Do you guys get ads on this site? I don't, not that I'm complaining. I have a pop-up blocker on my browser, but I see the marginal ads on Face Book. Wiki doesn't have ads, but they solicit donations once or twice a year. I have been on other sites that have those spooky ads that are tailored to whatever you are talking about at the moment. It is my understanding that Google invented those things, and Blogger is a Google product, but we don't get them here, at least I don't. I believe that Google also invented the first pop-up blocker, so they couldn't be all bad. I don't get a lot of spam on my email, but I used to. When I converted from dial-up to satellite service, they gave me a new email account and, for some reason, the spammers didn't follow me here. I seem to remember that the feds passed some kind of anti-spam law about that time, so maybe that had something to do with it.
I haven't bought much on the internet over the years, and never from an ad. I have bought a few CDs from CD Universe because nobody sells them around here anymore. Well, Walmart sells CDs and DVDs but, if they don't have what you're looking for, they won't order it for you. I understand they have their own site where you can order stuff, but I've never been there. Anymore, I go right to Amazon if I can't find something locally. I spent the better part of a year trying to get a replacement stock for my muzzle loader from the manufacturer. They said they were going to give me one for free because my old stock developed some cracks in it, even though the gun was no longer under warranty. I finally found one on Amazon, and they sent it to me in a few days. I had to pay for it, but I got the stock. Free is good, but not if you don't get it.
I believe it was my sister who told me that the day was coming when nobody would have to work for a living if they didn't want to. This was about the time the first Star Trek TV series was playing, so maybe she got the idea from them. In the Star Trek universe, all the work was done by machines, but you could still get a job on the Enterprise if you wanted "to go where no man has gone before". I don't think those guys got paid, but everything they needed or even wanted was provided by something called a "replicator". They would just say, "Computer, give me a cup of Siluvian coffee please", and a cup of Siluvian coffee would appear in a cubbyhole in the nearest wall. Later, I believe it was in the Next Generation series, they encountered an extraterrestrial race called the "Ferenghi", you know, the guys with the big ears. The Ferenghi were money grubbing capitalists that were looked down upon by the Star Fleet people. They got along with each other okay, but you could never trust a Ferenghi to give you a fair deal out of the goodness of their hearts. It was a matter of "let the buyer beware", and be sure to read all the fine print in any contract you sign with them. Nevertheless, they could get you something when your replicator couldn't, so they provided a valuable service from time to time.
I don't know if we will ever come that far in the real world, but we do seem to be moving in that direction. Star Trek accurately predicted the smart phones of today, and the medical profession has some gadgets that resemble the tricorder. The Taser that is commonly used in police work is nothing more than a phaser set on "stun". The transporter and the warp drive are still light years away, which is probably for the best. Who knows what would happen if that kind of technology got into the wrong hands?
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