14 June 2005
Submitted by eve on Tue, 06/14/2005 - 9:10am. News

Hey guys. So In Passing continues to be infrequently updated, but still alive and kicking. I don't think I update enough to keep the tip jar out without feeling a little guilty, though, so the PayPal link is coming down. Many thanks to all of you who donated in the past, you helped pay for hosting when I couldn't, and you kept the site alive. Thank you.

But I think at this point, I don't want to ask anything of my readers, because you guys have been great about not asking too much of me -- very understanding when, say, I'm on the road for work for a month and don't have time to update. So I've added what I hope is an unobtrustive way of paying for the site -- Google text ads. Other bloggers I know have had good luck with making enough money from them to cover hosting while not annoying their readers too much.

So, I'm giving it a try. Next time you're thinking, "Man, I love that In Passing. The site hasn't been updated in a month, but those archives, they're great! I wish I could give Eve a nickel." ...just step away from Pay Pal and head right over to one of the comments pages, where there should be a text ad or two. Click it (if you're interested in whatever they're advertising) and the nickel or so is mine. Thanks!

Plus, there's the added amusement that a computer script is now reading In Passing and trying to find ads which are relevant. I see a subtle joke or two on the front page due to that.

Thanks everybody. Let me know what you think.

update: The slashes have been fixed.

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Google Ads
Posted by brian65401 on Mon, 06/27/2005 - 7:29pm.
All I get is survey ads, and I've not had a single foreign language ad yet.
Flyfishing.
What am I doing wrong?!
Fly fishing.
I ask you. Why are my ads boring?
Trout, Fly fishing.
Why don't I get ads for something I want to see?
Salmon, trout, fly fishing.
What will it take?
 
So...if you haven't had any f
Posted by Desert Fox on Tue, 06/28/2005 - 11:42am.
So...if you haven't had any foreign language ads yet, I guess you're getting ads for Trout Fishing in America?

(running away now)


*********
"Life is too short for grief. Or regret. Or bullshit." -- Edward Abbey, Vox Clamantis in Deserto
 
YEESSSSS!
Posted by brian65401 on Thu, 06/30/2005 - 1:27pm.
I now have ads for flyfishing vacations and other trout fishing sites! It's alive!
Mwuh, huh ha!
 
You and me both...
Posted by umrguy on Mon, 07/04/2005 - 11:36pm.
Wonder if it's a Rolla thing there? :)

-There's someone in my head, but it's not me.-
Amusements a la goooooooogle
Posted by Jon on Mon, 06/27/2005 - 9:40am.
On the recent geography thread, there were ads for adult diapers, and Urineoff.com, which is apparently some kind of incontinence smell reducer.

I guess the ads picked up that I'm full of dung. *gryn*

It's also interesting that the ads shift between the comment viewing page and the comment entry page. This one shifted from 'paid online surveys' to 'PayPal' ads. The PayPal ones are interesting because one is *for* PayPal, and another is a shocking expose about the truth behind the company.

- My mind is in the gutter, but it keeps out the bad weather.
Rekindle lost love by posting a dream!
Posted by steff on Sat, 06/25/2005 - 12:49am.
the google ads are fine. they're not big enough to be annoying, don't blink or scroll, and are evidently giving everyone plenty of amusement besides. it'll be a new sport... browsing through the archives just to see what gooooooogle helpfully thinks you should know when you read about embarrassing injuries.

now, if i can just remember which thread had the ad for dragon beard candies, as i forgot to bookmark it...
It's alive!
Posted by Jon on Wed, 06/22/2005 - 8:49am.
Cool, I'm glad to hear from the site goddess again. My thanks for still trucking on, despite our occasional complaints. :)

Now that the 'outside one's country' goooooooogle ads have been mentioned, I'm seeing some from the Netherlands. Neat!
----
On a side note, hello igirly, long time no see. As you know, i am a 'fun guy', maybe that's why you got the latest ads. :-p

- My mind is in the gutter, but it keeps out the bad weather.
Google ads?
Posted by ParU on Tue, 06/21/2005 - 9:36pm.
My goodness you are clever. I'll bet you could've invented all sorts of things when you were younger, like a ski lift for your Barbies. Oh wait, you did do that.
(Now lets see what sort of ads come up) - A new game - try to get clever Google ads!
It's Amino world without Chemists
It knows me!
Posted by Intelligirly on Tue, 06/21/2005 - 3:26pm.
I'm getting literally nothing but work at home, make money taking surveys, online payment, etc. ads. Okay, YES, I'm starting what I hope to be a freelance career--and YES, I'm poor. But let's not be rude, Google!

(Anyhoodle, at the risk of sounding like an ad myself, I am doing a lot of freelance writing right now and am so very open to more. If anyone needs anything, please do give me a jingle. /end ad)

I wish I had other language ads. I feel so...so...domestic.
 
Jerk!
Posted by Intelligirly on Tue, 06/21/2005 - 3:30pm.
Oh...oh, FINE. I complain about Google's rudeness just a wee bit--and now I'm getting nothing but toenail fungus ads. Seriously. Hmph.
Testing
Posted by eve on Tue, 06/21/2005 - 9:51am.
Are apostrophes messed up in the comments, too? I'm trying to find out.

Also, I'm mildly curious why some of the ads are in German. Hrm.
 
I may be to blame for that...
Posted by paul on Wed, 06/22/2005 - 10:14am.
I visit IP at work, and I work for a German company. I'm pretty sure that our Internet feed is through Dresden. So most likely Google has picked up on that.
 
No way
Posted by hypoxic on Wed, 06/22/2005 - 6:24pm.
They have a vpn that goes to europe? And then back out to the US? Your ping times must really suck then.
 
You better believe it.
Posted by paul on Thu, 06/23/2005 - 7:14pm.
I know for a fact that the email server is in Dresden, so I would bet that our ISP is there as well. Being the major firm that this is, I would bet they have their own T3 connection or something similar. And now I've noticed that the ads that come up in my Yahoo email account are in German, so apparently that's it...
 
Posted by Matt on Thu, 06/23/2005 - 8:05pm.
My Goooogle ads seem to be in some kind of Scandanavian language. Here's what I'm seeing right now: "Terug naar Nederland" Hoe zit het me ux Pensioen? Vraag online om deskundig advies

and:
"Gratis Hyoptheek Advies" Geld besparen? Direct een afspraak Advies is gratis en vrijblijvend

So there ya go. And my ISP is Comcast, serving the greater Northern California Bay Area, among others.
 
But we have people in Scandan
Posted by paul on Thu, 06/23/2005 - 9:41pm.
But we have people in Scandanavian countries who post here as well, don't we? For instance, peegee is in Denmark- not really sure if that's even considered close to Scandanavian; if not then I apologize. I'm sure we have others as well. And that would explain those ads...
 
Denmark
Posted by hypoxic on Fri, 06/24/2005 - 10:26pm.
is a Scandanavian country. Along with Norway, Swedan and Iceland. Finland is a Slavic country.
 
Uhm, Finland ?
Posted by peegee on Fri, 06/24/2005 - 10:45pm.
Finland is normally considered part of Scandinavia as well and they are hardly are slavic country. Their language is related to Hungarian, but both these languages are related neither to the Germanic nor the Slavic languages, but rather form a language family of their own, the so called Finno-Ugric languages.
 
Really
Posted by hypoxic on Sat, 06/25/2005 - 10:20am.
damn my books were wrong. I thought that the Fins didn't consider themselves scandanavian. I thought that's why they had a beef with Russia (a cain and abel thing) and sided with the Germans in WW2. But hey what do I know? I'm just an American :) You guys got dragons over there! BURNINATE!
 
Finns...
Posted by ParU on Sun, 06/26/2005 - 3:47pm.
Ummm hypo? Finland had a beef with Russia cause Russia invaded them in the 30's. So when Germany invaded Russia, they sided with the Germans cause they really, really, really hated the Russians. (Which meant, of course, that they got the shaft after WWII, having sided with the losing side).
And you went to Cal? Durn Engineers...
It's Amino world without Chemists
 
Finns...
Posted by ParU on Sun, 06/26/2005 - 3:47pm.
Ummm hypo? Finland had a beef with Russia cause Russia invaded them in the 30's. So when Germany invaded Russia, they sided with the Germans cause they really, really, really hated the Russians. (Which meant, of course, that they got the shaft after WWII, having sided with the losing side).
And you went to Cal? Durn Engineers...
It's Amino world without Chemists
 
Subtleties
Posted by peegee on Sat, 06/25/2005 - 12:52pm.
Well, what Finland is generally considered to be - part of Scandinavia - and what the Fins themselves consider Finland to be might be two different things. They did had their flings and fights with Russia, but they also have a strong Swedish minority. It's probably one of these things that escapes exact classification by scienctific means. Or by any means at all.
 
Heh.
Posted by steff on Sat, 06/25/2005 - 11:25am.
you're so helpful. but so far, "scandinavian" is superseding "dragon" or "candy". =P
 
German ads ?
Posted by peegee on Tue, 06/21/2005 - 2:10pm.
Hmm, as for the German ads I can think of a conjecture: I guess Google ads try to optimize both for content and location. When someone viewing the site makes a "request" for an ad, they know what site it is, which allows them to adjust the content, and by reverse-looking up the ip address the ip address that made the request they may to some extent optimize for location. Some requests from German IP addresses (i.e. from the .de domain) may be due to myself having visited a German university last week. Do I get a geek point for that ?
(viewing from Denmark I get Danish ads, so there)
 
Not a bad guess
Posted by Saint on Tue, 06/21/2005 - 3:13pm.
But I'm smack in the middle of the US, and I get ads for businesses in Brussels. Actually, to be fair, the ads are evenly balanced between english and foreign language. Right now, I'm getting the Recreatie Villas ad (Loosdrechtse Plassen luxe recreatie villas/bungalows te huur en te koop)--which I get a lot, apparently Goooooogle knows I need a vacation--and one for Ebay: Register for Free.

By the way--Thank you, Eve! I was dying without my apostrophes. :D

-Can't stop, the weasels are closing in!
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