Perception is a weird bird compared to reality. Or is it the other way around?

HERE'S WHAT YOU GOTTA DO:

1. Press play and count the number of white t-shirt to white t-shirt passes that are made.

2. Refresh the page and watch it again WITHOUT counting this time and notice if anything's changed.

3. Stop wondering how you can lose something that's right in front of your face (e.g., keys, wallet, etc).

4. Be reassured you're not losing your mental mojo at such a young age.

I know I haven't posted anything in a long while but this I couldn't resist.

I'd feel bad that their "commercial" is crashing if the server if they hadn't already gotten 75000 hits.

This video has nothing to do with this blog so I won't try to make a link.

But I will say thanks for the codes. I'm still entering them and going to redeem what I can in the next month or so. You just remember to keep smiling.

Not much of an update but...

I hadn't posted in a while so I thought I'd let you know that I'm going to see this thing thru until Coke ends the promotion. As it is now, or lately, the prize pool Coke is offering doesn't have much redeeming value as it applies to needy kids— a 4000 point Pirates of the Caribbean jacket doesn't do much for a kid with no money, deadbeat parents (if any at all), and not a lot of hope for the future (unless he/she's a REALLY big Johnny Depp fan and even so...).

ANYWAYs, I'd encourage you to keep your hard-earned codes and get yourself something, or at least someone you know could use it, assuming you can find anything in their prize pool that someone would accept as an unsolicited gift. As always, if you want to keep sending in your codes, then so be it, and thanks. I'll keep entering them at the max of 10 per day until they end it.

I'll do my best to keep tabs on the prizes in hopes that Coke decides to add something worthwhile.

If this is it for you, then a big thanks and best wishes for the good karma you've earned. And remember to keep smiling.

stu

RIAA Burning up the charts like a bullet!

Is this karmic payback for suing a grandma for $200K+, or just some hackers having a little fun with the RIAA? Either way, it lets you know you gotta be fair. Or that if you get something for nothing, you're gonna prolly get some payback at some point.

Either way, it has very little to do with this project/blog. But I've been out of touch for a while and haven't been posting much, but i HAVE been entering codes fairly consistently. We're up to 5400 points, but that still doesn't earn much in the way of prizes, and Coke's taken off the telescopes I was gonna redeem for the kids at the Boys and Girls Club supported by Nick's Kids Fund. So it's back to the decision board on what prizes to get.

I'm thinking of refocusing this project again in order to do more good but it'll be a few days before I figure that out. So keep sending codes toHelpAKid if you can for now. Thanks if you already have been doing that for a while (my grammar's gone).

Remember to keep smiling.

Stop Motion Magic

Michel Gondry's reverse Rubik's cube is my favorite of this "genre" but this is another pretty cool example of what you can accomplish with a little imagination.

Thanks to everyone who donated in the last few. If you've got MyCokeRewards codes, from 12/24-packs of Coke products, send 'em to HelpAKid

Thanks. And remember to keep smiling.

Christmas Never Comes Fast Enough

It actually came and went and now I'm dreading going back to the real world (read: work) as are most of you, I'm sure. But maybe we could all just do like this little kid and start thinking of next year's Christmas, or whatever you celebrate in late December.

Codes keep coming in, so congrats keep going out. Hopefully soon we'll be able to pull the trigger on this batch of points and get some prizes the kids supported by Nick's Kids Fund. But prizes the kids will actually enjoy and that don't have Coke logos plastered all over them.

So if you've got MyCokeRewards codes, from 12/24-packs of Coke products, send 'em to HelpAKid

Thanks. And remember to keep smiling.

There are no MyCokeRewards codes in Yelapa, Mexico. But there ARE sea turtles.

They don't even sell Diet Coke in Yelapa, where I've been chillin since a week ago— they sell Coca Cola Light, which is basiclaly Coke Zero. So I didn't get to power through my normal chunk of Diet Cokes. But it really didn't matter since I didn't have any way to enter codes anyway.

But I did meet this little bundle of orange juice-drinking joy, Sulita, who had just spent a morning saving sea turtle eggs from the dogs that rove the beach there. And then she and her mom hatched them and put them in a bucket to take to the Puerto Vallarta aquarium. Pretty cool.

This doesn't have much to do with DonateYourCokeCodes, other than give me an excuse for not make any posts or, more importantly, entering any codes to help earn prizes for the kids at Nick's Kids Fund.

But now I'm back, and back on task. And hopefully you will be too. If you've got MyCokeRewards codes, from 12/24-packs of Coke products, send 'em to HelpAKid

Thanks. And remember to keep smiling.

UPS stops turning left.

If you like quirky fun world improvement stories, you HAVE to read this one about how UPS saved millions of gallons of gas, emissions, and plain money, by rerouting trucks so they didn't have to sit and wait to make so many left turns. Weirdly awesome. It just lets you know how a little effort can have a huge impact, which is what we're trying to do with this whole blog/project/thing.

Speaking directly of— WHERE HAVE I BEEN? Well, if you're new to this blog, it won't matter. If you're a veteran, then I got married and that's where I've been. Planning, checking boxes, checking out,etc.

Apologies to the kids. Although I HAVE tried to text a few codes here or there in to the DoYoCoCo project. And now I'm bailing again to go to Mexico for a week.

Thanks to all the vet code givers. You guys rock. And to a few new ones. I'll get back on it in full force and we'll grab some prizes for the kids supported by Nick's Kids Fund.

If you've got MyCokeRewards codes, from 12/24-packs of Coke products, send 'em to HelpAKid

Thanks. And remember to keep smiling.

(via digg.com)

What I wish I could do to Coke's prize pool

Seriously. If you take a look to the right in that sidebar, you'll see what Coke thinks 2000+ points is worth. A pair of sunglasses. Come on, Coke. You wanna kick my dog while you're at it? At least kiss me first. THEN give me a crappy prize for all those points.

Alright, enough venting. Let's just hope they keep this promotion going long enough for us to get something good for the kids at Nick's Kids Fund.
So, if you got MyCokeRewards codes, from 12/24-packs of Coke products, send 'em to HelpAKid

Kanpei!

Cheers to that. Who knew cooking an egg could be cool?

Anything can be cool if it's got a good end. Like this DoYoCoCo blog project thing. Send in MyCokeRewards codes, if you got 'em, from 12/24-packs of Coke products, to HelpAKid.

Thanks. And remember to keep smiling.

In Honor of NCAA Championship Week, The Best Ref Ever

Tell it like it is. That's alway a good message. The truth will set you free. Etc. Etc.

This is how it is with this blog. You kindly send in MyCokeRewards codes and I collect the points and then the prizes and give them to needy kids via Nicks Kids Fund.

Simple enough, right? Wish it was as funny as the deadpan ref who called "Giving Him the Business" as a personal foul. hahahahahahaha.

So if you know 1s and 0s like the rest of us know TDs and RBIs and such, get on it and come up with some kickin compression algorithm or something wiht a cool acronym that the rest of us can't understand but welcome with open arms.

And if you're not one of those smarter-than-me people, hurry up and get as many codes in as you can before this whole Internet thing that Al Gore created shuts down like a Mexican restaurant in Chinatown. You never know if one of the kids we kick a prize to will grow up to be some uber coder and fix the whole shebang. Just hope he/she's on a Mac. :)

So if you've got MyCokeRewards codes from 12/24-packs of Coke products, send them in to HelpAKid.

Thanks. And remember to keep smiling.

Is a fiddle just a violin being played loosely?

I don't know, but I figured one of you might. And I also felt like I was boring people with my posts. So if I have an odd thought, i'm posting that instead of regurgitating things I find that are interesting. Although if I come across something inspiring, that puppy is getting regurgitated with full force. ewww.

So how does a fiddle or a violin relate to kids in need?

Uh....er... maybe it'll keep you coming back and donating more and more codes for big points and those big points will translate into a big prize some kid could use and he/she might pick up an instrument and Scientific American proved it a few years ago that kids who play instruments, including fiddle and violin, score better in math. And that means the kids get smarter. And THAT is a good thing.

Thanks for the dearth of codes (If you've got a few MyCokeRewards codes from 12/24-packs of Coke products, send them in to HelpAKid.) sent in in the last few days. Apologies for no posts but my football team lost its 4th in a row and I've been bunked up crying. Well, not really, but I was in minor depression, until I realized how fortunate I was to HAVE a college football team because I was fortunate to even go to college— some of the kids we're helping won't ever get that chance. But maybe with our help they'll see there is hope. So thanks again.

And remember to keep smiling.



Thanks. And remember to keep smiling.

Today's Lesson: Time Is Of The Essence

Any attention-starved coders out there, here's your chance to be the next wunderkid.

I scanned through the article and the gist is we're running out of bandwidth with which to play around and will be short cited in 2 years. Bummer.

So if you know 1s and 0s like the rest of us know TDs and RBIs and such, get on it and come up with some kickin compression algorithm or something wiht a cool acronym that the rest of us can't understand but welcome with open arms.

And if you're not one of those smarter-than-me people, hurry up and get as many codes in as you can before this whole Internet thing that Al Gore created shuts down like a Mexican restaurant in Chinatown. You never know if one of the kids we kick a prize to will grow up to be some uber coder and fix the whole shebang. Just hope he/she's on a Mac. :)

If you've got a few MyCokeRewards codes from 12/24-packs of Coke products, send them in to HelpAKid.

Thanks. And remember to keep smiling.

Today's Lesson: Be Nice To Polish Cleaning Ladies

This is what being nice to the awesome Polish lady in my building gets you.
She musta been collecting these caps instead of cleaning, but I'm not ratting her out. I'll take a few dust bunnies floating around the halls like mini tumbleweeds if it keeps us in MyCokeRewards codes for weeks.

Are you kidding me?

So either my office has a serious caffeine addiction or the cleaning lady does. Either way the kids win, right?

I might have to stop asking for codes and let you guys use them to get prizes to send to charities like our currently planned recipient, Nick's Kids Fund. Craziness.

I'm hoping some of the good karma rubs off on the Crimson Tide this weekend as we go to Auburn to play in the Iron Bowl. It's been 5 straight L's for Bama. And Coach Saban could use a good game after the last two letdowns.

No solicitation of codes. Just thanks. And remember to keep smiling.

RTR!

Today's Lesson: Tenacity

"Never give up." That's what Winston Churchill said at a commencement address at Notre Dame University in 1946. And he supposedly sat down after saying it and was then asked by the University president if he'd like to elaborate on that. So he rose, walked to the podium, and said, "Never, NEVER give up." Awesome.

That's tenacity, baby.


The cat in this video has it. With complete disregard for logic, he keeps trying. He NEVER GIVES UP. And while he probably didn't get the doors fully cleaned, he tried, and that's what counts.

It's also why I won't give up trying to score MyCokeRewards codes, and then prizes from said promotion to give to needy kids, until Coke stops me. So, if you have MyCokeRewards codes from 12/24-packs &/or 20oz'ers of Coke, Powerade, Dasani, etc. products to donate, send them in to HelpAKid.

Thanks. And remember to keep smiling.

Today's Lesson: ToFunky

If you're ever offered ToFurkey (Tofu Turkey), just say no. Actually just run. Don't even bother answering. Just run away. It's THAT bad. Skip the too clever, punny name. And the fact that the gravy is the best part of the entire packaged "meal". And there's not nearly enough of it to make up for the rest of the "food". It's just horrible.

I tried Tofurkey this Sat and the rest of my weekend was almost shot. ToFurkey bumped saltless crackers up into the tasty snack category. It would make diet tonic water seem savory. I'll refrain from naming the brand thinking that if one could be this bad, the rest can't be much better.

It's hard even typing with thoughts of that blob in my head, but press on, they say. So, if you have MyCokeRewards codes from 12/24-packs &/or 20oz'ers of Coke products to donate, send them in to HelpAKid.

Thanks. And remember to keep smiling.

Today's Lesson: ROI (Return On Investment)

That's a key economic phrase that basically means you better be getting equal or greater value from the effort you're putting into something. Unfortunately for this DoYoCoCo project, the MyCokeRewards promotion's ROI is so bad it's almost backwards. What you're looking at is the prize we could, almost, currently collect (if we cashed in our almost 2500 points). Unless one of the kids Nick's Kids Fund is helping out, who we're in effect helping out, is an Ohio State University fan. And a really big one at that.

It's this kind of OK prize that led me to start this project. And to solicit support from you cats— mainly cuz I can't drink enough Diet Coke in one day to score up 10 caps/codes. I COULD drink that much, but I'd either be glued to the ceiling amped up on caffeine. That or I'd be in ICU withe an aspartame induced coronary. And that would kinda kill this whole thing. And that wouldn't be good for anybody but a funeral home.

Sooooo, if you've got codes from 12/24-packs &/or 20oz'ers of Coke products to donate, and help keep me from getting a coronary while helping out needy kids, send them in to HelpAKid and we'll give the prize(s) to some kid(s) in need.

Thanks. And remember to keep smiling.

Today's Lesson: Cool

Put your mind to anything for long enough and something cool will inevitably come out. Tesla was a crazy cool customer. Nicola, not the band, although they did a rocking show in Chicago that a friend took me to that was surprisingly semi-cool.

Of course, none of this is as cool as actually naming your kid "Cool" as Tom Hulce did in the movie "Parenthood", but I couldn't find that clip so all I can pass on is cool to the first degree.

Now if Coke would just give away a Tesla coil or two in the MyCokeRewards promotion, we could earn THAT prize and give it to the kids Nick's Kids Fund is helping. Until then, we have to go after regular stuff the kids might need/appreciate.

So, if you've got codes from 12/24-packs &/or 20oz'ers of Coke products to donate, don't squirrel them away in a drawer, but rather send them in to HelpAKid and we'll give the prize(s) to some kid(s) in need.

Thanks. And remember to keep smiling.

(via: see the subtitles, that should do.)

Today's Lesson: Mimicry

Somebody duped this poor squirrel into thinking he's found a buddy. Or maybe he's like most animals and all he sees is food (an acorn) sitting on top of a fluffy thing (fake squirrel). Either way, that cool hand isn't getting that nut. It's the dangling carrot in front of a donkey, only it's a nut and it's a squirrel. Either way, it's kinda funny.

No bad segue today, just that if you've got codes from 12/24-packs &/or 20oz'ers of Coke products to donate, don't squirrel them away in a drawer, but rather send them in to HelpAKid and we'll give the prize(s) to some kid(s) in need.

Thanks. And remember to keep smiling.

Today's Lesson: The power of numbers.

Today's point total is 2222, so in honor of that magically lucky arrangement of numbers, I give you the first movie clip that came to my head when I though of the number "2".

It's some of Keanu Reeves' finest work, as Johnny Utah, courtesy of Supporting Actor, and not yet bat crazy, Gary Busey in "Point Break." I'd include Patrick Swayze in here but I don't think he said anything cool and Zen in his role as Bodie, the surfer, robber guru.

Enjoy. Anybody who's a Crimson Tide fan out there, start putting out the good universe vibe for a solid game against LSU tomorrow. And if you're not a Roll Tide Alabaman, BUT do have MyCokeRewards codes from 12/24-packs &/or 20oz'er codes, send two, or more, of them to HelpAKid, to help out the needy kids Nick's Kids Fund supports.

Thanks. And remember to keep smiling.