The former Non-TSR Recent Fun Finds Thread
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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:01 am 
 

grodog wrote:
I can always trade you non-shrinked copies of them for the shrink ones, Mark :D


I'm actually considering it.


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:05 am 
 

Badmike wrote:
New Coke was one of the huge marketing blunders of the century.  Malcom Gladwell has an entire chapter about it in his excellent book "The Tipping Point".  
Mike B.


I have a friend who works for Coke.  He has a conspiracy theory about New Coke.

He thinks that Coca Cola used New Coke as a foil...a distraction so that their customers would not notice the switch from Coke made with sugar to Coke made with high fructose corn syrup.  They would be so glad to have Classic Coke back...and feeling so victorious...that they would not notice the switch.

Since I only drink Diet Coke, the point is moot to me...but I have read that Mexican consumers in the US will spend good money to get bottles of Coke made with sugar shipped up from Mexico.

My own personal theory is that the Y2K scare was invented by a government think tank.......the goal was to give conspiracy theorists and nutcases something to worry about in order to distract them from much worse apocalyptic theories and resulting nutty behavior.  

I actually thought that before the clock ticked down to 2000.


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:39 am 
 

Badmike wrote:
New Coke was one of the huge marketing blunders of the century.  Malcom Gladwell has an entire chapter about it in his excellent book "The Tipping Point".  Essentially, Coke started doing taste tests of a new formula they had dreamed up, which was sweeter and not quite as tart as regular Coke.  The taste tests got rave reviews, and the company went ahead with moving to the new formula.


Mike B.


Actually, the book was Gladwell's "Blink", not The Tipping Point. Both excellent books, btw.

Mike B.


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 1:54 am 
 

FormCritic wrote:
I have a friend who works for Coke.  He has a conspiracy theory about New Coke.

He thinks that Coca Cola used New Coke as a foil...a distraction so that their customers would not notice the switch from Coke made with sugar to Coke made with high fructose corn syrup.  They would be so glad to have Classic Coke back...and feeling so victorious...that they would not notice the switch.

Since I only drink Diet Coke, the point is moot to me...but I have read that Mexican consumers in the US will spend good money to get bottles of Coke made with sugar shipped up from Mexico.

My own personal theory is that the Y2K scare was invented by a government think tank.......the goal was to give conspiracy theorists and nutcases something to worry about in order to distract them from much worse apocalyptic theories and resulting nutty behavior.  

I actually thought that before the clock ticked down to 2000.


I had this same theory about New Coke, but boy, it cost them a lot of money. I was the nutcase after Classic Coke came back saying, it doesn't taste the same as it used to.

Mexican coke does still have sugar, you can find here in So. Cal. Another good tip is that Coke makes Kosher Coke for Passover and it is also made with Sugar.

  


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 7:42 am 
 

FormCritic wrote:.but I have read that Mexican consumers in the US will spend good money to get bottles of Coke made with sugar shipped up from Mexico.


It's popular at yuppie bars/restaurants, oft sold from vintage vending machines, as a way to have an otherwise peasant-culture Coke & feel superior about paying double for it.

  

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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:43 am 
 

FormCritic wrote:I have a friend who works for Coke.  He has a conspiracy theory about New Coke.

He thinks that Coca Cola used New Coke as a foil...a distraction so that their customers would not notice the switch from Coke made with sugar to Coke made with high fructose corn syrup.  They would be so glad to have Classic Coke back...and feeling so victorious...that they would not notice the switch.


It's not a conspiracy theory.  It is truth.  Coke Classic doesnt taste anything like the original Coke.  I know two ex-Coca Cola employees who swear that the whole New Coke/Classic Coke mess was done on purpose to change the formula that traditionally used cane sugar to one that now uses the cheaper corn syrup.  I dont think Coca Cola lost any money during the whole thing either.  Even though a lot of people hated New Coke, there were a whole lot of people that loved it.  When my high school girlfriend's father found out they were discontinuing New Coke and going back to the original, he went and bought two pallets of the stuff and stuck them in his garage.  He was still drinking New Coke well into the 90's.  And when Classic Coke hit the shelves again, the company posted record sales of the stuff.

Of course this is all moot since I rarely drink a soft drink anymore.  All the research linking soft drinks to diabetes, cancer, nervous disorders, etc.  Worse than cigarettes if you ask me.  And diet drinks are worse.  Splenda, Nutra-Sweet, and all the other artificial sweetners are just as bad.


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:09 am 
 

aspartame! yum yum cancer-causing goodness.


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:35 am 
 

Kingofpain89 wrote:It's not a conspiracy theory.  It is truth.  Coke Classic doesnt taste anything like the original Coke.  I know two ex-Coca Cola employees who swear that the whole New Coke/Classic Coke mess was done on purpose to change the formula that traditionally used cane sugar to one that now uses the cheaper corn syrup.


It's a good conspiracy theory, except it falls apart since Coca Cola had already switched to corn syrup before New Coke was ever released. :wink:


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:53 am 
 

g026r wrote:
It's a good conspiracy theory, except it falls apart since Coca Cola had already switched to corn syrup before New Coke was ever released. :wink:


I was going to say this also.  But that's how conspiracy theories get started... :D   The Snopes.com site has an entire area devoted to Coke rumors.  Pretty funny stuff some of them.

Another conspiracy theory had them introducting New Coke as a way to counter a yet unreleased product called "Pepsi Supreme" that Coke had gotten wind of...the theory was to release something, anything, and take the publicity away from Pepsi, and thus if Pepsi tried to release Pepsi Supreme they would be seen as "copying" Coke. The plan all along was to discontinue New Coke as soon as the buzz wore off from the publicity.

Also, as King said, New Coke wasn't universally hated. I believe it's still sold overseas in a few markets, particularly Asia (IIRC it's called Coke II or somesuch)

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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 11:09 am 
 

Coca-Cola: Bite the Wax Tadpole.


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 11:24 am 
 

serleran wrote:Coca-Cola: Bite the Wax Tadpole.

snopes.com: Bite the Wax Tadpole


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:27 pm 
 

Kingofpain89 wrote:
Coke Classic doesnt taste anything like the original Coke.  


If this is just because of the corn-syrup - sugar changeover, then I imagine the Coke we have over here might taste like your old stuff, as we still use sugar in soft drinks (if I recall correctly).  

Hmmmm (thinks)... I could start selling it on ebay to people in the US who hankered after that older style. Ka-ching!  :D


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 1:00 pm 
 

g026r wrote:
It's a good conspiracy theory, except it falls apart since Coca Cola had already switched to corn syrup before New Coke was ever released. :wink:


Sure they did.  And Kentucky Fried Chicken has zero trans fat.  :P


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:19 pm 
 

Now...I can see aspertame or Splenda causing cancer....

But what does the designation of "soft drink" really mean?

For instance, if I drink Kool Aid, but add carbonation to it...does it cause cancer and diabetes more than any other sugary mess?

If I drink...say...Pepsi...but stick to only drinking the syrup, does the fact that it is non-carbonized cause less or more cancer?

Does Diet Coke become less dangerous if it allowed to go flat?  More?


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 7:32 pm 
 

Coke melts nails. Keep that in mind


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:14 pm 
 

Deadlord39 wrote:Coke melts nails. Keep that in mind


snopes.com: Coca-Cola Acids

  


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:32 pm 
 

I personally have done the hamburger in coke test (in my younger days), and Coca Cola will dissolve (atleast most of it) hamburger. Now why will it dissolve hamburger and not a t-bone steak? No clue (ask your local scientist)....I've just never wanted to waste a good steak to test that part :P

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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:29 pm 
 

Kingofpain89 wrote:Sure they did.  And Kentucky Fried Chicken has zero trans fat.  :P

Did anyone else see the short-lived "Kitchen Fresh Chicken" advertising campaign? I believe it was shortly before they went back to the full Kentucky Fried Chicken from KFC.

On the sugar note, Canada also uses 'glucose/fructose' rather than HFCS. After many years of being in the US, I never really understood why so many Americans would bring pop back from visits to Canada, as I never really tasted a difference. This last Easter I was back at my brother's and when I came back, I could tell how terrible the pop here really is. And I refuse to buy slurpees anymore as the ones here just taste like chemicals...

  
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