Written on 28th January 2009
0 COMMENTS 
Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, Serial Internet Entrepreneur
The Blendtech “Will it Blend” video’s were considered THE viral internet entertainment hit of 2008. For 2009 we seem to have a new contender.
Going bigger, better and stronger the people at SSI, a manufacturer of industrial strength shredders are shredding pianos, bowling balls, shopping Carts, refrigerators, hard disk and, in an act of gadget cannibalism: another shredder!
And entertaining it is!
Shred that suckers!!!
Well, okay, that iPhoneG3 blend was kinda funny.
Here it is ONE more time:
What is your favorite Blend/Shred video?
Written on 9th December 2008
24 COMMENTS
Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, Serial Internet Entrepreneur
We just had lunch and it was horrid. Thousands of little delicious French high cuisine snacks spread on long tables guarded by the gnarliest security guys Paris had to offer. Hundreds of people stormed these tables to get their hands on the delicious, but tiny, little works of food-art. I recognized a small fish in one of them but most of the ‘pieces’ were tasty but undefinable bits of food.
Most people seemed to have missed breakfast (us included) and were desperate for something, anything, to eat. Unfortunately the guards had strict orders not to release any food to anyone, no matter what and by all means necessary. Armed with small fire arms I personally witnessed three Finish entrepreneur getting shot down while trying to steal a small loaf of bread 1.4 minutes before the buffet officially opened. Then, when they opened the gates and the guards stepped aside all hell broke loose. People were ripping out each others hair trying to get to the tables. Clothing got torn, nails were broken. There was blood everywhere. (See the photo that Ernst-Jan managed to take. I’m on the right with my shirt tucked over my head)
The long-winded last speaker, combined with no breakfast, limited Wi-Fi and the extreme cold had beaten all the humanity out of the attendees. Luckily I was able to pry some food out of the hands of a petite French women. She wouldn’t let go at first so I had to kick her a few times. I feel much better now.
Tomorrow we are bringing our own food. And baseball bats.
Written on 5th August 2008
4 COMMENTS
Robin Wauters, Next web enthusiast & Plugg organizer
New Era Interactive Media, a Thai video game distributor, froze sales of Grand Theft Auto after a teenage gamer confessed to robbing and murdering a taxi driver while trying to recreate a scene from the controversial game. The 18-year-old high school student is currently in custody, charged with robbing and stabbing to death the 54-year-old taxi driver, and faces the death penalty.
“We are sending out requests today to outlets and shops to pull the games off their shelves and we will replace them with other games,” Sakchai Chotikachinda, sales and marketing director of New Era Interactive Media, told Reuters.
Police said the gamer was an obsessive GTA fan who confessed to committing the crime because of the game and showed no sign of mental problems during questioning. He told police he did not mean to kill the driver, but that he stabbed him to death when he fought back, newspapers reported.
Grand Theft Auto has often been criticized for depicting violence including beatings, carjackings, drive-by shootings, drunk driving and prostitution.
According to the Reuters story, a multi-million dollar lawsuit was filed in the U.S. state of Alabama against the designers, marketers and a retailer of Grand Theft Auto in 2005, claiming that months of playing the game led a teenager to kill two police officers and a 911 dispatcher.
Personally, I think these are extremely isolated cases who do not prove that violence in video games incites violence in real life. I wonder if anyone has ever made any connections between recent bombings, beatings, animal abuse etc. and this Tom & Jerry clip. Have you, Jack Thompson?
Sure, there should be some control over the type and degree of violence that’s depicted in video games, but actually linking criminal behavior to the content of the game? That’s just a bridge too far in my humble opinion.
What’s your opinion?
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