With all the cutbacks resulting from the severe economic downturn in the United States due to the global recession, the game was dubbed “The Recession Bowl”. The ticket prices to the game were decreased, restaurants were slow in business, and many parties including parties hosted by Playboy and Sports Illustrated were cancelled. There were also 200 fewer sports journalists covering the game than at Super Bowl XLII the previous year. Even the Big Three automobile makers; Ford, Chrysler and General Motors, decided not to purchase television advertisements following the three companies’ business struggles in 2008 and early 2009.

But that doesn’t stop other companies from taking the opportunity to promote their products. Check out their commercials below.

…continue reading the post Super Bowl XLIII Commercials 2009: Part II

On February 1st 2009 the 43rd Super Bowl game was held at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida . This year it was the battle between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2008 season. The Cardinals entered the game in hope of winning their first NFL title since 1947, the longest championship drought in the league! Some would like to call them ‘historically perennial loser’! That being said, I’m not surprised that the Steelers defeated the Cardinals by a score of 27-23, earning their sixth Super Bowl win. The Steelers have now secured sole possession of the record for most Super Bowl wins.

A side from the the exciting actions from the game, of course there must also be the highly budgeted TV commercials (in the millions) for just a 30-second air time. If you have missed all the commercials or just want to see it again, then you are in the right place. I have compiled a collection of almost all the commercials (with the exception of two which is only allowed for viewing in the US) in a five-part series which will get published daily this week for your enjoyment. So stay tuned for the next four parts…to be continued.

…continue reading the post Super Bowl XLIII Commercials 2009: Part I

On Sunday, January 25th 2009 the Northern Gateway Toll Road was opened in New Zealand. The toll road took about 4 years to build, at a cost of $365 million NZ dollars! The toll fee is $2 for cars and light commercial vehicles and $4 for heavy vehicles. There is no additional charges for trailers or caravans. Good news for motorcycle drivers because there will be no toll fee for motorcycles since there are no toll booths on the road and the sensor system is not be able to detect the small licence plate.

This will be New Zealand’s first fully electronic toll road. The tolls will be calculated electronically using an image of your vehicle’s licence plate number, which is captured as you drive under a tolling point. As you approach the toll point sensors will detect your vehicle, then triggers the system to measure your vehicle’s dimensions. The vehicle dimensions are used to differentiate between a motorcycle, car, truck or bus and therefore assign the correct toll tariff. The system then compile all the information relating to your vehicle’s toll record, including the time and date you passed under the toll point, the licence plate image, vehicle dimensions, and toll tariff. It then transmits the data to their processing system to be linked to a toll account or a one-time payment. The processing system will hold toll records for up to 3 days (72 hours) to enable matching with payments. If no payment is received after 3 days, the system will automatically search for the address of the registered owner of the vehicle and sends the owner a Notice of Unpaid Toll.

To ease the frustration and help drivers  save some money, Burger King has launched a new promotion. Here is what they are offering: “Love the road but hate the $2 toll? Spend ten bucks or more at Burger King in Dairy Flat on SH1 ( last food stop before you hit the new Northern Gateway ) and we’ll take $2 off your purchase. Just show them this ad. See, we let nothing get in the way of a great trip North”. Wait a minute…is it rude to give someone the middle finger? Not so nice Burger King!

…continue reading the post Burger King: Let Nothing Get In Your Way

Does everyone notice our winters are getting warmer every year? I don’t know about what people in other countries have to say about global warming contributing to warmer weather around the world and eventually our Earth will be flooded with water due the rapid melting  from Antarctica. Our winter in Canada this year is still COLD with most of the provinces experiencing numbing -40 degree Celsius weather or worse.  So what exactly is going on with our precious Earth? Frankly, I don’t have the answer.

Computer simulations suggest that by the end of this century, the global average temperature could be as much as 3.4°C higher than it is now says David J. Erickson III, a climate modeler at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It is predicted that for the coming decades there may be a decrease in heating bills in some parts of the United States. Ironically, the extra electricity needed for air conditioning could result in an increased emissions of planet-warming carbon dioxide. From the computer simulations, the model suggests that between 2003 and 2025, energy use in northeastern states will drop because of warmer winters but increase in the South and West with increased air conditioning. Ah it’s logical! If the winter gets warmer in the north hemisphere then the south hemisphere must be burning like hell… right?  The boost in the greenhouse gas is the result from air conditioners running on electricity primarily from coal-fired power plants, a power source that’s less efficient than sources used to heat most buildings.

Columbia Sportswear wants us to know that they are taking environmental responsibility into their own hands with the sponsorship of the ‘Stop Global Warming” ad campaign below. Aside from the effective message, I wonder if this campaign will help increase brand recognition for Columbia.

…continue reading the post Stop Global Warming

National Geographic Channel have always interested me with their documentaries involving nature, science, culture, and history. They are now on the streets in Norway trying to attract passengers at the train and bus stations with their advertising board… full of ants! The blue substance inside the board is a special type of gel. The gel serves as both habitat and nutrition for ants, allowing you to watch in awe as the blue gel inside the board turn into a fascinating colony of tunnels. It is also transparent so that people can watch from both sides of the board. The gel was developed by NASA and is now sold in ant aquariums known as AntWorks.

I think the board should be placed under shadow or inside a building where people can comfortably study the ants and how they dig tunnels over a period of time. And what’s amazing is that these ants can live within this habitat for up to 5-6 months!

…continue reading the post National Geographic Channel: Ant Farm