The best part of this story from TimesOnline, about the "therapeutic ringtone" craze currently seizing Japan, isn't the fact that there are ringtones that allege to adrenalize you, ringtones that allege to improve your skin tone ("through the power of alpha waves") or ringtones that allege to "cause pollen lodged [in the sinuses] to fall from the nasal cavity." The best part isn't even that the guy behind the concept is the same guy who came up with a synthetic mosquito drone which is inaudible to people over 60 but useful for discouraging teenagers from "congregating in parks at midnight." These are just gravy. The really beautiful part of the story is the awesomely disingenuous endorsement offered by a spokesperson for Index, the mobile phone company that peddles the wonder tones: While it's true that there's a scarcely a shred of research to indicate any basis for the claims that the sounds do anything, "The number of downloads suggests the ringtones must be working to a certain extent." This is exactly the kind of logic that suggests Shake Shack must have the best burgers in New York because the lines are so long, and it needs to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame for Business Doublespeak.
Therapeutic ringtones sweep the nation, or at least a nation
- COMMENTS
- Gadgets
- guestblog
Review / Logitech MX Keys
Logitech’s MX Keys [Amazon] is what it finally took to lure me away from mechanical keyboards. It’s a slim yet solidly-constructed full-size model that's similar to and superior to Apple's… READ THE REST
Microsoft to permanently close its retail stores
Microsoft is to shut shop on the high streets and malls of America, permanently closing its 116 retail stores. Only 10 were overseas; flagship stores in New York City, London,… READ THE REST
Traintrackr is a light-up circuit-board map of the London Underground or Boston Metro
Traintrackr is a powered circuit board showing a map of the London Underground, lighting up in real time to show train positions on 333 stations on all 12 main lines.… READ THE REST
Short Post, just one paragraph
Dessert cheesecake wafer bear claw fruitcake. Fruitcake chupa chups donut candy canes marzipan. Apple pie sweet roll tart chocolate cake macaroon marshmallow carrot cake gummi bears sweet. Pastry sugar plum… READ THE REST
Save 50% on a 1-year subscription to Dashlane's premium password manager
We all know vital information about ourselves and our private digital accounts can be compromised by cybercriminals. However, many would be frightened to know just how compromised they and their… READ THE REST
The Bite Helper removes the itch of a mosquito bite in seconds
While mosquitoes have certainly earned their title as the deadliest animal on earth, their impact on most of our lives is usually a lot less consequential. But even though they… READ THE REST