Every time I sign on to my desktop computer, my browser (which happens to be Firefox) gives me an array of articles someone thinks I might be interested in reading. It changes almost daily and If I took time to read all of them I wouldn't have time to do anything else. More and more lately, however, I find that I am interested in reading fewer and fewer of them (not less and less, no matter what you might think). Today's list made my head want to explode as I didn't want to read any of them. Perhaps one's tastes change as one gets older. Perhaps the dreaded millennial generation have finally taken over. Perhaps I am in the world, but not of the world.
Whatever the case, here is one day's list of suggested reading from Firefox:
1. Sunday Night Scaries: How to Alleviate the "Sunday Scaries," According to an Expert
2. How to Adopt the Japanese Approach to Accepting Life's Challenges, "Ukeireru"
3. How To Make Sure Your Home Is Truly Protected
4. The Best Hard-Boiled Egg Method
5. This Meal Kit is Cheaper Than a Local Grocery Store. You Should Check This Out
6. The Year in Vibes
7. The Dangerous Pattern One Sees in New Fathers
8. Why Are We Still So Obsessed With Princess Diana?
9. The Best Performances of 2021
10. Jennifer Aniston Has No Regrets
11. This Cajun Jambalaya Recipe Changed My Mind About Jambalaya
12. New Card Hits The Market With Unlimited 2% Cash Back
13. We Know a Lot More About Omicron Now
14. Bacon BBQ Baked Beans
15. Cauliflower Parmesan Is Vegetarian Comfort Food At Its Finest
16. China Unleashed Its Propaganda Machine On Peng Shuai's #MeToo Accusation. Her Story Still Got...
17. What a Newfound Kingdom Means for the Tree of Life
18. Essential Bike Maintenance Tips Everyone Should Know
19. Workers Are Using 'Mouse Movers' So They Can Use the Bathroom in Peace
20. 50 Fictional Writers, Ranked
21. High Paying Cards For Americans With Good Credit
My theory is that all the people who used to contribute their writing to what were called "women's magazines" (Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, McCall's and the like) have morphed into "social media influencers" who strew their stuff all over the internet. That is the only explanation that makes sense to me for most of the drivel in rhat list. It is further evidence of the general dumbing-down of the American mind.
I don't mean to be insulting, but if you actually were interested in any of those articles, you have resonance where your brains ought to be. That thought is not original with me; I heard British comedian Anna Russell say it many years ago, only she was referring to coloratura sopranos.
The comments section is available for you to agree with me wholeheartedly or castigate my boorishness. As always, the choice is yours.
drivel, all of it!
ReplyDeleteand there's no way you're a grumpy old man :)
kylie, I think you may be mocking me. But I really do think it's all drivel.
DeleteI am taking a few moments off this Sunday evening to comment on your latest post. I presume that the way Firefox choses what people see is the same as the way everyone else does it. It looks at what you look at and takes it from there. The question in my mind is where does Firefox show you theses things? I never have any adverts or news posts when I log on to any of my browsers be it Safari, Google's Chrome, Mozilla's Firefox, Epic, Opera or Vivaldi.
ReplyDeleteDespite your uncomplimentary view of anyone who might be interested in any of the listed articles I must admit to being curious
I think, for example, that Ukeireru is worth a thought. Mind you I have to agree about all the rest.
Graham, I don't think Firefox does it that way. I think Firefox turns to groups like Pocket and BuzzFeed to provide random articles to everybody. I get them on the desktop computer only on the first screen that Firefox screen, the one where I enter something into the search engine line. They are arranged in seven lines of three articles each, with pictures. I don't get any of this when I use a smartphone.
DeleteA few (but only a few) of today's articles seem actually interesting:
1. Jason Isbell Is Tired Of Country's Love Affair With White Nostalgia
2. An Effortless Way to Improve Your Memory
3. New Guidelines for Cars Used Less Than 50 Miles/Day
4. Voyeurism Versus Moralism: How Cheerleaders Toe the Line
5. Refinance Rates at 2.02% APR. Do You Qualify?
6. Five Lingering Questions About 'The Beatles Get Back'
7. Don't Be Surprised When You Get Omicron
8. You might get a breakthrough case of Covid-19 this winter. Here's how to prepare.
9. A Guide To Red Flags in dating and in life
10. The Race to Find 'Green' Helium
11. I was rejected 357 times before landing my dream job. Here's what I learned.
12. This Meal Kit Is Cheaper Than a Local Grocery Store. You Should Check This Out
13. How Three Families Shielded Their Fortunes From Taxes for Generations
14. America Is Not Ready for Omicron
15. How Deion Sanders Turned Jackson State Into the Best Story in College Football
16. Why American is at War Over the History of Slavery
17. The Best Sci-Fi Movies of 2021
18. How millions of jobless Americans can afford to ditch work
19. Two Jan. 6 Organizers Are Coming Forward and Naming Names: 'We're Turning It All Over'
20. Why Are All Swedish Cottages Painted Red?
21. Keto Has Never Tasted This Good: Meet Green Chef
Can't you simply turn it off? Did you make the top 3 of number 20?
ReplyDeleteTasker, if I can I don't know how. I don't think it's the result of a setting. What I don't understand is why I get the list and Graham doesn't.
Delete