humor – Maduko World Headquarters

Porsche Humor?

Or just Germans being German?

You decide:

Is this a thing? I supposed there are still folks out there who use the “porch” pronunciation… or are there?

The Comedy of Errors Known as AT&T

Left Hand, meet Right Hand.

“There you are, your own number on your very own door. And behind that door, your very own office! Welcome to the team, DZ-015.”

My recent switch to AT&T Uverse had me feeling like a character from Terry Gilliam’s cult classic movie Brazil. Every step of the way we discovered a different department that operated some obscure nuance of the AT&T bureaucracy- yet operated as a wholly independent entity. The Uverse people can’t help you with wireless services, a traditioinal landline is another department, legacy DSL is handled completely separately and on and on.

Continue reading The Comedy of Errors Known as AT&T

Time to Dry Your Shock Absorbers

I’m not sure why a damp shock absorber would work any better than a dry one.

But apparently a wet shock works better. Proof of this can be found increasingly in the automotive press as references to “increased dampening” keep popping up. Or is there another explanation? Hmmm…..

A shock absorber is known as a damper in the UK.

So the action such a device might impart would be damping. Making an adjustment or calibrating a shock absorber might involve a change to the damping properties- not the dampening.

I’ve seen this gaff in numerous publications. And I’m talking about real magazines- not just personal blogs or Twitter!

Virgin Unveils Modified Airbus A320

This is one of the better hoaxes I’ve seen so far this April Fool’s Day.

Virgin Atlantic announced the unveiling of a new glass-bottom airliner.

According to the company’s news release the “aircraft will look identical to the standard Airbus A320 that is currently being used on Little Red’s domestic routes, but will have a clear strip made from aviation-standard glass in place of the traditional aisle. This ensures the aisle in the plane’s underbelly is completely see through, allowing passengers to look down directly as the plane makes its journey through the sky.”

Virgin Atlantic Launches World’s First-Ever Glass-Bottomed Plane

Made to Stick

The Heath brothers wrote a column for Fast Company magazine from 2007 to 2011. I found their articles insightful, clever and very often eye-opening. Their essays are sort of business advice with a mental exercise tossed in.

Turns out the best of these columns is available in an e-book called Myth of the Garage. From the best ways to spread great ideas to exposing the true cost of bad decisions- they’re all in there. It’s also absolutely free.

It’s a great read– let me know what you think.

Myth of the Garage

Careful, Comrade

Thinking about visiting Russia?

You might reconsider after viewing this compilation of videos from Russia. It’s not stunt driving- it’s normal everyday traffic.

Continue reading Careful, Comrade

End of the World Sale

First there was Black Friday.
Then there was Cyber Monday.
This year we discovered Grey Thursday.
Now it’s time to prepare for the end of the Mayan calendar. By shopping at Sam’s Club!

A recent email promo touts the wonderful selection of emergency supplies available from the Bentonville-based warehouse club. This is the first concrete proof I have seen that supports this theory that the world will end on December 21, 2012.

Move Over Orbitz

World’s Worst Airline Launches World’s Worst Booking Site

Of course that headline caught my eye.

The airline in question is the North Korean state-run carrier, Air Koryo. Browsing through the site is like taking the Wayback Machine to the cold war-era. For instance, the “news” section offers insight on the company’s newest equipment- the Tupolev 204. This “new” jet dates back to Aeroflot’s fleet from 1989 and “has 12 business classes and 164 economy classes.” Classes? I think that means seats.