...snip


No problem Gordon. I can help. It is easy. My objection to yahoo
is; they are using talented people that have a following to compile a huge
data base of demographics, email addresses and participant's interest.
You the moderator get nothing out of it but they make millions selling
this info. Also the more people that access yahoo the more
money they make from their advertisers. The advertisers pay a
small fee for each access.

I quit watching TV with out a TVIO as the advertising was too
much of a waste of my time. With a TVIO you can jump over adds.

It has nothing to do with preventing spam. yahoo are lying.
If there is one thing I can't stand is lying.

The other problem is formating. It is hard to read a series of messages
which each person chooses his own format and signature file.

Many people also use Internet groups to advertise their products.
I don't object to that in moderation particularly if it is related
to the subject such as what Bob White and Jerry Hey do.
Jerry, bless his soul does not use a signature file to advertise but
I have been after him to do so because it is a service needed
by our readers. Besides, new people are always asking me where
they can get motor mounts made. That takes up some of my time.

Other than the few people that are providing needed services
I suppress contributors email address to prevent spamers from
collecting email addresses on here.

The other thing you will run into is professional shills that
get paid by people that would otherwise rip you off in some way.
The shills job is to counter negative publicity about their clients.
Moller is an example. I can usually spot them from a few secret
clues. It is an old carnival profession.

Starting before Genie I have been on BBS's and the Internet
for over 15 years.

Paul Lamar ...No rotor no motor.


Thanks Paul,

I understand all of your points and agree with you completely. Compiling
and selling personal information is a huge multibillion dollar racket
that is really odious to me. I have known this for a long time and have
refused to sign up for any of the so-called "rewards" programs offered
by the credit card companies, retailers, airlines and others.

And if you think things are bad now, they are going to get much worse
with every new technology that comes along.

Back in the 1990s when I was working as a technology writer, I did
series of investigative reports on this stuff, which the racketeers
euphemistically call "database marketing," "data mining," and other such
crap.

What it means is they get consumers to sign up with them, whether it is
for a rewards program like air miles, or a free yahoo email, or
whatever. They then sell your personal information and spending habits,
any information they can pick up on your interestes, hobbies etc. There
is billions of dollars in this.

What's just around the corner with the mobile technology is them being
able to track your every move if you carry a cell phone, blackberry or
whatever. As soon as you walk into a store, you get a spam message
telling you about some "great offer" just for you.

This is the holy grail for this scumbag industry and it means the end of
privacy and human dignity as we know it. This is why the wireless
networks are spending billions on upgrading their technology so they can
track you wherever you go. Nice, no?

And of course, your friendly guys in black suits from homeland security,
etc. have the skeleton key to all this stuff and can just tap into it at
any time. (For "national security" purposes of course).

I find all this sickening and that's why I give out zero personal
information. I wouldn't even have a bank account or credit card if I
could help it. As it is, I make minimal use of those. Cash is what I do
for everything I possibly can.

As for TV I have given up on that crap long ago. Even with Tivo, which I
have never used, I would not find anything worthwhile to watch, one
exception being the odd football game. I much prefer picking up a book
when I have some spare time.


Regards,

Gordon.

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