Marketing

Facebook's reversal of fortunes in such a short span of time has played out almost like a modern-day morality tale.  The fall-out of the social network post-IPO, after such an enthusiastic build-up was telling. While it lined the pockets of some (namely investment bankers), it deprived the 99 Percenters (or Dumb F*cks as Zuckerberg so adroitly labeled them back in 2004) full-disclosure, resulting in a subsequent short-fall on their FB investment.

We are currently living in the digital age, where seemingly advanced technologies from the past are slowly being rendered obsolete. One such technology includes those from the payments industry, where advancements in mobile wallets, which takes advantage of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

Gentlemen, start your mornings! In honor of the upcoming 50th anniversary of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., Japan's Asahi Soft Drinks is including one of 10 miniature model motorcars with selected cans of Wonda Gold coffee.

Dog Ramen, an ethnic Korean specialty made in China's northeastern Jilin province, contains real dehydrated dog meat along with instant noodles, seasonings and spices. Hungover Chinese college students thirsty for some “hair of the dog” can now shake off the DTs like a bad case of fleas.

Klout is to 'personal influence' what Google is to 'page ranking.' While the Big G's algorithms determine the relevance of the Internet's every web page, Klout supposedly ranks the influence of every person online. As a 3-year old start-up, it's raison d'être is to measure influence based on the digerati's ability to drive action.

The term "Dumb F*cks" has hung over Mark Zuckerberg like a dark cloud during the course of the last 8 years. Not because his nickname "Zuck" rhymes with the expletive, but because the CEO of today's largest social network derided his early FB users as such. In 2004, when first percolating the idea of FB in a Harvard dorm room and asked how he attracted so many followers so quickly, he off-handedly responded they were following him blindly, like "Dumb F*cks."

Look Ma, hands! Japan's KDDI is showcasing a curiously retro smartphone that's a real blast from the past. The phone's bezel features a manually-wound analog clock, thus creating a fusion of elegance and technology.

Forget that Happy Meal, at KFC Japan it's Happy Hour! Want a double with that Double Down? Perhaps a cocktail with your cock-a-doodle-doo? Tokyo's newly opened KFC Route 25 restaurant has begun serving beer & booze by (or at least, beside) the bucket.

Legions of guitarists, string players, troubadours, and DIY-shaker makers will converge on Bryant Park May 1, 2012 for Occupy Guitarmy, as part of the Occupy Wall Street May Day initiatives for social and economic justice. And you're all invited. Just show up at the Gertrude Stein statue at 12 Noon on that date and get ready to jam all the way down to Union Square.

Special delivery indeed: China's Taobao internet mall is boosting their business with the aid of “beautiful girls” who personally deliver customers' orders for a small extra fee.

If you think machines have no compassion, you've either been watching too many Terminator movies or you haven't visited Singapore lately. The Southeast Asian city-state is where you'll find The Coca-Cola Hug Machine: you supply the hugs, it provides the Coke.

When you wear Helen Keller sunglasses, “You see the world, the world sees you.” One wonders what the real Helen Keller, blinded by illness at an early age, would think of the Chinese company who came up with that jarringly inappropriate motto.

Got a yen for bacon? Got a hundred yen? Then get your appetite to Burger King Japan! For a limited time only, the popular fast food chain is offering customers a whopper of a deal: 15 strips of bacon on almost any Burger King Whopper for just 100 yen.

The number of followers who had joined "Is Anyone Up" might not have been in the hundreds of millions like some of the more popular social networks, but it sure was capitalizing on the profiles that were registered on Facebook and Twitter, nonetheless. Entrepreneur Hunter Moore had taken Chatroulette to a whole 'nother level to what some were defining as "revenge" or "identity" porn.

Nerdy “types” out there will want to step into these keyboard  sandals, artfully imprinted to soothe the geek sole... er, soul. Even the skinniest 98-pound weakling will get a kick out of these cheap flip-flops as they're ideal for a trip to the beach - sand kicking by bullies optional but likely inevitable.

When a neighborhood watch group escalates from its watchdog origins to outright vigilantism, is nothing to be done to protect the lives innocent citizens? So is the question asked by the Trayvon Martin camp. However, in their fervor to prove their point, they have assumed the same extreme behavior online as that which they are condemning on the streets.

Stout men considering moving to China should be prepared some very direct critiques from the country's ad agencies. You may think you're just slightly overweight but that package of “Fat Guy Briefs” in your shopping cart dares to accuse otherwise by pulling no punches.

Bite my shiny metal... actually you don't have to bite these officially licensed, limited edition Solid Gold C-3PO and Solid Silver R2-D2 figurines to know they're real: they are, and they're spectacular!

If you've been turned of by The Top Ten Weird and Bizarre Chinese Soft Drinks, prepare to turn the other cheek and turn your taste buds back on again! China is a land of contrasts, and for every bizarre drink there's a delicious canned or bottled taste treat just waiting for you to crack open. Sit back, open wide and enjoy!