I once said to friends and family, “If I cannot eat meat or shell-fish, kill me because life won’t be worth living”. As a self professed “hardcore carnivore”, I took pride in never eating anything green and avoidance of all but the sweetest fruits.

Then I read Fast Food Nation. Then I watched Super Size Me. Then I watched Fast Food Nation. And finally, I read The China Study.

It was The China Study that finally converted us (not just me, but my whole family). This book details the world’s largest comprehensive study examing more than 350 variables of health and nutrition with surveys from 6,500 adults in more than 2,500 counties across China and Taiwan. It conclusively demonstrates the link between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Dubbed the “Disease of Affluence”, it shows irrefutable links between modern “dietary staples” and the diseases which are plaguing the Western World.

To share the implications of The China Study findings, let me quote a section of the book:

At the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago, another research group was working with mammary (breast) cancer in rats. The research showed that increasing intakes of casein promoted the development of mammary (breast) cancer. They found that higher casein intake:

• promotes breast cancer in rates dosed with two experimental carcinogens (7,12-dimethybenz(a)anthracene (DBMA) and N-nitroso-methylurea (NMU))
• operates through a network of reactions that combine to increase cancer
• operates through the female hormone system that operates in humans

In short, Casein is a protien that has been proven to cause cancer. Where do you find Caesin? In cow’s milk! Milk protein is in fact almost all Casein - if you take Casein away from milk, you’ll end up with white-water.

Even wikipedia’s definition of casein points to its dangers: “Casein is also a major trigger of migraines and other types of headaches”.

As a result, as part of our New Years Resolution (which marks today as the 1st month anniversary), we have been effectively Vegans. For those that don’t know, Vegans are basically Vegetarians who also do not eat eggs or dairy (and of course no meat or fish).

Unlike most Vegans, we do not have a philosophical issue with the killing of animals. So we don’t “freak out” if we find that our soup is made of chicken broth or the occassional piece of meat that comes with our dish. Our objective is simply to minimize (not totally eliminate) the consumption of animal protein.

So how has the first month been?

As a once hardcore meat eater, I’ve found it amazing! I actually don’t crave any meat products. The Vegan dishs I’ve eaten have been flavourful, varied and (perhaps most importantly) filling. You just don’t realize all the variety of vegetables and fruits that are available until you really get into it. And I’ve been surprised that once you take meat out of the ingredient (replace with Tofu or vegetables), you realize that you like dishes because of the flavor not because of the meat in it. In fact, you enjoy most dishes (short of a Steak Dinner) because of the flavour of the spices, not because of the meat product!

It’s also a little hard to eat out. Most restaurants (especially the chain restaurants) load up their menu with meat dishes. But you’ll be able to find vegetarian meals, and many times you can just ask that they cook the dish without the meat. 

I’ve found that most servers/restaurants are accommodating if you just tell them that you’re a vegetarian. I’d recommend not saying “Vegan”, because people just don’t seem to understand (meaning you’ll spend alot of time explaining the difference) and they’ll end up just giving you a funny look.

Do I miss eating meat?

Sure, I do miss some of favorite dishes, but you can cook most of them without the meat and arrive at the same taste and texture. Unfortunately there are some that I just will never eat again, such as Steak Dinners, Pho & BBQ Ribs.

It’s also pretty interesting to me, that I am now totally disinterested when I drive past billboards with huge steaks or hamburgers (I live in Las Vegas, so those billboards are plentiful!). In the past, it’d make my mouth water and think about going to a particular restaurant. Now I look at the billboard and wonder why people would want to eat that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sitting on my high horse, I just no longer have any interest in those types of dishes.

What about health-wise?

In the 1 month that I’ve been a Vegan, I’ve lost 4 lbs! I’ve found that my energy level has picked up and I’m more physically active. My blood pressure has gone down (becoming normal). And more importantly, I feel good!

What about cost?

Our groceries and dining-out expenses have approximately been cut in half!

We’re dining out less (simply because we prefer to cook more ourselves, to ensure that the food is truly Vegan), but still go out a fair bit.

The majority of our savings come from simply not needing to buy meat. You’d be surprised how cheap vegetables and fruits are (especially when bought in bulk, because as Vegans, we eat more of it every day than the average family).

What’s my point?

Nothing.

As I said right at the start, I’m not philosophical about it. This isn’t a crusade. I’m not trying to recruit people to my way of living.

But I thought I’d share this life-changing event. And if others are borderline, wanting to know how the Conversion went, know that you’re not alone

This is so wrong, but so funny at the same time

It has been brought to my attention that this video was staged

When everyone first start using Google Adwords (PPC advertising), they typically go through a steep (and expensive) learning curve. There are so many levers to optimize your campaign that it’s pretty daunting for new-comers. Eventually, most people figure out that CTR (Click-Thru Rate) is the key to Adwords success. The better the CTR, the cheaper the keyword bids will be over time.

What CTR should you target?

CTR will vary from keyword to keyword (in some sectors, people just don’t click on the ads as much). And of course CTR will vary depending on which position your ad is in (e.g. positions 1-3 usually get a lot of “blind clicks”, where searchers will automatically click on the first link without reading the ad, resulting in a higher CTR).

I usually aim for positions 4 to 7, but regardless of what position on the first page (positions 4 to 10), I’ve found that a CTR of 1.5% is usually a good target.

1.5% is the magic CTR target?

The actual target will vary from keyword to keyword (some search niches just don’t get that many clicks on ads). The majority of keywords that I’ve experimented with, vary from 1% to 2%.

Why should I care about hitting the target?

Google rewards those who have a good CTR by lowering your bid amount. That is, you can achieve the same ad position with a lower bid price (thus lowering your advertising costs) and/or give you a higher ad position (thus giving you a better position for the same cost).

If you exceed the CTR target, you’ll find that your cost will drop faster. So if you need to bid $2 to get to position 4, after 2 weeks, you might find that:

• It’ll cost you $2 (or more!) if your CTR is less than the target
• It’ll cost you $1.80 if your CTR is at the target
• It’ll cost you $1 if you’ve far exceeded the target CTR

And so it goes. The price will drop faster, if you continually exceed the “target” CTR.

How do you find the “exact” target for any keyword?

This part is a little tricky. Firstly, before you analyze anything, make sure you have a “statisitcally significant” sample (which I would suggest to be AT LEAST 30 clicks). With a “statistically significant” sample, you should see what your aCPC (Average Cost Per Click) is compared to your Average Ad Position. That is your baseline.

Wait for another “statistically significant” sample, and then compare your aCPC vs Average Ad Position.

• If you’re at the target CTR, then you’ll find that the two samples will be about the same.
• If you’re above the target CTR, then you’ll find that the 2nd sample will be cheaper and/or have a higher Average Ad Position.
• If you’re below the target CTR, then you’ll find that the 2nd sample will be more expensive and/or have a lower Average Ad Position. Although if your CTR is below par, most people’s ads will have been priced off the first page by now… so if you’re not getting the same # of impressions, it’s probably because Google has already determined that your campaign/ad sucks.

Wow, that’s alot of work. How did you ever figure out 1.5% is the magic target?

Remember, I never said 1.5% is the magic number for all keywords. I said most keywords’ target CTR varied around 1.5%. You’ll have to do alot of work to find the magic number yourself. But I wouldn’t recommend you waste your time. Just know that there is a magic number, and aim to get as high a CTR as you can.

But you said 1.5% for all ads on the first page? Surely lower positions (8-10) should have a lower target than 1.5%?

In a perfect theoretically world, that would be true. But for most keywords, there are more than 10 advertisers. You should expect some good advertisers have a good CTR, but are simply out-bid by big companies with big marketing budgets. So those good advertisers are naturally pushed lower down (but are still good enough to be on the first page).

Consequently (and especially for highly competitive niches) you’ll find that the target CTR applies for pretty much all positions on the first page.

What is the CTR target for the second and later search results?

I play to win, so don’t waste my time on subsequent pages. If I’m not on the first page, and cannot bid higher, then I find another keyword that I can afford.

If you like being on subsequent pages, you’ll have to figure out the target yourself using the method I’ve described above.

I’ve been averaging position 5.6 and all of a sudden I’m at 6.8. What happened?

There are many advertisers on Google, and it could have been that a new one just started bidding on your keyword.

It is important to make sure you have a “statistically significant” sample before analyzing and making adjustments to your campaign. I’ve often found that things like aCPC and Average Ad Position can vary from day to day, but things will be “correct” if you have a large enough sample size.

Ultimately if the new advertising has “staying power” (i.e. if you’ve got a valid sample size, and indeed your position has been lowered), then you can either:

• Do nothing. If you’re exceeding your target CTR, you’ll eventually rise in ad position.
• Increase your bid. Especially if you’ve been pushed off the first page, you won’t be able to keep up a good CTR. Staying on the first page is important.

I actually find that being “outbid” (but if I remain on the first page) to be a good thing. I’m now having my same high CTR (assuming you can maintain the CTR) at a lower ad position. This will allow me to score better, and actually more quickly recover my lost position without needing to bid higher. But your mileage may vary

My aCPC and Average Ad Position has both increased! Why?

Most of the time, you’ll find that Google lower your aCPC.

Sometimes, Google makes the decision that your good CTR deserves an even better ad position! But unforutnately in giving you a higher ad position, it requires a (slightly) higher bid. While a good thing, some campaigns might be thrown off (because the higher position may get you even more clicks and with the higher price per click you might hit your budget limit sooner). You can choose to do 2 things in this case:

• Do nothing. Your aCPC should decrease over time, back down to where it used to be and then continue even lower.
• Decrease your bid. This will lower your ad position. Just don’t be over-zealous (or make this change without a statistically significant sample) or you’ll find that suddenly you’ll have lost multiple positions.

I’ve been noticing an interesting kiosk device at my local Von’s (also known as “Safeway” in the rest of the US).

Turns out, it’s a machine where you can rent movies. It’s actually really easy to use, and I was able to get the New Release of my choice on a Friday evening (try that at any local video store!). Best of all, it’s pretty darn cheap! $1.49 (+ taxes) per DVD, or $0.99 (+ taxes) on Mondays. You have to return it by 7pm the next day.

The rental DVD comes out in a plastic case (like those slim plastic CD cases). The DVD has bar codes in the middle (around the center hole), which is how the machine figures out that you’ve returned the correct DVD.

All up: really cheap, seemingly huge selection and availability, and convenient! A really great idea!

If you’re like to find out more or find the location of your nearest machine, check out: http://www.dvdplay.com

Coupon for January 2008: WHITEXMAS WINTERFEVER (thanks Sharry!)

The coupon gets you a new domain for $8.41.

GoDaddy has coupon code (CJC695DOM) which will get you a .COM for $6.95. Might be a better deal if you register a .COM and don’t care about whois privacy.