The recent forced packaging changes on ciggy packets are not going to work. Unless the package screams at you constantly "THESE WILL KILL YOU" at the top of it's failing lungs, the graphic images are too easy to ignore.

It's easy to think we all have the answers. So...

Here is what I'd do:

1. All cigarettes must be sold in the same sized white packaging with only the brand name and contents printed on them. All must use the same font and look basically identical.
2. All should have the same standard "POISON" message on them as seen on various cleaning products.
3. Shop keepers selling cigarettes may only make a 0.05% profit on the sale.
4. The fine for selling cigarettes to minors should be increased to 1/10th of the median house price of the shop's area per offence.

Watch how many cigarettes get sold then.

I hear whispers of "black market". I don't know how to solve that problem. Huge fines? Jail? I think I'd be happy with just point 1.

I also think if similar changes were made to beer I'd still buy it and drink it. Ditto red meat...

So what then?

Maybe TV and advertising is too fake? Even when it's real? Do we need that the face cancer suffer from TV to walk the streets? I wonder how many people she meets face to face will keep smoking?

I don't know how nurses keep driving to hospital every day.

There is obviously something in our heads that ignores certain amounts of risk.

Maybe that's why we're here now.

Even if "Code Monkey" doesn't blow your mind with it's geeky greatness. Even if you don't respect the fact he sells his own music in MP3 format. Even if you don't think it's great he manages to pump out a fairly well produced song every week (almost) for a year and still do life stuff (I assume). Even if you think it's like totally whatever that he releases his tracks under a creative commons license so you can go make crappy videos of his songs and put them on YooToob. Even if! You should still check him out.

Johnathan Coulton.