google ads

If you haven't ever noticed, Google has devised an ingenious way to advertise and make money through their ever-so-popular webmail application - GMAIL. GMAIL, is, without a doubt, one of the better mail providers out there... easy to use, seamless integrated chat, and multi-browser supported. it hardly goes down and when it does - it's temporary. Yes, it's impressive, as is the ongoing ad-campaign that uses text directly from our messages to generate customized targeted ads.

It is no surprise that they are collecting data - lots of data on us. I mean, naturally they're giving us gigs of storage space - nothing in life is free! They're tracking our progress with google documents, they're tracking our daily life schedules with google calendar, they're tracking our interests via search keywords and cookies in google search, they're tracking our trips and travels in google maps, they're tracking our musings and thoughts and interactions / friends via blogger, google desktop lets them into our hard drives and last, but hardly least, they're tracking our most intimate conversations via im and chat with google mail.

this is fact. i figure if they really want to read about potty training alberto, my craving for thai food, or need for new shorts, or apparent general inability to appropriately apologize - on a tshirt - let em! - (see below). i'm a blade of grass in an ever expanding, permanently conditioned meadow. there's no succession going oh here people (atleast not yet). it's a dog eat dog world and atleast google is a stand-up business putting out excellent applications for minimum user cost. (sketchup, google earth, google maps, google search, gmail, blogger, etc, etc).

So, for entertainment's sake i have begun to take note of some of the ads that appear in various conversations with my friends via GMAIL. The more i notice, the funnier (and more sad) it becomes. Have a look below at a few:

ruk - i guess lil' alberto (yes, after contador!!! gdogg the pro tour watching BIKE GEEK!) needs some help in the potty training department. Which brings me to my next question - does any dog really use the potty? i think not.


Ms Gretta - LEFT - guess i need to learn how to say i'm sorry on a tshirt?? i think, i missed an im one day and responded with an 'i'm sorry'. perhaps i didn't exude the "love" that a real friend should... google didn't think my response was enuf. perhaps i need practice. RIGHT: guess we were both hungry that day for 'ethnic' food that day :)

Slackass - i think i need to hook you up with lasik, a life empowerment coach and a sweet cross rig to tour on. actually that doesn't sound like such a bad deal...

B - no surprises here!! and even STILL my hero.

Dragana - i'm still working on this one. apparently i need to both apologize (not on a t-shirt tho), and get her some cheap, orbiting soy-based snacks. your guess is as good as mine.

GDOGG!! ok so he may need some new shorts after the spill 2nite (nothing worse than seein a friend go down in front of you)... i'm not sure how cacao moon associates with a garden gnome, but perhaps he needs to add it to his single-source chocolate cacao moon logo. i don't even know what a pygmy angel is so... i guess i'll leave that one be for now.

Pamela - apparently we are both hungry and fixin' to cook something up gluten free for breakfast! oh yea!

what is most amusing about google is how it selects words. In the body of a rather long email, it may just pick words from the final sentences. Or perhaps from the subject. be entertained. And then think - the next time you use a google app - about the information they are gathering - on you! interesting.