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Thursday, December 8, 2011

Tech / Books I'monna Get My Schramazon On

Posted by Paul Constant on Thu, Dec 8, 2011 at 12:19 PM

Fair warning: At around 2 pm today, I'm going to be on Ken Schram's KOMO Newsradio show to discuss Amazon.com's latest app dickery. Possible topics include: Local businesses, taxes, and being a bad human being. Of course, last time I went on Schram's show, I was supposed to talk about a game involving zombie teabaggers and we wound up discussing the relative hotness of Mitt Romney, so there are no guarantees.

Comments (5) RSS

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So, basically, you'll be talking about the Iranians capturing our pre-invasion spy drones, huh?

Posted by Will in Seattle

on December 8, 2011 at 12:35 PM

I heard Ann Patchett interviewed a couple of weeks ago about her bookstore in Nashville. (She opened one up after all bookstores, including the big chains, disappeared.) She argued that bying at a local store, even if it's a Barnes and Noble, puts money into the local economy and is an investment in the community. The money you spend on a book goes to the store and its employees and the tax you pay goes toward government services. To put it another way, buying from Amazon translates into shittier bus service and more potholes for your car.

Posted by seatackled on December 8, 2011 at 12:43 PM

Paul, I'm wondering if there's any way to make this douchebag app work against other big businesses that we all loathe. Like, if I were to go into a Wal-Mart and scan all their items to Amazon, could it create a bidding war where each retailer tries to top the other one's discount? In other words, is there any way to turn this soulless app into something more beneficial that will also take down equally shitty retailers, say, like all the ones who donate en masse to the GOP?

Posted by DannyG on December 8, 2011 at 12:58 PM