UPDATE:

“Bigfoot” fails DNA test

One of the two samples of DNA said to prove the existence of the Bigfoot came from a human and the other was 96 percent from an opossum, according to Curt Nelson, a scientist at the University of Minnesota who performed the DNA analysis.

Bigfoot creatures are said to live in the forests of the U.S. Pacific Northwest. An opossum is a marsupial about the size of a house cat.

Results of the DNA tests were revealed in an e-mail from Nelson and distributed at the Palo Alto, California, news conference held by Tom Biscardi, host of a weekly online radio show about the Bigfoot.

The news finally made it’s way into . Here is a segment of what they reported about:

Researchers presented evidence today of a large, shaggy (and dead) creature they claim is . Two of the men say they found the mysterious beast in the north Georgia woods and stashed it in a freezer. Though the bold duo had claimed they would present DNA evidence, photographs, and video to prove they did indeed nab the big guy, early reports say the hunters “didn’t reveal much.”

Skepticism aside, it’s been awhile since we’ve seen a story ignite on the Web like this one. Searches for “” rose more than 6,000% over the last two days alone. Interest in “” soared 1,630%, landing the query at the top of our fastest movers. Searchers with a more suspicious bend propelled queries for “” (+2,589%) and “” (+2,853%) skyward. And that’s just the beginning.

I’m still hoping for a Bigfoot body but I really don’t think it’s gonna happen. If this is a hoax, it will backfire on these guys. It’s not a smart move to get everyone excited and let them down over a prolonged period of time.

Bigfoot Found in Georgia | Real or Building Hoax

UPDATE:

BIGFOOT BODY FOUND - EVIDENCE AND DNA DETAILS TO BE PRESENTED AT A PRESS CONFERENCE ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 15th

FROM 12 N00N TO 1:00PM AT THE CABANA HOTEL-PALO ALTO IN PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA

A body that may very well be the body of the creature commonly known as “Bigfoot” has been found in the woods in northern Georgia.

DNA evidence and photo evidence of the creature will be presented in a press conference on Friday, August 15th from 12 Noon to 1:00pm at the Cabana Hotel-Palo Alto at 4290 El Camino Real in Palo Alto, California, 94306. The press conference will not be open to the public. It will only be open to credentialed members of the press.

______________________________

After posting the “Messin’ With Sasquatch” commercials it’s only logical to post a story about a found and frozen Bigfoot.

Bigfoot Body Found In Georgia?

Rick Dyer claims to have “accidentally” found the body of a dead Bigfoot deep in the Georgia woods. Now Dyer, from the website Bigfoottracker.com, has acquired legal counsel to copyright his photographs and plans to reveal his discovery to the world on September 1st.

Here are the Bigfoot corpse’s vital statistics: 8′8″ tall, 600 lbs, and gender undisclosed. It is currently residing in a rather large freezer. As for its looks, according to one person Dyer said in a radio interview that “if you shaved his face and put a hat on “him”…he would appear to be a very large human.”

This story has also brought to my attention the rather passionate rivalries and disagreements within the cryptozoologist community, with Dyer accusing some researchers of conducting a smear campaign against him and his find.

What if the hairy body in the icebox really is the legendary Bigfoot? Will the annals of science be rewritten? Will the FBI get involved? With Bigfoots being humanoid, did Dyer have a responsibility to notify the coroner first upon discovery of the body? And what if it’s really just a taller than normal human with a glandular condition?

When I see the body and scientist get a dig at it, I will believe…not that I don’t already. After all, I’m in the PNW for a reason.

This was sent to me via collegehumor.com

I wish that I had never had LASIK, that glasses defense is priceless. Little did I know and the doctor didn’t tell me the benefits of not having the procedure done.

Keep watching for the spit soda in the face defense, that’s an ad for an energy drink. If I was on the account for Pussy (see previous post on dhadm) imagine spitting that in someone’s face, what a great commercial that could make. That just adds insult to injury.

I was a sucker and went to the url that was in my last post. Why not, I wanted to see a building blow up.

I’m not sure if it was because it was LIVE but this is what I was able to capture.

Nothing, nothing happened when I logged in and the bomb went off. Then after a few seconds a letter from the VP of Marketing.

Goodbye Ruby Tuesday (sorry it’s lame Beatles ref but not as lame as the re-branding effort they just did).

Here is more from serious eats:

Ruby Tuesday Punks Us All, Blows Up Wrong Restaurant, Now with Video

Posted by Raphael, August 5, 2008 at 3:15 PM

Ruby Tuesday was going to blow up one of its stores at an undisclosed location today as a symbol of a brand-wide makeover, but, in some silly prank, the “live” video (if you could get it to load) showed them “accidentally” blowing up the fake chain restaurant next door. Haha. The supposed location was .

After the jump, the video Ruby Tuesday ran and the letter that was posted on their homepage, apologizing for blowing up “Cheeky’s Bar and Grill”.

 

Read the comments on the site.

Note to other viral ideas, bad press is not always good press.

Email headline: After a two year visit to the United States, Michelangelo’s David is returning to Italy……

After 2 years in America, Michelangelo’s David packs on the pounds and looks more Rubensesque.

I have no idea how old this image is or how long it has been hitting your inbox but it just made mine.

At the end of the email, the logos below are credited with the weight gain. Sorry David.

His Proud Sponsors were:

This got sent to me and I had to share. Do go read what they posted on Gawker, very funny. A few f-bombs are in this video…it is New Jersey after all.

It’s only a matter of time before this a show on MTV or maybe even Bravo.

Thanks for the link, keep sending them.

The internet is going crazy over a viral video posted last week.  The video has no ties to any marketing groups, but it does a great job of getting itself out to all the YouTubers in the world.

Honestly, who looked at that video and believed that it was real?  Cellphones cannot pop corn, let’s just make that clear.  To further prove my point here is Jenna Wortham’s post over on the Underwire blog, Physicist Debunks Cellphone Popcorn Viral Video.

A hotplate underneath a makeshift table [like they have in the video] is the easiest way to get the kernels to pop.  Sorry for those who didn’t think logically on this… I know the crappy camera handling makes it seem more realistic, but you’ve been had.

Go buy some Jiffy Pop and pop corn over your stove top, it should excite you for a few minutes.

There is an interesting read over on Transbuddha about the book The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell. Not only is the post about the book, but it also includes his cutthroat opinions on the marketing and advertising world. The book refers to the theory of few cool kids liking the idea, or whatever, and the rest of society follows the crowd.

Everything in advertising these days is looked at in the sense, can it go viral? But, can you judge solely on the viral-ness of the trend. AlphaMonkey says, “…most of us realized long ago, that trends are essentially random phenomenon which succeed or fail largely due to timing, quality, and how receptive the public is to an idea at any given time.”

When you think about those fads that make it, and the pathetic ones that do not, look at the time they were thrown out into the world. If society is not ready for the certain trend, then theoretically you can reintroduce it at the more appropriate time and it should take off.

Yes, the Wii became the fastest selling console ever not because it was a revolutionary gaming device aimed at families instead of hardcore gamers, not because it launched with a groundbreaking entry in one of the most popular game titles ever (Zelda), and certainly not because it cost nearly $350 cheaper than its rival (which launched with fuck all for must-have titles), but because a handful of cool people liked it.

One word: Bullshit.

And we wonder why gaming advertising is so bloody awful. Or why commercials (like say, that horrid H&R Bloch spot with the vicious woman berating her obviously de-balled husband for buying tax software*) are so uniformly terrible? Or why 99% of ‘viral’ attempts made by most companies aren’t fit to lick the pastrami scented sweat from a Dom DeLouis’ Cannonball Run gag reel? You just don’t get it, Madison Avenue. And at this rate, you never will. Most importantly, you just don’t get us.

What matters? Content. Quality content will always rise, while crap (while often getting undue attention) typically settles to the middle. Timing. It’s 2008. You do ’subservient’ ANYTHING, and you deserve a boot to the crotch. But there are any number of bands, directors, writers, artists, etc who can tell you that there’s more than a fair share of luck in tapping into the right reaction/sentiment at the right time. I know this is scary for you, but this is important: You can’t change that, and you certainly can’t bottle it sell it like just another media buy (my apologies to Scaramouch from YesButNoButYes for appropriately that last phrase).