Some people think the gospel is best told by one’s life, others - the evangelicals - suggest it’s best told by the lips. Philip Gulley calls this the “life versus lips controversy.” I’m a life man myself. But the lips thing is carrying the day as re the soap on a rope thing…

When it comes to word of mouth marketing the evangelicals hold sway. Apple might think that a line-up of logos on laptops at a conference has some deeper semiotic impact, but face it, those Macs are like cocaine… they’re god’s way of telling you that you have too much money. No - in marketing you want to skip the demos and go straight to the snake oil pitch. For a quick dose of same, Chris Locke has prepared this Amazon guide.

The word on the street today is Ophidophobia. I hope TSA and Northwest Airlines have herpetological screening in place and that no pythons or adders or craits find their way into my carry-on!

Did you ever kiss snake lips?