There really isn't enough sociology in advertising nowadays...

In the shadowy corners of the shortwave spectrum lurk the Numbers Stations: strange radio broadcasts of mysterious blocks of numbers in creepy monotone voices!

It's actually an old form of spycraft which is still in use today. And as it's #WorldRadioDay let's take a listen...

A Numbers Station is a type of one-way voice link for sending information to spies in foreign countries.

Operating on Short Wave radio bands they transmit a secret code of spoken numbers. Use of Numbers Stations peaked during the Cold War, but some are still operating today.

Numbers Stations are operated by various national intelligence agencies. At set times on a pre-arranged frequency a musical tone is played, followed by a speech synthesised voice reading out blocks of numbers. To most listeners it sounds both creepy and meaningless.

However to spies it can be vital. The numbers can be decoded to reveal a message, provided the spy has the right One Time Pad (OTP) - a random number key that is only used once before it is destroyed. OTP encryption is impossible to break if done correctly.

Why broadcast your secret message on Short Wave? Because it can be picked up across the globe. All a spy needs is a shop bought SW radio, a pencil, and the correct One Time Pad and they - and only they - can decipher the message. No complex kit is required.

One slightly warm day and I'm all...

If tomorrow's as slightly warm as today...

And if it's not...

Now many readers have asked me over the years "how do I (with my great hair) go about fleeing a gothic house?"

That's a very good question, because it's not as easy as it seems...

There are of course many gothic domiciles that women with great hair can flee from:
- a house
- a mansion
- a castle
- a chateau

More adventurous gothic heroines can also choose to flee:
- a manor
- a keep
- a graveyard
- some dark foggy towers

As gothic houses come in all shapes and sizes you may come across the following things which require fleeing:
- Strangers (call a taxi)
- Tombs (walk to the nearest exit)
- Hell (fleeing recommended)
- Darkest Death (head start required)

There are some items that are a clear giveaway that you are in, or near, a gothic house that requires fleeing. Look around you and see if you can spot:
- sarcophagi
- crucibles (unless in a chemistry lab)
- anemones
- any form of ides

Do YOU have what it takes to be a pulp nurse? It's a demanding, exciting, glamorous and sometimes dangerous occupation you know!

Let's look at a few job opportunities in this field... #FridayFeeling

Firstly there are many different grades of pulp nurse:
- duty nurse
- mystery nurse
- big town nurse
- scandalous nurse

You can give as far as your ambition takes you in pulp nursing!

And there are opportunities in many geographical locations:
- Washington
- Vegas
- the Caribbean
- Iberia

So be prepared to travel!

Pulp nursing opportunities are available in many specialist settings:
- prisons
- art colonies
- dude ranches
- nightmare islands

Different pay rates apply so always check before your posting.

And of course some occupations need more nursing attention than others:
- hockey players
- surf bums
- scuba enthusiasts
- astronauts

Wherever there is risk there's a need for nursing.

Time once again for my occasional series "Women with great hair fleeing gothic houses!"

And today all the covers are by Walter Popp...

Crucible of Evil, by Lyda Belknap Long. Avon Gothic Original, 1974. Cover art by Walter Popp.

Hornet's Nest, by Evelyn Bond. Avon Gothic Original, 1972 Cover by Walter Popp.

The House In Munich, by Dorothy Dowdell. Avon, 1974. Art by Walter Popp.

The Secret Of Chateau Laval, by Susan Marvin. Avon Gothic, 1973. Art by Walter Popp.

1 - Why do I care about new customers when my industry obsesses with catering to best customers via omnichannel theory?

Good question!

It goes back almost 30 years.

2 - Ok, I was working at Lands' End in 1991. One of your Circulation Managers had a challenge. She had two segments of customers she mailed, and one she didn't. She knew how the mailed segments performed, but needed an estimate for the segment she didn't mail.

3 - Estimating segment performance for an un-mailed segment was easy ... I had done this work at the Garst Seed Company in the late 1980s. So I performed the exercise for her.

4 - And my results were accurate enough that I was asked to analyze other issues.

We had a division that mailed 2 catalogs in a quarter. What would happen to the two catalogs if a third catalog was mailed?

I recommended a strategy ... an A/B test.

5 - Say the first catalog generated $5,000,000 in sales and the second catalog generated $5,000,000 in sales. What would happen to the 2 catalogs if a 3rd catalog was mailed, and how much would the 3rd catalog generate?

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Here's what's inside...

1. “Why Would This Ad Appear On The Front Page Of The Irish Times On January 23rd 2020” ? 🧵1/18 🕵️🔎

Just looks like a regular ad, doesn’t it. Well it isn’t 👇

2. If I was looking at this ad for the first time I wouldn’t pay much attention to it unless I wanted to test drive a Ford. Something then jumped out at me. 201 Event. Swap it round and you get Event 201. A test drive for Event 201 🤔

3. Just in case you don’t know what Event 201 is and when it took place. Event 201 took place on October 18th 2019 in New York. It was attended by the WHO, WEF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation & John Hopkins Center for Health

4. The John Hopkins Center for Health Security who ran the event receives funding from WHO, BMGF, FDA, Homeland Security and The Rockefeller Foundation to name but a few.

5. Please read this (Part 1) to understand what happened at Event 201