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A Run on Twinkies?
As probably none of you know I have an actual career. I build tools for retailers to do data analytics. Such being the case I have access to about 40 super markets worth of sales data. In the wake of the collapse of Hostess no doubt some of you are wondering how quickly the Twinkies ran out.
In Memorium: Dublin Dr Pepper
I went to lunch today at a particular local deli because I knew they stocked both Amano chocolate and Dublin Dr Pepper and I wanted to pick up some of both.
Oddly I could not find any Dublin Dr Pepper. When I inquired, they informed me that it no longer exists!
It turns out that this isn’t entirely true, but it is true enough. Corporate Dr Pepper sued Dublin last year and early this year they entered into an agreement which resulted in Dublin halting production. It turns out that most of the Dr Pepper sold in Dublin Dr Pepper bottles was actually made at another plant, which will continue making Dr Pepper with cane sugar, but without the Dublin branding. It seems that the fact that you could buy Dublin Dr Pepper outside of their franchise area was an issue, and you can no longer order cane sugar Dr Pepper online.
In my opinion, this is a stupendous mistake on the part of Corporate Dr Pepper. The original bottler was selling the original product and connoisseurs appreciated this. If other bottlers felt hurt, they should use cane sugar as well. And no, HFCS is not cane sugar and beet sugar isn’t cane sugar either. Instead of catering to the real Dr Pepper lovers they’ve cut off our supply. You’ve kicked sand in the face of your most ardent supporters. Someone (the moron that thought this was a good idea) should be fired over this.
For this that want more information on this sad event, The Dallas Observer has details.
Idiots.
Math Battle – Shameless Self Promotion
I have just released a free iOS app. It is amazing. You should install it, subject your children to it, and give it 5 star reviews. And then tell all your Facebook friends and Twitter followers to do the same. Use this link to mesmerize them:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/math-battle/id476344792?ls=1&mt=8
What does it do?
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Who Is a Musical Genius?
I am currently obsessed with a particular musical genius. I’ll not say who in order to save that particular discussion for another day. But I began to wonder about who is and who is not recognized as a musical genius.
I have a crude way of measuring this: input the name along with the word “genius” into google and see how many results you get. Some of these are lighthearted.
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Shaun the Sheep
Due to the wonders of Netflix my family has recently discovered Shaun the Sheep.
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The King of Limbs
It seems that Radiohead has a new album, available for pre-order. I know nothing about it, but I have several of their albums and have never given them a cent. So I figured I’d pay for this one, in penance for my crimes.
Anybody else ever bought something out of guilt after a life of piracy?
Song Dissection
Last week I became aware a blog called Studio Multitracks. It posts songs broken down into the tracks that existed prior to the song being mixed down to stereo. From the FAQ it seems that many of these are rips from Guitar Hero games, in other cases they are using stereo cancellation. In any case, it is very interesting to hear a classic song broken into its component pieces. For example, ever wanted to hear just the bass from Won’t Get Fooled Again? Now you can.
Dr Pepper Warning
Given that I encouraged everyone to go buy 125th Anniversary Dr Pepper, I feel it is my duty to warn you of a bait and switch.
Originally 125th Anniversary packaging indicated that the Dr Pepper it contained was made with REAL SUGAR. This is no longer the case. Now we have wolves in sheep’s clothing. They are using the 125th Anniversary packaging but sweetening (and flavoring) the drinks with high fructose corn syrup.
So consider yourselves warned. The Dr Pepper renaissance was nice while it lasted.
