Comments: Explanation, please

Weirdly it may just be very good algorithms, although it sure does feel like BB is watching when these things happen!

In other news, those orange scissors gave me such a childhood flashback, my mother had the same pair.

And in more news, did you know your RSS feed is password protected?

Posted by Gordon McLean on 21 November, 2019 at 11:27 AM

Nice to hear from you again Gordon, and thanks for commenting.

I think it's more that all specific post URLs have fallen into a code-too-old for modern servers. If only *I* knew how it had happened, or what the password is...

Given that I don't do social media (other than this blog, occasionally, and reading a small handful of others), I wonder how the algorithms could have the info to be so knowing? I clear cookies and caches regularly, and most of what I read is factual sites with little advertising (I never click on click bait either).

I'd accept (just) that one overly-relevant pop-up ad could (just about) be coincidence, but two, and the very first thing that popped up when I opened my netbook each time?

Posted by Blue Witch on 21 November, 2019 at 5:45 PM

First thought is you need better software to prevent pop-ups.

Google knows all, Google sees all.

Chrome, Gmail, YouTube, Blogger, Android and more - all Google. It seems Google may outright own me by now.

Posted by Scoakat on 21 November, 2019 at 11:15 PM

Is there software that prevents pop-ups now though? What I used to have stopped working effectively ages ago.

I don't use any Google-owned sites, other than Google (and maybe a handful of times a year, YouTube)... and I'd never Googled beds or scissors anyway. Plus I don't have a smartphone.

Posted by Blue Witch on 22 November, 2019 at 3:15 AM

I started using google chrome a few weeks ago having moved from Safari. I have a pop up blocker which I initiated some time back when and it works but...I get all sorts of odd emails, spam, etc...
I use ebay and I suspect this may be the culprit for the emails but I have in the past click baited and it might be from that. I also use fb for modelling groups so that's another culprit.
That is spooky and I wouldn't be surprised if monitoring was involved somewhere.

Posted by delcatto on 23 November, 2019 at 4:17 PM

I've had similar thoughts on 'who is listening...'

We have 3x computers, 2x laptops and 1x smartphone (and a partridge, etc. :) ) but the google element of them (i.e. the gmail/google accounts) are on two different names. So how it is that things the other half looks up on his tablet, which doesn't have my google login stored, show up as adverts on my laptop, which doesn't have his gmail stored?

I'm suspicious of the internet connection, myself...

Posted by GoodTwin on 24 November, 2019 at 9:11 AM

Eek. Similar things have happened to us. Ronan has explained what is being monitored and what is coincidence but I can't remember what he said, most if it went right over my head. Mostly, I'm just glad I'm old and the future will mainly happen without me.

Posted by Z on 29 November, 2019 at 9:26 PM