Seattle’s Best Coffee

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, partially because it’s hard to find time to write things long enough to justify putting them here.  I’ve spent most of my posting short thoughts to Twitter and Facebook.  I’m going to try to remember to continue to post short thoughts there (@kkozlen) as well as a short expansion on those thoughts here.  So, here’s my first thought…

Is Seattle’s Best Coffee really the best coffee to come out of Seattle?  It’s a proper name, not a description of the product, but how many people really know that?

For a short while, we had both Seattle’s Best and Starbucks where I work, and I think I prefer Starbucks, which is also a Seattle based company.

Just because you name something, doesn’t make it so.

Michael Jackson Died Today

Just found out that Michael Jackson died and have been watching the news. Although it’s certainly not funny, the rush of the media has made for some interesting quotes/occurances…

CNN Reporter: “Michael Jackson had a following a lot like the Greatful Dead…” (I don’t think anyone would confuse deadheads with MJ fans)

Turned on E! News, which in its intro states, “when it comes to entertainment news, E! News is always first to break the news.”. Well… No mention of Michael Jackson. (Even CNBC had live coverage… C’mon E!)

The Jackson family attorney appeared on CBS news and said, “I have been concerned about his condition for quite some time. I’ve warned that one day he would wake up dead…” Really? Wake up dead, huh?

Busy Working on a Bunny Project

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, and I know everyone says it, but I really have been super busy lately.  I’ve been studying for an insurance exam – which I passed today – and have had several projects going on.  The one that’s been, without a doubt, the most fun is this one…. enjoy and tell me what you think!

Seriously Miller Light?

Watcing the NCAA basketball tournament I keep seeing ads for Miller Light. What bugs me about the ads are Miller’s references to their “triple hops brewed, adding hops at three points during the brewing process.”. First, having tasted Miller Light, I’m surprised they would brag about this since the hop flavor is barely noticeable. Second, despite showing nice freshly grown hops in the ad, I’d be willing to bet you’d only find hop extract in Miller Light’s brewing process. Finally, being a homebrewer, the practice of adding hops three times during brewing is pretty standard, and is probably a claim AB, Coors, or your local brewpub could make… It’s really not a differentiating factor. With the growth of the craft brew movement, it just seems a little odd to try to promote your pilsner on the merit of hop additions.

The Dyson Ball

I was just watching a commercial I’ve seen a hundred times for the Dyson Ball vaccuum cleaner. The suave guy with the accent talks about how a vaccuum with regular wheels can’t turn like his invention with the ball. However, it got me wondering,do you still get those little “just vaccuumed” lines on the carpet caused by the wheels? Those little lines on the carpet give me such satisfaction after vaccuuming.

Quickly Produced on the Web

I’m constantly amazed at how quickly people can produce funny, sometimes high-quality, but always relevant content for the web.  Less than a couple days after the Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at President Bush, here’s just a quick sample of things that have popped up on the web…

Macy’s Parade got Rick Rolled

If you’re not familiar with being “Rick Rolled” it’s a prank that’s been going around the Internet for a little while.  Essentially someone sends you a link to a video and when you begin to view the video it looks normal… then suddenly and unexpectedly, Rick Astley’s video “Never Gonna Give You Up” from 1987 starts running – you’ve just been Rick Rolled.  Well, here’s a little video of what happened during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade today…

Television Extravaganza

I’ve got a lot of TV watching to do (and no time to do it). I’m trying to catch up on a few of the shows that have been recommended to me by friends (and I have actually gotten into – sorry Lost fans). Aside from watching the Olympics late into the night, I’ve been trying to catch up on Weeds and Mad Men. Both are already several shows into their new seasons and I’m trying to make my way through the previous seasons. Fortunately, I’ve been able to record the new seasons for future (hopefully soon) viewing. On top of all of this, I’m also anticipating the new seasons of a few shows that I’m already caught up on, including Entourage and Greek (one that I’m almost embarrassed to admit). There’s a lot of TV coming and I’ve got to find the time to watch… there’s nothing worse that listening to folks at work talk about a storyline I haven’t reached yet.

Craig was the Mole

I was wrong in my thinking that Nicole is the Mole. Last night was the finale of the Mole and it turns out that Craig was the mole. They showed the “hints” they gave revealing who the mole is, but I thought it was pretty confusing. The hints they gave actually directed you to who the 3 finalists would be, not necessarily who the mole was. Unlike previous seasons where the hints were fairly obvious, these were very well hidden, only to be figured out by those hardcore fans who owned a magnifying glass and a TiVo they could use to go frame by frame. Maybe I’m just a little sentimental about the first time the Mole was on, but I thought it used to be better than it has been this season… or maybe it was just that Anderson Cooper was a great part of the show.

Nichole is the Mole

My wife and I were avid fans of The Mole when it was first on ABC (I guess about 8 years ago or so). We were very excited when it came back on this season. This season has been a little different than we remember (the people seem to be characatures than real people). However, we still enjoy the show. Every episode, my wife and I try to guess who we think the mole is. Last night, I’m convinced they gave away a hint. Right before the first commercial break, you hear a whisper of something like – “I’m gonna get you.” I’m pretty sure it was Nichole’s voice. We’ll have to wait until next week’s finale to know for sure, but I’m convinced it was her.

Pringles Aren’t Potato Chips

Did Pringles (and manufacturer Procter and Gamble) win in a lawsuit in a British court actually hurt them in the minds of myself and other shoppers? The court case was over whether or not Pringles could be considered a “potato snack.”

In Britain, potato snacks – along with “potato crisps, potato sticks, potato puffs, and similar products made from the potato, or from potato flour, or from potato starch” – are subject to a 17.5% tax. Britain’s high court ruled that Pringles were not considered a potato snack and thus are not subject to the tax.

The reason – it turns out that Pringles are made from only 42% potato. I’m not sure how great Pringles sell in the UK, but I’m sure they’ve avoided paying quite a bit in taxes. However, I’m also not sure how many people – like myself – will think twice before buying Pringles in the future. If a Pringle chip (I guess I can’t call it a “potato chip”) is only 42% potato, it makes you wonder what’s in the other 58%.

Drinkers Visit Weather.com

I just visited weather.com to see what it’ll do today. First, the front page was interrupted by an enormous ad for Smirnoff Ice that expanded over the entire screen. When it finally disappeared, I was able to plug my address in, which said it was, “sponsored by Bud Light.” I got to my location and upon reading the forcast, saw a skyscraper banner ad for Jose Cuervo. I know it’s the 4th of July weekend, but I certainly wasn’t expecting so many ads for alcohol.  However, I think I’m craving a drink.  Have a happy 4th!