Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for May 04, 2023

And don’t forget Alexa is always listening.

Strange isn’t it! Not just Big Brother is watching.

Ask Alexa about the latest news on the AI takeover of the world.

The Eye in the Sky by Alan Parsons Project.

Tell her it’s a Kiss from a Rose!

Funny, I see ads for aquariums and circuses and art.

https://whdh.com/news/seals-show-off-painting-skills-through-new-experience-available-at-new-england-aquarium/

Years ago, my instructor had our design class make magazine ads for an olive oil company, and encouraged us to do online research about the company and different approaches to designing our ads. Boy, did some of us have stories to share when we typed “extra virgin” into search engines.

Still pay all my bills by check and mail. I see no reason to change.

Even if you have a casual conversation and the phone is near by, lordy how the ads will appear on the computer.

Hmm.. can’t remember the last time that I saw a targeted ad

But ofc adblock, TIVO, no Google cookies or Alexa, phone & TV microphones disabled..

I’ve got adblock on, and I’m not seeing any ads on this site.

Some sites will come up with banners that say “disable your adblocker to continue”, but they are usually sites that I can do without.

I can’t remember the last time I saw an ad.

I use Firefox with multi-account containers enabled, with shopping in one container, news in another, financial stuff in a third, etc.

I also use Privacy Badger, Ghostery and uBlock Origin.

No Alexa, no streaming services and very few apps on my phone, I don’t use voice recognition or commands

A good VPN helps also.

I type in seal and get ads for the Navy and secret missions, blubber, and Alaska, Marine Land and oil lamps – my search engine is a bit weird even if it is an “anonymous” search. (VPN people, add blockers, and email address that is a dump station – seems to work fairly decent)

I turned off the advertising setting on my devices, I don’t use the search engine which begins with G and I installed an ad blocker. Though there are some ads which show up, there aren’t many.

We don’t get ads, per se, but info will show up on the home page about anything I’ve searched for in the last week.

I get an email from my doctor that there’s a message on the practice’s website. I click on link, get to the website, and have to login with a username and password. I then have to click on messags. Finally I click on the message: the office will be closed on some upcoming holiday. I get why personal information needs to be secure, but not why I should have to go through several screens for a generic, public message.

In trying times like these, and worrying about artificial intelligence taking over, there is only one answer. Remember the immortal words of Professor A. E. Newman, “What me worry?”

It’s called ‘cookies’ and it supposed to be a convenience.

Recently I gave Google a direction FROM ANOTHER CITY (telling friends about it), and when I got home my husband told me that Google had done what I asked, just at that moment.

I think JJ is telling us about his frustrations thru Arlo

I use the Brave browser and don’t see ads.

Tasty cookies

If one is serious about privacy on the Web, use Tor.

I also use the Brave browser and the DuckDuckGo search engine. On occasion, I will use the Brave search engine.

One final comment: Both on my desktop and my mobile, I turn off everything possible (location, etc.) and use ad blockers, etc.

I am sure, of course, that Android, Apple, and Windows have little programs hidden deeply in the code.

My term for a mobile is “an NSA-approved personal surveillance device.”

Speaking of canning lids. It was cheaper to buy the jar-ring-seal than just the ring, if you could find them. My late wife did a lot of preserves and I gave most of that to a friend who also cans. I’ll get the jars back a bit at a time in the fall with good stuff in them.

We were cleaning out a farm house for a trucker friend after his parents died. She had a large store room and from the looks, it would be a haz-mat response to clean that,

Don’t ya hate it when you buy something online, then, a couple hours later, the SAME company sends an ad for the SAME THING at a greater discount!

Don’t type anything extra.

I have no ad blocker. I use Google. I get ads. I ignore them. No muss, no fuss.

Be careful. The Emperor’s eyes and ears are everywhere. May the 4th be with you.

You’d also get ads about the Seal Exhibit at the Zoo…

What could they possibly need to buy online Every Day?? I buy something online about once a month. People A and J’s age don’t need to buy much. Usually people that age are looking to downsize.

Arlo isn’t getting ads about marine mammals?

When I hear about a country or city on the news and I google it to get some background, I get several emails from travel agents that assume I want to go there.

Just see what ads you get after typing “Incontinence supplies”……