The previous post was my situation not everybody else's.

I have to admit I'm kinda sorry I left Yahoo after reading how they fought for user rights

"Yahoo went to bat for its users – not because it had to, and not because of a possible PR benefit – but because
it was the right move for its users and the company. "
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/13/07/15/2336241/yahoo-receives-special-recognition-for-fighting-for-user-data-privacy

But I guess the bottom line is Google gives me the results I'm looking for, things like the "Define:" feature I use a lot.
I used Yahoo when they first started till Google which was just brain dead simple to use.

All of the companies were caught between a rock and a hard spot, they gave or would be screwed in some manner in
the future, at least it's out that Yahoo put up a fight even if they did lose, they were the Front and apparently the only
company to try to keep user data private.

Seeing this has been going on since at least 2007 the NSA has all they need on you by now, Not that it will ever prove to
be of any benefit other than showing trends.

I don't do flame wars which sounds a lot like what's going on, if I get flamed I'll just ignore it or give a neutralish,
stabbing yet humorous reply (my objective at least). I see many do the same thing; there is one exception that tips
many over the edge and you nailed it.

I call it the 2 week turnover, be a Usenet help group or a newsletter it's the same thing. Someone joins asking a
question and gets a very detailed satisfactory answer, about two weeks later it's forgotten; when someone else joins
asking the very same question expecting a decent or at least helpful answer. This question can only be asked so many
times before a submitters gets flamed to no end and can't understand why.

The reason is, it's most likely a popular question (standard change request) that a simple search would of provided them
with the very detailed satisfactory answer, posted previously.

Good point.

I put this together to show what I block Amazon wise, yet have very few problems surfing sites.

These are just ones with "amazon" in the string. Lots are without the amazon string but too much work to sort out.
an example would be 207.171.184.25 which hops to Smtp-fw-9101.amazon.com according to http://www.robtex.com/

Amazon.com
aan.amazon.com
aax-us-east.amazon-adsystem.com
amazon.adsonar.com
amazon.adsonar.com
amazon1.msn.de
amazon2.msn.de
amazon-giftcard.info
assoc-amazon.com
astore.amazon.com
client-log.amazon.com
cls.assoc-amazon.com
dra.amazon-adsystem.com
fls-na.amazon.com
free-amazon-coupon.com
rcm.amazon.com
rcm-de.amazon.de
rcm-images.amazon.com
rcm-it.amazon.it
rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk
s.amazon-adsystem.com
s1k-amazon.com
s2e-amazon.com
secure-amazon.net
sis.amazon.com
ssl-payment-amazon.com
uedata.amazon.com
users-logins-amazon.com
ws.amazon.com
amazon-giftcard.info
assoc-amazon.com
xml-eu.amazon.com

I've got a lot of links with amazonaws.com blocked, amazonaws.com appears to pertain to Amazon's cloud service.

s3-1-w.amazonaws.com
10bet.s3.amazonaws.com
a6522.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com
admarvel.s3.amazonaws.com
ads.avitu.com.s3.amazonaws.com
adtago.s3.amazonaws.com
adzerk.s3.amazonaws.com
adzerk-www.s3.amazonaws.com
alexa-sitestats.s3.amazonaws.com
apture.s3.amazonaws.com
assets-hellobar-com.s3.amazonaws.com
biowebb-data.s3.amazonaws.com
blamads-assets.s3.amazonaws.com
bo-videos.s3.amazonaws.com
bro1.s3.amazonaws.com
btrpreroll.s3.amazonaws.com
cadreon.s3.amazonaws.com
cdnpuaf.s3.amazonaws.com
cdx-eu.s3.amazonaws.com
cdx-us.s3.amazonaws.com
click.s3.amazonaws.com
cloudfront-labs.amazonaws.com
clutchmag.s3.amazonaws.com
e23121.s3-website-sa-east-1.amazonaws.com
ecommstats.s3.amazonaws.com
entrecard.s3.amazonaws.com

It's much more involved for me as the above just pertains to Amazon. I block all links that I shouldn't be linked to.
FaceBook and Google are two others that are a B!tc# blocking new links to, but block them I do and still use Google
as a search engine, email other Google services with no problems. Facebook I've no use for.

Darn! Got the P 180 degrees off.

The es was meant, I had to really look at it till I saw the error, I LOL myself.

Not a problem for me, I have an FBI file due to a Q clearance, and my habit of treating everything I post to the Internet
as if it would show up on the front page or my kids ever read my stuff.

Every since I've been on the Internet I've been aware of NSA intercepting messages with key words, used to be common knowledge.
They've crossed the line (NSA) but I'd rather use Google than any other search engine. Bing stands out as they have all but been proven
to of installed a dedicated fiber bundle to NSA.

Ya that sucked, not sure when but they also removed headers so you can't track a post anymore.

Then there's http://www.tomshardware.com/ who uses Usenet groups as their forums, I've got thousands of post
there and not even a member.

like:
telegraph service site:slashdot.org

Opera browser (versions up to 12) was shown on one graph (iphone 4S) in the article and it kicked some serious a$$ but never mentioned again.

One reply to the article was about Opera being only browser to run Google Wave, kind of... "The only browser that ran it with anything resembling
“speed” for it’s first year or so was Opera, and Opera never really worked very well with it anyway."

I enjoy security through obscurity but Opera is just too good a browser to ignore.

Long time ago the US Robotics 14.4 HST was one of the fastest modems you could buy, it cost $800 (US) + a verifiable online service
and a 3 month wait. I bought one; just so happened that a new version was being produced (square lites) to replace the old
modems (round lites) and both were being shipped at the same time. When mine finally showed up the box had all types of
stickers on it saying in what ways it had been improved (whole new modem). I got lucky, It was hit or miss who got what.

One very verbal person got the old round lites and to say he was pi$$ed would be an understatement. I don't think he
was ever appeased in anyway. For months he was on Fidonet and Usenet demanding a newer model -which he should of gotten.
I really felt for him as well as everybody else that got the older models and so glad I had a new one.

The wide use of the Internet changed that type of marketing.

Yep, wanna read something nobody has a problem with; read the ToS and Privacy Policy for www.Rovio.com (Angry Birds game being just one of their products)
Anybody who's ever installed "Angry Birds" has agreed to not only allow data collection but it being sent to www.flurry.com for one, as well as some data being
"sent overseas" whatever that means. By far one of the most "we collect your data and can do anything we want with it" Privacy Policy I've read to date.

This is something you have to allow, being a mobile device most aren't Rooted (jail broken / owned) and unable to block it.

.

I've watched the last few years as more and more of my web traffic was being routed to Amazon.com, for reasons unknown.
The more sites I visited the more links to Amazon I found (Netstat, or TCPview from systernals). I don't do any business with Amazon
as I have to pay taxes (Washington State resident), everything comes from NewEgg.com.

I've been blocking Amazon links (data collectors?) for all those years as well, but it's an uphill battle as more servers (addresses) are added all the time,
they've become very persistent. I think you'll find Amazon doing much worse than just reading HTTPS pages, but that's just a personal opinion.

Ah but there is a goal and it will be achieved when it reaches thermodynamic equilibrium (maximum entropy), the question then would be "is that it"?

Damn when did Google become "Evil"? Never the less they are the lesser of the rest and still my search engine.

I did Google Bill Laing, still no clue who they are.