M.A.P. -Why I don't like Minimum Advertised Pricing.

M.A.P. -Why I don't like Minimum Advertised Pricing.

More and more toy manufacturers are attempting to enforce "Minimum Advertised Pricing" policies for online sales. The general idea is to impose a minimum price, below which a product may not be sold. Selling for less can result in non-shipment of new product to the offending retailer. On the surface, this seems an honorable act. Usually we're told that it's to "level the playing field" between us and the big boxes such as Target or Walmart. Companies don't want to "cheapen the brand".

Thanks, but not only didn't I ask for the field to be leveled, I didn't realize that a level playing field was the point of owning a business in a capitalist society! I didn't get into business to even try and compete with big boxes. I'm not that stupid.

While we appreciate and understand the intent of fair pricing, what it essentially does is make small stores like Pow!Science! virtually invisible in web search results, despite our best SEO efforts. We can't buy the top spots (which no matter what you may have read elsewhere, are for sale) or afford to run up huge AdSense bills, so we end up on page 3, or 6....or deeper still. And when all the prices are the same, nobody will search past page 1 or 2 of their search results. Heck, they don't even do that when prices are all over the map (no pun intended). Price is the one edge we've got, and because we've got lower overhead and other avenues of income, we can usually afford to offer a pretty competitive one--M.A.P. takes that away.

Our superior customer service and product knowledge don't count for much when we can't even get seen. Our lower overhead loses its advantageous properties when we can't utilize it to give ourselves an edge on price just to get noticed online.

And of course, it's just not enforceable. Every time I get an email from a manufacturer telling me of new M.A.P. Policies, I do a product search, and invariably find sites that are selling for less.

We're not saying M.A.P. is wrong. Even Communism works on paper. We're just saying that without exception, it has resulted in decreased online sales for us in every line that imposes it, and there are always businesses out there that ignore it. Me, I'd rather have the opportunity to sell ten units at a lower profit than Zero units but with the integrity and warm fuzzy feeling of knowing I'm not "cheapening the brand". Can't eat warm fuzzies.

What do you think?

Da Vinci Machine - The Coolest Logic/Puzzle Game You've Never Heard Of

The Da Vinci Machine
Detect. Deduce. Decode. And a 15% Discount (see below)!



What does this intriguing game have to do with Leonardo Da Vinci? Absolutely nothing. But don't hold that against it. This game has a sophisticated look and mode of play that gets kids excited, but is both educational and simple enough so as not to frustrate younger players. That said, adults will find it sufficiently challenging and far from "too easy".

So, How do you play it?

1. One player is the Encoder, the other player is the Decoder. The Encoder must think of a three or four letter word after drawing two cards to determine the ‘Word Type’ and ‘Spelling Condition’ of the secret word to be formed. When choosing a secret word to encode, the Encoder must choose a word that obeys both the 'Word Type' and 'Spelling Condition' put forth by the cards drawn.

Examples:
Word Type~"The Word must be a living thing."
Spelling Condition ~ "The Word must contain two vowels."
Thus, the Encoder could choose words such as "Bee", "Mole" or "Boar". All of these words meet the conditions put forth by the cards...but so do many, many others.

2. The Encoder uses the red chips to form a secret word of his or her choosing by placing the chips in the correct sequence into the Code Machine.The Encoder then covers the secret word by closing all of the windows. Optionally, the Encoder may announce the number of letters used in the word, so as not to totally vex the Decoder.

3. The Decoder cracks the secret word with as few windows opened as possible. In each round, the Decoder opens one small window at any position and attempts to name the secret word. In each game, the Decoder has a total of three chances to ask the Encoder a question for a yes-or-no answer as a hint. The questions can be used all at once or separately. When the secret word is correctly cracked, count and record the total number of windows opened. Open all windows to confirm the code is correct.

4. Players switch sides and repeat Steps 1 to 3. The player (decoder) that requires the fewest windows opened is the winner.
There's even an option for 3 Players:
One player is the Encoder and the other two players are the competing Decoders. The set-up procedure is the same as the 2-Player game. The two Decoders take turns to open a window and attempt to crack the secret word. Each Decoder has a total of three chances to ask the Encoder a question for a yes-or-no answer as a hint. The Decoder who successfully cracks the secret word first is the winner.

It's sort of like "Mastermind" meets "Wheel of Fortune"...and it'll hook you quickly. I recommend keeping a pencil handy, not to keep score, but to assist in opening the windows; they're a bit small, and adult fingers sometimes have a bit of trouble opening them.

The Da Vinci Machine is available at the Pow!Science! Online store, and blog readers can get an additional 15% Off using Coupon Code 'bloggerfan' during checkout, now through June 30th,2010. Click here to visit the Pow!Science! Store.

Do you own The Da Vinci Machine? Write a Review!

Pow! Science!'s Best Method Ever for the Diet Coke & Mentos Experiment

Over the past few weeks as school years around Rhode Island are winding down, I've been busier than ever performing Pow!Science's Big Audience Assembly Program, "Science Asks Why", due in large part to the fantastic Science Inquiry Day programs put on by the East Bay Educational Collaborative.

Kids and teachers alike seem to really enjoy the show, but it's always the last demonstration that gets them the most excited, and although I certainly did not invent the famous "Diet Coke & Mentos" experiment, I most definitely have perfected it, resulting in round, brown stains on the ceilings of many Rhode Island Elementary School Auditoriums. After the program, I'm almost always asked how I get this particular demonstration to work so well.

I'll skip over the science behind why this experiment works at all, and tell you the simple secrets to getting a great geyser every time. Use these simple methods and you'll easily get 30 foot plumes of soda flying into the air (without any special restriction device screwed to the top of the bottle) to the delight of any kid (or adult) who happens to be watching.

1. Use Diet Pepsi instead of Diet Coke. Odd, I realize, to perform the famous "Diet Coke & Mentos" experiment without Diet Coke. Truth be told, they both work--but I've used both extensively, and I consistently find Diet Pepsi to work just a little bit better--so why not use it instead?

2. Heat the Soda (without opening the bottle, of course). Get a nice big pitcher--a one gallon size is great-- and put your unopened bottle of soda in. Then, fill the pitcher with the hottest water you can get to come out of your sink (DON'T heat water on the stove and use that, please! There's hot and then there's just too hot). Let that bottle sit in the hot water bath for a good twenty minutes and I guarantee maximum altitude.

3. Figure out a good, dependable delivery system to drop the Mentos into the bottle as quickly as possible. I use a Giant Test Tube (sometimes called a 'Baby Soda Bottle', but that's a whole different article). You might use one too, or you might use a rolled up piece of cardboard.

4. When you "blast off", do it from a table top, such as a picnic table. Or put the bottle of soda on top of a wall. Whatever, anything to get it launching from just a bit higher than the ground. Launching from the ground isn't bad, but if you want spectacular results, give yourself a height advantage! 3 feet higher is, after all, 3 feet higher! The more kids have to bend their necks to see the top of the plume, the cooler they will think you are.

Got questions? I've got answers. Feel free to post Comments, Questions, or pictures of your own Soda-rific results. Have fun!