Joe Kraynak

Parents Only: Censoring the Web Through Your Router

I used to spend a lot of time writing computer books. I’m currently working on updating The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Computer Basics, 5th Edition, and realized that most articles written for parents on how to keep their kids away from the nasty stuff on the Web recommend buying and installing one of the many Internet monitoring and filtering programs currently available.

Everyone who’s ever tried to censor the Web using Internet Explorer’s Content Advisor is well aware of the fact that it’s almost totally useless.

What most articles fail to mention is that if you have a router, it probably has its own monitoring and content filtering features built right into it. (A router is a networking device that not only allows several computers to network with one another, but also allows them to share expensive equipment, such as a printer, and services, such as broadband Internet.)

I just posted an article about censoring the Web through your router on my computer-focused blog ComputerChimp.com.

Crest Team Responds to Consumer about Crest Pro Health

Shelley, a visitor to this blog who also experienced tooth staining when using Crest Pro Health Mouth Rinse submitted a complaint to Proctor & Gamble and received a response back from them. Here is Shelley’s original letter of complaint, followed by the Crest Team’s response, followed by how that response made Shelley feel and my own comments.

Shelley’s Complaint to P&G

I purchased this Crest Pro Health Rinse. It was packaged with Crest White Strips, which I always buy. After a few weeks of use, I noticed brown in the spaces between my lower teeth. I did not know this was caused by the rinse and I have been flossing aggressively to get it out. I’ve never had this kind of problem before - I usually have nice white teeth. I found out that this may have been caused by the rinse and now I’m afraid to use any Crest products. I will see if my dentist can get this brown out of my lower teeth.

Crest Team’s Response

Thanks for contacting us.

I’m sorry to hear of your experience when using Crest Pro-Health Rinse. I appreciate the time you’ve taken to bring this to our attention and I’ve shared your report with our specialized representatives.We conducted comprehensive studies on Crest Pro-Health Rinse to prove its safety and effectiveness. The active ingredient in Crest Pro-Health Rinse, Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), has been recognized as safe and effective by an FDA advisory panel. The label meets current FDA standards.

My Comment

The Crest Team is careful when quoting statistics, claiming “Less than one-tenth of 1% of people who have purchased Crest Pro-Health Rinse have raised this concern.” They don’t say less than one-tenth of 1% of people who have used Crest Pro-Health Rinse experience this problem, they highlight only the small percentage of people who report it. Granted, they cannot possibly know how many people experience these problems if people are not reporting it, but I believe that many people who are having problems are not reporting it for one of the following reasons:

• They don’t realize that the mouthwash is the cause.
• They simply stop using the product and don’t report anything.
• Some consumers simply don’t file formal complaints - it’s like patrons who have a bad experience at a restaurant and decide never to eat there rather than complain to the manager.

The comment that the staining is “largely preventable - through options like brushing with a power toothbrush and tartar-control/whitening toothpaste, flossing, and visiting the dentist regularly” is baloney. I was doing all this at the time and it did not succeed in preventing the stains caused by Crest Pro Health Mouth Rinse. This is insulting to anyone who experienced this staining.

I’d like to see a controlled clinical study.

I also think P&G should be proactive in adding a warning label to the product regardless of whether the FDA requires it. It would demonstrate P&G’s commitment to its customers’ health and well being.

USA Today Reports on Crest Pro-Health Rinse

USA Today has published its own report on Crest Pro Health mouthwash entitled “Crest rinse fights off customer complaints.” Items to note:

• “P&G says ‘99.99%’ of users have had no complaints and that any discoloration or aftertaste is temporary.” How did they arrive at this figure? I used several bottles of this stuff before I finally discovered that it was staining my teeth.

• “Brinker said temporary discoloration can be a sign that the product is killing harmful germs, which can be brushed away, or reflect the user’s eating, drinking and brushing habits.” Oh, so the deep dark brown stains are a good sign that the product is working as designed? Is Brinker saying that I could brush the stains away and that they’re probably caused by my eating, drinking, and brushing habits? If so, that’s flat-out wrong. After getting the stains cleaned from my teeth, I stopped using Crest Pro Health Rinse and have not changed my eating, drinking, or brushing habits. Guess what - No stains.

• “Brinker said P&G doesn’t see a need for a warning label because the number of those affected is very small.” I doubt they know the real number.

I’m not saying that P&G should issue a product recall and pull the product off the shelves or that everyone should stop using it. For some people, Crest Pro-Health Rinse may play a valuable role in their oral hygiene. What I want to see is a warning label, so if staining or loss of taste does occur, consumers will have an easier time identifying the cause.

You can read Dr. Gerlach’s letter to consumers on the Crest Pro-Health website to gain a better understanding of Proctor & Gamble’s official stand on this issue.

Crest Pro Health Mouthwash on NBC’s Today Show

I just watched the piece about Crest Pro Health Mouthwash staining teeth on NBC’s Today Show. The report was great and will certainly do some good in warning people about the possible negative side effects of the product. What really ruffled my feathers the most were some of the soundbites from Proctor & Gamble’s spokesperson, the overly smug dental researcher Dr. Robert Gerlach (following each quote is my commentary):

“The question really isn’t ‘Should there be a warning?’ The question is ‘What’s the need?’ The overwhelming majority of people don’t experience these problems at all.

The need, Dr. Gerlach, is so people will know what’s going on when Crest Pro Health mouthwash stains their teeth and causes them to lose their sense of taste. They won’t have to do their own research to discover that it’s the mouthwash they’re using. As for the overwhelming majority of people not experiencing these problems, I question the accuracy of the data: How many people is this happening to who are unaware that their mouthwash is causing the problem? How many people simply stop using the product and don’t file a complaint? Is Proctor & Gamble giving us accurate data?

When asked, “For people who feel they’re misled because there are some side effects they didn’t know about, what do you say to that?”

We have to take everything we read on the Web with a grain of salt. We treat all of our consumer reports very seriously, whether they’re on the Web or elsewhere. Any rinse that fights plaque and gingivitis may cause these side effects in a small number of users.

Dr. Gerlach and Proctor & Gamble would prefer it if they could control all the data. Because they can’t censor blogs, the truth is going to get out despite their best efforts to cover it up. Gerlach wants consumers to take everything they read about Crest Pro Health Mouthwash on the Web with a grain of salt when, in fact, consumers need to take everything that Gerlach and Proctor & Gamble  say about their product with a huge block of salt. They’re the ones who can’t be trusted.

Gerlach paraphrased by interviewer: “He says judging by calls to P&G’s customer center, only a fraction of 1% report any problems.”

I filed my complain online. Are they counting only the phone calls?

This is a product that’s been very safe and effective, used by millions of people. If consumers are experiencing problems with our products, whether it’s stain or taste or anything else, they’ll call us. Wouldn’t you?

At this point, I wanted to punch the TV. Gerlach sounded so smug. P&G, wake up! Do the right thing. Stick a warning on the bottle just like you have a warning on your stannous (stain us) fluoride toothpaste. That way, if people do experience problems, they can tell immediately from reading the label what’s going on. In addition, as one of the consumers interviewed for this piece stated, a warning label would empower consumers with the information they need to make a well-informed decision.

One last thing - these stains aren’t as easy to remove as P&G would like you to think.

Crest Pro-Health Mouthwash on NBC Today Show

On March 14, 2008, I ran a post called “Crest Pro-Health Mouthwash Stains Teeth,” recounting my story of how the mouthwash I was using as part of my dental hygiene actually stained my teeth a dark brown.

Soon after posting that piece, someone from NBC’s Today Show contacted me about a story they were putting together on this very topic. I just heard today that the story is scheduled to run on NBC’s Today Show on Wednesday, May 7 between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. EST. Tune in.

Will Amazon’s Kindle Revolutionize Publishing?

As a professional writer who depends on a steady flow of royalties to pay the bills, I’m terrified by Amazon’s Kindle. Why? Two reasons. First, electronic versions of books cost much less than their paper counterparts. Second, I usually get a smaller percentage of royalties on eBooks, which is something that’s totally incomprehensible to me, but that’s how most publishers structure their contracts.

To compensate, I’ve decided to jump on the Kindle bandwagon and start selling these nifty little units. If you click on the image of the Kindle (above) or the link at the end of this post, it’ll take you to Amazon.com, where you can purchase the Kindle for a cool $399. I get 10% through my Amazon Associates account and you save big bucks on future book purchases – a win-win proposition if there ever was one.

I’m also promoting the product because I think it’s a great tool/toy:

• Paper-like screen: This isn’t like reading on your computer screen. Kindle’s screen looks like real paper.
• Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback: Kindle weighs only 10.3 ounces.
• Stores over 200 titles: You can carry your entire library around with you rather than having to choose which two books you’re going to pack for vacation.
• Order books wherever you are: The Kindle has built-in wireless capability, like a cell phone, so you can order and download your books directly from your Kindle, whether you’re lying in bed, riding in a car, or waiting to board a plane. You can order and download most books in less than a minute.
• Access a wide variety of reading materials: Over 100,000 books are currently available, including over 100 New York Times® Best Sellers; newspaper and magazine subscriptions, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes, and more than 300 top blogs.
• Obtain free book samples: You can download and read the first chapter of a book for free before deciding to purchase it.
• Long battery life: Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.
• No connection charges: No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments. Amazon takes care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.
• Order and download books on your computer and transfer them to your Kindle: If you prefer to place your book orders on your computer, you can download books and then copy them to your Kindle using the USB cable that’s included.
• Be green: If nothing else, wireless books are greener than their paper versions. They conserve paper along with the energy required to print and bind the books and package and ship them. And there’s no paper waste from books, magazines, and newspapers that ultimately find their way into the trash.

I think Amazon’s Kindle and similar devices are well on their way to revolutionizing the publishing industry in an eco-friendly, consumer-friendly way. I dread the thought of what their increasing popularity is going to do to my bottom line, but life consists of change, and overall, I think the changes that Kindle is ushering in are going to be good for everyone.

Order Your Kindle: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device

Switching Parties in Indiana

Indiana has some pretty strange laws, but the law governing how you can vote in the primaries is perhaps the oddest of all. Recently, I was wondering whether a Republican voter could cast a vote for Hillary or Obama in the upcoming primary. The short answer is yes, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. According to Indiana law, a person may vote in a particular party’s primary only if that person has cast a majority of votes for that party’s candidates in prior general elections or plans to do so in the upcoming general election.

If you’re a die-hard Republican, for example, and you want to vote for Hillary in the primary, because your vote really won’t count in the Republican presidential primary and you think McCain will have an easier time beating Hillary than Obama, be careful. If one of the poll workers knows that you typically vote Republican, he or she can challenge your vote. Before you could cast your vote for Hillary, you’d have to sign an affidavit indicating that you voted primarily for Democrats in past general elections or plan to do so in the next general election. And if you didn’t vote primarily for Democrats in the past and fail to do so in the upcoming general election (and someone invests the time and effort to prove it and press the issue), you could be found guilty of voter fraud. (Does anyone out there know the penalty for this type of voter fraud in Indiana? I’m sure it’s not as serious as posing as someone who’s deceased in order to cast another vote for your candidate.)

Because this law obviously is so difficult to enforce, it basically comes down to acting on the honor system. If you plan on switching parties in Indiana, you can do so in the next primary, but make sure you plan on remaining a Democrat at least through next November’s general election.