Wow--whats with the posts I read and then they vanish after I reply?

Google doesn't like you, Sinperium... pretty soon there'll be no one but you here... and then... *poof - no you, either. Just a hole in the post where you used to be.

So it's true...you are all figments of my imagination.

Somehow I knew you couldn't all be for real.

Google doesn't like anyone... just Google.  Everyone else is a means to an end... accumulated profit.

Hopefully, its clients [and users] will soon see it for what it is, grow a conscience, then sever all ties in protest against the evil that is Google.

I recently saw a blurb that indicated a city in Brazil and eliminated all advertisinf sign sin side the city limits.  No moe big ads pained on buildings, etc.  I think it was San Paulo?  Not sure...  I was surprised that the city actually was able to take on the marketers....

Oh, starkers.. you are so right.  But about some google clients growing a conscience - don't count on it.  Clinets are mostly corporations.  And coroprations don't have souls - (or whatever).  They will, if 'markets' force them (-ie consumer choices) do more 'green' things, etc - but they won't grow a conscience.  They all are a clever shell game designed to separate individual profit taking from individual responsibility.  As long as capital is free to do its thing through corporations - the evil will contine and grow until it collapses hard enought that even the governements cant bail it out.   There have been several collapses that the Fed and US Govt 'successfully' preventing from going system wide.   Its only a matter of time before greedy 'insiders' 'manipulate' sufficient assets from the corporations that it all crashes.  Google is merely one corp who will help 'connect' them all even more efficiently than they were before.  The truly sad thing about this is it will also probably turn whats left of democratic governments into 'soft' facist states whose primary concern is to protect the ultra wealthy.

That really pissed me off... the Fed bailing out greedy US banks.  That's one of the most stupidest things any government ever did.   It would have been better for the world as a whole to let them go under and start afresh with new banks and banking regulations that prevented the rampant greed and irresponsibility of former institutions.  Yes, it would have taken some effort and organising, but with the money Obama threw at the banks, it could have been done.  Sadly, it wasn't and we'll be back at square one due to the inherent greed of banks.

Actually, that mightn't be such a bad thing... to crash all the stock markets and start trading in 'real' goods again, rather than electronic funds and/or money that doesn't exist except on paper/computer hard-drives.  Maybe then we can get back to manufacturing based economies with tangible products.  All this: "The New York Stock Exchange just lost billions at the push of a button." is total crap.  The funds never truly existed to begin with, but rather an electronic bank note issued by some banker with an even bigger greed. 

And that's why I despise bankers intensely.  Often times they will say to companies and/or individuals,"we've got your ass covered", when in reality no actual  money changes hands, yet the bank is laughing all the way to the bank because it can call in the 'debt' when due and take everything they own.  It happened to a friend of mine when his business was flooded and the insurance company refused to pay out on a technicality in the 'fine print'.  The bank put up the capital and 'deposited' it in his business account as a surety, not working capital.  However, when the 'loan' was due and he hadn't quite gotten back on his feet, the bank tried to repossess all his assets.. house included.  Fortunately, loyal customers came to his assistance to avert that situation, but in reality, the bank never parted with any cash. To him it was an intangible electronic transfer that he had no access to and therefore could not spend/deplete... so did he really owe it?  The bank said so

As for Google and it's clients, you are right... they have no consciences and will continue to exploit the public to reap unabated profit at any cost and by any means possible.  I just wish more consumers had my mentality and boycotted the greediest companies to show their disgust.  There are several retailers and businesses here in OZ that I point blank refuse to shop/deal with due to greed and unsavoury business practices.  I don't care if they have a special on an item I might need or want, as often times I can get that item elsewhere at a competitive price just by referring to the advertised price and asking.

wow....    interesting to see where your stuff gets around to.....    

i'm an avatar on steam community in Korea..... 

http://steamcommunity.com/id/xsinthis?l=korean

and renamed, non permissioned on wallpaper sites... 

http://abstract.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/521783/

http://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=93322

and here with Stripe Poker stuff...

http://www.marketwallpapers.com/wallpapers/explore-screensavers-unlock-venom--166676.html

the list goes on.....  

thanks doc.... vellly interlesting....    

I logged in and posted a "Taken without permission" comment.

Wonder how long it will last. I's advise sending a DMCA notice (in one of Jafo's sticky posts, I believe) to the sites involved. Getting action is another matter altogether.

As I implied, this tool (as well as Tineye) can be used for good ends: Catching thieves and dealing with them!

Starkers:  They are not 'bankers,'  they are really "banksters."  You might be interested to know that even some ancients Greeks (Classical era) wondered about those 'persons' who came to the agora with 'cash' traded, bought, sold, etc., and left the agora with only cash.  (usually more than they came in with...)

While The Cap'n and I agree on Google, I will qualify my agreement here and say that is true for almost all companies.  Companies, while being legal individuals in one sense, are still an inanimate object in that sense.  They reflect the culture of their owners, and employees, and rarely do a ton of people agree on one thing.  By not agreeing, they then become frozen through inaction (no consensus), and can do nothing as a result.  The appearance is then one of not liking anyone.

There are notable exceptions, but these are companies that usually have 2 things in common:

#1 - they are not huge (fortune 500)

#2 - The entrepreneur that started it still runs it.

Does it help to know that they bailed out greedy banks all over the world (over 50% of the bailout money went to foreign banks)?

Yes, greed is as old as humanity... er, humankind. Let's not confuse humanity with humans, right?   Back in the days of cavemen, hunters went after the largest boar, not necessarily because they needed it, but to deprive their competitors of it.  So as it was with the Greeks, Romans and other empire builders, the greater accumulation of wealth and resources was nearly always driven by greed rather than need.

It is no different today, though the empire builders are corporations rather than nations... meaning the profits are centralised and benefiting fewer recipients.

Yes, companies are groups of individuals, but all to often those individuals hide behind the "inanimate object" to avoid responsibility and liability.  Too frequently the top execs pass the buck down the line until reaches some poor innocent grunt becomes the fall guy because he has neither the power or ability to prove his/her innocence.   Happened to me more than once... the management f**ked up and I was one of the lower echelon to cop the blame. 

Nope, I can't say as I like upper-end businessmen at all.  Of all the ones I've met personally {and had time to assess], every one of them was an asshole who'd walk over his own mother to further his agenda.  There were a couple of women among those, too... and I pity any poor bastard who ended up in bed with either of them... they'd get all intimate like and come up with a handful of balls.

There is/are always exceptions to the rule... and family owned businesses who employ local families are often in this category.  I worked for a cane furniture manufacturer whose wife, son and son-in-law helped run the business, and it was one of the best places I ever worked.  The money wasn't fantastic, but the conditions were great, the factory was always friendly and the boss always looked after us.  If ever we ever needed time off to attend to family, whatever, he would always accommodate us loyal employees.  Yup, local/family businesses have more to gain by not being greedy, but by being fair and loyal to the community and their employees.

As for the Fed bailing out ANY bank, US or foreign, it stinks worserer than a roomful of agitated skunks.   Greed got banks into the shit they found themselves, and as far as I'm concerned, if they couldn't legitimately trade themselves back into solvency, they deserved to go under.  In my opinion, Obama made the mistake of bailing out the banks before enforcing strict legislation that gave the Fed greater control over the practices of banks.  In other words, we're enjoying a brief calm before the next financial storm.  Further, laws needed to be enacted or amended to make bankers criminally liable for unsavoury banking/business practices.

Ah, but starkers, you forget, the reason corporations aren't growing enough jobs in the US economy is because of 'intrusive' government regulations, onerous taxes, and far too few tax payer subsidized corporate subsidies.  If Obama tried to increase regulation on the banksters, the Republicans, and too many (sadly to say) Democrats would have voted articles of impeachment on him.  Clinton escaped.   Obama might not have.

The corporations want us to believe this is the case... but in reality, automation and shipping jobs offshore would be the leading reasons jobs have become more scarce....

Same here in Australia... the manufacturing sector was our biggest employer, and because we made exportable goods we kept our balance of payments under better check.  Now mining, tourism and the retail sectors employ more Australians, but the retail sector is struggling because rising interest rates and utility prices have eroded consumer confidence, tourism is suffering on the back of natural disasters and a nervous world economy.  While mining is currently in boom, thanks mostly to a booming Chinese economy, the arse end will fall out of that in the not distant future and Australia will be in recession.  Why, because Aussie banks and businesses are more cut throat greedy capitalists than US businessmen ever were.

As for the US, given the shifting in economic power, it has seen its glory days and will end up having to settle for a spot somewhere much farther down the economic ladder... and with its languishing economic prospects its military might will also languish.  Old money has seen its day as a world leader.  It was Europe's turn 200 - 300 years back, now it's the US' turn to make way for new money.  Asia will lead the world into the new economic dynasty, and the US, along with Europe and the UK, will have to stop whining about playing second fiddle, because frankly, they'll be lucky to even be included in the band.

How do I know all this?  Greed!  Greed has been the downfall of most if not all empires, and the US, while it may not have been actively been empire building, it still was amassing an empire by stealth... via wars, war reparations, loans, aggressive financial takeovers, etc, etc...and the precursor to it all was greed.  A greed that surely be its undoing just as it was the undoing of the Roman Empire, etc, etc. 

In the end, however, it comes down to simple economics.  While the US, Europe and the UK have been trading in the stock market and amassing what essentially is fictitious money, China, South Korea, India, Taiwan, etc, have been building upon and trading manufactured goods... those real, tangible goods we all want to make our modern lives more comfortable, entertaining and efficient.  That's why their economies are thriving!  They are trading in REAL goods... those goods we used to make but our businesses shipped offshore to exploit cheap labour.  Why aren't we doing so good?  We're importing those goods and our balance of payments never adds up because we're borrowing up to our eyeballs and too busy trading in false economies.

But why would anyone listen to me?  I'm just a flatulent pirate with no head for booty.

Starkers:  Check out Dr. Richard D Wolff, an economist, ivy league, now at the New School in NYC.  His analysis and yours are very close.  I think you would enjoy reading and listening to his lectures, etc. www.rdwolff.com