Odd Spots: A $92k emoji, robotaxi wars and the nonagenarian who has never had a day off work

As a SmartCompany regular you know we exist to serve Australian SMEs and entrepreneurs, so most of our coverage is focused within the borders of this fantastic continent.
Obviously weโre pretty obsessive about the world of business and work globally, bringing you news of relevant developments wherever possible.
Sadly we canโt cover everything, and in particular the quirky stuff often โ regretfully but necessarily โ gets put to one side while we focus on the news that matters most.
So instead, hereโs a wrap of all the fun stuff we spotted this week. And of course, if you spot funny/quirky/stuff weโd love you to share with us (email news@smartcompany.com.au).
If anyone reading has long memories, the name for this wrap is a nod to the classic odd spot that used to run on the front page of The Age, we think until sometime in the nineties.ย
Anyway, hereโs some things that tickled our fancy this weekโฆย
The most bullish sign yet that the Twitter-crushing Threads is going to work out?ย
Yes, really. Over the weekend TikTokers in Thailand started sharing a โreal cheeseburgerโ, just a bun and 20 slices of cheese. Amazing โ or horrific — depending on how much you like processed cheese โ this is not a joke, as Burger King Thailand confirmed on Facebook.
It really is… something.
Another day, another food launch. No visit to Ikea is complete without a $1 hot dog, butโฆ theyโre a bit basic right? So weโre very excited to try their new plant-based dog, made with rice protein, onion, apple, salt, pepper, and promising โa hint of smokinessโฆ to mimic the classic sausage flavours customers know and loveโ.ย
A Canadian farmer has been forced to pay for a breach of contract after using a thumbs-up emoji in a text to signal he had confirmed a contract to buy flax. The price rocketed from $25 to $61 a bushel by delivery and the farmer tried to claim the emoji didnโt agree acceptance of the contract. The judge disagreed. Time to rethink your emoji game!
Our favourite story this week comes via our production editor Mrinaal, who spotted that Visit Iceland has come up with the most original out-of-office response of all time, written by a horse!
A latter-day Monkey Wrench Gang has been causing chaos in San Francisco, disabling Waymo and Cruise robot taxis by placing traffic cones on their hoods. The Safe Street Rebels are trying to prevent driverless taxi drivers from taking over their streets. Taxi drivers in disguise we wonder?
How much does an internal Zoom call cost your company? As part of an ongoing drive to reduce unnecessary meetings, Shopifyโs calendar toolย averages compensation data across roles and disciplines, along with meet length and attendee count, to put a price tag on every meeting.ย
The beauty company came up with a smart interactive mascara marketing campaign involving giant lashesย and London tubes and buses that went off on TikTok. Only problem? The entire thing was created via CGI. Either way, it’s got everyone talking about Maybelline โ including us!
US intern Sophia Celentano went viral this week by sharing her en-route-to-the-office morning make-up routine. The twist? She commutes from Virginia to New Jersey because city rents are prohibitive. Certainly beats the early-morning Metro or Sydney Trains commute.
@sophiacelentano48 I spoke too soon yโall my flight home was cancelled tonight EWR is a MESS rn๐posting this en route to LGA bc we had to book another flight lol #fyp #foryou #summerinternship #supercommuter #marketingintern #summerintern
Our hero of the week is 90-year-old Melba Mebane โ who first started working at a Dillardโs in Texas in 1949 โ and apparently never missed a day of work. WOW.
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