Who is Michael DeGusta? According to federal election records, he's unemployed. The Santa Barbara-based entrepreneur previously cofounded Steel Card, a financial-technology startup bought by ChoicePoint in 2006. Terms of that deal weren't disclosed, but we suspect DeGusta made bank. Why? If you Google his name, an ad appears claiming that DeGusta "Buys jets. Rocks Coachella," linking to his Facebook profile. The campaign doesn't appear particularly effective: DeGusta only has 21 friends at present. Anyone know the purpose behind this vanity advertising campaign, save for driving curious bloggers to write about it?

Is it any surprise that direct marketers are easily circumventing the Feds' Do Not Call registry, as the Wall Street Journal reports? Lead generators are exploiting a loophole which allows direct calls to individuals on the list if written consent is provided. So marketers have turned to the tried-and-true method of direct mail. "Reply cards," the favored tool, are standard fare. They typically target the elderly, the most susceptible market, with purportedly useful retirement information or the claim of an affiliation with AARP. And it's perfectly legal.