I saw this adorable blouse, let’s call it Exhibit A:

Cute, huh? So according to the article I can find this retro little gem of a blouse at an online store called Unique Vintage. And we’re off like a prom dress. After a few clicks we find our way around the store—more on the UI later—we find the blouse. How exciting is that? The magazine is at least a month or two old and the blouse is still in the store. Don’t get too excited, this is where the database management (or lack thereof) rears its ugly head. Look at this:

Do you see what I see? It’s sold out. Huh? I can’t even type Huh? enough times on this page to capture the lameness of this retail experience. This is a signature Macy’s.com move, but at least Macys.com doesn’t let you add the item to your cart and complete your purchase of said non-existent item that will never be produced again.  Feel free to purchase it but just be aware that it will arrive in an invisible box and that it is constructed using only the finest quality organic air. And it comes with a refund to your credit card because it doesn’t exist.  So today’s Database Management tip of the day is: Remove products that no longer exist from your active database. And if you feel you must leave the item on the site maybe because it’s so pretty and it got a lot of press, how ’bout flagging it as unsaleable so we don’t have any of those pesky credits to process.

UPDATE: I received a really nice comment from Katie, the owner of Unique Vintage clothing. She has removed the really cute unavailable blouse from the site. And even though my heart’s true desire was for Unique Vintage to wave its sparkly fashion wand and produce a few dozen more of that coveted blouse, I guess I’ll just have to walk away with a lesson learned. If you love something, go after it with passion and determination. Ah so true on so many levels.  Like I mentioned in the post I totally understand leaving the item up for people to see, good press is hard to come by and it’s something to be proud of. Making it unsalable by not allowing it to be added to the cart just makes it easier for everyone and maybe putting it on the press page like some other stores do, instead of mixing it in with available inventory. The great thing about blogging, in my experience is that it opens lines of communication. Now let’s all get over to Unique Vintage and get our fashion on. If only Nordstrom was as responsive as Katie and could fix this website debacle of theirs.

If you’re in Southern California, you can visit the Unique Vintage flagship store at 2013. W Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 915062013. Grand opening September 6th 2008!

Three things we love:
1) Apple thought of just about everything (this one counts as more than 1)

2) It’s elegant and fun to use

3) Email is one click away

Three things we don’t love:

1) No songs as ring tones (yet?)

2) Number of clicks to make a call -(it takes a minimum of three taps)

3) Ok, there is no #3

Oh yeah, it’s confirmed, the long awaited permanent return of Banana Twinkies is here! Twinkies were originally released as banana cream filled, but due to banana shortages during World War II they were changed to their current vanilla-esque incarnation. The banana version was released periodically for special promotions but those days are gone. No more waiting around for some silly King Kong movie remake product tie in, the original Banana creme filled Twinkies are here to stay.  Yum!

Read on:

Hostess has reintroduced the flavor during limited-time promotions in the past, but always took the treat off the shelves when the promotion ended.

The company was finally persuaded to make the flavor part of its lineup for good after Hostess offered it for four weeks last year for the release of the movie King Kong. Total Twinkie sales jumped 20 percent during the promotion.

The flavor got high marks from Amanda Reid, 29, who was taking a break Tuesday in Manhattan. After taking a bite, she pronounced it “banana-y.”

You read that right, banana-y. Now if only they would make chocolate covered Twinkies with banana filling, our work here would be done.

Get a big delight in every bite:

Bust out your suspenders, Gordon Gecko is back! WSJ reports Michael Douglas will revive the role in the sequel to Wall Street. The working title is Money Never Sleeps. Studio execs say that the role of Bud Fox played by Charlie Sheen won’t return. Uh yeah, the only way Bud Fox could return would be if he wanted to die. Gecko would be out for blood! NYT

And now, we present Gordon Gecko’s Shopping List:

$40 Water BlingH20

$1,000 Ice Cream Sundae. Luxist

$250k Handbag for Darian. Lana Marks

$8,000,000 car. Mercedes Maybach

$138,000,000 Zillionaire home, sweet zillionaire home.

The original trailer for Wall Street. Damn, it still looks good. Watch for the GIGANTIC cell phone circa 1987!

These things are like a skateboards crossed with Segways. Sporting only two wheels (putting us way out of the game) the board is shaped like rowing oars in a figure 8, making it the ideal carving machine. And get this, instead of pushing yourself along with your foot, you lean back and forth to gain momentum. Don’t know about you but our leaning skills are off the charts. We’re talkin’ Olympic Gold Medal leaning going on here.

Here it is in all of its twist and tilt maximizing glory:

Note: We’ve shown the pink model. They come in all of the less cute colors too.

Watch some Wave Board skill havers in action:

The little dog that runs out at the end of the video needs to get back in his purse .

The Hydro scooter is a pogo-stick for the water. Its only power comes from the rider jumping on it which moves it along the water in a hopping motion. Kind of like a rabbit hopping along the lake but not a rabbit and maybe not even a lake. You can even ride this thing on ocean waves. Since it’s buoyant you’ll hop-glide along using the current to help propel you as you jump along waves. Fun stuff with a major cardio component. Now if only we could find one with a motor and a pint glass cup holder we would sooo one-click add to cart.

Hop on Pop

Montrose and his Bad Motor Scooter

Get your own Bad Water Scooter here.

If you call yourself a Nerd, and I think you do, you MUST shop here.

A few delightful samples for your viewing/garb grubbing pleasure.
Digg.

I’ll have the salad.

Wii like Paul MiiCartney the best.

Staff Miis

Heidi J. Nyburg

Get these useful pie hole shutting cards and other fabulous finds at Brooklyn based Rare Device.

The object of desire was actually this little guy:

Karen and Barb owned Lacasote everything, in every color. They strutted around campus in Lacoste Polo shirts most every day of the week. They wore them layered, collars up, in every shade of pink from carnation to palest pale. They even wrapped themselves in the preppy chill fighting staple, the Lacoste sweater draped loosely over the shoulders. That’ll fend off those pesky ivy leaves blowing around in the icy gale force winds of Sunny Silicon Valley.

While Karen and Barb were flaunting their uber hip logo we were hangin’ at the back of the fashion forward line in our Le Tigre and our JC Penny Fox adorned, non-pique floppy collared “polo” shirts.

JC Penny’s Fox

Le Tigre may be all the rage now but let it be known that back in the day that ferocious colored thread tiger was palpably less cool than his arch nemesis the Lacoste Gator. Ralph Lauren’s Polo pony rider was probably the only true competition for the gator. However Ralph Lauren’s Polo pony guy never quite held his shape. After being laundered he looked sad and a defeated, no match for the fierce and sturdy Lacoste Alligator.

Well look out world ’cause there’s a new alligator logo wearin’ beeotch in town.

Look what we got! For half price!

Get a gator here.

We’re gettin’ these next: