With the new Xbox One console only weeks away from launch, Microsoft is doing its best to quell concerns that the new Kinect motion and voice sensor will be spying on users and storing important, sensitive information. [More]
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Microsoft Promises That New Kinect Is Not (Always) A Crazy Spying Machine
By November 1, 2013
Suspected Gunman In Custody After Shots Reported At Los Angeles Airport
By November 1, 2013
Police have a suspected gunman in custody at Los Angeles International Airport after a shooting there this morning that reportedly wounded multiple people and has disrupted flights across the nation. Some flights are still being allowed to depart, but it seems no LAX-bound planes will be landing there for now. [More]
Red Velvet Latte And Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Coming From Dunkin’ Donuts
By November 1, 2013
Everyone wants to celebrate the winter holidays with comfort, cheer, and a generous dose of red food coloring. In that spirit, Dunkin’ Donuts will introduce two new seasonal drinks next week: the red velvet latte, and a salted caramel hot chocolate. [More]
Saving All Those Super Long CVS Receipts Pays Off When You Need A Mummy Costume
By November 1, 2013
There are plenty of last-minute Halloween costumes to be had, but instead of ruining a perfectly good white sheet by fashioning it into a ghost, or wasting toilet paper you’ve paid your hard-earned money for, why not just use something any CVS customer has a lot of? Free paper. [More]
Flexible Spending Accounts Get A Little Less Inflexible With Ability To Roll Money Over
By November 1, 2013
Some 14 million American families participate in employer-sponsored flexible spending accounts that let you put pre-tax money into an account to be used on medical expenses that aren’t covered by insurance. But millions of consumers elect not to have an FSA because of the “use it or lose it” requirement that forfeits unused funds at the end of the year. So in an effort to get people participating, the IRS will be allowing companies to offer FSAs that let employees roll over up to $500 in unused funds into the next year. [More]
Yes, Those Are Grave Markers Embedded In This Airport Runway
By November 1, 2013
Maybe this story was more appropriate yesterday, but since I’m still wearing my Batgirl costume while I write this, the Halloween spirit remains. Anyway. As you may know, there are plenty of airports abutting or very near cemeteries, but an airport in Georgia actually has two graves — complete with two grave markers — as part of one of its runways. [More]
What Can ‘The Walking Dead’ Teach Us About Public Health Crises?
By November 1, 2013
There are many things fans of The Walking Dead can learn about a potential zombie apocalypse: Crossbows are awesome when Daryl is wielding one, never trusty someone who just goes by “The Governor” and zombies are always snacking. But more perhaps important than studying the way Rick tenses his eyes just so, there are vital lessons about public health to be had from the popular post-apocalyptic show. [More]
Snoopy Sno-Cone Machines Recalled Because “Brass Rivet” Is Not A Very Tasty Flavor
By November 1, 2013
LaRose Industries, the company that made the Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine that your kid used once and is now sitting in a closet somewhere, has recalled the gadget over concerns that a brass rivet in the machine might fall into a shaved-ice treat. [More]
HOA Agrees To Pay $65K For Banning Family From Parking Ambulance In The Driveway
By November 1, 2013
When a Las Vegas family bought an ambulance for their son, it wasn’t so he could go tearing around town in it, woo-wooing the siren all over the neighborhood. No, it was purchased so the family could transport their disabled son to appointments. Despite what would seem like a very valid use of the vehicle, their homeowners association banned the family from parking it in the driveway. [More]
Dear Seattle: Comcast Doesn’t Want You To Have Fast Internet
By November 1, 2013
Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn is pushing for a low-cost, high-speed fiber network that, at least in theory, would offer city residents better service at a better price than they currently receive. Comcast says this has absolutely nothing to do with why it has donated gobs of money in an effort to defeat his re-election effort. [More]
Is No No The Perfect Hair Removal Device? Nope
By November 1, 2013
If, like me, you watch too much late-night TV, you’ve probably given some idle thought to ordering the No No, a handheld hair-zapping device sold in direct-response ads. This product promises to painlessly remove and lighten your body hair. The ads leave out two key facts: the No No costs almost $300 and doesn’t work all that well. [More]
Woman Could Lose Home She’s Lived In For 55 Years Because Of A Bureaucratic Mistake
By November 1, 2013
A blind woman in Indiana living on a limited income says if the land her house is on is taken out from underneath her, she’ll have nowhere to go. But despite the fact that she’s lived in the home for 55 years, she’s facing eviction because no one realized the land had been sold off years ago. Ah, bureaucracy. [More]
Now We Know What Happened To That Creepy Burger King Mascot
By November 1, 2013
If, like me, you were plagued with nightmares of that super-creepy, mammoth-headed “King” character from those Burger King ads that ran on TV (and in print, and in video game form) for far too long, then you may be sad to know he hasn’t gone away. He just works behind the counter at Taco Bell now. [More]
FTC Gives Marriage Of OfficeMax & Office Depot Its Blessing
By November 1, 2013
We just knew these two crazy kids were going to earn the hard-won approval of the stern ol’ Federal Trade Commission. The two office supply companies who once were two now have the way paved for them to become one through the process of merging. It’s just like a fairy tale, if you read really weird fairy tales as a kid. [More]
Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By November 1, 2013
Here are eight of the best photos that readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or for just plain neatness. [More]
Porn Troll Lawyers Hit With Legal Fees For Bullying Defendant
By October 31, 2013
Back in 2012, John Steele of Prenda Law — a firm that specializes in threatening to sue alleged porn file-sharers in order to force a settlement — was publicly bragging about his success, referring to himself in an interview as “the original copyright troll.” Recently, things haven’t gone so well, due in no small part to a disastrous attempt to sue Comcast and AT&T for phony claims of “hacking” one of their client’s websites. [More]
Buying A Home Near A Cemetery Will Cost You More Because Everyone Likes Quiet Neighbors
By October 31, 2013
While we know it might be a waste of time and money to buy a famous haunted house, how about a home that just so happens to be situated near an area traditional linked to haunting? Snapping up a quiet property near a cemetery actually costs more per square foot than purchasing a home near rowdier neighbors than folks gone by. [More]
How A $36 Parking Ticket Cost A Driver More Than $800
By October 31, 2013
You get a parking ticket and pay it a little late, so the fine goes up $33. That happens. You send off a money order and assume that must be the end of the transaction. Isn’t it? Not for one man whose ordeal with a parking ticket in San Jose, California began in December 2006 and didn’t end until this week. [More]
