Dr. Neil Hair

Second day of feeling lousy but starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. Amused myself with new 'flu strips' before placing them back on the shelves in favour of drinkable powders. Flu and hot drinks are forever ingrained in my psyche as a consumer under the weather. Quite ingenious an idea however, especially if you're on the run. For me personally though, nothing can beat the feeling of a hot drink that tastes like a visit to the hospital. Well maybe one: my grandmothers recipe for sore throats. For your pleasure (if you're over the age of 21 and of course please drink responsibly):

1. 2 parts Whiskey (Scots Whiskey - hence the 'e')
2. 1 part Cider Vinegar
3. 1 part boiling water
4. Squeeze of half a lemon
5. 1 tablespoon of honey

Does it work? Who cares? One of these bad boys will put you to sleep with the fairies for 8 hours.

Or a case of every little helps? I cant quite get my head around Tesco, one of the worlds largest supermarket stores, recent decision to enter into the budget software market. Whist I can appreciate the monsters move into retail and enjoy reading about its insurance policies I cant quite appreciate a software decision. Of course Tesco isn't targeting the likes of me but those new to the market who think it is simply outrageous to pay a couple of hundred quid for a copy of the latest Office suite. If it does the same job why not I can hear many of middle Britain arguing. Then it got me thinking about my own preferences for software. There's an assumption these days that Office is the only way to go. Thankfully there are open source packages coming out all of the time. I hear a preference for 'open office' at the moment which of course is freeware. Whats interesting from a marketing perspective is Microsoft's ability over the years to have captured this market - almost in its entirety. The benefits of a first move advantage one assumes. Whilst there are other options out there I just cant see myself ever using them. I cant even see myself trying them which of course is what Microsoft want. Now, am I being abused by a company holding a monopoly or is this the ultimate in relationship marketing? Wait!? I have a relationship with Microsoft!? When did that happen!?