Many things happend at once.

I'm busy. This week almost killed me.

Spring break ended Sunday. I thought Wednesday. I had work to do, and I have more work to do. I'm terribly busy, terribly drained, and terribly, mentally exhausted.

If you pray, please pray for me.

I still have the black Xs on my hands.

I went to one of those "bar and concert hall" type places. I didn't drink. I'm 20 and there are a measly 3 months until 21 happens. Which... is not much help for the present -- no matter how much I cajole the bouncer.

Which is not much, since I don't drink.
Personal choice.

Anyways, I'm erasing the Xs on my hands. Tomorrow, I'll be going to go see the good old fashioned church folks of Milltown Baptist. It's a missionary conference. I'm a Missionary's son. I have to keep my hair short on account of long hair being satanic. Needless to say, my hair's getting pretty long...This post's shortness due to me going to bed now,
G'night

Olive Garden had no information on the whereabouts of the Dufrains, last time I checked.

This is my 6th post. (Yes, I count the first one...)
By now, I thought I'd have some sort of general theme.

Nope, I'm still theme-less... damn.
Thought I'd go on forever about targeted-ads. Thought I'd be one of those "against the system" blogger guys, but I'm more like an "against the system on Tuesdays if I'm feeling up to it" blogger guys.

Funny thing is, I'm a comedian.
I tell jokes, sometimes I tell good ones.
Right now, screw it, I really don't know what to say...

Mitch Hedberg

(Maybe if you squint alot and see my reflection in a mirror, you'll think I look like this guy. I like him, miss him, and want to be like him. Enjoy!)

I drank too much NyQuill

His name was "the Big T", and he really didn't like me skipping out on class last tuesday.

Sane

Poster on the wall,
Garfield the Cat,
"You are responsible for you..."
he says.

His pointed claw raised at my throat.
I take a look around; I am alone.
Alone, working overtime,
I type.

"Darn that poster!"
"Darn that cat!"
"Damn this project..."
my thoughts.

Hard-nosed, brass-taxed, stiff-backed, and iron-willed are none of the things I'd use to describe who or how I go about being myself. A man of my word, I am not. A set of strict morals, I do not have. However, I do like Dios, and faith have I of his existence based on my own, invented religion.

If I had to describe myself, I'd say I like to be left alone. I live for being alone. I am blessed to have the dorm all to myself this semester. In here is my sanity, in here is my soul. Everyone needs space...

I really don't know where I'm going with this post.
so I wrote a poem, here it is:

Now
**I don't want anything,
**I have no twinkies.
**I don't need anything,
**I have no apple pie.
**I don't have anything,
**very spongy. I, simply,
exist.

Essay about Facebook

Pornographic

Tailor-made just for me! (Who do I have to talk with to end this?!?)

I hate invasive ad targeting.

I wrote an essay against it for my ethics class. I got a 103%. Ask me sometime and I'll show you.

Anyways, targeted ads have reached a new low!

After my relationship with my girlfriend came down with a bad case of the instant death, automated pictures of broken hearts offered me their "sincere", emotional support. Kill the irony!!!

My personal life is my personal issue! I was genuinely heartbroken! Do you think I wanted to see an ad like the one above? It was insulting and sad!

The ads started to show only after I got dumped, not before... so don’t call it a coincidence.

Now maybe through some fluke, you get the ads sans relationship turmoil. Doesn't matter. What happened to me assures you, and I truly, sincerely assure you, that this is ad targeting at its worst.

THIS IS WHAT I GET FOR PUTTING MY RELATIONSHIP STATUS ON FACEBOOK!!!

Don't do it, I wish I didn't...
Don't let advertisers get any more involved with your life than they already are.

Now, every time I get on Facebook I see ads on the sidebar saying things like:
"Wanna date?"
-
"Meet sexy singles in your area!"
-
"Sexy ladies are waiting for you in YOUR LOCATION!!!"
-
"Recently gone through a rough relationship? We can help!"
-
"More crap that I'm not gonna type..."

There's a little thumbs down button you can click on. When you click on it, you can tell Facebook why you didn't like their ad. Apparently, this helps them adjust there ad programming “to show more relevant ads in the future.” After 4,783 subsequent clicks (I kept count.) over a period of 3 months, I was beginning to see ads for gay men looking for a party in my area. Facebook thinks I'm gay. Not a solution to my problems...

After you click on the thumbs-down button, a list of reasons appear to tell Facebook why you did not like its sponsored advertisement...

This list CURRENTLY reads as follows:

• Misleading
• Offensive
• Uninteresting
• Irrelevant
• Repetitive
• and "Other"

(“Other” giving you the option to express yourself via text-field.)

In the past, it read as follows:

• Misleading
• Offensive
• PORNOGRAPHIC
• Uninteresting
• Irrelevant
• Repetitive
• and "Other"

Awhile back they took “pornographic” out. No doubt because they believe none of their ads cater to the porn watching demographic. Some, IF NOT MOST, of the ads I saw were PORNOGRAPHIC! Excluding the gay ones, most of the ads looked like a picture of a hooker wearing a tight white t-shirt and short-shorts, and I know I didn't mention this earlier, but a MAJORITY of those ads told me to "hook-up with chicks in [my] area”, "Find sex mates now", and other crap! It's awful!

(Besides, they're probably scams anyway.)

And I can't stand it.
And neither should you!
Please press the thumbs down button whenever you get the chance!
Or better yet, get rid of the darn things!

Gun

Opinions on Targeted Ads

First of all, go here:

(Read all of me please! I'm interesting!)

How do you feel about this? Are you afraid that someone could steal your private information through this thing? It's happened before.

But stealing your information isn't the whole issue...
Big corporations are invading your life, spying on you, then bombarding your home with their "targeted ads". The cross-hairs aim for your desires. With each pull from an unseen trigger, your individuality is shot, bleeding out through your retinas. Do you care?

Why let someone tell you what you want? Know what you want! Don't let big businesses speak for you! As soon as you do that, I must apologize. The world is going to turn an awful shade of crap-colored brown. You'll discover targeted ads everywhere.

Has that little gecko with a British accent ever been to my state? Driven my roads? Understood my struggle? The radio ad made it sound like it. He cares about me I know it!

Don't liken the big businesses to self-help organizations.
Telling you what you want isn't a public service.
Corporations aren't out for your well-being... they're out for their own.

I won't be played too by the piper, and neither should you!

"The technology requires no hardware or installation in a subscriber’s home, so viewers may not realize they are seeing ads different from a neighbor’s."

These things happen overnight without forewarning.
Be afraid and be cautious, and if you want, be a part of the solution!

Seriously though, draw your own conclusions,
don't quote me, and write your own dang blog!
Gun

Here is another site I found helpful if you're interested.