Daily Bafflements

• CNN’s online coverage of the midterm elections this morning is a parody of itself. A front page headline explainer-s your very own vote, and the site’s main story as we write this is “7 things that almost definitely will happen tonight,” the first entry of which is “#1 – There will be a surprise – Something we’re listing below won’t end up happening. This is an election and it isn’t over yet…. So tune in to CNN Politics all day and night Tuesday. We will be here and it will be exciting.” Thanks for the information, “most trusted name in news”!

• Today in Billionaires: the Guardian reports that there were 1,645 billionaires in the world as of March of this year (that’s more than double the number from March 2009). Forbes reports on the new “tech billionaires” who are following American tradition by giving liberally to both parties at the same time.

• A landmarked historic home in Brooklyn has been bought by the candy company that makes Sour Patch Kids. Calling it “Brooklyn Patch,” the company says that touring bands and artists can stay at the house for free in exchange for creating Sour Patch Kids-themed “branded content” for the company’s social media campaigns. “An artist who stays in the house for a day or so will only be obligated to create a small number of social-media posts. In the event that an artist stays longer, the output is expected to be more substantial,” reports AdAge. “[I]n the event that a band or artist stays for a longer period of time, camera crews and engineers will be made available to help them fulfill their content requirements.” (Via Brokelyn and Jason Diamond.)

• Finally, a fond farewell to Cambridge’s own Tom Magliozzi, who had one of the world’s great laughs.