“To kids today, the Internet is what rock ‘n’ roll was to another generation and TV was to the one before that and swing dancing was to the one before that,” Paul Boutin, contributing editor for Wired magazine, said in a FoxNews article, “Evangelism Catches Up with the Times”.

Somehow the image of sitting in front of a computer late at night, surfing across sites or pondering the next expansion of my own web site seems strantely akin to a kid cradling a guitar and creating some noise.

We bought 4 20-ounce Pepsi’s at Target last night, and I checked the two remaining unopened pops, and sure enough, the low-tech hack works. Both were losers (making me pretty sure someone picked over Target — that would be 0 for 4).

All of which makes me ponder the merits of this giveaway. Let’s compare:

A) I buy three 20-ounce Pepsis for a total of $2.97 (assuming $0.99 each, which is rare).

Total Pepsi: 60 ounces
iTunes Songs: 1 (assuming an average of 1 out of 3 wins)
Cost: $2.97

B) I buy one 2-liter of Pepsi for a total of $1.19.

Total Pepsi: 67 ounces
iTunes Songs: 1 @ $0.99
Cost: $2.18

It seems option B is significantly cheaper and you get more Pepsi. You almost save enough to buy another song (of course it’s enough at Wal-Mart).

Of course the low-tech hack changes things:

A) Buy three 20-ouncers again, this time checking them for winners.

Total Pepsi: 60 ounces
iTunes Songs: 3
Cost: $2.97

B) Buy that 2-liter and pick up three songs for comparison’s sake.

Total Pepsi: 67 ounces
iTunes Songs: 3 @ $0.99
Cost: $4.16

Here the cheaters prosper, saving enough to buy another Pepsi (and a fourth free song). Even if you assumed a 20-ounce cost of $1.09, which is more common, it’s $3.27 for the cheaters, still cheaper than the 2-liter route.

All of which makes me wonder. The Pepsi/iTunes Giveaway works best if I cheat, otherwise I’m better off paying for my music. But is it really cheating to exploit an oversite in packaging? I’m not opening the product, I’m not damaging it anyway. It’s not like I’m opening Pepsis and stealing the winning bottle caps. While some store clerks would certainly stop you, there’s plenty of places where you could sneak a peek at the cap. It’s kind of like holding your Christmas presents up to the light to see if you can see through the package. You’re not technically opening your present.

It’s a moral quandry. Perhaps I should opt out and use Kazaa.

Just kidding. Maybe I should just stop drinking so much pop and spend my money on iTunes then. And thus I’ve caught on to their little game. It works pretty well, doesn’t it?

It seems there’s a low-tech way to hack the Pepsi/iTunes Giveaway simply by trying to peer under the cap.

I considered doing this in the store tonight (before spotting the article) and realized at the time that if I could figure out the visual difference between a winner and a loser, I could pick the right one every time. Apparently someone decided to verify my hunch. I couldn’t help but wondering if the Pepsi’s at Target had already been rifled through — several rows of 20-ouncers looked out of whack.

At any rate, I’m 2 for 9 in the whole Pepsi/iTunes Giveaway, which means I’m losing against the advertised 1 for 3 ratio, and I drink too much over-priced 20-ounce pop.

And the eBay continues. For those wondering, the lip balm is getting bids (well, at least one bid). And I’ve added the glory of glories when it comes to Tick items. I’m even going for broke with a Thomas Kinkade. I’ve got 54 auctions going right now. Yikes. I don’t even know what to say to that.

Today Apple announced a 100 million free song giveaway with Pepsi. All the details haven’t been released yet (wait for Sunday’s Super Bowl ad), but they do give the odds — 1 in 3 wins. Not too shabby. Digital music rocks.

But I mainly wanted to mention it because I thought the graphic on Apple’s homepage was freaking cool. It’s hard to be eye-catching on the web today, but I think all those Pepsi bottles does it pretty nicely.

I know my other eBay auctions may not have been your cup of tea, or they simply sold too quickly, but now I have the auction you can’t ignore:

The Tick Lip Balm.

How can you possibly do the two-lipped butterfly with chapped lips! C’mon, man, protect those puckerers! OK, it’s from 1995, so you probably don’t want to use it, but how keen would a tube of Tick balm sitting on your desk be? You’ll be the envy of the office.

Lately I’ve been eBaying my way towards a new computer, and it’s working pretty well. Today I sold the remains of my G.I. Joe collection, as well as the risque adult postcards I found hidden between the joists in my garage. If you’re interested, the collection of ex-Billy Graham library books is still available, including some retro classics.

You know it’s bad when you’re trying to sell lemonade and cola on eBay.

The selling of my childhood on eBay has begun. Well, I suppose it began several years ago when I liquidated my G.I. Joe collection. Now I guess I’m selling my pre-teen and teen collectible phase.

Get ’em while they’re hot, decade-old NASCAR collectibles! Wahoo.
(all proceeds go towards a computer that doesn’t suck)