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Rohit Singh
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[Fri, 01 Oct 2004]
Only in Japan...
The rich MBA will probably kill me for posting this, but I couldn't resist. I wonder why such techno-fads show up first/only in Japan. Remember Tamagotchi?
Gadget fascination is prevalent in many sub-cultures but with the Japs the whole thing has become just too outlandish.
And the IgNobel Goes To....
The IgNobel awards are given annually to people who have done research that is just plain crazy and can't (or shouldn't!) be repeated. A funny thing is that the IgNobel is usually handed out by Nobel prize winners who take it all in great spirit. It really is fun. Previous winning entrees include "how often can you a dunk a biscuit without it dropping off into the tea", and "the first documented case of homosexual necrophilia in mallard ducks" and the award that went to the Indian guy who started a "dead men's society" (He had been mis-declared dead and had a hard time getting the govt to undead-ify him).
Was at Harvard for this year's awards. They were really really fun. And they had a cool idea for handling speeches that go over the limit. A little girl in frocks and ponytails will walk up sweetly and in a sugar-sweet voice start parroting, "Please stop. You're boring me." Worked everytime.
I think they'll have the list of winners at the website pretty soon. Here's the ones I remember:
- Physics: the physics of the hoola hoop. An actual published article. For an encore, the authors plan to look at the "swallowing goldfish" phenomenon.
- Biology: the observation that herrings communicate by farting. Gives a whole new meaning to "you're talking out of your ass."
- Economics: the Vatican, for outsourcing prayers to India
- Peace: the Jap guy who invented Karaoke: for "teaching humans to tolerate others in new ways"
- Chemistry: to Coca Cola UK for purifying river water into Dasani mineral water. Unfortunately the purification rendered the water toxic in another chemical.
When do you not tip?
Tipping in the U.S. is invariably a painful exercise. Tipping at a
full-service restaurant is a hard enough job-- what with the
considerations of rounding off the bill to a nice number (that can be
easily divided by 'n' where 'n' is the number of people at the dinner),
feeling the need to express one's displeasure at the service, placating
cheapo friends who feel any tip is too much and feeling guilty about not
tipping enough.
But what about self-service and quasi-self-service places? For example, should you tip at buffets, especially the Indian lunch buffets? I know of quite a few people who think it is not needed at all. After all, all that the waiter does is bring you water and clear up the plates. Heck! that is what he's being paid for. However, I've almost always left a measly tip- essentially the credit-card equivalent of leaving the coins behind. More guilt-assuaging than anything else.
What about other self-service places? There's places like McDonalds that are trying to develop a tipping culture. That's just wrong- there's zero service involved. Sometimes such places will try to guilt you by writing "For the Childeren's Fund" or something like that. In other places, the penny jar is devolving into a tip jar. The penny jar was originally meant to be a take-a-penny/leave-a-penny jar. If I owe $5.27, and I only have a fiver and a quarter, I can't just take 2 pennies from the jar. No sirrrree.. I have to hand in a $20 and will drop the 3 pennies in the jar. Have never seen the take-a-penny thing working.
What about Starbucks? This one hits a raw nerve because the coffee (and cookies etc.) is obscenely overpriced as it is. The moral case is also weak because Starbucks is known to be a good employer. Still the employee point of view-- that the more hairy orders require special effort (and hence tips!)-- can't be ignored. Still, as this fiesty and rather vehment "no" on the customers parts indicates, I don't think you need to worry about tipping at Starbucks anytime soon. And don't tip at McDonalds or Burger King or Pizza Hut (unless it's delivery) either. You are just making it harder for the rest of us.