dumb news
CNN had a link to the dumbest business news: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/101dumbest/?cnn=yes
here’s a sampling:
Winner, Dumbest Moment, Security
May I see my ID?
In February, ChoicePoint — the self-proclaimed “leading provider of identification and credential verification services” — admits that it sold the personal data of 145,000 people to a number of unauthorized recipients, including an identity-theft ring in Los Angeles. ChoicePoint thoughtfully offers the victims a free credit report — but still makes them pay to see the detailed information that was provided to the criminals. The incident kicks up an identity-theft furor serious enough to draw congressional hearings; the company later reports the incident cost it $21 million.
Winner, Dumbest Moment, Outsourcing
Told you we shouldn’t have rented that list from the Department of Homeland Security.
Blaming a mailing-list vendor for providing bad information, JPMorgan Chase apologizes for sending a form letter about its credit card services to an Arab American man in California addressed to “Palestinian Bomber.”
24. Damn those infernal computating hoochamagooches.
In November ex-MTV veejay Adam Curry logs on to Wikipedia and edits the entry about podcasting, playing up his role as an early pioneer and deleting mentions of other inventors. Caught by server logs that point to his involvement, Curry admits to the attempt but claims that — despite being smart enough to invent podcasting — he was befuddled by Wikipedia’s interface and altered the entry by accident.
26. And maybe the cops come three days later and find you stabbed to death on your kitchen floor.
“If there’s a burglar in my home, maybe I send an e-mail or a text message to the police instead of making a call.”
– Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom, on his VOIP service’s lack of 911 access.
36. We know why you fly … JetBlue.
The winner of the American Airlines “We Know Why You Fly” contest, which promised to award 24 round-trip tickets to the traveler who submitted the best video about his airborne experiences, turns down the grand prize. Why? Because American fails to cover the winner’s federal, state, and local income taxes, which amount to about $19,000, or $800 per ticket.
98. Call it a merger of equals.
A few weeks after eZiba.com sends out its winter catalog, the call center’s pin-drop silence begins to worry execs. As it turns out, a bug in a program designed to identify the best prospects on eZiba’s mailing list led to the catalog instead being sent to those deemed least likely to respond. “Sadly, our probability estimates were correct,” says eZiba founder Dick Sabot. On Jan. 14, eZiba suspends operations while seeking new investors to cover its cash shortfall. Overstock.com later buys the retailer’s assets for $500,000.
101. Little Big Man
In September, as the result of a typo in a spreadsheet, Electronic Arts issues an update to Madden NFL 06 that reduces 6-foot-3, 305-pound New York Jets lineman Michael King to a height of 7 inches. The next day, EA fixes the bug — to a chorus of complaints from customers who enjoyed watching the shin-high blocker get steamrollered by full-size players such as seven-time All-Pro linebacker Derrick Brooks of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
8. Here’s to you, Mr. Insult-Your-Customers Marketing Guy.
In January a new installment of Anheuser-Busch’s “Real Men of Genius” ad campaign celebrates “Mr. Discount-Airline-Pilot Guy” for putting “the fly in fly-by-night.” When the ad comes to the attention of executives at low-fare carrier AirTran Airways, director of marketing Tad Hutcheson calls the brewer to complain and is put on hold — where he hears not Muzak but a loop containing the offending ad. AirTran threatens to yank Budweiser from the airline’s galleys.
84. And now, 15 words from our sponsors.
In July, Nascar holds an event at Colorado’s Pikes Peak International Raceway. Its official name: ITT Industries, Systems Division, & Goulds Pump Salute to the Troops 250 presented by Dodge.
