“Hipster culture is not a counterculture. On the contrary, the neighborhood organization of hipsters—their tight-knit colonies of similar-looking, slouching people—represents not hostility to authority (as among punks or hippies) but a superior community of status where the game of knowing-in-advance can be played with maximum …
Q&A: The Billboard Family, Professional T-Shirt Wearers
Meet the family that’s put itself up for sale, or more accurately, for rent. Throughout 2011, the Martin family of St. Louis, Missouri—husband Carl, wife Amy, 4-year-old Layne, 3-year-old Kaitlyn, and a baby on the way—will promote paying companies by wearing T-shirts with brand logos, Tweeting, blogging, and posting on Facebook …
Look in Your Closet for Some Perspective on the Great Recession
The average American now owns about 90 articles of clothing, and that total doesn’t include underwear, socks, bras, or pajamas. Guess how many items of clothing the average person had during the Great Depression?
It’s a Deal: $2 ‘Boorito’ at Chipotle on Halloween
If you wear a “horrifying processed food product” (chicken nugget, for instance) as your costume, and you wear it to a Chipotle restaurant on Halloween after 6 p.m., you can get an order of tacos, salad, bowl, or a “boorito” for just $2.
Top Ten Laziest Halloween Costumes
Come on, who are you kidding? You’ve got less than a week left. Stop pretending you’re going to throw that over-the-top Lady Gaga outfit together. Besides, that’s a lot of expensive meat to be wasting on a costume. Here are ten of the easiest free or nearly free alternatives, perfect for procrastinators and cheapskates alike.
Why You Must Own a Hickory Handle Hammer, and 123 Other Money-Saving Insights
Favorite dirt-cheap meals! Why you must quit being an idiot! Tastiest low-budget beers! Lessons learned from spiking your hair into a mohawk! And more.
Bridgewater’s Edge: How One Fund is Beating the Rocky Market
The economy is in slow growth mode, consumers are paying down debt, jobless numbers remain high and trade frictions are mounting. That’s enough to keep anyone in the U.S. from feeling too good. Except for, perhaps, Ray Dalio, the founder and CEO of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund firm.
Citibank’s Credit Card ‘Makeover’: Why I’m Already Not a Fan of 2G Plastic
A new generation of credit cards is being outfitted with all sorts of bells and whistles. Actually, with technology way more sophisticated (complicated?) than mere bells and whistles: lights, a slim battery that lasts four years, an embedded computer chip, and buttons that allow you to make purchases using regular old credit, or with …
It’s a Deal: $5 Fleeces, $15 Sweaters from Old Navy
Now through October 26 at OldNavy.com, fleece vests and pullovers that regularly sell for up to $14.95 are on sale for just $5, and sweaters that normally cost upwards of $34.50 are selling for $15. More special deals will be announced daily through Tuesday, October 26, at the retailer’s site.
Yale’s Dumpster-Diving Foodies
A house full of Yale University students lives on a food budget of $8 per person per week, thanks to veggies provided via a local community supported agriculture operation, tossed-out foods that they regularly collect from storefront curbs and behind supermarkets, and lots and lots of improvisation in the kitchen.
Neighboring Technologies
A new smart-grid idea was born when two firms found they had common interests
Pay TV and At-Home Movies, by the Numbers
Here’s a big roundup of statistics revealing just how much we love watching TV and movies at home, how much couch potatoes are willing to pay for such services, and also where it looks like things are heading from here.