Just because it’s so unusual in terms of who it is singing it.

Amy links to a couple articles that are similar to my “gossip” comment. Still, I have to say that both articles are a bit vague on the issue of monetization.

As to the issue of privacy at Amazon, I’m not a lawyer, so please take the following as little more than speculation (aka bullsh**).

1. Policies can be changed.
2. Policies can be re-interpreted.
3. In a new technological environment, policies have to be re-interpreted.
4. Policies are not contracts.
5. In a new technological environment, even contracts can be re-interpreted.
6. User data can always be provided in aggregated form — e.g. by zip code or census block. Even an IP address can be considered an aggregation, since it isn’t necessarily tied to a single user.
7. When we shop at Amazon, we are already provided with suggestions for products. The suggestions are based on data they’ve collected about our browsing and shopping histories.

Having said all that, my comment “It’s not private, after all” was too loose, too careless even for a blog. My apologies.

The site will draw lots of visitors, but the content itself would be a loss-leader. Somehow he expects to make money on the site as gateway. Maybe he’ll try to compete with Google in the sale of web advertising? Maybe he can somehow use customer data accumulated by Amazon? It’s not private, after all. Anyway, Amazon has never made any money, so all he really needs to do is to convince investors that he has a big idea that will eventually make lots of money, and then Bezos gets richer. Amazon does provide a great service, but Bezos is essentially a flim-flam man.

Anyway, the idea is that this purchase has almost nothing to do with newspapers. This sounds plausible to me, but it’s not false modesty when I say I’m just passing on gossip.

For Bezos, the WaPo is pocket change. My immediate reaction is that the WaPo will not become more even-handed under his tutelage. Look at what the Facebook zillionare did with The New Republic. Seems to me that TNR is worse than ever.

We shall see.

Democrats, trying to find another cow to milk, seeks to get Amazon to pay sales taxes. In fact, they just won one suit over Amazon for a tune of several “retroactive” taxes.

It wouldn’t surprise me that the WaPo was bought to serve as a sort of business “propaganda machine”. After all, the Leftist propaganda machine got them TRILLIONS in redistributed “wealth”.

Well, snap out of it!

WHACK!

As a fulcrum in DC, the Post is the acme.

BTW, Amazon is insanely overpriced as a security.

One is reminded of Netscape.