The Polite Pass
“Strange Donuts owner Jason Bockman told St. Louis Magazine he wanted a way to reward people who “go above and beyond what is expected as a customer.” He came up with the ‘Polite Pass’ — good for half a dozen Strange Donuts.
Bockman printed hundreds of the coupons and distributed them to places where people sometimes aren’t very nice — like DMVs and banks, he told the magazine. Cashiers and tellers at the chosen establishments can hand them out to customers at their discretion.”
I stumbled across this from late last year, but what an interesting idea.
As someone who’s worked several jobs interacting with the public, I sometimes think back to moments I’ve had with customers, like the old woman at Target who called me “Saturday help” because I couldn’t answer an obscure question about an item we had in stock, or the person who snapped her fingers at me to get my attention.
It’s a bit of a shame that we have to reward people for being nice, which (to be honest) should probably just be standard. But still, in the world we live in today, offering something extra for customers who show kindness is a nice way to let people know that they’re appreciated.
And too, what an interesting marketing tactic for Strange Donuts. I wonder how many free half-dozen donuts they’ve given out.
Nancy Pelosi's kind of a badass.
“How, after 3+ years of Trump running roughshod on the political process, did Pelosi, the newly installed speaker of the House, beat him at his own game?
The answer is remarkably simple: She said “no.” And stuck to it.”
2019 seems to be the year of the woman, and I'm here for it. Finally, we have somebody back in a leading government role who can push back against Trump’s bullshit.
It’s about time some adults get back in the room to stop these toddlers and their tantrums and send them to bed.
We’ve had to put up with this administration for too long trying to run things without any respect or regard for the American people. While it would be better if this obstructionist version of the GOP were gone entirely, at least we have the House back.
The Marvelous Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
This weekend, I finished one of my new favorite TV shows, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, on Amazon Prime. The show follows a recent divorcee, Miriam, in the late 1950s as she discovers she has a penchant for standup comedy.
The show’s second season started streaming earlier this month, and it’s an addictive series. The acting is fantastic (especially Tony Shalhoub, who plays Miriam’s father), and the writing is razor sharp. I can’t say how many times I’ve been doubled over, laughing.
If you have some free time before or during the upcoming holidays, it’s a great show to check out.
Las Vegas 2018
Late last week, Keith and I got back from our second trip to Las Vegas together. Although the weather was oppressively hot, we had a blast. Las Vegas has a particular kind of energy—it's a grownup's playground.
Just Desserts: “DHS Secretary Kirsten Nielsen Driven Out of Mexican Restaurant by Activists Yelling ‘Shame’”
It baffles me how someone in favor of such disgusting policies against Latinos can have the gall to even step inside a Mexican restaurant. But I’m tickled that this happened.
MoviePass
In the past five months, my boyfriend, Keith, and I have seen just over 25 movies. That’s not just us sitting on the couch, swiping through Netflix. This is in theaters. Like, old school movie theaters, where thinking about a bucket of popcorn and a soda means also considering the theater’s financing options.
And we’re not rich, either. I mean, it is just the two of us, but when movie tickets cost around ten bucks a pop, things add up. We don’t even live in a place like New York City, where movies (I’ve heard) can be upwards of 15 dollars.
This is why MoviePass has been such a revelation.
For those who don’t know, MoviePass is a subscription service where you pay a $9.95 flat fee each month for a branded debit card that lets you see one movie a day. Using a smartphone app, you check into a theater for a specific film and then pay with your MoviePass card.
Aside from a few random instances where something misfires and you’re left standing at a self-serve kiosk looking like an idiot, the service works beautifully.
What’s great about MoviePass is that it really frees you up to see whatever films you want, and even the ones you don’t. As long as you have a theater nearby that takes the card (which you can see inside the app), all you have to do is drive to the theater, check in, and get your ticket. It would feel like sneaking in, but because you get a physical ticket, instead you feel like you’re committing petty larceny.
I can’t tell you what it would have taken to get me to drop ten bucks on a film like Winchester: The House That Ghosts Built. Sure, the movie has Helen Mirren, but it’s Helen Mirren at, like, 60 percent, wearing a black dress and veil and delivering lines like, “Thirteen nails seals [the ghosts] in!” and “The spirits. The spirits!” It’s obvious she’s just there for a kitchen renovation. Yet there we were, watching.
With MoviePass, there just wasn’t a good reason not to go see the film. So when Keith said that we might as well check it out, it would have taken more effort to protest than it did to just drive to the theater.
But the bad movies have so far been outweighed by good. The Post, The Shape of Water, Isle of Dogs—these are the films that really make MoviePass shine.
What worries me is MoviePass’s longevity.
On paper, the business plan sounds like something a madman put together. Even for someone like me who can barely do long division, the numbers don’t add up. In interviews, MoviePass’s CEO says that the company plans on selling the film and behavioral data it gets from customers, as well as revenue splits from concessions purchases. But I can’t help wondering, will that really outweigh the expense of providing each customer up to 30 movie tickets a month?
On a trip to Las Vegas, Keith and I were looking for something low-key to do on a Sunday evening. Tired of drinking tall cans of Heineken from any number of nearby Terrible’s off the Strip, we decided to pop in for a movie at a small local theater that happened to take MoviePass.
The only film we hadn’t seen was Geostorm, a sci-fi disaster flick starring Gerard Butler. The movie was at 7:00, but already tired after a long day of exploring the city, we sat down in the theater and promptly fell asleep after the opening credits.
Granted, the tickets cost less than $5 each—the movie’s previews were for films that I’m pretty sure had been released on DVD already—but still. If MoviePass is banking on delivering quality data about moviegoers and their habits, how accurate can it be when two customers get tickets for a random film that they care about less than the opportunity to take a nap?
Then again, I’m no data analytics person, and I have to assume that they’ve got somebody in MoviePass HQ who understands finances.
Keith and I plan on riding the MoviePass train as long as it will carry us. I’m not looking forward to a day when saying, “Hey, do you want to go see a movie?” entails checking my checking account or mulling what organ I could sell on the black market.
Until then, we’ll continue to go, sometimes arriving ten, fifteen minutes into a film, past the previews we’ve already seen a handful of times and often from the very same seats. We’ll get lost in the glow of the giant screen with a bucket of popcorn between us, and together, get away with what feels pretty close to theft.
Welcome Home
I'm not sure where the line between ad and short film is, but this four-minute video—directed by Spike Jonze—is a delight. Watch the whole thing, full-screen, and then check out AdWeek's fantastic behind-the-scenes look at how the video was made.
And here's the behind-the-scenes look:
What amazed me is how they were able to create those stretch effects practically, rather than relying on digital manipulation. I love seeing talent in action like this.
Star Trek: Discovery
I cannot wait for there to be another Star Trek series on TV, and what a fun surprise to be treated to this weekend.
With each series, one of my favorite characters has always been the ship. This one's interesting—not at all what I was expecting—but interesting nonetheless.
The Deal with the Devil
This week's New Yorker has a great behind-the-scenes interview with Tony Schwartz, the ghostwriter behind Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal where he talks about what it was like to write the book and have an 18-month stretch of access to the man currently running for President.
Adam Gopnik on Gun Violence
“Guns are not merely the instrument; guns are the issue.”
One of my favorite New Yorker contributors, Adam Gopnik, writes about the epidemic of gun violence that our nation continues to suffer.
It's hard not to be appalled by the willful ignorance of people who to this day staunchly oppose meaningful gun control reform, even as the body count ticks higher and higher.
Chipotle Executive Linked to Drug Ring
Chipotle Mexican Grill was dealt another blow on Thursday after the executive leading many of its efforts to recover from a food safety scandal was charged with drug possession and accused him of having a connection to a cocaine delivery service in New York.
Boy, the hits just keep on coming for Chipotle.
An A+ for Samantha Bee
When she premiered on TBS a few months ago, Samantha Bee caught my attention, and over the past ten episodes of her weekly show, she's become one of my favorite political commentators—right up there with John Oliver and Bill Maher.
Her show is an absolute riot. Check it out.
Chip and PIN vs. Mobile Wallets
The New York Times had an article recently about the speed difference between new chip and PIN cards and mobile payment solutions like Apple Pay and Samsung Pay...and Android Pay. (Honestly, guys, did we all have to use the same naming convention?)
As an Apple customer, I've been using Apple Pay ever since it was introduced with the iPhone 6, and although I enjoyed using it, it wasn't until I got the Apple Watch that I realized just how convenient it is as compared to the chip-enabled cards.
When I get groceries, I'm lucky enough to shop at stores that accept mobile payments, and I love being able to hold my wrist to the payment terminal to pay. Is it that much faster than swiping my card? Maybe not life-changingly speedier, but it's enough that I don't have to fish out my wallet, find the right card, and swipe.
Chip cards (at least right now) definitely feel less speedy, like adding an extra step to the credit card process we're all accustomed to.
Plus, I can't tell you how many times I've put my card in the chip reader only to pull it out before the transaction authorized and had the reader make a horrible buzzing alert that embarrasses the hell out of me.
Horrors at the Dade Correctional Institute
Riveting and horrifying piece by Eyal Press at The New Yorker about the culture of silence, complicity, and intimidation and the real-world horrors of so-called mental care at the Dade Correctional Institute in Florida.
Here's a sample:
"[A] couple of guards had indeed escorted Rainey to the shower at about eight the previous night. But he hadn’t made it back to his cell. He had collapsed while the water was running. At 10:07 P.M., he was pronounced dead[...]"
"[The] nurses said that Rainey had been locked in a stall whose water supply was delivered through a hose controlled by the guards. The water was a hundred and eighty degrees, hot enough to brew a cup of tea[.]"
As someone who finds the thought of being institutionalized terrifying, I couldn't stop reading this. If you've ever thought it sad the way America treats its mentally ill, read this and you'll realize daily life for patients can go to an even darker place.
Snapshots of Street Dogs
Profoundly moving. Don't make the same mistake I did. Read these at home with a box of tissues, not at work.