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I suppose the title kind of gave it away.  Yes, I'm serious.  I couldn't believe it either.  The Little Tikes Cozy Coupe outsold every other car in America in 2008, and I don't know whether to laugh or cry.  On the plus side, Little Tikes does not provide financing, there are few warranty issues and there's no UAW!  Click through to The Boston Globe for all the unbelievable details.
 
 
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It finally happened!  Someone online pretended to be me.  It started when I entered a comment on a blog post titled 4 Tweaks We Made To Our Business That Drastically Improved Sales over at www.MyWifeQuitHerJob.com.  By the way, it's one of my honest-to-goodness favorite blogs, so make sure to check it out.

Anyway, a little while later someone came by, copy and pasted my post into the comment box and added "Sorry, forgot to add great post! Can't wait to see your next post!"  Essentially, they made it look like I came back, reposted what I said the first time, and added in their line.  However, they also put their own URL behind my name in an attempt to make people click on MY name to visit THEIR site.

I e-mailed Steve, the owner of www.MyWifeQuitHerJob.com, and he had the comment removed in about 60 seconds flat.  However, I also took the liberty of looking up the WhoIs records for the domain my name was pointing to.  Turns out it's owned by David Aloisi from Roseburg, Oregon.  I even have his phone number.

I suppose the morale of this story is don't steal/upset others when your WhoIs information is public.  However, I'm also slightly flattered that my comment was high enough quality to merit the theft, even though I'm sure that's irrelevant.
 
 
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Toronto Life magazine has just published an article that I really like titled "50 Reasons to Love Toronto Right Now."  It includes points I agree with, like "The CN Tower is Cool Again", and points that, while true, I'm not too happy about like "Everyone Bikes".  Not that there's anything wrong with biking; I've just had it with suicidal bikers weaving in and out of traffic and nearly taking off my door mirrors.  I guess it's a pretty subjective list, since a lot of the things I love about Toronto like Holt Renfrew and the PATH system aren't listed.  Perhaps they're too permanent to be referenced in a piece about 'right now.'  Anyway, enjoy the article.
 
 
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Weebly, the company that creates the software with which this blog is created, has just announced a series of exciting features as part of its new solution for online stores.  VentureBeat and TechCrunch are also covering this story, so I won't rehash, but have a look at the video below.  Solutions like this once had five figure price tags; now they're free.
 
 

In the spirit of true Twitter Mania, TechCrunch just wrote a tongue in cheek article listing 15 things to do when Twitter is down.  This is the simply the latest piece of web 2.0 content on the topic, complementing everything from the original Fail Whale to Lisa Nova's Twitter videos on YouTube.  I know I've missed the opportunity to comment on several other "Twitter Events", including Opera's first tweet and an actual Queen using the service, but I'm sure there will be more to add to the list shortly.

 
 

GE's energy division has released a unique online ad to promote its windmill technology.  While you'll have to view the video to truly understand, it can best be described as a digital hologram that's displayed on your computer screen.  When you print out the template and hold it in front of your webcam, the hologram will appear and move in sync with your template.  You can even make the windmills spin faster by blowing into your microphone.  Click here to see the video.

 
 

The Huffington Post is reporting that American Express is sending letters to a select group of customers offering them a THREE HUNDRED DOLLAR prepaid credit card if they cancel their accounts!  Seriously!  Apparently, this is to give these customers a chance to "simplify" their finances.  However, in reality, Amex just isn't doing so well due to the credit crisis. 

Rumor has it that these letters are going out to customers with high outstanding balances, in an attempt to get the balances paid down instead of defaulted on.  Obviously, you can't get the gift card if you don't pay your account down to zero.  However, your card does still get canceled either way.

I read of someone who pays their card off every month actually calling and requesting a letter.  Of course, they were refused.  You can get further details here and here, as well as directly from the American Express website.

 
 

Cliff Mason wrote a wonderful article on his blog at CNBC.com about how the public doesn't understand the meaning of the word "bonus" as it applies to Wall Street.  With all this talk of late about ballooning lump sum payments to CEOs of failing companies, the general public is on a witch hunt for executives who are taking more money out of their government-funded companies than absolutely necessary.

However, what the public fails to understand is that many people on Wall Street rely on bonuses as a significant portion of their compensation, and are paid a significantly smaller salary because of it.  They are not paid in the paycheck-every-two-weeks-and-that's-it structure like most Americans.  When Obama recently stated that 'now is not the time for bonuses', it was just like saying 'now is not the time for paychecks.'  A bonus IS a paycheck.  I find it interesting that no major media outlets (other than the finance-specific press) are interested in telling this side of the story.

 
 

Fisker has unveiled a new model at the Detroit auto show, and it competes even more directly with Tesla than the 4-door Karma that I've covered previously.  It's called the Karma Sunset, and is a two door drop top version based on the production-ready sedan.  It many not be out until 2011, but it already seems like a much better alternative to the Prius, Chevy Volt, and yes, the Tesla Roadster.  Click through to Luxist for all the details.

 
 

Starting later this year, Lexus vehicles will be delivered with a system that allows the company to communicate directly with drivers.  However, there are concerns that the audio messaging service may turn out to be an in-car version of something everyone is already familiar with:  spam.

Drivers will be able to tell if they have any new messages when they start the car, but they don't necessarily have to listen to them right away.  The company has stated that they understand some people prefer to think of their vehicle as a cocoon and would therefore not want to have anything sent to them.  However, messages could include lifestyle info similar to what owners already read in the magazine they receive from Lexus, so they may prove to be more appreciated than some critics think.

USA Today covers the full story here.