I know that the big-hitters in browser land, like Google, are gathering information on my preferences each time I browse or buy stuff online, But I had no idea they were smart enough to work out my personal details from my keystrokes. Today, as I entered Amazon, it pointed out a small icon at the top of the screen with a pop-up that read as follows:
Click the Compatibility Tab: provides a better view of websites for older browsers.
It’s true, of course, I am an older browser — or bowser — but I find it unsettling that my computer has worked this out by itself.
I’ve also noticed a creepy trend in the sort of advert that I am presented with recently. I can still remember the heady days when I was assailed by exhortations to fly to activity holidays in the outer Himalayas. Nowadays I’m being offered coach trips to Swansea or a cosy night in with a cup of hot Bovril. Exercise machines were another staple offering. Now I get chairlifts and hearing aids. Mind you, the stupid systems seem to have no idea what sex I am; much of their targeted marketing is well wide of the mark there. It’ll be a cold day in Hell, I tell you, before they’ll catch me shopping for Tena Lady or Anti-aging creams.
