Let’s face it, the world is a pretty depressing place right now. Like, seriously. Today’s one of those day’s where I just want to pack it in and go to a park to watch children play with dogs or something, in a totally non-creepy way of course. So when I heard about app developer Jonathan Stark’s latest project, it brought a desperately-needed ray of sunshine to my life. What’s he doing, you ask? Well, Stark basically wants to buy you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
He’s doing this, as Laughing Squid notes, “by posting the barcode to his Starbucks coffee card online so that anyone can get free coffee using his account. The card has a Twitter account, which tweets when the card is used or its balance is depleted (a frequent occurrence). Stark has also given instructions on how generous types can replenish the card’s funds online–a spin on the “take-a-penny, leave-a-penny” dish at a convenience store.”
So here’s what you do to get a free coffee: 1. Go to a Starbucks. 2. Order a coffee. 3. Check the card’s balance via this Twitter feed to make sure there’s money on it and then hold the picture of Stark’s card in front of the barcode scanner. Voila! Free coffee. Here’s a larger image of Stark’s barcode…
I just put $15 on the card for you guys (You can donate a few bucks yourself here, if you’re feeling generous). So somebody please have a coffee on me. It’s the least I can do.
UPDATE: Naturally, accusations that this is a stealth viral marketing campaign are being made.