"Google Has Forgotten Why We Love It".
Actually, it hasn't.
It's well known that I despise the cult of Apple. So, this is going to seem hypocritical, as I'm an unabashed member of the cult of Google. These kinds of stories piss me off. I generally like and agree with Boing Boing and the EFF-type crowd, but sometimes they need to tone it the fuck down.
I mean, Google has only given me, for free*:
the ability to upload 20 gigabytes of my own music and listen to it anywhere I get a phone signal; access to the best email service around; the ability to create almost any kind of document and store it online; the ability to (sporadically) express my thoughts to the entire world in this here blog; turn by turn navigation on my phone; an aerial map of the entire world; access to all the cat videos I can handle; the ability to completely control my voicemail and have a second number if I want; the best RSS reader around; storage for every photo I have ever taken; the best web browser, the list goes on and on. Did I mention searching the entire web better than any engine ever invented?
Oh, but fuck 'em for having the gall to actually make money on the venture.
And the whole, "Oh noes, Google is changing their privacy policies!" freakout a few weeks ago? C'mon. Google has a hundred products with a hundred different privacy policies. It would be stupid NOT to consolidate them into a single policy.
You don't like what Google does? Don't use their products. I don't use a single Apple product, and my life has been just fine. You'll live, trust me.
*I know, I know, the "price" is that I'm being packaged and sold to advertisers (which, by the way, I can opt out of.). It's 2012, that ship has sailed my friend.
i honestly prefer targeted ads. i don't give a shit about dish soap or fast food value meals. i'm not going to buy one of those anytime soon, and even if i were, i'm going to be loyal to the brands i'm already loyal to.
ReplyDeletei actually enjoy reading the ads in Razorcake and MRR. those in Better Homes and Gardens, not so much.
i feel like the former is much more of the "hey, here's what we have." variety and the latter falls squarely in the "holy shit you don't use OUR laundry detergent?!?! HOW CAN YOU STAND TO LIVE IN SUCH FILTH?!"