Starting this summer, when our clickstream data and demographic profile trigger delivery of online ads, the ad will contain a little blue <i> icon, perhaps words such as “Why did I get this ad?,” and a link to a site explaining how the advertiser uses the collected data. Advertisers agreed to the new policy hoping [...]
Otto von Bismarck said “laws are like sausages. It’s better not to see them being made.” Had Bismarck read yesterday’s New York Times story by Michael Moss he might have said “laws are like sausages and hamburger . . . .” If you are tilting towards vegetarianism or dubious about purchasing that 18-pack of frozen [...]
I just came across this provision in a web site opt-out menu: “Please cancel my request to not recieve money saving Pet Tag discount emails.” Spelling error, double negative, split infinitive–there’s a lot going on in this sentence. Sphere: Related Content Related posts No related posts.
I have not used eBay often, and have not even visited it in years. I am always interested whenan iconic Internet presence loses its wheels, so Bruce Schneier’s brief account of his difficulties selling a laptop on eBay captured my attention. He linked to a longer saga of seller’s woe prosaically titled “It’s Now Completely [...]
I just visited Amazon.com and on the front page was an announcement about Amazon’s initiative with counter “wrap rage”–the frustration of struggling to open almost-impenetrable product packaging. Amazon is “working with leading manufacturers to deliver products inside smaller, easy-to-open, recyclable cardboard boxes with less packaging material (and no frustrating plastic clamshells or wire ties.” Finally. [...]
One year after Microsoft released Vista, its newest operating system, I am like most Windows users. I continue to use Windows XP, and continue to resist the alleged upgrade to Vista. This story explains why resistance is a good move. It explains the woes of Jon, Steven, and Mike who upgraded or purchased what were [...]
Monday, February 25, 2008
Legal Blog Watch Alert discusses a story in the Boston Globe titled Grape Expectations: What Wine Can Tell Us About the Nature of Reality. The story explores the influence of price-based expectations, such as how wine drinkers will prefer a more expenseive bottle over a cheaper bottle, even though the wine is exactly the same [...]