Setting: The kitchen/lunch area. Zhang: Have you seen Adil's ‘cafestol’ experiment? Heidi: I doubt it makes any sense. Any benefits of that substance are disputed. Well, at least he is not distilling and consuming pure caffeine, which could be lethal.
Heidi: Some people believe anything extracted from something ‘natural’ is inherently safe. That is obviously not true, the slime from a Phyllobates terribilis frog is also “natural.” Zhang: I guess that's also why this box of tea proudly states it is “100% natural tea.”
Heidi: Typical marketing nonsense. It would imply ‘unnatural’ or ‘synthetic’ tea should also exist. Zhang: I can't imagine what could classify as one of those. Used motor oil extract perhaps? Heidi: Don't mention that near Adil, it might give him some ideas…
Story arc: Good, Bad, Ugly
SONAIS 182 - Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Voice coming from computer: Message from our sponsor: buy our new battery. Lasts 50% longer! Max: 50% longer than what? What are they comparing to? I hate ads like these. Adil: It's marketing, baby! People will generally assume the point of comparison to be the current state-of-the-art, but usually it is not.
Max: Are we free to pick the reference? How about I assume it's a zinc-carbon battery from 1950? Then, even 50% better is still awful. Adil: Regulations do require the actual point of comparison to be specified. Max: Yeah, in the smallest possible borderline readable font, or barely whispered, at 200% speed…
Max: If it were up to me, it would be obligatory to provide the point of comparison directly after the claim, in the same font, or spoken in the same way. Adil: You are such a spoilsport. Where's the fun in that?