Which is a shame. By the look of some other media reports, many of the concepts discussed at the conference were news to them, like 'The Long Tail', something readers of this column know we've been banging on about for nearly a year at this point.

We would also have loved to challenge at least one assertion that got reported out, that the idea of DVRs (Sky+ and the imminent to launch UPC[NTL]-branded digital video recorder) as a means of ad avoidance - that is, fast-forwarding over the ads - was overstated.

Nothing to worry about then.

All that palaver about "engagement" being better than "interruption"? Complete tosh.

Great. You can all go back to sleep.

Those still with us who want to continue working in advertising and marketing in a few years might check out what American network NBC decided to try as a means of combating the DVR ad-skipping.

[Which, we note, most research indicates becomes more common the longer you have a DVR in the house. ] It's a return to the early days of television, the live spot.

This Tuesday the network's Tonight Show will feature a sketch centred on a GPS navigation device made by Garmin. It's a tactic that harks back to the 1950s. The sketch will air as part of the show before the ad break. Presenter Jay Leno will hand over to the programme's announcer, dressed in a lab coat with the Garmin logo, who will discuss the male problem with 'Direction Disorder' in a deliberate send-up of ads for Viagra and a similarsounding condition.

It may mean that the innate conservatism of Ireland's own Late Late Show, with its decidedly retro 1950s sponsorship model may actually be the wave of the future.

RYANAIR ADS GO UNNOTICED

WE were on a Ryanair flight to Edinburgh last week that had Meteor ads on the outside of the overhead bins. We did notice them straight away, but of the other passengers we polled on the way out of the plane, a majority, surprisingly, hadn't noticed.

So we do wonder about their effectiveness. One possible explanation might be found in a reaction we got: "you mean they hadn't been doing that all along?"

GREEN PRESS RELEASE IN A HURRY

WE'RE convinced that the Green Party press release announcing a collapse in government talks wasn't sitting around ready to go.

The lead paragraph includes the difference in approaches between the parties to "tackling climate chance" (sic). You might even think it had been written by a blogger.

REALITY BITES, PORK CHOP STYLE

CAN Big Brother get worse? Don't ask silly questions.

One suggestion sent in this week to Publius that we may see, if there is another Big Brother: "seal an Orthodox Jew and a Wahhabi Sunni Muslim into the house for two weeks with nothing to eat. Then give them one pork chop and see who comes out alive."

If you're reading this, Channel 4, we'd just as soon give you full credit for the idea.

TIPS, BRIBES & ABUSE all welcome at rdelevan@tribune. ie