[quote=John McClane]And here I thought Monday was only once a week.[/quote]

[quote=John McClane]Wow, just wow. Spoke with a person that was very helpful, but I can’t believe what I was told.

So I take back everything I said about Amazon. They are angels sent from heaven compared to the bullshit song and dance I just got from the truest evil on this planet: the insurance company.

And don’t anyone argue with me on that one or I will drive to your house and exact the unholiest of damage does you can find out for yourself. :rotfl:[/quote]

[quote=John McClane]Ok, now I’m out. I have an insurance company I need to go ream out.[/quote]

[quote=John McClane][quote=Yoda]If I'm understanding you correctly, everything in the whole world is dumb and bad and broken.[/quote]Nah, just the stuff run by money grubbing whores and old, fat white cats.[/quote]

[quote=John McClane][quote=Yoda][quote=John McClane]Free stuff? What free stuff?[/quote]
Software. Services. The stuff we totally take for granted.

[quote=John McClane]Also, did you not see the Gizmodo article? You don’t have a choice. You either use their product, or you become a pariah.[/quote]
Huh? Please explain how you're a "pariah" for not using this stuff.[/quote]I haven’t seen or talked to any of my friends from high school. I don’t have access to a lot of businesses. I find out about company events a couple of days after the fact.

Don’t bother trying to argue me on this one because it’s going to go just as poorly as when you argued you can choose to not partake in capitalism. It’s just tinfoil, pie in the sky crazy talk.

If you live in America you have one and only one choice. Submit to the man. Or become the man.

But that’s only if the current man doesn’t have you killed for trying to usurp him.[/quote]

[quote=Yoda]If I'm understanding you correctly, everything in the whole world is dumb and bad and broken.[/quote]

[quote=John McClane]I just got a doctor bill for $160. Why do medicinal billers wait until you’re severely past due to demand payment? Wtf is wrong with this country?

I see a doctor for 5 minutes (I wasn’t sick, and I wasn’t bleeding. It was an office visit to get in their system) and they send it to insurance who pays $2. Two dollars?!

I am on fire right now. :angry:[/quote]

[quote=Yoda]My grocery store has the same thing. Social media is the same thing, too.

If people prefer to pay for this stuff, cool. Maybe that's better, I'm not sure. But a whole lot of people would much rather have the "cost" be consumer data than actual money, and it's going to be something like that, one way or another. The amount of incredibly useful and complicated tools that are given away doesn't just magically appear.[/quote]

[quote=ynwtf]I hate getting involved with topics like this, but I wanted to note that my 6% grocery store cash back AMEX is probably a good example of free stuff for data trade. I really don't like the idea of my data being used by third-parties, but it is what it is. Same with the Amazon 3-5% cash back offers on the AMZ store cards. But I do [i]kinda[/i] agree that you are limited on reasonable alternatives. I mean, I could use another card servicer but likely they do the same. I can still pay cash, if the product is available locally. If not, I may be able to order something from Best Buy or wherever, but not every town has that option. Local grocery store franchise has a card membership that you get tons of discounts with like BOGO or a percentage off the product type deals. But yeah, I'm sure they're totally tracking my purchase patterns.[/quote]

[quote=Yoda]"Most people use a thing so I [i]have to[/i] use it" is not actually true. And not the fault of the company even if it is. That's collective decision making, and it's on the people making those decisions.[/quote]

[quote=Yoda][quote=John McClane]Free stuff? What free stuff?[/quote]
Software. Services. The stuff we totally take for granted.

[quote=John McClane]Also, did you not see the Gizmodo article? You don’t have a choice. You either use their product, or you become a pariah.[/quote]
Huh? Please explain how you're a "pariah" for not using this stuff.[/quote]