Thursday, May 20, 2010

Revenge of the Torture Test

When I were a lass I remember stumbling upon a U-matic (that's a non-digital, big bloody video cassette) of "torture test" advertising (extreme product demos) through the ages, or at least the last few decades. I'll never forget the image of a live chick(-en) being placed in a container and thrust into some boiling water. The material was so heat resistant that the chick emerged alive and well to die another day. If ever I needed super heat resistant container, I'd have bought that one.

For years, the torture test was relegated to the archives, but it's back and bigger than ever. Now that the zeitgeist is all about authenticity and substance, it's return is timely. People love seeing proof that something really works. Plus they like seeing things smashed and blown up. Take a look at the Google Chrome Speed Tests.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Divide and Conquer



This is one of the most abused expressions, usually used in a happy clappy collaborative context to mean "let's split up responsibility and all do our bit to get the job done."

What it actually means is "let's increase our own power by breaking up the minions into isolated groups (so they can't link up and threaten our power base)".

Divide and Conquer or "Divide et impera" is all about power and control. It's a great phrase. Use it acerbically.