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Fuse Box

fuse_boxThe online music video site Fuse that uses viewer input to program content, serially swags a de facto Munchie of the Month club, a tasty pathway to diabetes and tooth decay.

Like the premise in doc "Super Size Me" (following the physical toll upon the subject consuming a month of fast food), Fuse -- not The Fuse -- will ostensibly supply a year of candy. So far, Bazooka bubble gum (still comes with comics, btw) arrived in a slipcast cookie jar big enough to get your hand in and small enough to hold and pour. It was followed weeks later by a couple pounds of Tootsie Rolls (... which sounds like a Variety hedline about a successful Dustin Hoffman DVD release, no?)

  • Shelflife: A; The cubicle bound are sugar fueled. This swag even creates anticipation.

  • Conceptual tie-in: C; Other than noting how longterm sugar addiction shortens one's fuse, Fuse combines its brand ID with junk snacks to no obvious benefit.

    Feb 2, 2004 at 04:01 PM by James Hames in Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)

    Did Ford Swag Horseshoes?

    yahoonewsYahoo!, wanting to be all things to all wanting all things web, has among its myriad offerings a customizable news service.

    To enforce that point, Yahoo! swags a URL-speckled radio, a 3.5"x4" notebook (manual kind) and a ballpoint pen (the latter two made of the translucent plastic that iMac designers made trendy, too trendy).

    Web portal delivers news by a multitude of means and sources. For example, its radio news stories are through listener-supported National Public Radio and business-oriented On24 (ya, who?), but what Yahoo! doesn't have is an audio news headline service, like this news radio (not "NewsRadio"), a fact this sorta costly swag highlights.

    It could be argued that it's a shrewd-minded business that reminds folks about its service in the few locations that target consumers (not Target consumers) cannot receive it. It could be counter-argued that it's shrew-brained business for a cutting edge company to highlight its cutting edge service with a 100-year-old technology, regardless how spiffy or spendy. Hence,

    Project relativosity: F; Pocket-sized transistor radios were astounding in the Eisenhower Administration. Hardly ever since. Maybe if there were a radio frequency playing Wylie Gustafson's Yahoo! yodel it would tie-in better. Maybe if this radio (4th item) had been swagged, but no.
    Item functionability: B-; In an earthquake kit (y'all have yours set up, right?) a battery-powered transistor radio is a perfect thing. But since it's an FM-only unit, we wouldn't get much local news anyway. Great stocking stuffer for an alarm-free traveler though.

    Dec 3, 2003 at 03:50 PM by James Hames in Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)

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