AdScam/The Horror!

Got a spare billion, mate?

The propensity of Americans to blow tons of cash on shit they don’t really need, continues unabated. After two years of pandemic-induced torpor, shoppers are back to breaking records for Black Friday, with a whopping $9.12 billion spent online for everything from toys to electronics to exercise equipment. As I have observed in the past, that almost matches the $11 billion spent on Halloween, $3 billion of which is for pet costumes. If you feel left out of all this excitement, don’t worry, you’ve still got time to blow all your dosh...

Today is Cyber Monday!

How capitalism works.

News just in that Mercedes is the latest manufacturer to lock auto features behind a subscription fee, with an upcoming "Acceleration Increase" add-on that lets drivers pay to access motor performance their vehicle is already capable of. So, you’ve spent a ton of money for a big rich fucker’s car, but to get the performance it is fully capable of delivering, you have to pay a yearly subscription fee of $1,200. That’s right... Yearly. Oh, and best of all, the "Acceleration Increase" will shave a mere 0.8 seconds off 0–60 acceleration.

Talk about money to burn...