This is a video of a humanoid robot in the window of a Japanese department store designed to interact with customers and attract more business. Oooooooor get fondled by perverts. Japanese department store Takashimiya installed an eerily lifelike interactive robot for its Valentine’s window display. The retailer called on robotics guru Hiroshi Ishiguro to provide the humanoid dummy, which can not only wink and yawn as people approach, but also display a range of emotions…While this was just part of the store’s seasonal promotion, it might be a hint at where visual merchandise is going. Oh, it’s a hint at where visual merchandising is going alright. STRAIGHT DOWN THE SHITTER. Oh man, I remember going to the mall when I was a kid and some of the stores would have real-life people posing as mannequins in their windows and my brother and I would try to get them to laugh. I think I may have even showed them my penis once. Which, in hindsight, was probably illegal. For them . I was seven! Hit the jump for I will hide in the bedding section until you close the store for the night and then BURN IT TO THE GROUND.

See the rest here:
I Smell A Boycott (Or Is It A Giant Pretzel?): Customer Attracting Humanoid Store Display In Japanese Mall

This is a Volkswagen Super Bowl teaser commercial (because those exist now) featuring a bunch of dogs barking out the Imperial March . It was sent to me by Geekologie Reader Robert, who you might remember made the original AT-AT dog costume . Apparently he sent his plans to a girl who made her own, and is now reaping the benefits. People: they will rip you off. Reminds me of the time everyday somebody finds an article on Geekologie, posts it on their own site, links to a different source, BUT DOESN’T BOTHER CHANGING THE FILE NAME I MADE FOR THE PICTURE. I know, I know — first world blogging problems. I’ll still f***ing cut you. Hit the jump for the video.

Originally posted here:
VW’s ‘Dogs Barking The Imperial March’ Commercial

This is a screenshot from French clothing retailer La Redoute’s website advertising kid’s t-shirts. Aaaaaaaaaand they used a product shot with a dude’s wiener in it. I even found a closeup HERE because I know you’re a pervert! The image, which appeared for several hours on its website today, showed a group of four children running on the sand. But, in the background, a naked man can clearly be seen wading behind them up the sea-shore. Web users spotted the ‘faux pas’, which has since been taken down, and immediately took to Twitter to poke fun at the clothing company. Admittedly, I don’t really think it’s that big a deal. I mean, Europeans are WAY COOLER with nakedness than we are here in the United States of Embarrassment. Especially France. I just assumed naked wieners were a fact of life over there. “You’re going to vacation there, aren’t you?” I dunno, what’s my ticket say? “One-way.” *wink* Hit the jump for a video zoom-in of the man’s dongle in case you just can’t get enough.

See more here:
Woopsie Doopsie: Naked Man In Kid’s Fashion Ad

This is a fake-ass video of two quantum levitating hover cars racing around a little track inspired by the Playstation classic Wipe’Out . People are passing it around like it’s real, but it’s not — it’s fake. I assume they’ll announce a new Wipe’Out game in the next couple weeks. Ooooooooooooor maybe it’s real. Maybe scientists actually do spend their time making sketchy videos of meticulously reconstructed video game hover cars and race tracks with a giant ‘ ‘WIPEOUT’ printed right in the middle. *eyerolls so hard I lose a contact* Seriously folks, you really can’t believe everything you see. Half the time it’s just aliens playing tricks on us with laser beams! Hit the jump for the worthwhile but fake as shit video.

Read more:
Smells Viral: Quantum Levitating Toy Racecar Track

This is a series of conceptual Evian water bottles designed by Mandy Brencys to look like both Star Wars characters AND lightsabers . Still, would you be willing to pay an extra $2 for a bottle of water that looks like a wookie-saber? Of course you would — look who I’m f***ing talking to. Evian Star Wars (on Marcy’s CargoCollective page) Thanks to PYY, who may or may yes be a water fairy. “Woodland.” She’s a woodland fairy.

Read this article:
Conceptual Star Wars Character Evian Bottles

Google is going to start offering businesses the opportunity to have the interiors of their stores photographed and available on Google Street View . That way a user can…see the inside of a store? WHAT THE — A COMIC BOOK STORE WITH COMICS INSIDE?! *brain explodes shooting cobwebs like Spiderman* Business owners are told they must warn their customers and employees about the photoshoot before it begins. Google has promised it will blur out or refuse to publish any images that include bystanders. The photoshoots will produce 360-degree images using fish-eye and wide-angle lenses as well as stills. Business owners are also invited to upload their own pictures. *tries Street Viewing every strip club I can think of* Damn, nary an areola. Oooh ooooh — *Street Views Cinnabon* Mmmm, now that’s what I’m talking about. *lathering chest with icing and crushed pecans* Example Comic Book Store and Guitar Shop and Google Street View now takes you inside buildings [msnbc] Thanks to Lynn, who agrees they should expand the service to include restaurants’ kitchens. Yeah! …Are those hot wings on the floor?

Follow this link:
Google Street View: Now With Store Interiors

Presumably because some bigwig in the marketing department wanted to make a classy exit and leave the company flipping a proverbial bird , Hostess actually branded their Snowball treats as ‘Snowballimus’ (previously: Green Lantern GloBalls ) and another cupcake snack as ‘Chocwave Shockwaves’. The Chocwaves sound okay but the Snoballimuses look utterly disgusting, which is saying a lot because blue is probably my favorite color food. “Razzleberries?” Smurfs. Hit the jump for a shot of the other.

See the rest here:
Your Brand Manager, They Should Be Fired: Transformer Branded Hostess Snack Cakes

This is a Coke billboard in the Philippines touting the company’s greenliness. How earth-friendly is Coke besides the billboard? I have no clue. Probably not very. Whenever I have to guess about something like this I always err on the side of “companies really don’t give a shit and will only do enough to give the appearance that they do.” Hey, I could be wrong though (except there’s no way because a Mountain Dew rep actually told me that). The 60 x 60 foot living billboard in Manila is made of thousands of Fukien tea plants surrounding the iconic curvy shape of a silver Coke bottle. The project with the CO2-eating plants was created in conjunction with Coca-Cola Philippines’ Live Positively sustainability program. Pots made from recycled bottles contain the 3,600 trees, which live off a mixture of organic fertilizers. Though they are currently in the first stages of growth, the plants are expected to grow quickly, completely taking over the billboard surface, absorbing a total of 46,800 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Who knows, maybe I’m just being cynical. Well — what’s your opinion? “It’d be cooler if that was ganja growing out of it.” OMG — so we could shoot flaming arrows at it and get high?! I WAS THINKING THE EXACT SAME THING! Coca-Cola Plant Billboard Absorbs Air Pollution [huffingtonpost] Thanks to Pat, who agrees the best technology is green technology. Wait like earth-friendly, or alien?

View post:
Coca-Cola’s Iffy Pollution-Cleaning Billboard

This is a Volkswagen Golf print ad that appeared in South African copies of Auto Trader magazine that’s actually edible . It was accompanied by the line ‘Eat the Road. Seriously, Eat It’ and was made from “glutinous rice flour, water, salt, propylene glycol, FD&C colour, glycerine.” What, no artificial flavor?! Please tell me it at least smelled like new car and gasoline. Clever effort, VW , so I almost hate to break it to you, BUT ALL PRINT ADS ARE EDIBLE. Don’t believe me? *tears out and eats ad from Playboy* See? *licking lips* Mmmmmm, that one must’ve had titties on the back! Hit the jump for a picture of the ad not in some guy’s mouth.

Visit link:
VW’s ‘Eat The Road’ Print Ad Actually Edible

Cheer up bro, that’s a good lookin’ samwich! Because you should never make people wait to see the 1-minute commercial you’re paying $6-million to air during the Super Bowl, this is Volkswagen’s Star Wars inspired ad. I don’t want to ruin it for you, but I’m pretty sure that kid not only tried to Force-choke a baby-doll , but his dog as well, indicating some rather serious psychological issues that should probably be addressed before it’s too late to turn back to the light. “He’s Vader, man, it’s already too late.” IT’S NEVER TOO LATE! “Ever tried the Taco Bell drive-thru at 3AM on a Wednesday?” GAAAAAAH, you have a point. Hit the jump for the commercial you can now ruin for everybody else during the actual Super Bowl.

Go here to read the rest:
VW’s Star Wars Super Bowl Commercial