YOUR BUSINESS IS OUR BUSINESS: Of ‘Big Pharma,’ and ‘Batterisers’

Two things of great concern aroused my interest recently.

One was the revelation that “the pharmaceutical company that discovers a ‘molecule’ (a ‘cure?’) is also obliged to perform the clinical trials required to provide proof of its efficacy and safety.” [See ‘Medical prescriptions need monitoring to reduce bills’ by Prof Zulfikarali Premji; The Citizen: Feb. 1, 2018].

This is most unethical, I say!

Can you see/imagine ‘Big Pharma’ claiming to discover what it pushes as a cure – and then themselves conducting clinical trials that’d prove their discovery as unsafe, inefficacious?

Why not entrust the clinical trials to an independent diligent third party, pray?

Oh, I don’t know…

But, it painfully reminds one of allegations that, for instance, Big Pharma do create what should be curatives. But they also create ‘anti-curatives’ on the sidelines which are designed to ensure diseases like malaria are never eradicated from the face of Planet Earth…

… Or: that unscrupulous computer programmers do create operating and other ‘positive’ programs… And then, just as soon, they create computer viruses – while also creating anti-viruses in a series of events, each one ‘caused’ by the previous one: computer operating program>computer virus>antivirus> ad infinitum, ad nauseam…!

In all fairness, and without an iota of prejudice: if malaria and other common diseases were eradicated on Earth: how’d Big Pharma make ends meet this side of the Heavens above?

Ditto for computer companies in a world that was without computer viruses etc., etc. … ?

At the beginning of this piece, I said two things of considerable concern caught my interest...

Well, the other is called a ‘Batteriser:’ “a micro-thin stainless steel sleeve that significantly extends the ‘life’ of AA, AAA, C and D-cell varieties.”

A pack of four sleeves sells on Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) for less than $10! [CNNMoney (New York) June 2, 2015].

We’re told “batteries lose their juice after using up just 20 per cent of their stored energy. Batteriser sleeves make batteries last eight times longer,” says Batteriser founder Bob Roohparvar, a computer science professor at California State University.

“When you throw out your disposable AAs because your appliance stopped working, they actually still had about 80 per cent of their power remaining, Prof Roohparvar waxes lyrical.

“A new battery sleeve, the Batteriser, extends battery life by drawing out their remaining power. The tiny, 0.1 millimeter-thick stainless steel Batteriser sleeve features an incredibly small circuit board, built to tap into the battery’s remaining energy…”

Fair enough; sounds GREAT, too. But: how much of that’s the Gospel Truth, pray?

As the Editor-in-Chief of the ‘Embedded Vision Alliance’ and ‘InsideDSP,’ Brian Dipert, queries: is the Batteriser a scam or a savior?

Mr Dipert wryly points out that rechargeable, recyclable non-polluting ‘nickel-metal hydride’ (NiMH) batteries cost $15 for a 100-pack – as against $10 for only four Batteriser sleeves!

“A generic twelve-pack of AAAs costs $7.99. And here’s a brand-name twelve-pack of AAs for $14.99!

The charger’s extra, of course; but the adder is scant; here’s another for $12 that even comes with four AAs…” Dipert argues.

So, where does all that leave hapless compulsive customers, pray? At the mercy of Big Pharma, Computer Moguls and Batteriser Batteroos, of course.

Otherwise, don’t fall sick, use computers or battery-dependence appliances if you want to avoid their punishingly costly clutches…