Archive for the ‘Entertainment’ Category

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DailyCandy Editor Lauren Lumsden On Discovering New And Cool

Monday, October 4th, 2010

It’s not every day you get to interview an editor from your favorite daily mailing list, but we somehow convinced Lauren to chat in front of our camera last week. Check out her interview to learn about the dude-ranch-to-web-editor career track and, of course, Bacon Salt.

>>TILE brings you exclusive interviews from people doing great things in SPEND, GROW, and GIVE. To view more, click on TILEcasts in the TILE Library.

Have a burning question or someone you’d like to see interviewed? Let us know – just Ask TILE!

‘The Official Preppy Handbook’ Updated For Today’s Prep

Monday, August 30th, 2010

“True Prep” is a lifestyle guide updated for the modern prepster.

  • The author of 1980′s shockingly successful “The Official Preppy Handbook” has just published a new edition for the next generation: “True Prep: It’s a Whole New Old World.”
  • This new take on the original talks issues like divorce, second marriages, and dealing with the fallout from youthful partying.
  • Lisa Birnbach, author of both editions, is not-quite-ironic in her assessment of what is and isn’t preppy. There’s a preppy hall of fame (starring Stephen Colbert, oddly), an assessment of the preppiest schools, and, apparently, a serious devotion to preppy shopping.

Facts & Figures

  • When it came out in 1980, “The Official Preppy Handbook” was on the New York Times bestseller list for over a year
  • Today the original edition can sell for $100 or even $1,000

Best Quote

“Every single one of us — no matter the age or the gender or sexual preference — owns a blue blazer.” – True Prep: It’s a Whole New Old World

Demand For 3D Projectors Stifled By Lack Of Supply

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

As consumer demand for digital projectors skyrockets, the industry may not be able to supply quickly enough.

  • Privately owned makers of projector components have struggled to keep up with the soaring demand.
  • Despite the inability to match supply with demand, digital projector purveyor Barco doubled its projector sales in 2009 – its best year to date.
  • Barco considers additional funding of component makers as a potential option for solving this supply crisis, and may even use a secondary supplier to meet its component needs.

Facts & Figures

  • 85% of the world’s cinemas have yet to be fitted with digital projectors.
  • Barco thinks it could make nearly 150 million euros ($203.6 million) in 2010.
  • Barco shipped around 1,000 projectors in the fourth quarter of 2009, worth around 36 million euros.

Best Quote

“The challenge will not be how many you can sell, it will be how many you can make.” – Eric Van Zele, CEO of Barco

Guns And Coffee Go Together Like Peas And Carrots

Friday, March 12th, 2010

A fast-spreading movement in the pro-gun community has taken the Starbucks coffee contingent by storm.

  • As firearms fanatics and gun-control advocates battle over an issue known as the “open carry” movement (a demonstration by gun owners of carrying their guns in unconcealed holsters in public areas and private businesses where allowed), Starbucks, in full compliance with state open-carry weapons laws, has been caught up in the middle of the raging debate.
  • Starbucks, along with some other establishments, has refused to ban guns, causing uproar in the gun-control community.
  • Some retailers have banned guns from their stores for fear of losing out on potential customers with hoplophobia (fear of firearms).

Facts & Figures

  • The “open carry” movement started gaining momentum in 2004 after pro-gun advocates began researching state laws only to find that many states do not have laws that prohibit carrying unconcealed firearms.
  • In the 43 states where open carry is legal, Starbucks has around 4,970 company-operated stores.
  • Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Home Depot Inc., Best Buy Co. and Barnes and Nobles Inc. also allow unconcealed weapons in the respective states that allow such an activity, and have all become “open carry” friendly sites and milieus for informal “open carry” demonstrations.
  • Companies such as Peet’s Coffee & Tea have disallowed carrying unconcealed weapons in their stores, despite the legality of such an action.

Best Quote

“I think the policy shows complete disregard for the safety and sentiments of their workers. The only thing worse than a yuppie upset with how their frappuccino turned out is a yuppie with a gun who’s unhappy with how their frappuccino turned out.” – Erik Forman, a Starbucks barista, union member, and ostensible hoplophobe and sensationalist from Minneapolis

Computers Are Too Complex, Make Them More Like iPhones!

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Sometimes it seems as though computers are more trouble than they’re worth, but they may become much simpler in the not-too-distant future.

  • Although personal computers have become easier to use since their inception way back when, most people still encounter problems while using their computers and their current operating systems (like Snow Leopard for Mac or Windows Vista).
  • iPhones are the picture of simplicity, and could serve as a model for how computer companies construct operating systems in the future.
  • While it may seem a simple solution to the complexity problem, integrating an operating system similar to the iPhone’s would be difficult for a multitude of reasons, and especially troublesome for the implementation of the multitouch interface (that thing that allows you to move stuff on your iPhone with your finger).

Facts & Figures

  • Back in the day, if you wanted to open up a Microsoft Word document, you would’ve had to type in a cryptic command, like this:

DIR*.EXE
MSWORD.EXE A:\REPORT.DOC

  • Microsoft tries to make all their new versions of their primary operating system (Windows) familiar to customers of earlier versions, which accounts for the continuing complexity of the system.
  • Apple uses the iPhone’s operating system in its new iPad computer.
  • It would be easier for Apple to design a completely new operating system instead of implementing the multitouch interface onto a desktop computer.

Best Quote

“With the iPad and the horde of tablets that will follow it, we can expect computing to become much easier than what we’re accustomed to today.” – Brian Chen, Wired magazine

Tom Tom Navigation Not Going Anywhere But Up (Apparently)

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Or so says the CEO of the company… but do you agree?

  • Despite the fact that both Google and Nokia have recently announced free turn-by-turn navigation on mobile phones, TomTom’s CEO, Harold Goddijn, is firm in his belief that these threats will not affect his company’s well-being or profitability.
  • Goddijn extolled his company’s proficiency in map-making, while downplaying the threat of competing companies offering free services that would replicate the functionality of his company’s GPS device on mobile phones, a service he says has existed for quite some time.
  • Tom Tom avoided experiencing a huge setback in the recession by cutting costs and focusing sales efforts on car manufacturers, fleet management services, map and traffic subscriptions and an iPhone app.

Facts and Figures

  • TomTom’s 2009 fourth quarter net profit came out to be 73 million euros ($99 million)
  • In the fourth quarter, sales rose 1% to 533 million euros, up from 528 million euros a year ago.
  • The company expects sales to be flat in 2010.

Best Quote

“We need to get away from the impression that the various navigation platforms are competing with each other.” – Harold Goddijn, Chief Executive Officer of TomTom NV

Mad About The New Upward Shift In E-Book Prices? You’re Not Alone.

Friday, February 26th, 2010

If you’re not a zealous reader of, well, anything, you may not know about the new literary revelation known as e-books. One of the appealing aspects of these “e-books” is their low prices relative to books printed on paper, but that’s about to change…

  • Various publishers of “e-books,” books that you can read on e-book readers (like the Amazon Kindle or new Apple iPad), have won the ongoing battle for pricing—newly published e-books and bestsellers will go from a flat price of $9.99 to as much as $14.99 each.
  • Unfortunately for the publishers, many avid e-book readers aren’t too keen on this—even going as far as to organize “impromptu” protests, accomplished by going on different e-book websites (e.g., Barnes and Nobles and Amazon) and leaving low ratings and negative reviews for particular books.
  • The central disagreement seems to be over the costs of production; e-book consumers argue that since publishers no longer have to pay for printing, storing and distributing paper-based books, they have no grounds to charge higher prices. Publishers allege that e-book readers are myopic and, frankly, old and cranky, and don’t take into account all the overlooked costs of e-book publishing, like the actual writing, editing and thinking on the part of the author, editors and all the other employees at each publishing house.

Facts & Figures

  • Up until now, e-book prices have hovered around $9.99, a price most e-book readers find quite agreeable.
  • Sometimes publishers will hold off on offering an e-book for a few months so that they can protect sales of the paperback and hardcover versions of the book, prompting hordes of indignant geriatrics to post one-star reviews online.
  • According to a number of online consumer testimonials, iPods, video games and films are good alternatives to books.

Best Quote

“The sense of entitlement of the American consumer is absolutely astonishing. It’s the Wal-Mart mentality, which in my view is very unhealthy for our country. It’s this notion of not wanting to pay the real price of something.” – Douglas Preston, Bestselling Author

iTunes Invades the Internet

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

iTunes became the mp3 champion of the world by curbing illegal downloads while still allowing customers to “own” their purchased music files, but now the company is considering an entirely different model based on paid access, not ownership.

  • Apple is planning to extend its mp3-selling business beyond its popular iTunes music store, which keeps purchased music files saved on a single computer.
  • Having just absorbed lala.com, which allows users to purchase music that is stored remotely and accessible anywhere there’s Internet, Apple is considering a web-based mp3 storage model that will have a significant impact on the industry.
  • Making music purchases available outside of the iTunes program will allow the company to reach more customers through search engines and websites.

Facts & Figures

  • Apple paid $85 million to acquire LaLa Media Inc.
  • Wal-Mart Stores Inc. was the biggest supplier of music until last year, when Apple usurped it.
  • iTunes forecasts revenues of $2 billion this year.

David Beckham May Be the King of Retail… In Madrid Anyway

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

Cristiano Ronaldo, soccer’s most expensive athlete, did not trigger a merchandising monster sale on the same scale as David Beckham did when he started playing for Real Madrid.

  • David Beckham, former English soccer team captain and Manchester United star, came to Real Madrid in 2003 with a large contract in hand and with high merchandising expectations. Basically, he sold a lot of jerseys!
  • Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portugese star forward, was the 2008 FIFA world player of the year and also came from Manchester United to Real Madrid.
  • The lack of jersey sales is somewhat being blamed on the economy, but perhaps it also indicates that Ronaldo is just not as popular as Beckham.

Facts & Figures

  • Ronaldo signed a new $133 million contract with Real Madrid in June, which is approximately three times more than Beckham received when he joined the club.
  • When Beckham joined Real Madrid, team income soared 27%. With the addition of Ronaldo in 2010, team income is expected to rise 3.5%.
  • Real Madrid jersey sales are roughly 20% lower now than they were during the Beckham era.

Best Quote

“There was a spike when Cristiano Ronaldo signed in the summer but there’s not such a big demand now. The economic crisis is taking its toll.” – Eugino Martinez, Shop Owner in Madrid, Spain

Baseball’s Wealthiest Team Shares Profit With NYC

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

When you get taken out to the ballgame in New York City, the local economy gets a serious boost…

  • In the first playoff season to visit the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, the New York City Economic Development Corporation estimates that each home game played in the 2009 postseason will bring $6.7 million in income to New York businesses.
  • The estimate takes into account money spent by visitors to the city who patronize hotels, restaurants, and transportation services. In addition, employees in and around Yankee Stadium will take home a total of about $900,000 after every game.
  • Does the economic benefit of these games outweigh the enormous costs of building a new stadium and all its related transportation and infrastructure changes? Not everyone is so sure. One Westchester State Assemblyman says the economic and employment benefits are not enough to justify the low-cost financing that was made available to the team for stadium construction.

Facts & Figures

  • The NYC Economic Development Corporation estimate assumes each postseason game will bring in 16,850 NYC residents, 27,500 residents of the NY/NJ/CT metropolitan area, 6,000 visitors from outside this area, 300 media from outside the area, and 200 players and affiliates.
  • Counting $5.2 million in “indirect economic impact” brings the total benefit to New York City to $11.9 million.
  • The new Yankee Stadium cost $1.5 billion and was largely financed by tax-exempt bonds that will eventually be repaid by the team.

Best Quote

“There is a modicum of economic advantage. The visiting teams travel with their press corps and entourage, some people will travel to New York, stay overnight and spend money on hotels and restaurants.’’ – Andrew Zimbalist, Professor of Economics at Smith College

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