SEPTEMBER 4, 2000

Full News Archive

• Headline: Big Brother Contestant Exit Incentive. Impact: When Big Brother decided to pay contestants to quit, it inadvertently inspired future reality shows to up the ante with increasingly bizarre twists. Imagine the chaos if contestants started getting paid to fight each other. Welcome to the future of 'Survivor: Gladiator Edition'.. Fact: Did you know that if the Big Brother house were a real place, it would probably be a prime location for a government surveillance program? Talk about living in a glass house!.
• Headline: Microsoft's Game Plan; Xbox to Go Head to Head With Sony. Impact: Microsoft's Xbox entering the gaming arena created a rift so profound that it led to lifelong rivalries between gamers, some of whom still refuse to acknowledge the existence of PlayStation. This rivalry has now spilled over into real-life friendships, or lack thereof.. Fact: Did you know that the original Xbox was known for being so bulky it could double as a coffee table? You could literally game and place your drink right on it... if you dared to damage that precious console!.
• Headline: A Skid Row Turned SoHo In Downtown New Orleans; Arts Projects (and the Failure Of a World's Fair) Revitalize Warehouses on the Mississippi. Impact: The transformation of a downtrodden area into a cultural hub is like a real-life fairy tale, except the fairy godmother is a hipster with a paintbrush and a penchant for artisanal coffee. This trend eventually led to gentrification, where the original residents can no longer afford their own neighborhoods.. Fact: Did you know that New Orleans' artsy makeover was so successful that even the ghosts of jazz legends are probably rolling their eyes at the new condo residents? Talk about a hauntingly high rent!.