BLOCKING ADS: I always feel

BLOCKING ADS: I always feel a twinge of guilt when I employ a new program to block Web advertising. Having been self-employed for the last 12 years, I understand that everybody is in the self-promotion business, to one degree or another. I have ads for my tip boxes, and am an Amazon.com associate. My previous businesses have, at various times, relied on newspaper ads, telemarketers, and direct mail to build up clients. And today as a freelancer, I send out truckloads (OK, maybe cardboard box loads) of queries every year both via snailmail and email.

But the latter half of the twentieth century in America has had a constant running battle with advertisers and the general public. The answering machine and caller-ID help to cut down on telemarketers interrupting dinner. The VCR and ReplayTV help to cut down on TV commercials. In fact, I think it was George Gilder