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The Traveling Salesman Problem Meets Starbucks

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the secretly-replaced-with-folger's-crystals dept.

Call Me Black Cloud writes "John 'Winter' Smith, a contract computer programmer, is living the traveling salesman problem. His personal quest is to visit every company-owned Starbucks and he's not doing too badly. After 7 years he's hit over 4,000 locations in the United States and 167 in Britain and Japan. What motivates him? That's one for the professionals to answer, but since Starbucks opens an average of 10 stores per week it doesn't look like Winter will be stopping any time soon. His website offers insight into why he does this ('to be different') and has pictures of the 4000+ Starbucks he's visited."

12 of 499 comments (clear)

  1. How does one make a living... by teamhasnoi · · Score: 5, Funny
    when constantly assaulted by coffee craps?

    One of the great unanswered questions.

  2. Four bucks a cup! by niko9 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Among the paramedics at work they are known as Fourbucks, on acount of their prices. ;P

  3. He's on TV! by strictnein · · Score: 5, Informative

    Wouldn't want to mention this:

    I'm scheduled for a short interview on CNN Headline News Thusday, July 8, at approximately 7:45 PM EDT.

    Gotta love that Headline News. Ever since the merger they avoid any type of real news like the plague. And the average age of the news presenters is, what, 13?

    --
    Casual Games/Downloads
  4. Traveling Salesman Problem? by bje2 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I was under the impression that the traveling salesman problem had to do with finding the most efficient (i.e. shortest) route to traverse a *finite* amount of points...how is this the same?

    --

    "Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true." - Homer Simpson
    1. Re:Traveling Salesman Problem? by stevemm81 · · Score: 5, Informative

      I think they just put that to appeal to our Slashdot nerdiness :).

      He's just visiting a lot of points in an ever-expanding graph without much regard for the optimal route, so yeah, it's not the TSP.

    2. Re:Traveling Salesman Problem? by N3Z · · Score: 5, Funny

      I thought it had something to do with the farmers daughter.

      --
      .signature not found
    3. Re:Traveling Salesman Problem? by winterene · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Hey, Winter here. The traveling salesman problem (as I remember if from my comp. sci courses) comes into play when I reach a city where I've numerous Starbucks to visit as quickly as possible before leaving. For example, today, Around Atlanta--Hiram, Austell, Suwanee, Kennsaw, and Conyers. Or anywhere in California.

  5. Well duh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    What motivates him?

    Caffeine, obviously.

  6. Loser? ... by auburnate · · Score: 5, Insightful
    mod this down if you must, but let me be the one to say what a friggin' complete waste of time. He says he wants to be unique ... freak guy ... hop on one leg, pull out your hair with left hand and slap yourself across the face with right hand and repeat the mantra "no one has done this before, i am unique" ad nausem ...

    Oh wait ... a handful of /.ers are now doing this!!!

  7. Not to be different -- to be famous by GuyMannDude · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What a sad indictment of society that people have some desperate need to be different and decide that the best way to satisfy that urge is to do something completely pointless like purchase products at every store of a multinational conglomerate. How exactly is becoming a complete and utter corporate slave a demonstration of how unique you are? I'd be much more impressed if this guy was attempting to visit every NON-Starbucks coffee shop. But that wouldn't garner him headlines, would it?

    Let's face it: this guy doesn't want to be different, he wants to be famous, in his own pathetic way. You want to be different? How about volunteering for your local chapter of the non-profit organization of your choice? Not too many people do that. If that's not different enough for you, how about starting your own non-profit organization? Even fewer people do that. Hell, as long as you have this need to show everyone how different you are, might as well make it something that can benefit someone other than Starbuck's shareholders. Of course, none of these causes would get him a mention on slashdot, or the evening news, or anything else.

    Call me a party-poorer but when I see stories about people following such pathetic attempts at gaining recognition, it makes me want to retch.

    GMD

    --
    watch this
  8. Re:let me be the first to say.... by internic · · Score: 5, Funny
    What's the point?!?!?!

    Is this a test sir?

    Anything you order is free sir. Don't worry, it's clean sir.

    Your sure this isn't a test, sir? You were in here last Tuesday, standing right where you are now. You asked, "how good is security?" It's excellent sir, tight as a drum.

    You said if anyone came asking, we'd have to mod him down, even you. This is a powerful gesture, sir.

    --
    "You call it a new way of thinking; I call it regression to ignorance!" -- Operation Ivy
  9. What motivates him? by Roadkills-R-Us · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can understand this.

    I, myself, have a desire to visit every McDonalds on the face fo the planet.

    But first I have to buy a bulldozer, and a cargo plane to carry it between continents...