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Walmart is competing with me and I don't like it. What's worse, they're getting free advertising at the same time. How can this be?.

For years this website has had a google-lock on the phrase 'pancake recipe from scratch'. In fact, 50 weeks out of the year, the pancake recipe is the most-requested recipe on this site. (During the two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, the turkey recipe causes a huge spike in server traffic -- no surprise there, it's unique and a great recipe.)

But now a Google Walmart ad starts popping up over on the left of the google search results page. Not to worry, 'pancake recipe from scratch' is still on top of the heap, but the move to wider computer screens has made space for a second heap over on the right: non-bought commercial space.

Non-bought? That's right, it's free advertising. Walmart doesn't pay for that space unless someone clicks there.

Naturally, I clicked. I HAD to find out more about my competitor, a multinational retail giant that, as it turns out, seems to think that in order to cook pancakes you need to buy a US$ 24.99 pan that folds in half on a hinge so you can fry them up twice as fast -- and then spend twice the time cleaning up a more-complicated mess. And let's not even mention the ordinary risk of injury from an unconventional folding pan which, in inexperienced hands, could turn out to be unsafe, or even deadly.

During the flu season, when you just don't want to visit a restaurant for pancakes, I recommend you cook your pancakes from scratch

In other pursuits, I recently enjoyed the typeface parody film (now there's a phrase you don't often see) Behind Cooper Black