The Cheap Toothpick" Syndrome

While writing a new book, Invasion of Privacy, its author discovers a formula to calculate the cost of mediocrity.

Michael J. Weber likes to pick his teeth after a good meal. In fact, the author of Invasion of Privacy: Big Brother and the Company Hackers (Premier Press 2003) fancies himself a toothpick connoisseur. One night Weber dined at a reknowned five-star restaurant in Manhattan. The check came to more than $90 a head. The meal and service were superb", reports Weber. I wish I could say the same about the toothpicks! The wood was soft, the points were blunt, and they splintered the second you stuck one in your mouth". Why would a famous restaurant rook its patrons by serving cheap toothhpicks? Weber did some research. Then he did the math.

o    500 toothpicks per night × 365 days a year = 182,500 toothpicks a year

o    182,500 toothpicks ÷ 800 toothpicks per box = 228 boxes of toothpicks a year

o    Superior toothpicks 228 boxes × $1.39 per box = $316.92 a year

o    Cheap toothpicks 228 boxes × $.52 per box = $118.56 a year

o    $316.92 (Superior toothpicks) -- $118.56 (Cheap toothpicks) = $198.36 annual savings

The restaurant skimped on toothpicks to save a measly couple of hundred bucks a year and Weber saw a pattern. Buggy software, bait-and-switch advertising, corporations that harvest personal information and sell it for a profit-mediocrity comes in many guises. Were drowning in a sea of mediocrity and hypocrisy is the water", states Weber, who calls this the cheap toothpick" syndrome. It applied to so many subjects I was writing about in Invasion of Privacy: Big Brother and the Company Hackers (Premier Press 2003) that I decided to name a chapter The Cheap-Toothpick Syndrome."

About the Book: Technology, advertising, the media, and government, have converged to invade our privacy. Invasion of Privacy: Big Brother and the Company Hackers (Premier Press 2003) exposes the dangers and proposes a practical defense. Part I, The Invasion, illustrates the threat and unmasks the spies in our midst. Part II, Zone Defense, presents practical techniques to protect your privacy, personal information, and self.

Invasion of Privacy consists of great people stories. You'll meet a Silicon Valley multimillionaire who sued the company that inundated him with junk faxes for $2.2 trillion dollars. You'll meet a struggling college student who set up a sting worthy of Paul Newman and Robert Redford when a con artist ripped-off his Apple PowerBook on eBay. You'll meet anonymous hackers who have saved you without you even knowing it.

Invasion of Privacy: Big Brother and the Company Hackers (Premier Press 2003) lists for $29.99. Its due on the shelves at fine bookstores, including Borders, Barnes & Noble, and on Amazon.com, on November 10.

About the Author: Invasion of Privacy is Michael J. Webers second book in three years. His last book, Confessions of An Internet Auction Junkie, was published by Prima/Random House. Weber's career began on Madison Avenue where he produced hundreds of TV commercials, including several award winners, for top sponsors and ad agencies. He eventually landed in Hollywood and started writing screenplays. Weber has since written over a dozen scripts and episodic series for major film studios.

Book Statistics

Title: Invasion of Privacy

Subtitle: Big Brother and the Company Hackers

Author: Michael J. Weber

ISBN: 1592000436

Publisher: Premier Press/Course Technology

Category: Art & Entertainment: Books, Consumer: Privacy, Technology: Business, Computer: Security, Computer: Hacking, Computer: Instruction, Computer: Operating Systems, Technology: Internet, Business: General, Business: Advertising, Business: Media

Length: 296 pages

Retail Price: 29.99

Binding: 9 1/8" x 7 3/8" Trade Paperback

Illustrations: Profusely Illustrated with original art

Additions: Photos, tables, sidebars, checklists, tips, hyperlinks, website

Websites: http://www.mjweber.com/iop/privacy.htm and http://www.mjweber.com

Interview Contact: Michael J. Weber (323) 656-6664 - mjweber@mjweber.com

Book Review Contact: Kristin Eisenzopf (617) 757-8196 -- kristin.eisenzopf@thomson.com