I'm constantly amused by the Google ads that have been appearing alongside my emails since I got myself a Google email account. Just now, for example, I received an email from the friend who writes to the Spanish conversation group, half in Spanish and half in English, telling us about our next meeting at a house on Queen Elizabeth Drive. On the strength of the words used in this invitation, Google thinks I'm likely to be interested in websites advertising a cheap 'phone line to Argentina...
Recibís llamadas como si estuvieses allá
...Cunard's cruises on the QEII, or the purchase of a pocket beagle puppy. Well, they are very cute, even though they're not to be confused with Queen Elizabeth Pocket Beagles!
Some adverts are very apt, of course, like the link to a how-to book that pops up when our snowshoeing outings are discussed by email.
Yesterday there was an exchange of emails between us and others about what we're going to do about meals during our self-catering holiday in Cornwall, which we said we were looking forward to as an antidote to the cabin fever we're presently suffering in Ottawa (see previous blog post). I see some useful adverts against that one, for
Couple's Cottages: Warm up your Winter in Ontario with Couples getaway packages. Book Now!
Delicious Vegetarian Meals In One Quick-and-Easy Step
Great Recipes & Ready-To-Serve Dips All The Ingredients For A Good Timeand even, I'm horrified to see,
Fantastic Enema Recipes Reviewed And Rated For You!
pointing me to this website.
I must admit I sometimes wonder what Big Brother must be deducing about me.
Another moaning email from Chris talking about how much snow still lies around is accompanied by adverts for ice/snow traction cleats, snow melt cables, radiant heated driveways, snow throwers and "snowbear snow plows" (sic).
I think the Google spying system looks at attachments as well, because when I sent a copy of one of George's web-pages with an email last night, although the email itself contained no mention of the sports activities mentioned in the attachment, one of the adverts at the side was for headbands and visors that "keep sweat out of your eyes while exercising."
5 comments:
I think writing about Google's shortcomings on a blog hosted (for free) by Google is a little like a guest complaining about the quality of the wine at a dinner party.
Google already knows more about you than you do. It reads your emails, monitors your telephone habits (if you use GrandCentral), logs the things for which you search and holds your spreadsheets and documents (Google docs) and is bidding to host your medical records.
Soon Google will *be* you and your need to hang around the planet will have disappeared.
On the other hand, and following on quite appropriately from my comment on your previous post ...
What a wonderful thing is a well-directed Google query, as evidenced by
http://www.amazon.com/Donner-Party-Cookbook-Survival-Hastings/dp/0972221735
I didn't spell out Google's limitations; I left you to draw your own conclusions about that from my juxtaposition of silly adverts. The thing is, if Big Brother is only a humourless, ignorant machine (or group of machines), we'll always be one step ahead. It's when human beings start reading what's on the machines and interfering with us accordingly that we've got to worry.
Anyway I agree with the comments.
I'd heard of the Donner Party before, by the way. No, it's not quite as bad as that yet, here in Ottawa, but a lot more snow is coming down as I write this and Chris is stuck at home unable to get out to work...
P.S. The "sponsored links" against the emails that alerted me to your comments were as follows (omitting the websites advertised):
See Your Ads on Google in just minutes. Immediate posting, instant traffic, instant results.
The All-New BlackBerry® Powerful, Smart & Available On Multiple Carriers.
Google Fleece. Look like a Googler: T-shirts, Hats and Fun Stuff - Buy It Online Now!
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