celebrity death continues with the passing of former Taco Bell spokesdog, Gidget. The popular catchphrase, “Yo Quiero Taco Bell” could be the only Spanish that most Americans know.
“She made so many people happy,” says Gidget’s trainer, Sue Chipperton. PEOPLE met both Gidget and Sue at a Hollywood animals photo shoot in February, where the pup was a consummate pro and delighted the crew with her playful nature. – PEOPLE.com
Giant Bomb.com, for the unintiated, is a huge video game wikia that also licenses said database to companies and research firms while providing daily news and updates for surfers. The wiki part of the website just turned one yesterday and is now available as an iPhone application in the iTunes store. The site also has daily reviews, previews and content submissions by video game industry veterans Jeff Gerstmann, Vinny Caravella, Brad Shoemaker and Ryan Davis – all former Gamespot employees who left after the Eidos review bribery scandal in late 2007.
Each week the crew at Giant Bomb does a two-hour podcast wrap-up of the previous week and talks about upcoming releases, taste tests sodas and answer e-mails. It’s Car Talk with video games and not broadcasted live. Since I have only recently become enamored by the Fab Four I decided to send in an e-mail to see if it would be answered. To my surprise I got an answer. You can find the two minute snippet from yesterday’s Bombcast below. If you love video games at all make sure to subscribe in iTunes. Totally worth it.
In what could go down as one of the lamest attempt at corporate backlash, Apple apparently tried to get the latest Microsoft ads pulled from TV. Apple cited a recent “price drop” of $100 across their computer line that rendered the “too expensive” statements in the ads as slander.
Microsoft’s response:
Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s chief operating officer said,
And so we’ve been running these PC value ads. Just giving people saying, hey, what are you looking to spend? “Oh, I’m looking to spend less than $1,000.” Well we’ll give you $1,000. Go in and look and see what you can buy. And they come out and they just show them. Those are completely unscripted commercials.
And you know why I know they’re working? Because two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, hey — this is a true story — saying, “Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices.” They took like $100 off or something. It was the greatest single phone call in the history that I’ve ever taken in business. (Applause.)
I did cartwheels down the hallway. At first I said, “Is this a joke? Who are you?” Not understanding what an opportunity. And so we’re just going to keep running them and running them and running them.
Good on Microsoft for handling the situation like the responsible company they are. Don’t get me wrong, I like my Touch but the snobbery just hit an all time high. Hey Apple, next time it is better to not inadvertently tell your competition they are doing a damn good job. It’s kinda soul crushing when you read this story online the next day.
Now, if only we can erase those recent Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld ads from our memories.
This isn’t new news by any means, but the linked image is just too cool to not share. So Sesame Street turned 40 on January 30 this year to those not keep track.
It is crazy to even think how old Sesame Street has been entertaining our kids. I remember my mom forced me to watch the show every day before Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came on. Hey, I’m not complaining.
Hit up this link for a guide to the puppets that probably raised you.
Aptly titled “Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps,” Oliver Stone is set to shoot the sequel to his movie that glorified excessive greed to some, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas). To others it was a warning of the toll trading can take on an unwitting stock broker Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen).
Today marks the 64th Anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb. Occurring at 8:15 AM a blinding white light surrounded the city. People were thrown about, eyes melted onto faces, babies were instantly aborted within womens’ stomachs and hundreds of thousands of victims would suffer the specter that is leukemia until their premature death.
Here’s an interesting article I just read via the 
How often do you find yourself staring down the barrel of a shotgun as you are forced to hand over the controller to your favorite video game system? If you answered more than once than Master has a deal for you.
The summer of celebrity death continues with the passing of former Taco Bell spokesdog, Gidget. The popular catchphrase, “Yo Quiero Taco Bell” could be the only Spanish that most Americans know.
Giant Bomb.com, for the unintiated, is a huge video game wikia that also licenses said database to companies and research firms while providing daily news and updates for surfers. The wiki part of the website just turned one yesterday and is now available as an iPhone application in the iTunes store. The site also has daily reviews, previews and content submissions by video game industry veterans Jeff Gerstmann, Vinny Caravella, Brad Shoemaker and Ryan Davis – all former Gamespot employees who left after the Eidos review 
In what could go down as one of the lamest attempt at corporate backlash, Apple apparently tried to get the latest Microsoft ads pulled from TV. Apple cited a recent “price drop” of $100 across their computer line that rendered the “too expensive” statements in the ads as slander.
This isn’t new news by any means, but the linked image is just too cool to not share. So Sesame Street turned 40 on January 30 this year to those not keep track.