10.14.2007
Info As Bait
“So what’s the weather this weekend? Sunny or will your day off be rained out? Well, stayed tuned.”
The teaser. A smiling TeeVee weatherman wants to suck you in into watching most of the newscast. After all, maybe bad weather is on the way, like that terrible thunderstorm last week.
So you’re glued to the channel, keeping those ratings up. Finally, after some news you don’t care about and a bunch of irritating commercials, the weatherman comes back, asking the same question: sunny or rainy? Well, he’ll tell you, after some more ads…
With the Net you have other ways of getting weather forecasts without sitting through the commercialized pap of your local TeeVee newscast. Just log on and look it up within a minute or so.
But since most TeeVee viewers are idiots, the forecast bait works, hooks those suckerfish every time. So why not apply it to other bits of information?
Recently a Vermont TeeVee station has been running an ad for its newscast, tossing bait into the water along this line: “Did you know that there are two types of smoke detectors? Which one is the best? Did you know that one type might not go off during a fire? Which type of smoke detector is the safest? Tune in tomorrow…”
Oh My God – is your smoke detector inadequate? Make sure to watch that newscast and sit through all the annoying ads pushing crap you don’t need.
Don’t get hooked. There are other options besides TeeVee for getting information. If so-called journalists want to play games with information, screw them. Especially when it’s info that could save your life.
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ADDENDUM
From a quick search it seems that the answer to which smoke detector type is the best isn't so cut and dry as indicated by the TeeVee station's bait.
Google keywords: "smoke detectors" + two types + best
Hit: http://www.firesafetycouncil.com/english/pubsafet/safact.htm
Q. What types of smoke alarms are available on the market?
A. There are two types of household smoke alarms in common use. These are known as ionization or photoelectric type smoke alarms.
Q. Which type of alarm is more effective?
A. There is no simple answer to this question. The two types operate on different principles and therefore may respond differently to various conditions. Some advantages to each type are set out below:
Ionization
--Fastest type to respond to flaming fires
--Lowest cost and most commonly sold
--Some models have a hush or temporary silence feature that allows silencing without removing the battery
--Some models are available with a long life battery
Photoelectric
--Fastest type to respond to slow smoldering fires and white or gray smoke
--Less prone to nuisance alarms from cooking
Information is at your fingertips. Don't let the lamestream media hold it hostage.
© 2007 Stan Spire
