We're all entitled to give ourselves a pat on the pack once in a while. Today brought self-congratulatory to a whole new level this morning in a twelve-minute-long video of their favorite moments of the year. Cue the insanity!
You were aware that taxi drivers aren't supposed to drive with one hand on the steering wheel and a cellphone in the other. But cabbies aren't allowed to talk on hands-free headsets either—or even wear them, even if they're not actually talking to anyone—and yesterday the Taxi and Limousine Commission approved stricter penalties for drivers who don't comply. Drivers can now lose their licenses after three violations, since research shows that drivers who talk on cellphones are four times as likely to cause a crash. And because even under perfectly ideal circumstances, sitting in the backseat of a cab is still probably the most dangerous thing you'll do all day. [NYT]
Google is more likely than not to buy Yelp, say news reports. Which raises one glaringly obvious question: Will Google exacerbate or correct the local review site's worst tendencies, which have brought extortion allegations, porny bacchanals and physical violence?
Getting tons of people to react the same way to a plush toy on a stick is highly rewarding. Watch this master class on harmless pranking.
In its day, Paul Thomas Anderson's oil-drilling epic had to take a back seat to the Coen Brother's nihilist No Country For Old Men. But a few years later, this Blood will not be washed out.
Interested in a beach bag that says "Westhampton Beach?" An Southampton-branded umbrella? A wallet with "East Hampton Beach" stamped on it? We can't imagine you would be. Nevertheless, we're also guessing the powers that be on the East End of Long Island won't be happy to hear that they no longer control their own names. This week, a variety of Hamptons-related trademarks were granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Washington. And it isn't a local who has the right to exploit them in the future. It's a German national who operates a garment factory in Hong Kong who does. A few of the trademarks Mr. Frank Fleischer acquired this week are listed below.
We've all been in this situation: it's the day before a big event, your graduation, wedding, ribbon cutting ceremony, and you just got a bad haircut. Well, if you don't have a favorite hat, here are some helpful tips.
When a set of keys is handed to a valet, a certain level of trust is exchanged. But for these valets, "park my car" is mistaken for "make my car do donuts."
Two great musicians get together and make a great song. Too bad the banter in the beginning of this music video leans more towards forced-and-boring than natural-and-cute.
Credit where credit's due: Not every Wall Street chieftain is planning to take home home an eight-figure bonus at the end of the year. Outgoing Morgan Stanley CEO John Mack announced today that he is foregoing a bonus in 2009 for the third year in a row. "That makes him the first of the major banking chiefs to do so, at a time when many outside the industry are criticizing the probable return of outsized bonuses as these firms return to profitability." [NYT]
This cat scuba dives in a specially made suit.
