Where extraordinary becomes eccentric

Sitting in a train for over an hour at least gives me an opportunity to look thoroughly through all the college-related retail mail I received over the past week. While contemplating my options regarding the bed linens, the following advertising line caught my attention:

“In previous years, some students always showed up with their sheets that did not fit the beds on campus. Parents were frustrated, and some students were left literally “short-sheeted” and unable to properly make their beds. This is now how we want your student’s first nights at college to be remembered. “

Right now I am on verge of ordering the over-priced “Value Pak” (it includes even an extra-long egg crate pad and a bedside buddy!) because a frustration from an improperly made bed is something I certainly don’t want to carry in my memories and give me shivers whenever I think of my first college endeavors.

Some people are rightfully terrified by the amount of personal data we now willingly give away around the internet. Those people fear that their, oftentimes, valuable information (Facebook’s poking habits?) will be exploited (identity theft?) or that the advertisers will flood them with so correctly targeted ads that will wipe their wallets out.

Thankfully, I just learned that the latter claim is irrelevant — Facebook, a bottom-less well of my personal information, is serving me ads solely in Norwegian. Why?!

The Freakonomic’s author takes a look at the great idea that is currently the key marketing feature of Chrysler. If you buy their car, they’ll lock your gas price at $2.99 per gallon.