Friday, May 22, 2009

I'll take "Dumb Ideas" for $500, Alex...

So, in all the time I've been blogging, I've yet to get any of these fabulous wheelbarrows of cash that I'm supposed to get for being a part of the Triangle of Death.

Now I discover that, in addition to cash, I should be getting free stuff in exchange for saying nice things about it.

Think about that for a second: Somebody sends someone something craptastic and says that they can have it for free if they lie and say it's not craptastic. Didja spot the logic flaw? Yeah, me too. But that's okay, it's all the excuse the .gov needs to ponder some backdoor regulation on blogs, with which compliance will be as enthusiastic and universal as it is with the nation's marijuana laws.

Besides, so far my swag has been limited to a couple of inexpensive plastic holsters, which are nice holsters as far as such things go, but unlikely to displace my Milt Sparks or Gary Brommeland IWB rigs for carry. Oh and I got some shirts. And in return for a discount on a pistol, I promised to stop calling a certain gun company "Painted Ordnance". So, obviously I'm in the wrong sector of the blogging world, because the free stuff pipeline is pretty sluggish here.

In closing, I'd like to add "You'll never take me alive, coppers!"


(H/T to Sebastian.)

18 comments:

pdb said...

This makes a lot of sense, because disclosing that you receive free look to review guarantees a balanced review!

Why, I'm so mad that if I got some free stuff to review I would subversively not disclose that it was free!

og said...

I got a flashlight once. It was broken.

Mark said...

And why can't I get on that list of product tester/endorsers.

Turk Turon said...

The Obama Admin. is shaping up like "Carter II". In 1977, the FTC came up with the concept of "brand name licensing". The theory was that certain producers had built up such a high level of trust with consumers that the public was willing to pay more for those brand names, even though the FTC could not document any difference in quality (no surprise there!) An example they used was Kodak; consumers were willing to pay a little extra for film in those little yellow boxes with the "K" trademark on them. The FTC felt that this was anti-competitive and they wanted Kodak to license its trademarks to its competitors. For a fee, of course. So when you bought a box of Kodak film in the familiar yellow box, you wouldn't know whether it was made by GAF, Fuji, BASF or American Cyanimide. Next the FTC was going to go after the breakfast cereal makers.

Jay G said...

So far, MArooned is 100% corporate sponsor-free.

I am willing to change that if someone has wheelbarrows of cash and/or free guns/ammo/gear.

Every person has their price. Mine's pretty cheap...

(ZOMG. Word verification: retch)

Dr. StrangeGun said...

Free.... can't recall much I've ever written about that I didn't pick up off the shelf or buy. Well, or examine engineering drawings... or exists completely within mine meninges.

Dr. StrangeGun said...

Come to think of it (sorry for the serial commenting) I'd make, depending on your views of such, either a lousy or a fantastic reviewer.

I tend to figure out the bonuses of a product and adapt it's use to focus on those good points... and really only get disappointed in something when there's some manner of tragic flaw. Ex: Skyy pistols. The design is "sound" and proven; but the frames are made out of aluminum so soft you've SEEN me cut a sliver off one of the rails with my typically dull work knife. The "solution" to that in my mind is to use it to fill the spot where a pistol would be left somewhere as an emergency device and never used, kind of like a fire extinguisher.

Or for that matter my view of my little Sonoma. The wheezy little thing ends up in third gear going up a moderate hill if it's hot and the AC's on... but as far as "training" goes, wheel motion is well controlled, the steering's not too terribly slow, engine's at least responsive to input, and the traction curve is LOOOOOng. Tiny truck is almost the perfect training machine for learning how to control CG shift in a fast corner.... let off the gas and it quite tangibly and predictably heels over onto the outside front and pushes; give it throttle, and that weight settles towards the back and balances out to a neutral point. Pretty much anyone else driving it fast would just call it a pig and be unsatisfied with it.

Ok, so the truck may be a pig, but it's a well-controlled and predictable one, and that's useful. See? "Optimistic" review.

Matt G said...

My Gawd!

I'm part of the problem!

I wrote about the efficiency and low prices of Natchez Shooting Supplies in getting me some accessories that I purchased....

...and I forgot to reveal that they sent them with Free Shipping!!!
OH. EM. GEE.

New Jovian Thunderbolt said...

Didn't you and the others get some Crimson Trace swag at Blackwater? If I remember correctly you review it with, "These laser grips complete me as a person. They empower my soul. They make me smarter and more physically attractive. You all should go out and buy a dozen of them."

Wait, that's not right. If I remember correctly you reviewed them and said good things and listed limitations and it was a fair evaluation. But weren't they free?

Tam said...

"But weren't they free?"

No, they came on the gun, which I most definitely paid for.

Incidentally, were I using the Para LTC for CCW, I would personally remove the Lasergrips, as I don't like the soft, sticky rubber on a CCW gun. If they could figure out a way to integrate a laser into some hard G10 or Micarta grips, I'd be all about that.

Mikee said...

Sturm-Ruger repaired a GP-100 that I bought used. It kept binding up when fired fast. I wrote them to charge me for the repair, but dang it, they did it for free.

I wrote about this problem and the company's excellent customer service (hey, they have a lot of practice with recalls and fixing things, from what I've seen, so they should be good at it) on a now-defunct firearms blog.

Now I find out that simply by telling the truth I have been corrupted.

I feel so dirty!

New Jovian Thunderbolt said...

Ah. I stand corrected.

Tam said...

I did once get a set of free refurb'ed Lasergrips for my J-frame, the old hard plastic kind, but that was a couple years before I started a blog.

They got their money's worth out of those, though; I sold several dozen sets just using mine as a demonstrator...

Mad Saint Jack said...

Caleb's Para was "acting up" a little at Bianchi. I don't want it to fail, but I was anticipating the opportunity for a snarky "I told you so".

Rick R. said...

To Turk Turon:

"Next the FTC was going to go after the breakfast cereal makers."

The Lightbringer is already having the FDA go after cereal makers for claiming (truthfully) that particular cereals (such as, say, Cheerios), really do help reduce bad cholesterol.

Doesn't matter that the ads and box labels are factually true, as verified through independant studies.

Claiming that a food has a specific phsiological effect is apparantly cliaming the food is a drug -- and since Cheerios haven't been through the FDA's 10-15 year, multimillion dollar drug approval process, the manufacturer can't TELL you that the cereal has proven health benefits.

Of course, all the hippy-dippy homeopathic voodoo crap is A-OK in the eyes of the FDA, nor are homeopathic pushing and/or anti-vaccine propagandist Hollywood celebreties aren't guilty of "practicing medicine without a license" when they offer THEIR health adivce.

CastoCreations said...

I rarely send any of my jewelry to blogs to review. The return really isn't usually that great. Most blogs that review things are smaller or that's all they do and people don't really want to read that kind of blog.

I don't think I've ever reviewed anything that I've gotten for free or been asked to write about. But I do write about things if I think they're worth it and others may enjoy them.

Wouldn't regulating this be a restriction of free speech?

Assrot said...

Sorry babe, I forgot to send your wheelbarrow of cash this month for the attention you give us gun and freedom loving "Tofuistas".

I won't let it happen again. I wouldn't want you to be singled out and have your credibility on all things Tofu questioned.

I'm thinking about a "Tofuistas for VFTP" tshirt too or would you prefer lingerie?

I can make a Tofu chicken wrapped in Tofu bacon and send it to you as an extra perk.

What say you browncoat?

:-)

Joe

wv:treors - What would I do with 3 oars? I can barely handle 2 and cling to my gun and my bible.

Tam said...

"I won't let it happen again. I wouldn't want you to be singled out and have your credibility on all things Tofu questioned."

Don't tell anybody, but there's a foil-wrapped cube of Mori-Nu Silken Tofu in my cabinet, just waiting for the next time I'm in the mood to break out a wok.

I lurve me some edamame too. It's a good warmup for the still-twitching sea critters:D