Keep Your Eye Out For The Brown M&M's

A recent Fast Company Magazine article pointed out some different ways that people are looking at data for tell-tale signs of what the future may hold. For instance, Johns Hopkins University researchers took a look at the attendance patterns and grade patterns of students who had dropped out of high school and found that students who missed more than one out of every five days of class, or students who had failed either an English or math class were most likely to not finish high school. 78% of those missing one out of five days, and 75% of those who had failed either an English or math class were destined to drop out. By knowing this pattern, educators can begin to identify troubled students earlier and, perhaps, turn that student around before it is too late.

Credit card companies are now spending a good deal of money ensuring that they are able to track your "normal" spending patters because it helps them identify when someone is using your card, perhaps, even before you come to the realization that it has been lost or stolen.

The article also pointed out that data that can foretell the future doesn't have to be high tech, and in some cases, doesn't even have to be numerical. As the magazine points out, consider how Van Halen would determine whether or not their equipment had been set up properly during their 1980s-era heyday concerts...brown M&M's. Due to the large amount of equipment and minute details that were required to put on one of these extremely large, extremely costly, and potentially extremely profitable concerts, the band needed to ensure that their set-up instructions had been followed precisely by the venue. How did the band know whether they were good to go, or whether they needed to quickly avoid show disasters by having all of their equipment (nine full-size truck trailers worth, by the way) re-checked? According to David Lee Roth, all he had to do was look at the bowl of M&M's in the dressing room and see whether or not it had brown M&M's in it.

The contract between the band and the concert venues was often so large that required steps were often missed or skipped due to time constraints, so in order to give themselves a clear view of whether or not these instructions were followed properly, the band inserted what they called "Article 126," which read, "There will be no brown M&M's in the backstage area, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation." So, if David Lee Roth didn't see brown M&M's, the band was confident the contract had been read and followed, but if he saw brown M&M's in the bowl, that meant it was time to yell at some venue reps because chances were, the band's equipment had not been set up properly.

Some Snacking Milestones

Doughnuts without holes existed in medieval Europe, but it is said that in 1847 a Maine sea captain by the name of Hanson Crockett poked out the pastry’s center to fit over the handles of a ship’s wheel, thus giving us the doughnut as it is today.

In 1896, Louis Rueckheim gives his popcorn snack to a salesman, who tries it and says, "That’s crackerjack!" It is a real word...look it up. Rueckheim trademarks the word.

In 1916, Antonio Gentille, a 14 year-old from Virginia, wins the Planter’s peanut logo contest by creating Mr. Peanut. He receives $5 as his prize. The hat, monocle, cane and gloves are then added by a professional artist.

In 1930, the Mars company creates a candy bar and names it after the family’s horse, Snickers.

In 1930, Jimmy Dewar, manager of the Hostess bakery in Chicago, creates the first Twinkie, filled with banana cream. He gives the cakes their name after seeing a billboard for Twinkle Toe Shoes. The banana filling remains until World War II when America has a banana shortage, forcing the switch to vanilla.

In 1932, after tasting Fritos in a San Antonio cafe, struggling ice cream maker Elmer Doolin purchases the recipe for $100. He makes the chips in his mom’s kitchen and distributes them in his car.

In 1941, M&M’s are first sold, primarily to the American military. The coating that prevents the candies from melting in your hand makes them a popular snack for soldiers in any climate, say even Northern Africa.

In 1965, Lay’s potato chips, which already have the "Betcha can’t eat just one" slogan, become the first chips to be sold nationally.