FIFTH PEARL BUILDING
207 E. 5TH ST.
484-4065
LOUNGE 345-2832
DINNER 5:30-10 T-S
A Refreshingly Unique Restaurant...
014853
Monday
weekly
specials
excluding holiday/ and Hull Center event/
MgBdai Ninht Foattall
Big Screen Sony TV/ • 11 am to doze
Tuesday
larger B Brew
5pm to 10 pm
Wednesday
Sat+Sun
Appetizer/ S2.50 • 4 pm
to 10 pm in lounge
BreeUaat
Start/ at 8 am
55 W &H,. Eugene, OR • (541) 485-2961
“Ambushed:
A War Reporter’s
Life on the Line"
Author
Ian Stewart
University of Oregon
Knight Library
Browsing Room
Tuesday, November 12
7:00 p.m. • Free
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
BOOKSTORE
“AMBUSHED is a well-told tribute to those brave men and women who in the face of
such risks dedicate their lives to the pursuit of truth, sometimes at the cost of their lives.
More information on author events online at uobookstore.com
Web site urges recipients
to send in junk AOL CDs
Sarah Pitcock
Independent Florida Alligator (U. Florida)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (U-WIRE) —
You’ve got mail, and not just the
electronic kind.
It’s in your mailbox, magazines,
at the movies and parties. But who
knows what to do with all those un
wanted America Online startup
discs?
Jim McKenna and John Lieber
man, founders of www.nomoreaol
cds.com, say they have the answer:
Send them back.
In an effort to get AOL to stop
sending the CDs, the two men start
ed the Web site asking people to
send the discs to them.
Once they have collected one
million discs, they say they will
drive them to AOL’s headquarters
and dump them at the Internet gi
ant’s front door.
“Don’t throw them away or get
mad, send 'em to us and we’ll all
end this wasteful practice while
sharing a laugh or two,” the Web
site stated.
Lieberman said in an e-mail that
he and McKenna decided to start
the campaign after they went out to
rent a movie one night and the
video store put a CD in the bag with
their rental. Then when they got to
Lieberman’s house, there was an
other disc waiting in the mailbox.
“That was the straw that broke
the camel’s back,” Lieberman said.
“We said, ‘Somebody ought to do
something about this,’ and that was
the start.”
So far, the Web site has brought
in about 80,000 CDs from all
around the world. Lieberman said
there’s not a person alive with a
mailing address who hasn’t gotten a
couple of AOL CDs.
“AOL certainly hasn’t limited
their marketing to this country,” he
said. “We have heard from folks all
over the world who have been frus
trated by what AOL is doing and
were looking for a way to put a stop
to it.”
Besides the annoyance of receiv
ing multiple CDs, Lieberman and
McKenna also are concerned about
the environmental consequences of
these “destined for landfill” discs,
they said.
University of Florida marketing
junior Jenn Bloom said she agrees
with Lieberman and McKenna.
“I think the worst part about the
free software is all the trash it gen
erates,” Bloom said. “Whether or
not the CDs are serving their in
tended purpose, this campaign just
seems like overkill.”
AOL is not the only company
that sends out free CDs to entice
potential customers, but with 35
million subscribers worldwide, they
use the tactic most frequently.
University of Florida marketing
professor Richard Lutz says there’s
no way to tell if AOL is sending out
the CDs because the strategy is work
ing or if it’s just out of desperation.
“They’re in some serious trou
ble,” Lutz said.
He said the basic idea behind free
software is making it readily avail
able to consumers. If they have the
software right in front of them,
maybe they will try it out, he said.
“AOL is taking advantage of iner
tia,” Lutz said. “After people use
their 40 free hours and it’s time to
start paying, many will leave it on
their computer just because it’s al
ready there and they have every
thing set up,” he said.
While some people use the CDs
for their intended purpose — in
stalling AOL software — the Web
site showcases some more creative
uses that visitors have con
tributed. There’s a snapshot of a
room wallpapered with the CDs
and another of a dog with a disc
clenched in its jaw.
“I think one of the best so far was
the AOL CD that was sent to us by
someone who was laid off from
AOL,” Lieberman said. “They gave
everyone a CD in their severance
package,” he said.
Lieberman said that it is hard to
say exactly when they will get one
million CDs, but that they are com
ing in faster and faster after a recent
CNN story about the campaign
aired and the resulting publicity.
“When we started, it took two
weeks to get the first two, another
two weeks for the first 100 and so
on,” he said. “It’s been about 15
months now, and we are
growing fast.”
Ask Nat
continued from page 5
stick with theater on your own dol
lar. Decide if the acting is worth
taking out loans and paying them
off for the rest of your life. On your
own funds, you can do anything
you please. If this is a true, passion
ate, lifelong dream of yours, I say go
for it. Just be prepared to handle
any rejections or hardships you
might encounter in the difficult
world of theater.
Good luck to you. Be sure to give
your parents front row tickets to
your first Broadway debut. They’ll
be thrilled, since all they’re expect
ing is a free meal at a restaurant.
Dear Nat: What do I do when I
start laughing and can’t stop in
the middle of a class lecture? It’s
so embarrassing!
— Got the Giggles
Dear Giggles: You have three
options.
1. Start coughing or blow your
nose. Holding your nose actually
forces you to stop laughing.
2. Sit near the aisle so you can
quickly escape to the hallway when
the attack hits.
3. Go with it! At least everyone
in class will think you’re a happy
person.
Contact the columnist at
natashachilingerian@dailyemerald.com.
Her views do not necessarily represent
those of the Emerald. Send questions to
advice@dailyemerald.com.
Pinball
continued from page 5
miniature, plastic glory — will trem
ble and flash until the towers fall
over, signaling the ball’s destruction
of the
building. I also found “Medieval
Madness” the easiest to play.
“Monopoly” has the most an
noying music of all the machines.
And the bonuses were no more ex
citing than “free parking.”
The other two machines are
“Junkyard” and “Star Wars:
Episode One.”
A less obvious place to spend
your quarters is Carl’s Jr. at 686 E.
Broadway, where the aroma of
french fry grease permeates the
air, adding to the seedy arcade at
mosphere necessary for cheap
game play.
Carl’s Jr. also has the “Star Wars:
Episode One” game. “Star Wars”
proved to be even more disap
pointing than “Monopoly,” due to
the fact that the playfield includes
a television screen that shows clips
from the movie every time a ball
goes out of play. Even the “Force”
couldn’t save this game from being
a total bore.
Thankfully, a “Rocky and Bullwin
kle” game can also be found at the
fast food restaurant. This game has so
much kitsch it makes up for the dis
mal “Star Wars.” “Rocky and Bullwin
kle” also offers multi-ball play. The
playfield and backglass designs are
great, and one play is only 25 cents.
My favorite location for pinball is
the 7-Eleven on the comer of East
13th Avenue and Alder Street. What
goes better with a couple games of
“Tales of the Arabian Nights” than a
Slurpee? Plus, while waiting for your
friends to finish their games, you can
check out the wide selection of maga
zines or mingle with shoppers.
This location also has two ma
chines — “X-Files” and “Arabian
Nights.” “X-Files,” which is current
ly out of order, features giant pic
tures of FBI Agents Fox Mulder and
Dana Scully, as well as a fetus-like
creature in a plastic container.
Out of all the machines in the Uni
versity area, “Arabian Nights,” with
its jackpot genie and harem bonus, is
the most fun to play. The game has
lots of spiraling chutes to send the ball
racing through, as well as a genie
lamp that glows and racks up points
after being spun.
With all the flashing lights and ring
ing bells, it’s easy to forget about class
altogether. Just don’t become so mes
merized you spend all your laundry
money trying to earn enough points
for extra ball play.
Contact the Pulse reporter at
helenschumacher@dailyemerald.com.