Item Of The Day: Japanese Brassica Seeds

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The bot sent Sara in Ohio these seeds. After some digging I found this description…
 
“Special vegetable Brassica vegetables, also known as crystal, is early maturing varieties imported from Japan, including mineral -rich, low-sodium high- potassium new varieties, it has a unique aroma. Can be fried, salad, pickled, hot pot dishes is fine. Plant height of 40-50 cm , weight 1-2 kg per plant.”
 
I do wonder about the unique aroma. It might be a variety of Japanese mustard spinach. But I am not one for botany. I know some of the seeds ordered by the bot have been successfully planted with surprising results!

Top Keywords (September)

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I’ve put together the below keyword distribution based on data from the past 30 days of folks adding and updating keywords with the bot. Take a look! As with everything on the internet, the bot has been dominated by cats. Not only is ‘cat’ #1, but also ‘cat toy’ is #17. I do enjoy the fact that a small but significant number of people seem to expect a goat from the bot.
 
The percentage is the fraction of all addresses that have that particular keyword selected. The P means it is a positive keyword (the bot buys it) the N means it is a negative keyword (the bot doesn’t buy it). This is a partial list – the top keywords – I didn’t include every keyword for privacy reasons… and because this is a pretty long list already.
 
Keywords with asterisks on them are discouraged by the bot, either because there aren’t many items for them or because the it arbitrarily prefers one pluralization over another (for example, the bot prefers earrings over earring*).
 
Pct +/- Keyword
13% P cat
12% P Star Wars
12% P science
12% P dinosaur
10% P Lego
10% P gadget
9% P music
9% P alcohol
8% P antique
8% P geek
8% P astronomy
8% P dragon
8% P book
8% P video game
8% N jewelry
8% P adult
8% P cat toy
8% P dog
8% P art
8% P cooking
8% P Nintendo
8% P Doctor Who
8% P kitchen gadget
8% P card game
7% P Marvel
7% P Harry Potter
7% P coffee
7% P vintage
7% P space
7% P anime
7% P Japan
7% P Pokemon
7% P action figure
7% P Game Of Thrones
7% P Halloween
6% P jewelry
6% P crafts
6% P tool
6% P steampunk
6% P Star Trek
6% P animal
6% P kawaii
6% P sci-fi
6% P dice
6% P candy
6% N earrings
6% N makeup
5% P computer
5% P Batman
5% P makeup
5% P postcard
5% P accessories
5% P pen
5% P stickers
5% P unicorn
5% P socks
5% P camping
5% P usb
5% P ancient
5% P camera
5% P Disney
5% P electronic
5% P food
5% P game
5% P stationery
5% P puzzle
5% P crystal
5% P random
5% N necklace
5% P skull
5% P baking
4% P fairy garden
4% P weird
4% P robot
4% P Christmas
4% P fabric
4% P animals
4% P awesome
4% P science fiction
4% N bead
4% P retro
4% P Raspberry Pi
4% P Alchemist
4% P quirky
4% P Korea
4% P notebook
4% P rainbow
4% P bird
4% P arduino
4% P craft
4% P Bluetooth
4% P survival
4% P sewing
4% P cute
4% P rock
4% P technology
4% P medieval
4% P penguin
4% P travel
4% P bed and bath
4% P coin
4% N Star Wars
4% N sports
4% P Tardis
4% P handmade
4% P octopus
4% P goth
4% P punk
4% P jellyfish
3% P bracelet
3% P necklace
3% P elephant
3% P led
3% P DIY
3% P magic trick
3% P fossils
3% P comic
3% P purple
3% P laser
3% P kitchen
3% P funny
3% P sketchbook
3% P seeds
3% P silver
3% P breadboard
3% P clothing
3% P Washi Tape
3% P fish
3% N anime
3% P flowers
3% P engineering
3% P tea
3% P 3d
3% P insects
3% P knife
3% P keychain
3% P beautiful
3% P Zelda*
3% N MTG rare
3% P corgi
3% P pink
3% P bee
3% P rabbit
3% P lace
3% N hair accessories
3% N Yugioh
3% N Barbie
3% N American Girl
3% P Dr, Who*
2% P Pi
2% P scientific
2% P brewing
2% P history
2% P museum
2% P Norse
2% P Jodorowsky
2% P David Bowie
2% P useful
2% P kraftwerk
2% P nail polish
2% P old
2% P black
2% P guitar
2% P apple
2% P bear
2% P banana
2% P Hello Kitty
2% P bead
2% P movie
2% P odd
2% P pets
2% P trinket
2% P cinnamon
2% N pink
2% P Canada
2% P supernatural
2% P mechanical
2% N fruit
2% N MTG
2% P stuffed animal
2% N Minecraft
2% N nail polish
2% P plush
2% P glitter
2% P sticky note
2% P cup
2% P heart
2% P board game*
2% P watercolors
2% P beer
2% P ankh
2% P witch
2% P Alice In Wonderland
2% P adventure
2% P whisky
2% P wine
2% P Totoro
2% N card
2% P fashion
2% P scale model
2% P mathalete
2% P cartoon
2% P wall sticker
2% P magic *
2% P rick and morty*
2% N adult
2% P sensual
2% P ring
2% P component
2% P orange
2% P knitting
2% P secret
2% P pencil
2% P alien
2% P magnet
2% P pickle
2% P antique pen
2% P bike
2% P beauty
2% P glasses
2% P lighter
2% P bookmark
2% P toy
2% P unique
2% P Iceland
2% P spy
2% P plant
2% P currency
2% P car
2% N bracelet
2% N earring*
2% P money
2% P cable
2% P ephemera
2% P flower
2% P puppy
2% N baby
2% N kawaii
2% P unusual
2% P toothbrush
2% P Victorian
2% P metalworking
2% N postcard
2% N tattoo
2% N children
2% N Zendikar
2% P outdoor
2% P tattoo
2% N ribbon
2% N seeds
2% N stickers
2% N clothing
2% N girl
2% N iphone
2% P crochet
2% P owl
2% N arduino
2% P iphone
2% P cosplay
2% P shark*
2% P succulent
2% P phone
2% P woodworking
2% P chocolate*
2% P latex
2% P glow
2% P avocado
2% P airplane
2% P candle*
2% N cat toy
2% P hair accessories
2% P pearl
2% P leather
2% P nail art
2% P vinyl
2% N Game Of Thrones
2% P mermaid*
2% P Map*
2% N Star Trek
2% P dungeons and dragons*
2% N food
2% N nail art
2% N nail stickers
2% N action figure
2% P perfume*
2% N ankh
2% N cosplay
2% P Mold*
2% N insects
2% N pets
2% N Gintama
1% N cat
1% P earrings
1% P hat
1% N ring
1% P charm
1% P paper
1% P fun
1% P sticker*
1% P tree
1% P peace
1% P Europe
1% P hike
1% P Mondrian
1% P space ship
1% P elf
1% P soap
1% P kitty
1% P noguchi
1% P rhino
1% P angel
1% P kit
1% P yarn
1% P strange
1% P surgical
1% P garden
1% P tiny
1% P paint
1% P physics
1% N bangle
1% N beads*
1% N women
1% P green
1% P Spider-Man
1% P fishing
1% P love
1% P cx10
1% P butterfly
1% P household
1% P locket
1% P bronze
1% P baby
1% P container
1% P books*
1% P boy
1% P games*
1% N electronic
1% P bass guitar
1% P collectible
1% P girl
1% P novelty
1% P pretty
1% P fluffy
1% P gremlin
1% P shiny
1% N apple
1% N science fiction
1% N manga
1% N scented
1% P kitten
1% N art
1% N pendant
1% N Pokemon
1% P amplifier
1% P football*
1% P dogs*
1% N seed*
1% N flower
1% N alien
1% N bookmark
1% N cable
1% P gem
1% P flashlights
1% P bling
1% P nerd*
1% P seal
1% P panda
1% P underwear
1% P miniature
1% P brass
1% P notepad
1% P Sailor Moon*
1% P tactical
1% P incense*
1% P hobbit
1% P scrapbook
1% P coloring
1% P Lord Of The Rings
1% P bicycle
1% P silk
1% P pirate
1% N emoji
1% P fruit
1% P massage
1% P women
1% P pins
1% P adventure time*
1% N sticker*
1% P wood
1% P rose
1% P food grade
1% P ocean*
1% P stamps*
1% N angel
1% N Gryffindor
1% N Disney
1% P glow in the dark*
1% P fidget*
1% P warhammer*
1% P DC*
1% N alcohol
1% N fairy garden
1% N cute
1% N magic trick
1% N Lego
1% N brooch
1% P Sherlock*
1% P photography*
1% P Wicca*
1% N Spider-Man
1% N nail
1% P beard*
1% N magic the gathering*
1% N airplane
1% P headphones*
1% P weed*
1% P ps4*
1% P gems*
1% P hawaii*
1% P goat*
1% P darth vader*
1% N gold
1% P clock*
1% P Mug*
1% P Hufflepuff*
1% P math*
1% N smile
1% N balloon
1% P bong*
1% P bobs burgers*
1% N Tardis
1% P steven universe*
1% P 40k*
1% P Heavy metal*
1% P galaxy*
1% P scented
1% P Buttons*
1% P Joker*
1% P narwhal*
1% N flowers
1% N nails*
1% N Marvel
1% N guitar pick
1% N bass lure
1% N fly fishing
1% N Paw Patrol
1% P sequin*
1% N Winnie the Pooh
1% P tobacco*
1% N keyring*

Item Of The Day: Squirrel Spatula

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ferckinclerser over on Instagram posted this little video of packages bought by the bot. At the end you can see the cat suspiciously eyeing the pile of random packages. It looks like a dinosaur shaped ladle and squirrel spatula were among the haul.

Question About Budget Fiddling

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Q: I adjusted my budget and number of packages a couple of times today, as it took a moment to make up my mind. I know that increases are pro-rated on the next month’s bill, but if it is changed a few times, does that cause any issues? My hope is that I was just updating a table that is then checked by some process once a day or so, so that every update doesn’t kick a bunch of things into action.

If you have any other questions for me, I may be slow to reply. I’m in Florida, and expecting this hurricane to be on me in a few hours, so I might be without power or internet. I’ll reply as soon as I can though if you need any other info.

A: Stay safe! It is a tricky question. Like you suggest, if the bot updated the billing amount every minute you might end up with a whole bunch of pro-rated charges and a crazy monthly bill. We don’t want that. On the other hand the bot should respond quickly to changes subscribers make, so it can get on with the business of buying packages. It gets complicated fast.

The site indeed just updates a table, which then kicks things into action every 24 hours only for accounts that have had no activity for the past 4 hours. So there will be no issues as long as you make the changes you want to make within a few hours of each other.

Posted in Q&A

Question About Pranks

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I got a question recently from someone looking to sign up.

Q: I’m considering signing up for your service as a prank on a good friend. I was actually genuinely intrigued and interested in giving it a try for myself but noticed the for self/for prank checkbox at the last second and decided driving a buddy nuts would be even better.

One thing I’m wondering though, is if this friend were to become frustrated with receiving the packages, what are my options if they begin refusing them or sending them back? Would I be able to refund the remaining balance for the bot or perhaps divert the future shipments to myself? If a person got fed up within a couple weeks I’d hate to see the rest go to waste.
I’m also curious about the details of the service as a prank. Does this cause the bot to prioritize more asinine or confusing purchases? How does it differ in how it’s delivered/presented?

A: The prank option on sign up doesn’t have a huge effect on the packages. The packages are presented/delivered in the exact same way and there are a few small differences in how packages are prioritized. I am just interested in why folks are signing up. Your friend’s packages won’t have any indication that they are from you.

You can add new addresses and change addresses mid-month. The issue is that the shipping time is usually about a month. So there is a month delay in any changes you make. Right after you signing up you will get a login to the site that lets you split packages among multiple  addresses. You could send $20 to yourself and $10 to your friend, for example. That way your friend gets packages a bit more slowly if you want to gauge the reaction.
Also, if you think your friend might get frustrated by the packages… perhaps send them to a different friend! Some pranks aren’t for everyone. If your friend finds my phone number and doesn’t sound like they are having fun I will out you, be warned.
Posted in Q&A

Question About Totally Random Packages

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I got a question yesterday from someone who just signed up for the bot….

Q: This may be a dumb question, but I can’t find a definitive answer – do I *have* to set keywords to get packages, or does a lack of keywords just make the packages totally random?

I was thinking I’d wait and see what I get before I start tweaking, if that’s an option, but I don’t want to just not get anything because I didn’t set any keywords. 🙂

A: Good question! You don’t need to set keywords to get packages. However the bot will wait a bit for you to set keywords before buying anything, so not setting keywords will delay the first packages by 1-2 weeks.

If you select ‘random’ as a keyword you should get totally random packages a bit faster.
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