Microsoft Lip Balm
Seen this week at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Insert your own joke… leave a comment below.

Ask the Addict: Use Chap Stick only in Winter
A question from Nechama F.
I didnt see this on the site- I use chapstick only in the winter from cold weather. I answered no to all the self evaluation questions. Am I at risk for being addicted? Are there any brands that are “safe” to use?
Burt’s Bees: The First One’s Free
It’s an old but effective technique to introduce your product to the next generation of addicts customers. Like the corner drug dealer, “The First One’s Free” and Burt’s Bees is getting into the act.
Nominally to celebrate Burt’s 25 years in the business, the company is giving away 1,000 free tubes each day for 25 days.
The giveaway starts anytime between 9 a.m. and 12 noon EDT but no one knows exactly when! To equal the odds and give you the fairest chance at a free balm, we’ve randomized the giveaway to start anytime between 9 a.m. and 12 noon EDT. It could be anytime. For instance — it may be 9:15 AM one day, 10:25 AM the next, or 11:51 AM the day after! We don’t know either - and that’s what makes it fun! And if you don’t get it one day, you’ll get your chance. The balm giveaway goes through June 20, 2009.
www.burtsbees.com
I’m not sure what the point of this rotating starting time is, other than to increase hits on their website. It surely will frustrate some looking for their free hit, though we can’t say that people who give up after missing their deal are worse off.

Burt's Bees Lip Balm
Ask the Addict - June 6, 2009
My father was a carmex user, my boyfriend a blistex guy - I try to warn him that his natural lips will lose their ability to self moisturize, but he denies that.Any ideas what kind of profits these guys make?
Amy L.

Carmex is marketed both as a lip balm and primarily as a cold sore remedy. As such, Carmex and other “medicated” lip balms actually dry out your lips as a way to treat cold sores. So, your boyfriend is wrong.
In terms of profits, Carmex is a privately held company and does not release financial statements. Paul Woelbing, grandson of Carma Labs founder Albert Woelbing, says “We sell Carmex for the lowest price possible, which allows us to make a reasonable profit.” (answers.com).
