Laser Tattoo=NPR Hoax? Gotta be...
NSBO...@nsula.edu
>I hate to say it but...A friend told me he heard NPR report that several
>national companies are offering very small, detailed tattoos of their
>company's logo. The wearer would receive a discount for life on any products
>or services. The really wild part was that the tattoos were "applied" with
>a laser and contained a upc symbol that could be scanned. Please don't
>flame....again I hate to say it but he wouldn't make this up......Anyone
>else hear the report? It was Friday 4/1 during the evening news. (Yes I
>know that was April Fools)
Well, yes, I heard that report. I listened, fascinated, but then
I remembered it was April Fool's Day, and decided it *MUST* be a
joke. The best part was when the guy from Apple Corporation said
that if someone got both a Macintosh(TM) & an IBM (TM)
Laser Splash (TM?), the Mac would be on the left and the IBM on the
right earlobes, respectively!
I wish it were true, because the woman interviewed (who sounded
about 16) really got the interviewer's goat! But I'm doubting
(seriously) that it was real, esp. given the rest of their programming
that day!
But then...
>Orwellian fears aside, this would be a pretty good idea,
>except that the tattoos aren't "applied" with a laser,
>the laser just activates the special magnetic ink. The
>problem is that this ink contains trace amounts of
>strychnine, which is converted into lysergic acid diethylamide
>(yes, LSD) when hit with a laser. Don't expect to see
>this technology in your local minimall until they iron
>this particular bug out.
Well, hey! Name your source, then sign me up! 10% off Macintosh
equipment & a free trip, for $7.99 (that was the price, folks!) --
I'd do it!
But seriously, the woman's name was Lirpa, and the interviewer joked
that her last name must be Loof... What's it sound like to you?
Pukka
NS...@NSULA.EDU
Northwestern State University
(NO! Not the one in Chicago!)
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Tom Wood
> Jay D. wrote:
> >I hate to say it but...A friend told me he heard NPR report that several
> >national companies are offering very small, detailed tattoos of their
> >company's logo. The wearer would receive a discount for life on any products
> >or services. The really wild part was that the tattoos were "applied" with
> >a laser and contained a upc symbol that could be scanned. Please don't
> >flame....again I hate to say it but he wouldn't make this up......Anyone
> >else hear the report? It was Friday 4/1 during the evening news. (Yes I
> >know that was April Fools)
On Sunday (4/5) I (over)heard a guy in a restaurant telling his dining
companions this story. But he tied it into the "UPC is based on 666 and
is the Sign of the Beast" bit. So NPR's April Fool's Joke is feeding
THAT hoary old Xian legend.
And so it goes.
--
Tom Wood . All work and no play make Jack a dull
Sangamon State University . boy. All work and no play make Jack a
Springfield, Illinois USA . dull boy. All work and no play make J
wo...@eagle.sangamon.edu . ack a dull boy. All work and no play
Shannon Winski
>On Sunday (4/5) I (over)heard a guy in a restaurant telling his dining
>companions this story.
I know all of us 'folks' out here in Arizona ain't always up on thangs.
Now I herds a rumur that the rest of the gloooh-rious continen'l U.S.
(ceptin' parts of Indiana) moved to a dif'rnt tahme zone, but since when was
Sunday 4/5?
Shannon 'hav'n fun singin wit de ki-otes' Winski
Andrew Steinberg
>Jay D. wrote:
>>I hate to say it but...A friend told me he heard NPR report that several
>>national companies are offering very small, detailed tattoos of their
>>company's logo. The wearer would receive a discount for life on any products
>>or services. The really wild part was that the tattoos were "applied" with
>>a laser and contained a upc symbol that could be scanned. Please don't
>>flame....again I hate to say it but he wouldn't make this up......Anyone
>>else hear the report? It was Friday 4/1 during the evening news. (Yes I
>>know that was April Fools)
2 points to consider here.
1.) The interviewee's name was "Lirpa Loof."
2.) Every year, "All Things Considered" on National Public Story
produces a gag story, but without mentioning that it is a gag.
This year the gag story was that the newest fad is getting tattoos of
companies on the earlobe in exchange for a lifetime 10% discount.
The story from 1993 was that the newest trend was eating from composts.
The story from 1992 was unprecedented strife in the an obscure republic
in Central Asia, "Trashcanistan."
Past years have also seen Arizona sold to Canada; George Bush drafted by
the Democrats, and I believe...French clothes designers giving away their
wares once a year.
Andrew Steinberg
U. of Washington
Law Librarianship Program