We are entering a period in time when there are more advertiser’s trying to sell to more buyer’s who have less disposable income.  So, beating the sales drum is more important than ever to survive in the market place. I get it, really, I get it! You want me to buy your product because it’s better, cheaper, easier to use, etc.

But when do we reach the tipping point and start becoming angry with the onslaught of sight and sounds of your product?  In the case of television shows it is getting very close. Even with a DVR it has become difficult to watch any of the shows without constant interruption. When the percentage of time for commercials exceeds 25%, it is time to decide if it is really worth watching any longer. Even the people involved in the programs are indicating concern for the time element. In an interview in the Skeptical Inquirer, the co-host of MythBusters, Adam Savage,made the following observation:

We are constrained by the time. It's absolutely true. One of the shames is the international cut of MythBusters is fifty-two minutes long, but the U.S. cut is forty-four minutes long, so there are eight minutes missing from every U.S. episode. Often, great jokes lose their punch lines in the edit. It's unfortunate.

This excerpt is just an aside from Adam, as the article is more about skeptical inquiry, and can be read in its entirety here.

Part two of this post will be added soon! Stayed tuned while we hear from our sponsor….

The history for the use of alcohol as a fuel for internal combustion engines goes back for a long period of time. Henry Ford's early cars could run on either alcohol, gasoline, or a mixture of both. But, there has always been problems with alcohol, and gasoline became the default fuel.
But after years of fluctuation in oil prices and availability, the government decided on using a blend of gasoline and ethyl alcohol (15%), designated E85. Finding out how this decision was made is not easy to come by, as there was an agricultural commodity involved, and the associated expectation of great profits for someone. It is clear now that the decision was flawed and is now hard to correct. The intended consequence was that the use of alcohol would be cost effective and reduce our dependance on oil. Politicians and lobbyists welcomed the cash bonanza to come.
But, here is the bad news: It costs more to produce ethanol from corn than gasoline costs; The expense to ferment corn into alcohol requires more land to grow the corn, increased use of water, pesticides, transportation, and ironically, the fossil fuels costs that are used for the tractors and trucks to transport the corn and subsequently, the alcohol. Additionally, the subsidies to grow corn are in the billions of dollars. And what happens to the farmers? As demand increases, more farmers grow corn, and the supply lowers the price of corn and the farmers are stuck yet again. And to top it off, ethanol degrades by adsorbing water forming an azeotrope.
So, what is the future of corn alcohol? Unfortunately it is bright, despite the problems. There is too much money at stake to lose it now. The newest idea is to use cellulosic materials like grass and woodchips. Another panacea to sidetrack our energy needs. And think of the farmland that could be used to grow edible foods! If we put our billions in subsidies into electric cars and solar, we would stand a chance of seeing some change in our long term energy problems. It looks like the "free market" is not free after all.

There are three essential elements that successful businesses have:  A good product or service, that product or service at a competitive price, and customer support. But, somewhere along the consumer continuum, customer satisfaction began to be much less important. There are two specific pieces to customer service that are important to the buyer. If the product or service does not meet expectations or fails, will the company replace, repair, or refund the price? And, is the company or representative available for consultation within a reasonable time frame? Since most online purchases are made with credit cards, the companies really have little choice with the product or service satisfaction. The consumer can always terminate the transaction and this puts pressure on the provider to keep its promises to satisfy. But the real problem occurs about when it comes to contacting the business for support.
If the site has email contact it is fairly easy to get to them, but it may take time. But if a telephone call is necessary, much like technical support, it can be a nightmare. After hitting one for this and two for that, it will be 20 minutes or more. And when you do get a representative, English may not be their primary language. I am not even sure that off-shore call centers are a good deal for the companies either. Call center workers in this country don't get paid very much. But, in either case, when the person supposed to be helping can not be understood, we get frustrated. Now, I don't like to be rude, but I refuse to be an interpreter for the call worker. I ask for a supervisor and complain! Do they care? Probably not but I want them to know that I am angry with the wait and the language barrier. The sad reality is that it will only get worse when all systems go to voice recognition. Just another thought...

With very little fanfare, we are seeing the end of "standard" television as we know it. The drama, the sitcom, and the soaps, are all going the way of the dinosaur. Each year the tube has had an increase in the use of  "Reality TV", which is of course, is a misnomer. Reality shows have "story editors" instead of writers, and production is controlled by editors. Instead of being scripted, the stories are "suggested". These programs are pure fantasy, driven by cost. It costs less than half of what a drama show costs.  But, reality TV goes back to the very beginning of the medium.
In 1948, Allen Funt introduced Candid Camera, a show that placed ordinary people in unusual situations. It was so popular that it ran with some pauses until the 1990's. That same premise of normal people in abnormal situations is still the backbone of the genre. I use the word "normal people" with some hesitation as the new characters appear to be acting. It seems that anyone can be a celebrity if they are on a reality show.
In 1961, the chairman of the Federal Communications Comission,  Newton N. Minow, declared television to be a "vast wasteland". It will truly be the epitome of vastness when the local news is delivered by the Biggest Loser, after an Extreme Makeover, being a Survivor of Dancing with the Stars!