On the positive side, I have to admit I rather enjoy the Vytorin commercials with the people that look like food. Even if it is for a prescription drug.

Then again, were we really better off when our choice of prescriptions was determined by which drug salesman bought the doctor the better golf clubs?

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Cum catapultae proscribeantur tum soli proscripti catapultas habeant.

We had a computer company here called Totally Awesome Computers. The adds were low budget types where the owner would basically be a cut up with odd jokes that were only funny because they were too awkward to be funny. The thing is, they did make the best computers you could buy, and backed them with an amazing warranty. The annoying ads worked because people knew who he was, but he had the products to back up his claims. The warranty even covered people doing stupid stuff. If I tried to install a sound card myself, and couldn't et it to work, it was covered. As long as it was not intentional misuse, it was covered. 3 year parts/lifetime labor. Standard.

My favorite ad of his was an error (I'm almost certain). He had the side of the computer off and was showing why non-proprietary system was so much better than the all in one motherboard/sound card/video card combos you get from most places. As he stuck his finger in the box, he started to twitch a little, then a little more, then made this odd little noise and yanked his hand out. It ended with him sitting there with an uneasy look on his face, shaking his hand saying, "And remember, it's important to always unplug your computer before you open the case" as the crew laughed in the background. The one time I got zapped, It seemed exactly like that.

Then, a few years a go they guy went totally nuts. The business folded overnight, along with his other businesses. I hove no idea where to get my next computer.

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A Nerd can figure out how long it will take the original Enterprise traveling at warp 6.5 to travel from Regulus to Antares.
A Geek with think he can use that to pick up a girl in a bar.
A Dork knows he can't pick up the girl with it, but will hang around for hours anyway, just in case she asks.
She might. You never know.

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A person's name, or a mark representing it, as signed personally or by deputy, as in subscribing a letter or other document.

Found this little gem on that link: "But there is a growing body of research that suggests an environment that tolerates acceptance of unethical behavior does influence some people to act unethically."

When people can get away with doing wrong, that helps motivate some people to do wrong? Get out of town!

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If we don't play god, who will?-James Watson
I never think of the future, it comes soon enough.-Albert Einstein
The large print giveth and the small print taketh away.-Tom Waits

Those are still on?

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If we don't play god, who will?-James Watson
I never think of the future, it comes soon enough.-Albert Einstein
The large print giveth and the small print taketh away.-Tom Waits

Mattress Mack!

(He explained once that his signature line - flashing a wad of bills and saying he will "save you money!" started by accident. He wasn't happy with the commercial they were shooting, and happened to have a wad of bills in his hip pocket, so...)

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Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by ignorance or stupidity.
Isaac Asimov

How about the commercials for lawyers trolling for people to join in on class action lawsuits? And the lawyer commercials for ambulence chasers?

Can we agree that those are among the lowest of the low?

Spray paint "hair" for your head is the lowest of the low. That's 1.0. Everything else is some fraction of that.

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New! It combines the power of science with the gentleness of your mother's best intentions!
A new miracle technique, we apply homeopathic methods to achieve scientific efficaciousness
for dilutions WAY beyond Avogadro's Limit. It's New! It's Fresh!
It's Placebo^[tm] Brand Power Drink! *[Use as directed. May increase kidney function.]

Part of a long line of products brought to you by the precursor to Willy Mays.
I wonder if that paint would have been "invented" if Ron Popeil didn't go bald.

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Numbers are not case sensitive. (me)

Was the spray-crap one of Popeil's abominations*? I hadn't realized.

* ... Said with backhanded affection. I may be mellowing somewhat, but some of his stuff is half-way decent. I've never been comfortable with his paid-audience infomercial approach, but it's nowhere near the least ethical marketing practice I've encountered. Not even this week.

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New! It combines the power of science with the gentleness of your mother's best intentions!
A new miracle technique, we apply homeopathic methods to achieve scientific efficaciousness
for dilutions WAY beyond Avogadro's Limit. It's New! It's Fresh!
It's Placebo^[tm] Brand Power Drink! *[Use as directed. May increase kidney function.]

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SeanF

"Ask to understand, but don't challenge unless you have the knowledge."--NEOWatcher

The contents of this post are ©2008 by SeanF and may not be copied or retransmitted in any form without the express written consent of SeanF

I agree. What really irks me are the ones that claim to be "medical alerts" when they are really nothing more than ambulance-chasing.

A Milwaukee area law firm (which I will not name) has actually gotten Robert Vaughn (Man From U.N.C.L.E., Magnificent Seven, Battle Beyond the Stars) to shill for them. Is he doing this for other law firms in other cities?

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Microsoft is over if you want it.

The bar has been lowered for the promotion of ATM ideas; the bar for the acceptance of ATM ideas must remain high.

A little trivia about that Weird Al song. Ron Popeil's daughter did some of the background vocals. Al joked that it was sort of awkward telling her the "proper" pronunciation of her own last name (to make it fit the song).

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A Nerd can figure out how long it will take the original Enterprise traveling at warp 6.5 to travel from Regulus to Antares.
A Geek with think he can use that to pick up a girl in a bar.
A Dork knows he can't pick up the girl with it, but will hang around for hours anyway, just in case she asks.
She might. You never know.

Along the same vein, I frequently get telemarketing calls here at work that answer with a machine (huge pet peeve--if you're going to bother me, at least put some effort into having a human do it) that starts, "Warning! We have important information conserning your car warra--" (Click by that point).

My car is 8 years old and has 100k miles on it, the warranty expired four or five years ago. I hope the thing lasts another 8 years (it runs great at the moment), but I don't need a warranty for an acheint car. And you're not a service announcement.

We also get "This is a public health service announcement from the (some bogus gov't sounding agency)." If you stay on the line, which I dont, it's just a telemarket campaign for health insurance. Making it particularly funny that they call me at work...at my insurance office...where we sell health (and other) insurance.

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I'm like one of those idiot savants...well, except for the savant part.

"A long time ago, yet somehow in the future"

Heh heh

SUPERDELL

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A Nerd can figure out how long it will take the original Enterprise traveling at warp 6.5 to travel from Regulus to Antares.
A Geek with think he can use that to pick up a girl in a bar.
A Dork knows he can't pick up the girl with it, but will hang around for hours anyway, just in case she asks.
She might. You never know.

I was cooking dinner last night, and I noticed that my pasta spoon is one of his products. I don't actually know where I acquired it (a past roommate? Goodwill?), but it does its job, and it is much handier than just a regular slotted spoon when it comes to fishing one piece of pasta out of the pot to test it for doneness.

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Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"

I've been getting a kick out of several Ameriquest commercials on YouTube^TM.

Like this one.

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Scienara: A rejection of reason and evidence.

I never saw any of theirs... I like them.
edit: Well; ok... I saw the one on the plane.

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Numbers are not case sensitive. (me)

I am lucky that I am spared most of these insults because I stopped watching TV almost 6 years ago.

But some of the references to credit card and insurance companies reminded me of something that I received in the mail last month that had me steaming.

It was an offer for a credit card, and in the package was also a pitch for "Account Balance Coverage".

That's 9% per year, to cover the minimum monthly payment! (Oh yeah, they'll pay out up to $10,000 if you die.)

I used the prepaid return envelope included in the package to send them a quickly scrawled note about what I think should happen to people who make such offers to me, but the contents of it are not appropriate for posting here.