Ads and Ads Blockers and Fairness and Antiques

The internet is free . . . yeah, right. 

You’ve seen the articles. You’ve probably come across sites that throw up a warning . . . actually, more of an accusation. Something like this:

When I see one of those, I close the tab. I mean, I really don’t need to see whatever free content they want to show me. 

Most of all, I never, ever, ever click on the few ads that do sneak through.

To read some editorials, I am destroying the very fabric of the internet. 

Here’s the thing . . . I would be perfectly happy paying a usage fee to Google, to Facebook (a bit less so), and to a few other sites for access without ads and without them “harvesting” my information. It’s not my problem that they prefer to do things on the sly.

They look like this . . . 

But are really like this:

Actually, they remind me of this . . . 

“Out of the goodness of our hearts and the goodness of our boss, we offer you great things for free . . . all we ask in return is some money so we can keep offering you those free things.”

Like I said, my typical response is to stop going to those places. BUT . . . say that I want to use the service or look at something in places where there are ads. Well, my IP will show I am in Pensylvania, or Washington, or Dallas (I’m in Colorado), and my personal data will have all sorts of made-up stuff, from birthday, to personal preferences, to personal history. 

It’s practically guaranteed none of the ads I might see will be relevant to me.  I also use non-tracking search engines (they seem to work), and if one of them goes over to the dark side, there are others that will take their place. 

Again, the various companies are all incensed at the fact. They look like this, only creepier.

“How can you do that to us?!?”

Easy; you are a company, and therefore, evil. I don’t hold it against you; I expect it and act accordingly. Besides, over and over, and over again you prove that everything you do is not for my good. You change stuff, get rid of what I like, tweak functionality, and basically screw stuff up all for one reason . . . to make it easier for you monetize me, the product you sell to others. And let’s be honest; I don’t really need your content, no matter how much you say that I do. 

What I am willing to do is to ensure the product (me) you sell to others is basically worthless to them and you, and while you speak of fairness, I sleep well at night.

And, if it should ever happen that you get wise to me and somehow counter my attempts at privacy and ad-free environment, I have a last recourse . . . 

That’s right . . . I’ll pick up a book. 

It’s not just the Internet . . . cable now blocks the fast-forward function for on-demand shows. That’s right; the cable for which I pay a monthly subscription and which touts the on-demand functionality of their service, that cable sells advertisements for the shows I already paid to watch. It’s for “my” convenience, you see; I get to watch a show whenever I want for free . . . except for my time.

So, I have a choice: I can either watch the show and see the same stupid commercial over and over or, I can stop watching the show. Guess which I choose. Guess if I’ll have cable for much longer.

. . . I need to cut this short as I’m starting to get worked up. Not good for my health, I hear. 

In the end, I will do whatever it takes to thwart companies from making money off me while proclaiming they have my best interests at heart and are doing me a favor. 

Honest, I have no idea what the above is supposed to depict. However, I got to believe that, whatever it is, its ad-blocking abilities are beyond belief. Amo getting me one.

Let me end on a calmer note . . . I came across these figurines in one of the thrift stores we occasionally explore. A little stereotypical, but if they drive enough traffic to this blog, I will finally be able to monetize this sucker. Imagine the dimes coming my way. 

That’s it. This post has ended . . . except for the stuff below.

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