The Bullshit Stalker

Fake Comercials Are Bullshit

By admin on Jul. 31, 2008.

Perhaps you’ve seen this on YouTube, four cell phones popping popcorn or this on television a few years back, Toyota Tacoma getting hit by a meteor.  It appears the trend is getting much, much worse.

Instead of giving us solid information about their products, companies are making more and more comercials that mislead us about their products.  And in many cases, most cases, the product claims are wrong.  Cell phones cannot pop popcorn and pick up trucks cannot take a direct hit from a meteor and drive off.  Why are they allowed to get away with this false advertising?

Because they believe it is so far fetched that we take half the leap with them.  That we will come to like them as a brand because they took the time to entertain us with their advertising.  I call bullshit!

Companies should not be allowed to make these ads.  We are watching the truth in advertising laws be reduced to a pile of rubble.  And yet, it keeps happening.  I do have one power as a consumer.  Listen up companies that are considering these viral approaches:

I won’t buy a vehicle from a company that resorts to these tactics.  I won’t buy the bluetooth headset sold by the company that made the popcorn ad for YouTube.  And any other company that resorts to this bullshit, should know that I’m not going to buy your stuff.  Start educating and entertaining.  Its not all that hard if you put your mind to it.  Enough with this bullshit!

Bullshit Fact - Emailing From The Shitter

By admin on Jul. 30, 2008.

AOL Mail survey results indicated that 59% of people email from the bathroom, up from 53% last year.

I’m not really sure how to respond to this. When cell phones first came out, I thought it was odd that people were talking on the phone in the restroom and now this.

Now I’m wondering if anyone has checked phones for traces of fecal matter. I’m definitely not borrowing anyone’s mobile phone again. Chances are…

A 60 Year Cover Up Of Aliens? Bullshit!

By admin on Jul. 29, 2008.

I first heard about this through Fox News a couple of days ago.  As I started looking into it, I came across this podcast interview with Dr. Edgar Mitchell (note: the interview lasts an hour).  He was an astronaught who, along with Buzz Aldren recorded the longest moon walk (11 hours).

Much of the interview focused on his findings and beliefs that were developed while on the moon mission and his subsequent career.  He has a strong belief in spirituality and our place in universe.

The interview then moved on to UFOs.  He claims, with his family being in ranching, he knew many people directly involved in the Roswell incident.  He said that he was briefed by several in the military and intelligence community who wanted to get this off their conscience before they died.

Per Dr. Mitchell, since the Kennedy administration, any presidential inquiries, including one by President Clinton, were stifled.  As a result, there has been a sixty year cover up of the true events at Roswell.   If Dr. Mitchell is correct, this Weekly World News picture and article are bullshit!  Bill Clinton did not meet an alien in the early 1990’s.

Dr. Mitchell’s inquiries have led him to believe that aliens were on Earth for quite some time, but are no longer here.  Most of the current sitings are false.

While a man’s past accomplishments are often a benchmark for their trustworthiness, it cannot be the only measure.  Clearly, well respected individuals can be as full of bullshit as anyone.  It is a shame that all of the people that Dr. Mitchell reportedly spoke to about the Roswell events are now dead.  We may never know if he is bullshitting us or not.

Why Are We Really Here?

By admin on Jul. 28, 2008.

Some of you may wonder why I started this blog.  Okay, that is bullshit.  I’m sure none of you have lost any sleep on that one.  Anyhow, I didn’t register this domain and go through this trouble just to start yet another rant blog.  There are plenty of people out there who are far more articulate and angry than me.  Heck, let’s be honest.  There are thousands of people more articulate and angrier than me.  This blog is in fact a subsidiary of a much larger project.

The curious ones out there have probably already done a bit of snooping and found that this blog is built as a subdomain.  Meaning that there is another site on top of this one.  That site is The Bullshit Awards (bullshitawards.com).  I think it is going to be a ton of fun for those who choose the participate.

Remember those thousands of more articulate and angrier people?  I’ve given them all a playground!

And what good is a good rant if the very people it is about aren’t aware it exists?  We solve that problem.  Each person nominated for a Bullshit Award will receive notification in the mail.  The members of the site can then vote and comment on the nominations.  The individual with the most votes (in each category) wins the quarterly prize.  We will also announce a Bullshitter of the Year award!

To add to the fun, we’ve created a community area for users to discuss the Bullshit Award candidates and other bullshit.

We’re currently in alpha testing, which means there are quite a few tweaks to work out.  You can nominate someone and the accepted nominations will be temporarily posted to the site (we won’t be mailing notifications during the alpha testing).  Please check it out and tell us what you think.  There will be some special perks going out to those that registered during our alpha testing, although we haven’t quite worked what).  So, don’t miss out!

Bullshit On Late Night TV?

By admin on Jul. 27, 2008.

I woke up at 2:30am the other night and turned on the television.  I started flipping channels, looking for an infomercial I haven’t seen.  Since I fancy myself as an Internet marketer, there are some great lessons to learn from these late night staples.

As I clicked through the normal fodder of real estate riches, eBay millions, and weight loss miracles, I was floored when I landed on the following:

Yes, that is what you think it is.  In the QVC/HSN style, a program dedicated to selling dildos and vibrators.  Two women discussed how each tool would feel and provided provided special usage tips (i.e., apparently one of the benefits of a glass dildo is that you can put it in the freezer for a special sensation).

As a marketer, I found it interesting that they had different call in numbers for men and women.  I can guess it would be a different experience for a man ordering than a woman.  Therefore it would take a different skillset for the operator.  Especially for those ordering this:

Had I gone back to bed, I’m pretty sure I’d have had nightmares!

They closed out the sesson with an extensive discussion on the features and benefits of their double dong:

This was on Oh! The Oxygen Network.  I guess it was the ladies answer to Girls Gone Wild commercials that run in the same time slot on Spike and the Comedy Channel.  Personally, I’d prefer that neither of these be on. Am I a prude for thinking that it is out of line for this stuff to be on standard cable TV?

Tell me what you think?

150K Award To Jilted Bride Is Bullshit!

By admin on Jul. 26, 2008.

I’m almost at a loss for words on this one.  Obviously women and men are jilted every day.  With a divorce rate over 50%, I’ve always thought it was noble to walk away beforehand.  It makes no sense to stick with it if you’re not 100% WITH IT.

Well, the jury in in RoseMary Shell’s suit against her fiance thought otherwise (video on Breitbart.tv).  She was awarded $150K.

Key points:

• She left an $80K/year job and moved, taking a job that pays $30K.
• He left her three days before the wedding.
• He didn’t break up with her face-to-face.  I’ve heard he left a note and that he had his best man do it.
• She’s a bitter woman.

I just hope any future suitors have the forethought to Google her before they get serious.  This was a bullshit case that could have far reaching implications.  At the very least, it should for her.

Not Retiring Farve’s Number Now Is Bullshit!

By admin on Jul. 26, 2008.

Back in April, the Green Bay Packers announced that they were going to retire Brett Farve’s number 4 at the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings on September 8th (see ESPN).

Yesterday, word came that they are considering delaying the retirement (see ESPN).  This due to the back and fourth comeback talks that has occured recently.  Brett wants to come back to the NFL and it looks likely if he does, it won’t be at Green Bay.

I’m not going to discuss the merits of this decision because it isn’t mine to make.  If he wants to play and someone wants to pay him to play, he’ll probably play.  These are business decisions that the teams make every day.  Brett’s star power aside, they have to consider whether he can accomplish what they need from their QB.  Only time will tell if he can or not.

I think it is bullshit that Green Bay would consider delaying this ceremony.  The only reason that I can think that this would make sense is that he might have another game, and you really want him there for the event.  Either way, the timing of this news relative to the ongoing negotiations about his release just stinks.

Bullshit Police Incident

By admin on Jul. 25, 2008.

This one is kinda hard to stomach.  ABC reports that a 23 year old Tallahassee woman was pushed by police into doing a sting.  End result, she’s dead.  The police refuse to take responsibility and instead say she had two arrests related to marijuana.  What?

Since when did involvement in the drug trade make people disposable?  This is complete bullshit!

I’ll be watching this on ABC 20/20 tonight and may post an update later.

Update: This was a good piece by ABC 20/20.  The jest is as noted above.  She was told charges would be dropped if she became a narc.  No training.  Limited back up.  The bad guys threw in a twist and she gets popped.  The police blame her for deviating from the plan.

Yeah, can you smell the bullshit?  I think the Tallahassee Police Department better get their checkbook out.  There’s going to be a lawsuit and they’re going to lose.

Blog Name Change

By admin on Jul. 25, 2008.

If you’re an alert reader, you’ll probably realize that we’ve changed the name of the blog to The Bullshit Stalker.  This was done for a couple of reasons:  1) to rebrand the blog as a stand alone product as we go live with The Bullshit Awards; 2) to make it less confusing about the purpose of the blog (while we will discuss the goings and comings of The Bullshit Awards site and community, it isn’t the primary purpose of this blog).

We also came to realize that the domain bullshitstalker.com was available!  Go figure…

Skimping On Airline Extras Is Bullshit!

By admin on Jul. 24, 2008.

I was on an International flight lately and the meal service choice was chicken fried rice or chicken pasta.  I opted for the pasta and this is what I got:

Yes, there is a smattering of shreaded chicken on top of the pasta.  Now, my friends would say I could use to skip a meal so I shouldn’t be harping on the portions on a flight.  Being the argumentative person I am, I’d have opened my mouth to speak.  And wham!  Reality hits me in the square in the jaw!

It was enough.  Not only that, but I paid the same amount for this ticket as I would have for a single leg flight in the US.  And I got a freaking meal out of the deal!  Why can’t the US carriers do the same?

With higher oil prices, the airlines are getting creamed.  The reasonable person would say, just raise the prices enough to cover your fuel prices.  Heck, be clear about it and call it a fuel surcharge.  Surely the American public would understand that.

But the airline industry is a strange animal, and despite their troubles, they are run by some very savy people.  There are three main drivers behind their recent changes:

Nobody Wants To Go First
In the age of Expedia, Priceline and Orbitz, nobody wants to risk not being listed on the first page.  Just as website owners pay a premium (or fret over SEO) to be listed on the top, airline seats get filled from the top of these Internet sites.  If they are $50 more per seat, most of us won’t buy it unless there are compelling reasons why.  And they won’t ever get their chance to tell us it is to breakeven with higher fuel costs.

The Government Will Bail Them Out Again
The airline industry is key to our country’s infrastructure.  Business flows as the airlines flow.  They know this and when they get in real trouble.  Uncle Sam will bail them out.  They have to or else face the wrath of their benefactors and election campain contributors.

If They Can Add Complexity, They’ll Always Have The Upper Hand
This, my friend is where the rubber meets the road!  The current pricing is too transparent.  You know when you look up your ticket exactly what it is going to cost, taxes and all.  But a few surcharges here, an add on there.  You’ll be paying a lot more to travel.

Yes, gone are the days of the “set menu” for air travel.  Going forward, the price you pay will have less to do with when you booked your ticket and a lot more to do with how many fees get passed through to you without you catching them.

I’d call it bullshit, but it is really smart for the airlines to do this.  Being a frequent flier, I will feel its pinch.  What is bullshit about this whole thing is that they are blaming oil prices for the change.  That is just a convenient excuse.  I’m fairly certain they won’t go back to the old ways when and if oil prices go back down.