Dana Blankenhorn

The Extended Warranty

The distrust of our economy and our high-tech lives from the media is unrelenting.

This Halloween, a little Christmas. A bit of good news you probably haven't noticed before.

Turn on your TV. Chances are you're going to see adds from outfits like Mogi, Carchex, EasyCare, or  StopRepairBills. 

The ads are basic. Customers getting new transmissions who aren't troubled because the bills are covered. Customers moaning over the cost of a needed repair. Customers on both sides of the divide sitting side-by-side.

I'm not telling you to buy this stuff. Just notice how such companies have suddenly become a big feature in your broadcast day. And ask why.

The reason is, of course, that it's good for the companies offering this service. They may claim it's insurance. But it's really an extended warranty.

Trolls

Think of this as Volume 12, Number 44 of A-Clue.com, the online newsletter I've written since 1997. Enjoy.

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One of the most annoying features of online life is the troll.

Most have experienced it. Many have done some trolling themselves. I won't pretend to be 100% innocent in it.

But I had thought I'd gotten over it.

I first experienced this phenomenon in the late 1980s. I had been covering the online world for three years then and felt pretty comfortable there. Most of those who spent time online then were educated, erudite, looking for sincere give-and-take. Being online was an elite activity.

Then I entered into a political discussion. Under my own name.