Get Cynical

For the past ten years, I have been collecting records from Brazil. My purpose for building this sight was pretty simple, I wanted to make a site that I wished somebody else would have built before I started collecting. I wanted to post some empirical information without opinion or commentary and to share some of the music that I thought was worth collecting. I chose to arrange the galleries by label and catalog number because, like all collectors, I’m a little compulsive about it, but also because I found collecting by label to be the most reliable way of discovering new artists and growing my collection.

A Hamburger Today is a group weblog about America’s favorite lunchtime sandwich, the hamburger.

Digitized from a 1984 VHS tape. This is one of the famous Coffee Achievers tv spots, meant to encourage people to DRINK COFFEE. You can see how we here in the 21st Century have to laugh ourselves senseless at the idea that paid ads were necessary, and not even for a particular brand of coffee, just the product in general. Appearing in this ad: David Bowie (Jay Leno in 1985: “Come on! To David Bowie, a cup of coffee is merely a sedative at this point.”), Kenny Anderson, Kurt Vonnegut, Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson of the band Heart, and Cicely Tyson.

The classical prisoner’s dilemma (PD) is as follows:

Two suspects, A and B, are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction, and, having separated both prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal: if one testifies for the prosecution against the other and the other remains silent, the betrayer goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence. If both stay silent, the police can sentence both prisoners to only six months in jail for a minor charge. If each betrays the other, each will receive a two-year sentence. Each prisoner must make the choice of whether to betray the other or to remain silent. However, neither prisoner knows for sure what choice the other prisoner will make. So the question this dilemma poses is: What will happen? How will the prisoners act?

The classical prisoner’s dilemma (PD) is as follows:

Two suspects, A and B, are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction, and, having separated both prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal: if one testifies for the prosecution against the other and the other remains silent, the betrayer goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence. If both stay silent, the police can sentence both prisoners to only six months in jail for a minor charge. If each betrays the other, each will receive a two-year sentence. Each prisoner must make the choice of whether to betray the other or to remain silent. However, neither prisoner knows for sure what choice the other prisoner will make. So the question this dilemma poses is: What will happen? How will the prisoners act?

2) Before you talk to a salesperson, go look at cars on a day when the dealership is closed. Visit all of the dealers in the local area and jot down prices and features. If you have a digital camera take a close up of the options on the window sticker. This way you will know exactly what options a vehicle has when compared to another.

4) Visit the dealership late in the month. Depending on the state the dealership is in the dealer may have to pay a monthly floor tax on all vehicles on the lot at the beginning of the month. Sales managers are always game to move one more car at the end of the month. Plus, dealers (and salespeople) get incentives for the number of vehicles sold. We’ve all seen dealers proudly proclaim, ”We’re the highest volume dealer in the tri-state area!” There is more than bragging rights at stake for volume sellers.

2) Before you talk to a salesperson, go look at cars on a day when the dealership is closed. Visit all of the dealers in the local area and jot down prices and features. If you have a digital camera take a close up of the options on the window sticker. This way you will know exactly what options a vehicle has when compared to another.

4) Visit the dealership late in the month. Depending on the state the dealership is in the dealer may have to pay a monthly floor tax on all vehicles on the lot at the beginning of the month. Sales managers are always game to move one more car at the end of the month. Plus, dealers (and salespeople) get incentives for the number of vehicles sold. We’ve all seen dealers proudly proclaim, ”We’re the highest volume dealer in the tri-state area!” There is more than bragging rights at stake for volume sellers.