We all remember that famous quote from The Little Engine That Could. Pulling a heavy, broken train up an enormous slope, he struggled up the hill alone with only his hopeless optimism. Each and every time he thought he couldn't go any further, he would repeat:
"ThinkGeek iCade, ThinkGeek iCade."
Why? Presumably because the ThinkGeek iCade is the coolest iPad accessory the Little Engine had ever laid rails on. In the small arcade cabinet frame, there's a slot for an iPad that slides right in and allows you to charge your device while you play. Pairing the controls through Bluetooth is easy and the controls are so responsive they'd make anyone an optimist.
So now it's your turn. To win this little arcade, all you gotta do is leave a comment telling us if about a time something unexpectedly turned out for the best. The funnier the stories the better, but the winner will be chosen at random so it's only for our sake.
*iPad definitely not included.
The fine print:
Mac|Life "GeekThink iCade" Contest rules: The winner will be chosen at random from qualified entries. All entries must be received no later than Oct 31, 2011. By entering this contest, you agree that Future US, Inc. may use your name, likeness, and website for promotional purposes without further payment. Employees of Sponsor, its respective parent, subsidiaries, affiliated companies, and agents, and foregoing employees¹ household or immediate family members (defined as parent, spouse, child, sibling, or grandparent) are NOT eligible to enter Contest. All prizes will be awarded, and no minimum number of entries is required. If two or more people enter identical designs and that entry is selected as the winner, the entry received first will be awarded the contest prize. Prizes won by minors will be awarded to their parents or legal guardians. Future US, Inc. is not responsible for damages or expenses the winners might incur as a result of this contest or the receipt of a prize, and winners are responsible for income taxes based on the value of the prize received. A list of winners may also be obtained by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Future US, Inc. c/o Mac|Life Contest, 4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080. This contest is limited to residents of the United States. No purchase necessary; void in Arizona, Maryland, Vermont, Puerto Rico, and where prohibited by law.
phlegmer
September 01, 2011 at 7:18am
The only thing that pops into mind was when me and some friends went to Vegas. We had a reservation for a compact car rental. When we got there, they were out. :( However, since we already had a reservation, they gave us a brand new convertible Mustang for the same price! :)
Woot!
puffneli
August 26, 2011 at 12:20pm
Well i was sitting on my couch watching the weather channel for a bit and there was a lot of hype about the earthquake in virginia. So i change the channel and wouldn't you know it there is a huge hurricane about to wipe out the entire ease coast. So its not really a funny story but unexpected for sure.
toddlemieux
August 23, 2011 at 8:06am
Back in the mid-80s, I was playing an intense game of PacMan at the local arcade, and was kicking ass. So the kid I was playing against, his friends all used lighters held against the back of my jean jacket to try and distract me and make me lose...my jacket, of course, almost caught on fire! It got really hot, uncomfortably hot, but I won the game and those kids got kicked out for a week!
Todd
Twiz
August 21, 2011 at 7:05pm
Back when Star Wars was new (yes, I'm that old), I showed up at a big theater just before the "Empire Strikes Back" started. While most people had waited in line for hours, there was no line. The only seat left was near the middle of the front row, and I sat down just before the room darkened for the movie. The screen turned out to be curved, and the effect of being that close to a curved screen made the snow-speeder scenes incredible -- it was like being on a ride at an amusement park. It was the best experience at a movie theater ever.
Nathan Franklin
August 17, 2011 at 11:48am
I was at a conference, and i heard they where giving away 4 ipads. So when they where handing out the tickets i reached to grab one when they said they where only giving them to the adults and i thought all hope was lost. but then my brother found some tickets on the ground and gave one to me, and the ticket he gave to me won! So now i have an ipad!
sunbears
August 16, 2011 at 5:15am
i was in band in high school. we travelled to a contest for individuals and small groups in a little town hours away from our own. one band member had been told by our teacher that she couldn't come because she hadn't attended enough of her practices. so she drove herself there anyway, tailing the yellow bus all the way. as a very authority compliant teenager, i was nervous just to see her do this. she found her contest room, performed, and placed first. she was my hero for the day!
michelletb
August 14, 2011 at 1:48pm
I recently traveled to Jackson WY. I was supposed to stay in a low budget hotel but it was over-booked and received and upgrade to a plush, 4 star place with my fancy cabin, great Wi-Fi, pool, sauna, hot tub and great bar. What a great way to spend time in WY when not adventuring in the beauty of the Grand Tetons!
paul1998
August 14, 2011 at 9:37am
when i was young i never had any cool friends . sadly i kept getting teased but when i grew up one of the nerds i hung out with won the lottery and was already rich i boght him the lottery ticket for his bday and all those cool kids got hurt and bad things happened to them
grifstudio
August 11, 2011 at 2:27pm
Well it just happened today! At work there is a parking lot that EVERYONE in our office parks in for the entire day even though it is marked as a 2hr parking only. We have been doing this for years!! Well today everyone got parking tickets, except me! Well I had to call the station to make sure that it didn't just blow away. The officer called me on my cell phone to tell me the policy of parking in that lot and how he marked all the tires with chalk...If they had chalk when he returned, he left a ticket. Well, he says he must have overlooked my tire! Yippee! Please continue my good luck! Imagine me walking into work with this cool arcade case and telling them I won it with a parking ticket story....HILARIOUS!~
frankiefri
August 10, 2011 at 11:40am
My story just happened yesterday. I was unexpectedly confronted by the manager at my 2nd job for a movie theater where all I did was sweep up popcorn after dirty people and direct people to auditoriums because they could never follow directions. He started arguing with me about my uniform and my apparent blind spot for letting people with starbucks into the theater. All of this in front of customers so I told him he had poor management skills and a napoleon complex. After which I walked over to the time clock punched out and said I quit. It was great because I'd always wanted to go off like that before quitting a job and now I have plus I now get to enjoy going out this weekend since my request had been denied. FOOD TRUCK GATHERING HERE I COME!!
chuck B
August 06, 2011 at 3:41am
Wow, I'm first. Maybe I'll be the only one......? :>
I don't really have a funny story along these lines,sorry guys.
