LSU Gameday

During the LSU game this year, a huge fight broke out in the student section between an LSU fan and a Bama student. Unfortunately, it was during the half time show while they were honoring the troops and veterans. The whole stadium was looking at the student section while it was going on.

What exactly *is* Crimson Safari? How can I participate? This video answers some of these deep questions of life.

Tuscaloosa Package Crisis

Recently, or maybe this has been going on longer, there has been an epidemic of package stealing in the city of Tuscaloosa. People on my street have been finding their packages torn up in their yards or their mail/packages stolen from straight from their front steps and/or out of their mailbox. The disappointed residents of Parkview Dr. seem to blame Central High School students or other residents nearby. Residents have video footage from a few different houses, but we are now aware some property owners apparently do not even have them on. In one instance, there was a video found of people with ski masks on stealing mail at 6am straight from a mailbox. They have found an opportunity and have completely taken advantage of the fact that they assume we are naive college students who order very interesting things. The police will not do anything about it and sadly, it has affected a large portion of the city. So to take matters into our own hands we have used our resources and have informed both delivery services, FedEx and UPS and they are aware and have intentionally done their best to hide and protect our precious packages. But unfortunately, we will never find my roommate's homemade cookies her grandma sent her.

Price gouging during LSU weekend?

The Scene: Tuscaloosa, Alabama Innisfree Bar. On Friday and Saturday Innisfree charged a 60-dollar cover for entrance. This so happened to be the weekend of the LSU(#2) Alabama(#3) matchup. This was a big weekend and poor college students travel from all over the country to watch people run into each other with a ball. These naive poor inebriated college students stumble to bars around Tuscaloosa only to be victims of price gauging. The google definition for price gouging is as followed "Price gouging is a term referring to when a seller spikes the prices of goods, services or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair, and is considered exploitative, potentially to an unethical extent.". This seems to fit perfectly with what they are doing. This may be looked at with a blind eye if the Tide were to have won but since they lost for the first time in my 4 years here at home you would think the bars after making millions off of college students and their parents money that they would have some sympathy and lower prices for students looking to drown their sorrows with alcohol, BUT NO! The price stayed 60 even after the loss on Saturday this barbaric business scheme is kicking a college student while they are down (ok boomer). Besides that, who cares its college, money will not stop me from acquiring the smooth flow of a long neck brewski with the bros. Soon I will be the one swindling college students for their parents’ money when I am working. I will become what I despised.  I see an oppurtunity to open a bar that gives patrons 20 dollars in bar credit to purchase drinks on the nights Alabama loses. This will build brand loyalty and from the business should not take that much of a hit since Alabama does not lose often. The bar will have special drinks associated with iconic plays from Alabama football history. 

This blogspot was originally intended as an ongoing assignment for MGT 387 students to post observations about life on UA campus and in Tuscaloosa. For this coming game day weekend, I want you to engage in a Crimson Safari where you identify odd, interesting, perplexing, whatever situations that are worthy of further consideration or could present untapped opportunities. In particular, I want you to emphasize a new way of looking at something that we generally accept as the ordinary or mundane to frame it in a new light.

For example, I have a post where I saw a repeat parking offender who had been booted; what if that parking offender could pay her parking fine, get un-booted, and receive a 40-ounce "boot" glass of beer at the point of payment? I'd feel better about squaring up with the law peeps.

YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT
Starting RIGHT NOW and through game day weekend, use your insightful mind and camera to capture events, actions, transactions, moments and post them HERE to Crimson Safari. Add one sentence to describe what is happening. Consider also adding a sentence where you describe how this situation is an opportunity or missed opportunity to create joy or value for someone. You have authoring and posting privileges, so take the picture and post the post. Give yourself credit for your insightful eye and mind and yell randomly, "Roll Tide!"

Did you just get booted? What if that bad-news boot came with a good-news boot?

The scene: North ten hoor parking deck, Thursday afternoon, June 14. The owner of this car is a notorious parking offender and his/her car is now double-booted. Bad news....👮

But wait? What if that bad-news boot came with a good-news boot? Can't drive your car? NOW would be a good time for that good-news boot. Let's' just imagine that yellow notice on the driver's window is a coupon for a free 40-ouncer.
Associative thinking, people!

Selective lighting to get you to notice the mundane in a new way

This is the McDonald's near Publix on McFarland Road in Northport. The clouds had parted just enough to let out a brilliant flash of light that illuminated the Golden Arches, almost like a beacon was shining on them to guide hungry people.

Now imagine you are on your own Crimson Safari and the sunlight suddenly shines intensely on (mundane thing you normally pass by). Except someone is controlling the light to help you notice it. Or maybe the light is working in conjunction with your Apple or Google Maps. As you are approaching your destination, a bright light shines on it to show you the way. A new feature available only for iPhone 11s.

(BTW I didn't go to McD's)

Marker Caddy

Have you ever wanted to use a marker on the white board during class and couldn't find one? I have! That's why I'm introducing a product that serves up markers just like your caddy serves up your golf clubs. Did I say Caddy? Oh, yes. Yes I did. Someone had to design this product, create that great looking label, sell it, and even provide instructions on how to get the markers out (pull marker).

What other things in classrooms could benefit from the marker caddy innovation? Post replies with explanations.

Meanwhile, the domain markercaddy.com is available if you want to carry the torch and mission for safeguarding our whiteboard markers!

Professor Armstrong's first summer 2018 Crimson Safari Post - Beat Everyone!!!!

Here's my first Crimson Safari entry for Summer 2018.

Went into the u of Alabama bookstore looking for a “Beat Everyone” button (high utility!). Was told they don’t carry them because the store’s buyer thinks it’s too violent of a message 🤔 It's TACKLE football, right?

What ELSE are they not carrying in the Supe store to satisfy our gameday needs? (Remember my quiet obsession with nonconsumption...)

ENTREPRENEURS AS THEORISTS: ON THE ORIGINS OF COLLECTIVE BELIEFS AND NOVEL STRATEGIES

Article by Felin and Zenger on Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal available here. Not required reading, but an excellent overview of the process by which entrepreneurs shape beliefs about opportunities. So why wouldn't you read it?