Recently someone sent me a DVD that they wanted me to carry in the NNSD Bookshelf. It did better than most. I managed to get two minutes and 15 seconds into it before my first "BULLSHIT!"  While the DVD did have some good points, the overall score had too many 'Not Quite Rights'(1) for me even to think about carrying it.

It wasn't the number of 'bullshits' that prompted me to write this page, it was the fact that every one was a complete and utter cliché. More than that, they were examples of macho fantasies, marketing forces and outright dangerous misconceptions that have become so prevalent that they are accepted without question. As in "Of course that's the truth."

There Are NO Rules In A Streetfight
There ARE ALWAYS rules.

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1) I have a four column form that I use when reviewing DVDs:
#1 Bullshit (that will get you killed)
#2 Not Quite Right (usually overly simplified)
#3 Okay
#4 Solid (something I'd bet my life on)
I run the DVD in my computer's media player program that tracks the time. As I watch the DVD I note the times where I have those different reactions. While most vendors can be handled by a polite refusal, some people get insistent about the quality of their product. It helps to be able to  tell them exactly where they said something that will get someone killed if the person takes it as the absolute as they present it as.
I tell people do NOT send me review copies unless it can meet the highest of standards, namely not getting someone killed for trying it in a dangerous situation. If I have to tell them they didn't measure up, you can be damned sure I'm going to document it and explain why it's false. Return to Text

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