Permit & Proceed

In sharp contrast to the thousands upon thousands of cease and desist letters sent by angry lawyers, Second Life owner Linden Labs took a slightly unorthodox approach to http://www.getafirstlife.com/ – they sent a permit and proceed letter.

As a result, they’re going to get so much positive publicity that it’ll make Microsoft’s collective heads spin.

Also, see “Blogger Gets ‘Un-Cease-And-Desist’ Note.”

Wanna Buy a Submarine?

Neiman Marcus, best known for its $50 t-shirts and other miscellaneous overpriced items, unveiled its 2005 holiday catalog on Tuesday. Among the wares for sale are a zeppelin, bowling alley (yes, the entire alley), suit of armor, and my personal favorite – a submarine for only $1.7 million.

Seeing that the Navy’s Virginia-class submarines are going for $1.5 billion a pop, that $1.7 seems paltry by comparison. Heck, Bill Gates could buy a his-and-her matching set, and have plenty left over.

Seeing what a bargain the Neiman Marcus model is, we can probably stop calling them “Needless Markup”, right?

A Funny Commercial

Are you feeling stiff after a long day at work? Joint pain getting you down? You might think about taking this guy up on his advice.

I’m not endorsing Osteo Bi-Flex, but I thought the commercial was wonderful…so wonderful that I thought it was on par with many of the $2 million spots that air during the Super Bowl. The writers started with a well-known character, attached their product to it in a meaningful way, and ran with the idea…complete with the cliché scenes that are circulated incessantly through all of the drug and supplement commercials:

  • Yoga.
  • Kids playing.
  • Squatting while gardening.

It was a good laugh for me.

(First spotted on USA Network.)