Michael Robert Dyet's Blog, page 33

The Housekeeper’s Digital Purse: Algorithms in My Pocket

Hmmm, can I manipulate the power of algorithms to my financial advantage?

We are living in an era when our every digital step is observed and recorded. This data is consumed by algorithms which digest it and spit out predictions of what products or services in which we theoretically will be interested.

Case in point. I recently posted a blog article which referenced the self-serve investment company Questrade and the flat rate real estate agency Purple Bricks. Since that post went up, my Facebook feed has been populated with commercial posts for these two companies.

Mind you, in that article, I expressed my dislike for these two companies. So the posts that pop up for them only irritate me. If the technical wizards are listening (and they always are), you need to refine your algorithms to take into account the tone of my references.

But since lurking algorithms are a fact of life, perhaps I can manipulate them to my advantage.

I would very much like to win a million dollars. Half a million would also be nice and I could make do nicely with a quarter million. I do not want to be bombarded with ads or posts for lottery tickets. But I would very much like to receive a post in which an algorithm predicts the winning number in the next Lotto 649 jackpot.

Of course, this would only be helpful to me if I was the only one who received this ad as it rather defeats the purpose if a boatload of people get the same post.

My car is getting on in years. I do not foresee having the funds to buy a new(er) car in the near future. While I do not want to be inundated with posts from car dealerships. I would be happy to receive posts from dealerships which have a new car on the lot which they need to get rid of, to make room for the new models, and are interested in giving away that car for free.

In this brutal winter we are having, I would love to get away to the sunny south for a week. I cannot afford to buy a trip package. But I would be happy to receive posts from vacation companies who have one slot left in an all-inclusive package they need to clear out and want to give away to a deserving consumer to round out the campaign.

You can see a trend. I have plenty of wishes but not much money to use to make them come true. In these situations, I find that liquor can be a useful coping mechanism. It occurs to me that wineries probably have occasions where something goes awry in the production process. The resulting batch is below standards which would hurt the winery’s reputation if it was sold.

In this situation, I would be happy to receive posts from wineries with a few cases of wine to give away gratis. I am prepared to drive a considerable distance on short notice to help the winery out and pick up a few cases for my personal consumption.

I have heard the metaphor of The Housekeeper’s Purse used to explain the basic economic principle that you cannot spend more than you can earn. But perhaps I can manipulate the millions of algorithms out there to refine that metaphor.

The Housekeeper’s Digital Purse: You can spend more than you earn if you are paying with a purse full of algorithms. Certainly worth a try. Wish me luck!

~  Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Metaphors of Life Journal: Truth Twisters, Radical Reformers and My Civic Duty

Hmmm, faced with the lesser of two evils, had do we choose?

The red hot news story right now is the SNC-Lavalin controversy and its impact on the political career of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Truthfully, I have not followed the details of the story. For the sake of my sanity, I try to tune out babble of this kind. But it has inspired me to wade into the political quagmire and offer a new solution.

Government scandals have become as common as weeds in the last decade or two. My steadfast belief is that all governments engage in unethical and sometimes borderline illegal activities. They will do so until the end of times.

The sad reality is that most politicians are Truth Twisters who learn to bend and stretch the truth to suit their purposes and justify their actions. They are not necessarily born that way. But power corrupts. The desire to hold onto it persuades people to compromise their principles.

But we are living in a time of disenchantment. The electorate is weary of Truth Twisters which has opened the door for a new breed of politicians which I call Radical Reformers. They make their run for office on a grass roots platform: I’m all about the common man. I will clean up the mess, cut the waste, lower taxes and return the province/state/country to the glory it once knew.

Radical Reformers provoke an equivocal reaction. Their back-to-basics pitch is attractive while the radical changes they promise raise red flags. But the prevailing opinion is: Better the devil you know. Let’s take the chance that he/she will not go too far down the radical road.

The risk with Radical Reformers is they often have a messiah complex. They come to believe that their vision entitles to them special privileges and powers. If guidelines or laws get in their way, they bypass them, or if need be, rewrite the laws to suit their own end. Anyone who stands in their way is an enemy to the public who must be dispatched.

So, faced with the lesser of two evils, how do we choose? In my opinion, we should steer clear of the Radical Reformers. Yes, Truth Twisters are a compromise. But they cause less damage than the mad bull Radical Reformers who simply cannot stop once they start their engine.

The change I propose calls on the Monopoly metaphor.

We pass a Three Strikes Law to beadministered by an independent Commissioner. Newly elected governments receive three Get out of Jail Free cards to be used during their term in office. When a scandal erupts, the Commissioner steps in and holds up the Strike card – much like a referee’s yellow card in the world of soccer.

The party leader responds quite simply – Mea Culpa: Redeem – and cashes in one Get Out of Jail Free card. No gnashing of teeth in parliament or He said, She said, No I did not say that merry-go-round. We all agree to put it behind us and move on.

If the party in power gets through their full term redeeming three or less Get Out of Jail Free cards, the leader is free to run again. But if the government runs out of cards and messes up again, their leader is unceremoniously booted out. No RCMP investigation. No million dollar public inquiry. They are out on their ass the next day with no severance pay or MP pension.

Of course, this system only works if the Three Strikes Commissioner is truly impartial. It cannot be an elected position as a Truth Twister or Radical Reformer will grab it. And it cannot be an appointed position as the party in power will appoint a yes-man.

Quite a conundrum. It seems the only solution is for me to take on the role since I invented it. A salary of $250,000 a year seems fair, don’t you think? The position does not require me to be physically present, so I will spend half the year in the sunny south in a winter residence paid for with public funds. No cover-up, you understand, it is understood from the outset.

Yes, it is a tough job, but someone has got to do it. It is my civic duty and I am up to the task.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Truth Twisters, Radical Reformers and My Civic Duty

Hmmm, faced with the lesser of two evils, had do we choose?

The red hot news story right now is the SNC-Lavalin controversy and its impact on the political career of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Truthfully, I have not followed the details of the story. For the sake of my sanity, I try to tune out babble of this kind. But it has inspired me to wade into the political quagmire and offer a new solution.

Government scandals have become as common as weeds in the last decade or two. My steadfast belief is that all governments engage in unethical and sometimes borderline illegal activities. They will do so until the end of times.

The sad reality is that most politicians are Truth Twisters who learn to bend and stretch the truth to suit their purposes and justify their actions. They are not necessarily born that way. But power corrupts. The desire to hold onto it persuades people to compromise their principles.

But we are living in a time of disenchantment. The electorate is weary of Truth Twisters which has opened the door for a new breed of politicians which I call Radical Reformers. They make their run for office on a grass roots platform: I’m all about the common man. I will clean up the mess, cut the waste, lower taxes and return the province/state/country to the glory it once knew.

Radical Reformers provoke an equivocal reaction. Their back-to-basics pitch is attractive while the radical changes they promise raise red flags. But the prevailing opinion is: Better the devil you know. Let’s take the chance that he/she will not go too far down the radical road.

The risk with Radical Reformers is they often have a messiah complex. They come to believe that their vision entitles to them special privileges and powers. If guidelines or laws get in their way, they bypass them, or if need be, rewrite the laws to suit their own end. Anyone who stands in their way is an enemy to the public who must be dispatched.

So, faced with the lesser of two evils, how do we choose? In my opinion, we should steer clear of the Radical Reformers. Yes, Truth Twisters are a compromise. But they cause less damage than the mad bull Radical Reformers who simply cannot stop once they start their engine.

The change I propose calls on the Monopoly metaphor.

We pass a Three Strikes Law to beadministered by an independent Commissioner. Newly elected governments receive three Get out of Jail Free cards to be used during their term in office. When a scandal erupts, the Commissioner steps in and holds up the Strike card – much like a referee’s yellow card in the world of soccer.

The party leader responds quite simply – Mea Culpa: Redeem – and cashes in one Get Out of Jail Free card. No gnashing of teeth in parliament or He said, She said, No I did not say that merry-go-round. We all agree to put it behind us and move on.

If the party in power gets through their full term redeeming three or less Get Out of Jail Free cards, the leader is free to run again. But if the government runs out of cards and messes up again, their leader is unceremoniously booted out. No RCMP investigation. No million dollar public inquiry. They are out on their ass the next day with no severance pay or MP pension.

Of course, this system only works if the Three Strikes Commissioner is truly impartial. It cannot be an elected position as a Truth Twister or Radical Reformer will grab it. And it cannot be an appointed position as the party in power will appoint a yes-man.

Quite a conundrum. It seems the only solution is for me to take on the role since I invented it. A salary of $250,000 a year seems fair, don’t you think? The position does not require me to be physically present, so I will spend half the year in the sunny south in a winter residence paid for with public funds. No cover-up, you understand, it is understood from the outset.

Yes, it is a tough job, but someone has got to do it. It is my civic duty and I am up to the task.

~  Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Random Act of Metaphor: The First Killdeer

Hmmm, how much longer until I hear that strident piping that promises the turn of the seasons?

Confession: I hate The Weather Network website for a very unjust reason – because it so often delivers bad news. I cringe every time I log on and see that red Special Weather Statement which is happening with maddening regularly in this nasty winter we are battling through.

On a more positive note, we are less than one month away from the official first day of spring for 2019, although Mother Nature does not pay much heed to our arbitrary season dates. She usually makes us wait into mid-April before she coaxes Old Man Winter to retire for the year.

So, if the calendar and Mother Nature do not agree on the start of spring, what marker should we use? The appearance of the first Robin? Alas, as a birdwatcher, I must caution you that many Robins now overwinter in this area and are therefore not a reliable indicator.

My harbinger of spring is the strident kill-deeah, kil-deeah, dee-dee-dee of the Killdeer. It is one of the earliest migrants to arrive on spring breezes. When I hear its distinctive call, my spirit lifts, I breathe deeply and the weight of winter begins to lift off my soul.

No, I have not heard a Killdeer yet and do not expect to for at least a few weeks. But I know when I do it will be the random act of metaphor that encourages me, the temperamental bear who grumbles through winter, to emerge from my hibernation, lace up my hiking boots and hit the trails again.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Random Act of Metaphor: The First Killdeer

Hmmm, how much longer until I hear that strident piping that promises the turn of the seasons?

Confession: I hate The Weather Network website for a very unjust reason – because it so often delivers bad news. I cringe every time I log on and see that red Special Weather Statement which is happening with maddening regularly in this nasty winter we are battling through.

On a more positive note, we are less than one month away from the official first day of spring for 2019, although Mother Nature does not pay much heed to our arbitrary season dates. She usually makes us wait into mid-April before she coaxes Old Man Winter to retire for the year.

So, if the calendar and Mother Nature do not agree on the start of spring, what marker should we use? The appearance of the first Robin? Alas, as a birdwatcher, I must caution you that many Robins now overwinter in this area and are therefore not a reliable indicator.

My harbinger of spring is the strident kill-deeah, kil-deeah, dee-dee-dee of the Killdeer. It is one of the earliest migrants to arrive on spring breezes. When I hear its distinctive call, my spirit lifts, I breathe deeply and the weight of winter begins to lift off my soul.

No, I have not heard a Killdeer yet and do not expect to for at least a few weeks. But I know when I do it will be the random act of metaphor that encourages me, the temperamental bear who grumbles through winter, to emerge from my hibernation, lace up my hiking boots and hit the trails again.

~  Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Metaphors of Life Journal: Could You Walk a Mile in Their Shoes?

Hmmm, are we asking the right question when we encounter callous people?

Many of you will have heard the news of the eleven year old Mississauga girl who was found dead at her father’s residence in Brampton this week. It was heartbreaking incident that shocked the communities involved. The father has since been charged in relation to her death.

But a secondary story has emerged from the incident. Police had issued a late night amber alert when the father failed to return the girl to her mother as scheduled. As you may know, the technology now exists for amber alerts to automatically sound on some mobile devices. The late night alert resulted in some complaints to police about being disturbed at a late hour.

These complaints, once reported in the media, provoked an outcry of indignation from many people through various channels including social media. I participated in that outcry.

In situations such as this, we often wish we could confront the individuals involved, shake them and ask: What is wrong with you?! But upon further reflection, it occurs to me that the individual’s reaction – perhaps spoken, but more likely in the silence of their hearts – might be: Walk a mile in my shoes and then decide if you have the right to condemn me.

Let me be clear. I do not condone the behaviour of these people. But I am compelled to seek an explanation for it. It is my belief that we are all born innocent with minds and souls that are a clean slate. It is the things that happen to us, and the nature of the people who encounter, particularly in our formative years, that define who we will grow up to be.

None of us get through life unscathed. We all have stuff that we have to find our way through and come to terms with in our own way. But some people have terrible things happen to them that scar them for life. Their reaction to everything that happens thereafter is coloured and shaped by that experience.

So perhaps a better question to ask would be: What has happened in your life to make you so bitter and callous? And if we had the courage, admittedly I do not know if I would, to also ask: Is there anything I can do to help you?

It brings to mind a keynote presentation I heard a few years back from Amanda Lindhout. While working as a freelance journalist in Somalia in 2008, she was kidnapped and held for ransom for 15 months by insurgents – suffering considerable abuse over that time.

At one point, she escaped from the building she was held in and ran to a nearby mosque. Her kidnappers were hot on her heels. The occupants of the mosque were too frightened to help as the kidnappers entered.

But a Muslim woman outside the mosque saw what was happening. She entered and pleaded with the kidnappers to let Lindhout go. The kidnappers pushed her aside and began to drag Lindhout out by her heels. Undeterred, the Muslin woman threw herself on Lindhout, clung to her and continued to beg for her release. Unfortunately, she was unsuccessful. After her release, Lindhout tried to track down the woman to thank her but was unable to locate her.

The courage of this Muslim woman should perhaps be the standard we aspire to when we witness callous or bitter behaviour. We cannot always walk a mile in their shoes, but we can give them the benefit of the doubt before we pass judgment.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Could You Walk a Mile in Their Shoes?

Hmmm, are we asking the right question when we encounter callous people?

Many of you will have heard the news of the eleven year old Mississauga girl who was found dead at her father’s residence in Brampton this week. It was heartbreaking incident that shocked the communities involved. The father has since been charged in relation to her death.

But a secondary story has emerged from the incident. Police had issued a late night amber alert when the father failed to return the girl to her mother as scheduled. As you may know, the technology now exists for amber alerts to automatically sound on some mobile devices. The late night alert resulted in some complaints to police about being disturbed at a late hour.

These complaints, once reported in the media, provoked an outcry of indignation from many people through various channels including social media. I participated in that outcry.

In situations such as this, we often wish we could confront the individuals involved, shake them and ask: What is wrong with you?! But upon further reflection, it occurs to me that the individual’s reaction – perhaps spoken, but more likely in the silence of their hearts – might be: Walk a mile in my shoes and then decide if you have the right to condemn me.

Let me be clear. I do not condone the behaviour of these people. But I am compelled to seek an explanation for it. It is my belief that we are all born innocent with minds and souls that are a clean slate. It is the things that happen to us, and the nature of the people who encounter, particularly in our formative years, that define who we will grow up to be.

None of us get through life unscathed. We all have stuff that we have to find our way through and come to terms with in our own way. But some people have terrible things happen to them that scar them for life. Their reaction to everything that happens thereafter is coloured and shaped by that experience.

So perhaps a better question to ask would be: What has happened in your life to make you so bitter and callous? And if we had the courage, admittedly I do not know if I would, to also ask: Is there anything I can do to help you?

It brings to mind a keynote presentation I heard a few years back from Amanda Lindhout. While working as a freelance journalist in Somalia in 2008, she was kidnapped and held for ransom for 15 months by insurgents – suffering considerable abuse over that time.

At one point, she escaped from the building she was held in and ran to a nearby mosque. Her kidnappers were hot on her heels. The occupants of the mosque were too frightened to help as the kidnappers entered.

But a Muslim woman outside the mosque saw what was happening. She entered and pleaded with the kidnappers to let Lindhout go. The kidnappers pushed her aside and began to drag Lindhout out by her heels. Undeterred, the Muslin woman threw herself on Lindhout, clung to her and continued to beg for her release. Unfortunately, she was unsuccessful. After her release, Lindhout tried to track down the woman to thank her but was unable to locate her.

The courage of this Muslim woman should perhaps be the standard we aspire to when we witness callous or bitter behaviour. We cannot always walk a mile in their shoes, but we can give them the benefit of the doubt before we pass judgment.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Metaphors of Life Journal: Building a Better Mousetrap – A Baby Boomer Consumer’s Rant

Hmmm, you get what you pay for. True or false?

Television commercials have a tendency to irk me these todays. I will concede that this is partly because as I get older my tolerance for bullshit is wearing thin. The fact that I am aging baby boomer that many companies no longer target is also a contributing factor.

Having declared my biases, I will forge on. There are two companies whose commercials particularly ruffle my admittedly graying feathers.

Let’s start with self-directed investing firm Questrade. You have likely seen their commercials. Actors portraying investors tell their investment advisor that they cannot afford to pay the exorbitant fees any longer and are switching to Questrade.

My distaste for these commercials stems in part from the fact that they are overtly negative. I have said it many times about politicians and it applies to businesses as well. Do not tell me why I should not do business with the other guy. Tell me why I should do business with you. If you are not willing to do that, I am not interested in what you have to offer.

My ire is also raised by the ridiculous exaggeration. I can’t afford to support you and my family too! I really want the advisor to reply: Fine by me. Take your money somewhere else. I have better things to do with my time than babysit bitch-and-gripe clients like you! And don’t come crying to me when your portfolio tanks because you did not want to pay for my expertise.

The other company on my hit list is Purple Bricks. In their ads, people who have sold their house using a traditional real estate agent are greatly distressed to learn they could have avoided paying the real estate agent’s percentage. The implication is that Purple Bricks gives you all the benefits of a real estate agent with none of the cost.

Of course, it just plain ain’t true. Purple Bricks works on the flat fee principle, by no means a new tactic, which they conveniently neglect to mention. And there is no way on God’ green earth that you get the same level of service as you would with a real estate agent.

Don’t get me wrong. Building a better mousetrap is a proven model for success in the business world. Questrade and Purple Bricks are staking out the better mousetrap positioning. But the truth is they are offering a cheaper mousetrap via the do it yourself, self-serve system.

Truthfully, this is the main axe I have to grind. The business world is moving steadily to the self-serve model. Its’ proponents want us to believe that the traditional, full service model is broken. The truth is it works just as well as it always has. But self-serve means lower overheads for the business and higher profits. Nevertheless, the old adage applies: You get what you pay for.

Now, my final word on the subject and the conclusion of my rant.

If you want me to consider your mousetrap, be honest with me. I know deception and half-truths when I hear them. I will not consider doing business with you on principle. And I’ll say it one more time: Do not tell me what the other guy is doing wrong. Tell me what you will do right. If you can’t do that, I’ll mute my TV every time your commercials play.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Building a Better Mousetrap: A Baby Boomer Consumer’s Rant

Hmmm, you get what you pay for. True or false?

Television commercials have a tendency to irk me these todays. I will concede that this is partly because as I get older my tolerance for bullshit is wearing thin. The fact that I am aging baby boomer that many companies no longer target is also a contributing factor.

Having declared my biases, I will forge on. There are two companies whose commercials particularly ruffle my admittedly graying feathers.

Let’s start with self-directed investing firm Questrade. You have likely seen their commercials. Actors portraying investors tell their investment advisor that they cannot afford to pay the exorbitant fees any longer and are switching to Questrade.

My distaste for these commercials stems in part from the fact that they are overtly negative. I have said it many times about politicians and it applies to businesses as well. Do not tell me why I should not do business with the other guy. Tell me why I should do business with you. If you are not willing to do that, I am not interested in what you have to offer.

My ire is also raised by the ridiculous exaggeration. I can’t afford to support you and my family too! I really want the advisor to reply: Fine by me. Take your money somewhere else. I have better things to do with my time than babysit bitch-and-gripe clients like you! And don’t come crying to me when your portfolio tanks because you did not want to pay for my expertise.

The other company on my hit list is Purple Bricks. In their ads, people who have sold their house using a traditional real estate agent are greatly distressed to learn they could have avoided paying the real estate agent’s percentage. The implication is that Purple Bricks gives you all the benefits of a real estate agent with none of the cost.

Of course, it just plain ain’t true. Purple Bricks works on the flat fee principle, by no means a new tactic, which they conveniently neglect to mention. And there is no way on God’ green earth that you get the same level of service as you would with a real estate agent.

Don’t get me wrong. Building a better mousetrap is a proven model for success in the business world. Questrade and Purple Bricks are staking out the better mousetrap positioning. But the truth is they are offering a cheaper mousetrap via the do it yourself, self-serve system.

Truthfully, this is the main axe I have to grind. The business world is moving steadily to the self-serve model. Its’ proponents want us to believe that the traditional, full service model is broken. The truth is it works just as well as it always has. But self-serve means lower overheads for the business and higher profits. Nevertheless, the old adage applies: You get what you pay for.

Now, my final word on the subject and the conclusion of my rant.

If you want me to consider your mousetrap, be honest with me. I know deception and half-truths when I hear them. I will not consider doing business with you on principle. And I’ll say it one more time: Do not tell me what the other guy is doing wrong. Tell me what you will do right. If you can’t do that, I’ll mute my TV every time your commercials play.

~  Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Metaphors of Life Journal: January Snowstorm - Dancing on the Grand Stage of Life

Note: This post was written last Monday during the winter storm that hit that day.

Hmmm, is there a silver lining hiding in this raging snowstorm?

I am standing at the window looking out at what is sizing up to be the badass snowstorm of the season. It has been blowing for three and half hours and will likely continue until early tomorrow morning. All but the most adventurous are battening down the hatches and settling in to wait. The pizza delivery man that just walked past my window is not so lucky. Poor bugger!

I should declare my bias. I do not care for winter. I consider it a season to be cursed, endured and wished away. It follows that I dread storms of this magnitude. However, if I set aside my bias for a few moments, I must concede that there is a certain untamed beauty – particularly, if I make myself look into the heart of it and focus in on the individual snowflakes.

The popular notion is that no two snowflakes are alike. And while that is true, a bit of research taught me that all of them are based on a hexagon because of the geometry of bonds between water molecules. And, since conditions can change as each flake gets bounced around in a cloud, one shape can change into another with endless repetition.

There are conceivably millions of snowflakes living within this storm. Each one of them is carrying out an elaborate dance. Swirling, slip-sliding and twisting while performing sidespins, backflips and rollovers.

It occurs to me that a snowstorm like this one is microcosm for life itself if we compare ourselves for a moment to a snowflake. All 7.7 billion of us on this fragile planet are carried along by forces not of our own making, but over which we can exercise some influence. Each of us is wonderfully unique and yet also not so very different.

Collectively, we perform a dance, on the grand stage of life, which changes as quickly as it forms. We each have a special part to play which we can define as we desire. The sum of the parts is unpredictable, ever changing and endlessly fascinating.

I am grateful to be inside, sheltered from the storm, and able to sing the praises of its tempestuous grace. There are no doubt those who find themselves far from home and at the mercy of this storm which must be a frightening experience.

As if on cue, the wind has redoubled its force. What I was waxing poetic about a moment ago is once again a rather furious beast. So I will close the blinds and let it rage on. There will be plenty of time to contemplate it graces tomorrow as we’ll be digging out from this one for days!

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

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