Over the last few weeks I've been playing a very cool new "game" called Akoha. I purposefully put "game" in quotes as it's really a cross between a trading card game, a social network, and a "pay it forward" good deed initiative. Once you're in the program (and they are accepting beta invite requests now, but it's super-limited) you can get an initial starter deck of missions that you begin to use with your friends. here's how:

Akoha cards come in a variety of different mission types, including "invite someone to coffee", "surprise someone with chocolate", "give a gift of a book" and "make someone smile". You can also create your own missions on the site. The more missions you fulfill, the more karma points you receive, and you can see your ranking against your friends to see who has the most karma. You can also track missions as they spread across the globe, and there's a charity angle too, with a community challenge that benefits Room to Read.

I probably didn't make that sound as interesting as it actually is, but luckily, you don't have to take my word for it, as I have five VIP starter packs to give away to YBNBY readers. As I say, this is a pretty exclusive project for now, and getting one of these packs is a guaranteed way in to the game at the start.

To win, all you need to do is leave a comment under this story as a registered user with the words "Akoha me, baby" somewhere in the text. That way, I'll have your email address and can notify you if you win. At the end of the week, I'll pick five winners at random. Please only enter if you're interested in actually playing the game.

Of course, everyone who wins a pack will also be getting me karma points, so it's a win-win situation. Instant Karma, you know it's gonna get you.

I'm getting excited for my LA trip this week. Though, I am a bit nervous as I've asked Lindsey to look after my cat while I'm away. Let's hope she doesn't pull the same crap I pulled on her. Aside from the In-N-Out Burgers, which I'll be eating in record amount, I'm more excited that I'll be attending an exclusive event. The type of soiree that you can't just walk into and expect a free drink. This is a shindig where they want to cater to only the finest individuals our fair planet has to offer. Luckily, I am that type of person and received an invite care of the beautiful people at Proximity by AXE.

Why am I telling you all of this? One, to gloat. Two, because I guarantee there will be some great stories from out there and I promise to deliver. And three, with nothing else to do, I just may stay out there.

Question for the day. I was reading the terrible story of the mother who left her baby in the car during a hot summers day because she was so overwhelmed with other things she had to do, and the baby died of heatstroke. It's a tragic story, and I can only imagine what this poor women will have to live with for the rest of her life. I have four children, and part of me thinks "there, but for the grace of God, goes I". When I'm out with the kids, leaving one behind somewhere is a particularly obsessive fear that I know I share with my wife, and probably millions of other parents.

And I got to thinking - my car beeps to tell me when I don't have my seatbelt on, and it beeps to tell me I forgot to turn the lights off. Why the hell can't it sense when the latches on a baby seat are still fastened and beep to warn me that too? Is it really that simple to save a life, and if so, why haven't I ever read that suggestion before?

I was alerted to the existence of Beef Bacon by regular commenter Bigus Dickus. who tells me:

Amazingly it smells like bacon when cooking and is salty like bacon but has a texture of beef and thus not as chewy as pork bacon. They said you can find it in the bacon area of the cold foods

I'd seen Turkey Bacon in my local store (which I pretty much ruled out as a terrible idea) but - Beef Bacon? That's a hard one. For the purist, bacon is bacon, and the only choice should come down to which cut, and how it's smoked. Anything other than pork seems wrong. But.... you know, beef is kind of the other pork, the dark pork. bacon and beef go together, whether its deep fried bacon at Peter Luger's as an appetizer, or good old bacon on my cheeseburger, or bacon wrapped filets or.. well, you get the picture.

I've been unable to find anywhere locally that sells it, and nowhere online either. There's a review here, but otherwise, I'm keen to find out how it tastes. Beef-bacon wrapped filet sounds like it could be worth exploring!

The two Victoria's Secret stores in White Plains, NY have a little problem. There have been 12 bra heists this year. In the latest, two men were recorded on videotape taking 231 bras valued at $11,048. Let's do the math. That's an average of $47.83 per bra. Now, you may think that's a lot of money for something you just want to take off anyway, but it's not out of line for a quality undergarment, especially if it makes you look better. Personally, I'm a Wonderbra fan, but they are just as expensive. And available in more stores. But back to Victoria's Secret: this is the kind of statement a business owner really doesn't want quoted in the paper:

This is an ongoing problem for us,'' an exasperated Deputy Public Safety Commissioner Daniel Jackson said after Wednesday's bra heist - the 12th at the two Victoria's Secret stores in the city this year.

"We've met a number of times with both store managers and corporate loss-prevention representatives and made suggestions as to how they can reduce their vulnerability. Apparently, they've made a corporate decision not to implement any of our suggestions," Jackson said.

Kind of unfortunate timing for the announcement that Victoria's Secret has a bra worth -get this- £3million. This about $6 million US. Is it any wonder people want to make off with them?

I hate the blacks. The black licorice pieces mixed in with my candy. Suddenly, whilst enjoying the fruit spectrum of Jujy Fruits mid-Sex and the City Movie, you bite down on a licorice flavored piece of hell that releases a toxin in your mouth and ruins not only the rest of the candy, but the sexual exploits of Carrie & Co. Black licorice should be banned from all boxes of candy everywhere. The good folks at Good 'n Plenty figured out that segregation was the key. We'll give you one box full of licorice flavored pieces and a separate box filled with the more enjoyable kind and call it Good 'n Fruity. And this was good. No cross-pollination would occur with this set-up. You could safely be in a movie theater without fear that you'd be assaulted by flavor.

And then, suddenly and without warning, they got rid of Good 'n Fruity all together. At what point did they vote and say, "Let's keep the horrible-ness that is Good 'n Plenty, but get rid of Good 'n Fruity in all its splendor?"

There's speculation that Good 'n Fruity may return, though in the form of tiny jelly beans. And that's a shame, as America will have lost out on a true original.

Well, you get the idea.

(via Arbroath)

Zombies invaded Union Square in New York City on Friday. Strangely, they resemble students from the School of Visual Arts. Brains or no, zombies know how to party!