Category Archives: Hilarity

April Fools, 2011 edition: Starbucks Mobile Pour

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You might think that a Starbucks exists on every corner of every street in the universe, but you know what’s just not true. So the company has decided to formally introduce Starbucks Mobile Pour to combat the problem of not being able to find a Starbucks location when you really need your fix. The new service puts baristas on scooters so that they can hand deliver your coffee order to you no matter your location. You can download the Mobile Pour app on your smartphone and it will pinpoint your location, allow you to select your coffee order, and keep on your merry way until a barista politely informs you on the street that your coffee has arrived. The first phase of the initiative involves sending out two scooter baristas per every square mile to ensure speedy service in seven of the largest cities around the country. Eventually they plan on bringing the service to malls where baristas will don rollerblades to quickly make their way to shoppers. See how Mobile Pour works at the source link below.

[Via Starbucks]

April Fools, 2011 edition: Hulu’s gone all 1996 on us

Design, Hilarity, Technology, , , , , , , ,

In honor of April Fools Day the team at Hulu has redesigned the video streaming website to show what it would have looked like if it existed way back in the dial-up days of 1996. Notice the basic text, HTML frames, the page counter (stuck at 54), a “Sign our Guestbook” button (that brings you to the Simpsons episode “April Fools Origin”), shoutouts to Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, and the currently under construction Geocities neighborhood notice. Shows like The X Files and Sliders take center stage at the top of the page. And I won’t tell you what happens when you go to play a video. Find out for yourself at Hulu.com.

April Fools, 2011 edition: Google kicks things off with Gmail Motion [Update: And oh so much more]

Hilarity, Technology, Video, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Just signed out of Gmail and was prompted to check out a new feature in beta called Gmail Motion.

Gmail Motion uses your computer’s built-in webcam and Google’s patented spatial tracking technology to detect your movements and translate them into meaningful characters and commands. Movements are designed to be simple and intuitive for people of all skill levels.

Head over to the elaborately detailed website Google has dedicated to this fun prank. There you’ll find more information about the technology behind Gmail Motion and hear what a “paralanguage expert” and “movement specialist” have to say about it. In due time, the search company plans to expand Motion into Google Docs (creating a pie chart is a riot).

Update: Looks like Google’s pulling a handful of pranks this year. Hop after the break to see what they’re all about. Continue reading April Fools, 2011 edition: Google kicks things off with Gmail Motion [Update: And oh so much more] →

Babies debate in mesmerizing babble-speak

Hilarity, Video, , , , ,

Watch as eighteen-month-old fraternal twin boys Sam and Ren converse in a heated debate about something we mere older people will never comprehend. This week the video pasted above has gone viral, and after you mash play you’ll no longer wonder why. But how is this da-da-da conversation taking place? Listen to what the experts have to say.

According to Stephen Camarata, professor of hearing and speech, “These kids are right on the cusp of language. They’re using the intonation patterns of sentences — imitating sentences in a crude way. It’s one way that children learn how to talk.” Adds Dr. Roberta Golinkoff, education professor and director of the infant language project at the University of Delaware: “Even before they have words, they know how conversation work. They’re producing syllables emphatically and using them for communication purposes. They’re having a ball.”

Crazy huh?

[Via ABC News]

FOD: Lost’s Carlton Cuse hires MLB pitcher CJ Wilson to do his dirty work

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In this Funny or Die clip, Lost executive producer Carlton Cuse helps Texas Rangers starting pitching CJ Wilson with his cardio workout. Little does CJ know, all cardio involves chores.

See that gift at 2:10 that Cuse doesn’t feel like gifting? That’s the LOST: Complete Collection detailed extensively right here!

Sony Ericsson recruits Kristen Schaal to hilariously hype the Xperia Play

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While the initial run of Xperia Play ads were extremely creepy, these on the other hand are really funny. Sony Ericsson has tapped the talented comedian Kristen Schaal (of Flight of the Conchords fame) to promote the upcoming PlayStation-certified handset. My favorite one resides above, but make sure to click after the break to check out the others. Ads in general suck, but these are totally worth watching. Schaal nails it every time.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading Sony Ericsson recruits Kristen Schaal to hilariously hype the Xperia Play →

College Humor attempts the Kinect Self-Awareness Hack

Hilarity, Video, , , , ,

We’ve seen our fair share of awesome Kinect hacks, but none of them compare to what you’re about to witness here. What happens when the Xbox 360 motion sensor is programmed to become self-aware? Total destruction, that’s what. Go ahead and categorize this is an epic fail. It is a machine, so what did you expect to happen?

[Via CollegeHumor]

Mitch Hurwitz’s guide to getting a sitcom cancelled

Hilarity, Television, ,

The name Mitch Hurwitz should ring a bell. He’s the brilliant mind behind the short-lived FOX series Arrested Development. Most recently he mistakingly teamed with FOX again to create Running Wilde, the Will Arnett-starer which couldn’t manage to air its initial 13-episode run before FOX canned it. Enough background. Hurwitz wrote this comically relevant Guide to Getting A Sitcom Canceled for the British newspaper The Guardian. As you’re reading it you’ll quickly pick up on Hurwitz’s intention behind writing such a guide; in essence he’s listing the reasons why Development likely got the axe. I won’t spoil it for you–start reading it here, then jump after the break to see the rest.

Have a confusing title

Come up with an unwieldy title that perhaps comes from the realm of psychology, so that the title of your show is almost instantly forgettable. For example, if you were to call the show Welcome Matt, an audience could immediately understand the concept: this must be a character named Matt and he must either be a welcoming person or stepped on. If you call a show Arrested Development it’s confusing and sufficiently disorientating to guarantee that a wide audience never discovers the fruits of your labor.

Continue reading Mitch Hurwitz’s guide to getting a sitcom cancelled →