Beware of the ‘marketing cowboys’

ARKETING can be a rather sick ’science’. The story that I present here should hopefully illustrate this. The other day, after I had played my 3^rd game of squash in this year’s competition, I got a free running technique (or stride) examination. This was conduced with a laptop (runs Winders, quite sadly) and a video camera.

Needless to mention, the intent was to sell me corrective footware by suggesting there will be horrible consequences without it. It’s the fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) method to marketing some medicine or other remedies. Say to someone “there is problem with you”, then offer the cure. Moreover, part of the techniue is put the elixir close to one’s reach using, e.g. some leaflet. Some would argue this explains the separation between a doctor (who can’t/won’t directly sell) and the pharmacy where nothing is being prescribed. It’s like a self-supervising/moderating system; a peer-review framework if you like, and one which involves more than one person or practice.

Insurance companies like to take advantage of this sleazy marketing approach. I can recall a funny robots clip which aired on Saturday Night Live. In the video, robots are said to steal seniors’ pills and terrorise them. In turn, naive citizens are advised to buy insurance that covers no concrete threat. Greedy companies essentially cash in on ignorance.

Returning to my story which demonstates this case, I was advised to change sneakers every x miles (3-4 months). I was offered ’special’ shoes that would suit me and was even pointed towards a shop that is run by the examiners. Being a computer-oriented person, I could not help thinking of ‘waste culture’ in this context, much like Vista’s steep hardware requirements. There’s also that old advice which says businesses should throw away malware-infected workstation. Go figure… or come to think of Live OneCare, which is a security product which Microsoft sells in order to protect its already-broken product.

I thank the folks who did the test for teaching me a lesson about myself (as useless as it was), as well as the (sort of) self-branded gift and leaflet. However, I am unlikely to fall for that marketing trap. As a child I saw my parent almost falling victim the the highly prevalent vacuum cleaner salesman tactic — reveal a lot of filth, spend many hours working without pay, then offer a pricey electronic appliance. I can’t recall if it was a Hoover or a Dyson.

[A non-Novell blog post for a change:]

ORE schools have recently begun banning wireless networks. I cannot say that I am surprised. We already know that cellphones emit radiation and their antennas (the larger frameworks which support them and emit even more radiation) can truly become a menace. Wi-Fi-supported laptops and routers have radiative residues as well, although the scale might be different (probably significantly reduced).

Is all the fuss justified at all? It the radiation significant enough to be harmful? Therein lies this debate. There are not enough m studies to provide strong evidence, I suspect.

I wrote about this in more considerable length in the past. The context was similar. This included a discussion about another university that banned Wi-Fi. As I said before, some would dislike the fact that I point out such stories which I have read. Last year I read a study which concluded that heavy cellphone use (an hour a day roughly) can increase the chance of developing brain tumour. The side of the brain that’s closer to the phone (depending on whether you are left- or right-handed) is 260% more likely to develop tumours. That in its own right was enough to persuade me to boycott cellphones.

Season of the playful penguins from Oyonale

I finally found justification and backing for my long-time temperatural preferences.

Cool down – you may live longer

11:20 03 November 2006
NewScientist.com news service
Roxanne Khamsi

The refrigerator is used to lengthen the life of your food, and a new study suggests a similar principle could prolong your life, too.

was not able to reproduce an achievement I had attained 2 years ago, as well as 3 years ago. Although I did my best in this years’s Mr. Fitness competition, another participant, who is also a tough competitor, did brilliantly. Fortunately he is a friend, which by all means makes me happy for him.

Although I was expecting to have won the mini triathlon — that which was completed this morning — overall, I am expecting to finish in a repsectable second place. Well done, Mike Coogan. You deserve the big trophy this year. I will still have my memories of some older and more successful endeavours…

HAT a relief! I am finally through with the most dreadful stage of this year’s Mr. Fitness competition. Not only did I complete it, but I am also in a good position to have finished in first position, at least for that one event that is the 10 kilometer run on a treadmill. My time was 39 minutes and 18 seconds. The next stage (as well as last among a total of 10) is a mini-triathlon.

IET is a tricky thing. It’s harder to commit to it than it is to decide to get it started. I still believe in controlling one’s diet by supervising ‘fridge inventories’. It’s essentially done by abstaining from buying undesirable foods or sharing food with others too openly. Shared fridges are a disaster, speaking from experience, as you are no longer restricted to a narrow range of foods (variety is good on the other hand). I find that avoiding the temptation at the stage of purchase leads to a more balanced diet at the end of the day. This expands beyond the ‘realms’ of the fridge. Also dried and long-enduring foods fit this argument. Even sugary drinks and alcohol.

A random photo taken at the gym which I have gone
to for the past 4.5 years (captured in July 2005)

ODAY at the health club, I finally received some more results from the Mr. Fitness competition. I did very well at the fourth stage (among ten) compared to the other nine contestants. I shoulder-pressed 110 kilograms (1 repetition maximum, on a Scott Machine), giving me 2ⁿ place and leaving me in joint in 1^st overall, on par with another competitor. This weight happens to be precisely 150% of what I was able to benchpress, excluding the weight of the bar.