Hey, what’s going on here is way above my pay grade (retired fogy, third class) and, unfortunately, a tad above my ability to grasp. But, I know it is happening. There are corporations out there that want ALL of your business and they are competing for it. I’m talking about Amazon and Verizon and Apple and Walmart. Amazon will soon be working on something they will call “Amazon Super Duper Prime.” It’s when you give them all your money and then when you need something, they send it to you with free two-day shipping. I can’t imagine how Walmart will respond.
It’s this technology thing. I think they are all planning on being able to adjust the temperature in my house, set my alarm and turn my lights off. It’s just who can get there first. I’m betting on Apple. Anybody who can sell watches that are so tiny you can’t read what they say is a skilled sales company. They will probably make a fortune selling Apple magnifying glasses.
The company that scares me is Amazon. I like Amazon, but I think they are like Big Brother watching over me. My daughter, Missy, gave me a Kindle and I learned how to purchase books on line. It really worked well because the Kindle was registered to my grandson, Tyler. So whenever I ordered anything, he got the bill! If I ordered a Western novel, then Amazon would inundate me with emails hyping Western books I might want to buy. How about a saddle and some chaps?
If you buy hard bound books from Amazon, you can buy new or used books. I thought that was interesting. They say the used books are in excellent condition. I haven’t tried it. Later, I had to buy some risers to sit our TV’s on and, again, we were inundated with emails offering me all kinds of TV gadgets. Then I needed some doggy waste bags. Until we moved, we always had plastic newspaper bags, but after moving, no bags. I went on line, not to buy, but to see what Amazon had. They had lots of doggy waste bags. Different sizes, different colors. They even had eco friendly poopy bags. But here is where it gets weird. Like with the books, they had new and used bags for sale. I decided to stop right there.
Now I didn’t buy anything. I just looked. But Big Brother Amazon had figured out I had a dog. Here comes the emails. Did I need a doggy crate? How about a doggy door or a doggy door bell? The doggy rings the door bell to let you know she wants to go out. If your dog is old, we have a safety ramp for you.
Did you know you could get a dog identification tag in the shape of a bone that lets everyone know you are a Green Bay Packer fan? Or, any other fan. If you were a Chicago Blackhawk or Washington Redskin fan, your doggy’s ID will have the face of an indian on it. That’s a heavy load for a little doggy to be wearing around her neck. She probably doesn’t know she is being racially insensitive. Or, is she just a fan?
Getting back to the real issue of global control of our money, I’m afraid the die is cast. I think each of these mega corporations will have their own colored tee shirts which will clearly identify us as an Amazonian or Applebyte. We will probably have to wear a medallion around our neck. I’m going to go with the company that lets me keep my lights on longest.
Written by PJ Rice at www.ricequips.com
Copyright 2015