I need help with walking...

[peggygee]

Apprehensible? Is that anything like reprehensible?

Maaaaybe.....In whose alternate universe?

Me think, hit Superman is
apprehensible.

[BeardedOne]

Apprehensible? Is that anything like reprehensible?

Maaaaybe.....In whose alternate universe?

It's Bizarro Grammar 101 (Which is 101 backwards ).

I think Aragon's point is that the concept of 'free' has become somewhat skewed in the modern age.

An example is recent radio ads I've heard in the Philly area. One is from a car dealership that claims they are "Giving away cars! That's right! Giving them away!". The few of us that haven't yet sold our brains to science hear the message between the lines of the screeching announcer ("Giving them away" translates to "No payments for one year").

Another is for Hollywood Tans and a contest to 'win' a Porsche Boxster (Bachster?). Now, I always thought win = 'free' (Plus tax, of course), but Hollywood Tans carefully inserts a quiet disclaimer in the ad: "Prize is a two-year lease". So, you 'win' a car and then, after two years, have to give it back?

Whassup wit' dat?

In another topic here on HA, DCBallin has wondered why he is asked to enter credit card info for his "10 Free Minutes of VOD". Having my finger in the pie at a VOD site ( www.bestcoyotevideo.com ), I'm always curious to hear from fans and potential customers, so the thread popped into my eyeballs straight away. Our site also has a 'test-drive' feature of free minutes.

First, let's start with Robert Heinlein's favorite catch phrase: TANSTAAFL (Pronounced tahn-stah-full). There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

Yes, you get the ten free minutes, but they are quite understandably the 'hook' to get you to watch more. AOL offers you muggledywump 'free' hours of their service, but they also require billing info in order for you to sign up. The marketing concept is simple: Let the customer play with the puppy for a while, they will usually take it home with them. We have great stuff at our site, I know Seanchai has great stuff at his, so we have a 'test-drive' option. Naturally, we hope that at the end of the ten minutes you'll want to stay for the rest of the show and it's in our best interest to A) not stop the show while you enter your billing info (It breaks the mood and could cost a sale) and B) protects the site from providing eleven, twelve, etc. free minutes beyond the test-drive (It's really hard to pay rent, server fees, etc. that way).

Another thing that some don't consider is that having the credit card info on file is a limited form of protection against underage users accessing the sites. If a kid has a credit card available to them I would consider that a serious parental responsibility issue. And yah, been there, did that, had stern words and more with my errant son.

Back to the issue of 'free' wheelchairs: If they are provided to Medicaid or insured people, they are NOT free. Medicaid or the insurance company pay for them. Even if they were 'free', it's a sure bet that they write them off (At retail) as an advertising expense.

So, it's not a scam, as you surmise. You just need to read it the right way.

[BeardedOne]

Apprehensible? Is that anything like reprehensible?

Maaaaybe.....In whose alternate universe?

Me think, hit Superman is
apprehensible.

Damn!

You beat me to it!

[MacShreach]

Apprehensible? Is that anything like reprehensible?

Maaaaybe.....In whose alternate universe?

Me think, hit Superman is
apprehensible.

You got me.

[MacShreach]

Apprehensible? Is that anything like reprehensible?

Maaaaybe.....In whose alternate universe?

It's Bizarro Grammar 101 (Which is 101 backwards ).

I think Aragon's point is that the concept of 'free' has become somewhat skewed in the modern age.

B1 I'm a linguistic pedant and, no offence, you know, but the way some people put things has me in tears with laughter.