Recession 101: Stay Upbeat
Messages meant to inspire Americans downtrodden over the current recession are popping up all across the United States. The "Recession 101" billboards, made to look like notebook paper, say things like, "Recession 101: It's a test, not a final."

It wouldn't be a stretch to say it's been hard for pretty much everyone to cope with the difficult realities of today's economy. But no matter how much the current recession has dampened our spirits, it's hard not to smile at reminders such as, "Self worth beats net worth."

Here are a few of the messages, which the Associated Press reports are from the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), with donated billboard space and a private anonymous donor who paid for the campaign's design.

"Recession 101: Chill. (Hysteria feeds recessions.)"

"Recession 101: Bill Gates started Microsoft in a recession."

"Recession 101:This will end long before those who caused it are paroled."

"Recession 101: Interesting fact about recessions. . .they end."

"The campaign is about America and resiliency," according to the OAAA. "The recession has hurt one of America's greatest attributes — its unshakable optimism. Recession 101 is a lighthearted and succinct reminder to everyone that the nation will get through these troubled times and come out in the end."

All images via Recession101Campaign at Picasa

Bizarre Brand Extensions
Mental Floss (via the Wall Street Journal) recently listed some unexpected brand extensions that really didn't work. Among them were Cheetos lip balm and Colgate kitchen entrees.

IMT's personal favorite, though, were NASCAR romance novels.

Writes Mario Marsicano:

Speed Bumps, In the Groove, Hearts Under Caution — they should sell millions of copies based on the titles alone. It was November of 2005 when NASCAR signed a licensing deal with Harlequin Enterprises to put out a series of romance novels. The racing organization was growing their female fan base, and romance novels seemed like a good way to continue the trend. The books are still being sold today, so it seems like this brand extension has been fairly successful. And the pit crews always did need something to do while the drivers are on the track, so I guess it makes sense.

These books are actually selling out.

What's Going On Here?
Please explain.

Source: Interesting Mail Forwards

PowerPoint Presentation's Wow Factor a Success
In mid July, sources at Cobalt Media confirmed that the wow factor — "an intangible set of viscerally pleasing features that instill onlookers with a feeling of exhilaration and intense interest" — was a success in the PowerPoint presentation titled "New Ideas for Integrating Social Media into Product Marketing."

One media source reports:

Members of the group told reporters that, prior to the wow factor's insertion, the presentation was lacking in both sizzle and pop. These necessary dynamics, along with punch, were integrated by adding more than 30 "flip left" slide transitions, replacing basic blue backgrounds with a more colorful aurora borealis template, and inserting an audio element featuring the Smash Mouth song "Walkin' On The Sun." During an 11th-hour meeting about how to push the wow factor even further, the 12-person presentation team also made the breakthrough decision to replace normal bullet points with miniature Cobalt company logos.

Before the wow factor was included, the presentation was 30 seconds long. The company has a history of wow-factor-packed speeches.

Source: The Onion

Carve Steel with Salt Water, Electricity and an Earring
Boing Boing Video teamed up with Mad Science author Theo Gray and Popsci.com to demonstrate how to mold steel with electrochemical machining, using a soft, cheap piece of tin — without any physical contact:

Cheers.