Topic: angie's list

[whimsicalmamapig]

Has anyone seen the latest Angie's List ad about some female who adopts a dog from the local pound and implies that without the assistance of Angie's List she could never have found all the items she needed to bring the poor disheveled dog into her home.

And there are also the ads for GPS devices and Yelp etc. 

Is it just me, but I find it would be embarrassing to admit I did not have the brain power to find items to clean and fit out a new dog, or need some computer app for a smart phone to find my way somewhere etc. without the assistance of some "service"

If I couldn't read a map to find my way somewhere, or need a car that tells me when to brake or backup I would think there would be no reason to continue life on this planet as I have become subservient to the machine.

Just how "dumb" are we going to allow ourselves to become.  Have you ever seen clerks at a store when the calculators and cash registers go down and they need to make change in their heads..... totally unable to function without the assistance of a machine, heck, they are discontinuing the teaching of script in schools since everyone just uses a keyboard.

I imagine many of you are waiting for the apocalypse to see these machine slaves attempting to function on their own wits...but in the meantime I find it contemptible to know my hard earned BA from 1972 is held in the same esteem as ones pumped out to dopes who couldn't find Afghanistan on a map or for that matter, know which is Colorado and which is Wyoming on a map.

Just how dumbed down can we fall before "the fall"

[trapeze]

Re: Angie's List...

That may be a dumb ad, I haven't seen it.

But, in my opinion, Angie's List is one of the better internet services as far as value is concerned.

First of all, it's dirt cheap. I think that the most expensive subscription (by area code, I think) is $40/year. I use it to get service contractors for my widowed mother in Houston. I look up what I need, pick one that's close to her that has a high rating and then call them. I tell them that I got their name from Angie's List and that I will be reviewing them after the work is complete. I tell them to send their best person. I get very fast, very good service this way.

And unlike the BBB, they can't pay off Angie's List to improve their rating...it's based solely on customer reviews.

So, I like it.

[whimsicalmamapig]

you are correct in that angie's list is not corruptible, but the intent of the ad states that "I don't know how I could have found all the companies I needed to get the dog clean etc. without angies list.  as if the person was not able to find dog cleaning firms without first consulting angies list. the same with gps systems, we are all too willing to turn over another function of our human brain to a machine so that we are free to indulge in more inane entertainment.

it would be different if each succeeding generation of children were becoming smarter and more educated with the use of more computer technology, but it seems the reverse is too true and we are creating more lazy brains and less avid "learners" as the need to learn is supplanted by the ability to use an "app"

[Pandora]

you are correct in that angie's list is not corruptible, but the intent of the ad states that "I don't know how I could have found all the companies I needed to get the dog clean etc. without angies list.  as if the person was not able to find dog cleaning firms without first consulting angies list. the same with gps systems, we are all too willing to turn over another function of our human brain to a machine so that we are free to indulge in more inane entertainment.

I believe I've seen the ad, but I don't remember the content in detail.  Is the woman looking for a reputable and talented dog-groomer for the new dog?  I understand this service varies, so, if I needed one, I'd appreciate having a reliable source to consult.

Don't get me wrong, I understand your feeling about ad inanity.  Home Depot used to have one that showed several depictions of small failed home improvement projects, such as a faulty ceiling-fan installation and a husband falling off the ladder outside his house, that I found infuriating because men = doofuses, of course. (Or is that doofusii?)

And the ones showing children jumping all over the furniture or spilling drinks all over the floor without adult remonstrance, but rather indulgent smiles.  Gunsmith has been known, upon watching adults on beds with their shoes on, to snap at the TV, "hey, asshole, get your shoes off the bed".

One cannot say to oneself any longer that ah, it's only TV or a commercial, because I believe these have been one instrumental element in changing our culture; they reflect and instruct.

So, I understand and share your frustration.

On the other hand, I have to confess that no matter how I try not to be, I am directionally impaired.  My husband calls me "wrong-way" because I will get turned around and confused in a parking garage -- thank God for EXIT signs -- and if there's a choice between turning one way or the other, I will invariably choose wrongly.  I do know how to read a map, so every excursion to a new locale requires plotting a route and using written directions.  I tried a GPS and found it aggravating; the volume wouldn't exceed the radio's and the snooty "re-CAL-culating" had me close to hurling it out the window.  Some folks are born with a compass-quality in their brains and some not; fortunately for those like me, we usually manage to pair up with a compass-head.

And, trap, thanks for the Angie's List review.  I've wondered.