🙏The Giving Wall, Electric Car Retrofit, and Digital Banking
Not a cashier in sight
Hey friends! Hope you’re doing fantastic this week.
My little son is starting to sleep a little bit better than last week haha.
Still . . .
Did you get a delicious taste of nostalgia this week with some Pepsi Blue?1 It’s just as good as it was in 2004 . . . or maybe you got a burger from Pepsi’s ghost restaurant Pep’s Place
On a random note, if you like B movies, Outpost is pretty darn fun. It’s a Nazi Zombie film with an interesting twist.
I do have one fun announcement today. If you’ve been with The Land of Random for a while - you may remember that I ran a Discord for a while. Well, I’m moving the party to Telegram. 😁
I use Telegram pretty heavily - and i’m auto-adding epic links as I’m finding them. Plus . . . I’d love to host some audio chats! Join at the link! I look forward to chatting with you.
Well, let’s get started, shall we?
🙏The Giving Wall
There’s a really awesome trend happening in tiny Oklahoma restaurants. Here’s the deal. You can prepay meals and put the receipts on the “Giving Wall” so people in need can have a hot meal.
Since early February, restaurants in the northeastern corner of Oklahoma — in towns like Miami, Grove and Vinita — encourage people who are short on cash to pick up a prepaid meal receipt and enjoy everything from three-egg omelets to chicken-fried steak, no tips expected, no questions asked. )(Source)
Isn’t that awesome? It all started with a FB comment.
Sandye Williams, an assistant manager at the Miami Walmart, said she remembered a story she had seen in 2019 about a restaurant in Arkansas where customers had bought meals in advance for those in need and posted the receipts on the wall for anyone to pick up. On Feb. 3, Williams tagged Dawg House restaurant owner Jennifer White in a post about the story, saying, “Look at this. I would pay for a meal once a week.”
“I loved the idea and thought I’d give it a try,” said White, 28. “I want people in my community to be fed whether they have money for a meal or not.”
When White posted a sign near the entrance inviting her customers to buy $10 meal receipts and post them on the cafe’s giving wall, word spread quickly in Miami, she said. (Source)
Since then, other restaurants have picked up on the idea - and it’s become a beautiful way for people to help others.
I purposely use the word “idea” here because I hope it’s more than a trend. Heck, I hope all restaurants implement this.
The best part about the “Giving Wall” is that it creates a visible way for people to make a difference for others. It’s very concrete in a way that giving $20 to a non profit doesn’t always satisfy. Yes - I know giving x amount of dollars to the non profit will help someone - but it would be awesome to know what and how. I wonder what other industries could benefit from an idea like this . . .
Check out the article at the Washington Post!
⚡Electric Car Retrofitting
Ok - so electric cars are here to stay. We’ve come a longggggg way since that first Tesla back in 2008.
Gas cars are losing the war - and it’s crazy to think about - but electric cars will probably outpace gas cars in the next decade or so.
But what about all the old cars?
That’s where Zero Labs Automotive comes in.
Custom built vintage electric vehicles. 🥰
I don’t know about you but the thought of a 1970 Landrover as an Electric Vehicle gives me warm and fuzzy feelings.
Obviously - this costs an arm, leg, and your first born child - but that’s because this stuff is cutting edge. I have no doubt that this will be so much more affordable in 10 years.
just like how a Model 3 Tesla is decently priced now.
I’m most excited about their custom offering - mainly because I’m still dreaming of an Electric Delorean.
You gotta check out their website. It’s full of beautiful pictures of restored electric vehicles.
💳Digital Banking
Did you know that the digital bank Simple was closed down this year???
I had no idea - I remember when Simple was the most popular “millennial” banking app around. Every cool 20 something had the “Simple” debit card.
The website is gone. :( However - if you need some nostalgia - go check out their instagram or the Wayback machine
Simple was the cool new kid on the block back in 2012 when it launched digital only banking. Heck - that was a pretty novel concept back then.
Now - it’s going more and more mainstream - like Chime, Ally Bank . . .
There’s two digital only banks that stand out to me against alll the others. Heck - it feels like everyone is trying to be a bank these days - but these two are awesome.
Monzo - This epic British bank is beginning to make inroads into the USA. Monzo has no fees, cool spending notifications, and the ability to create multiple accounts called “Pots.” Want to set aside money for a vacation? DO IT digitally. That’s pretty much unthinkable to your average bank haha.
Revolut - This is another British bank that’s making inroads in the USA - but it’s very high tech. From Crypto to “Vaults” (like the Monzo pots) this app has it all. You can even create junior accounts for your kids! There’s even metal cards available! However - that costs you about $16.99 a month. 😅 There is a free version though!
The Land of Random
Random Links Just For You!
The Ad Conundrum
To ad or not to ad? Whether tis nobler just to pay to use anything on the internet or to see endless ads? That is the question explored in this great article.
Chicken Wing Vending Machine
I really really want one
Forgotify
The sad sad world of unheard Spotify music. Forgotify is changing that, one song at a time!
Andy’s Cool Website
This Windows style site is very cool. Lots to explore! From Winamp to a MSN Messenger with strange conversations, I love this site.
Roy G Biv Musical Roulette
This interesting game lets you play Spotify musical roulette with your friends. You do have to login with Spotify to play though - if you’re comfortable with that.
Play with GPT-3
It’s hard to find a free way to play with the GPT-3 text generator these days, but you can with this Contentyze site! I have no idea how long this will work, so try it soon. Just head to the link, type in something, highlight the text, and click write.
Blokdust Synthesizer
This interesting shape-based synthesizer is wild! Build complex music with some really cool effects.
🎶TikToks You Can’t Miss
This Iguana is entertained
This is one of the most accurate things I’ve seen
NOOO. Don’t pick that up bro
I mean, I’d prefer to slide everywhere
I know the X’s and O’s are digital but this looks fun
I love the aesthetic but could I eat this?
Well, that’s all for this week. See you next time! :) If you loved this issue, share it with a friend or two!
I don’t drink much soda anymore but this may be my downfall.
Anddddd if you don’t know you need to watch “The Ritual” on Nextflix tonight