- The result is AdDetector, a simple extension available in the Chrome Web Store or Mozilla's add-ons gallery for Firefox. Once it's installed, AdDetector scans web pages you visit to ferret out ads. When it does find a sponsored article, the extensions displays a large red banner at the top of the page. If the extension can determine the sponsor's name it will display that, too.
- Webster recently told The Wall Street Journal that comedian John Oliver helped inspire the extension. The British satirist recently took native advertising to task during one of his epic rants on the HBO show Last Week Tonight.
Brilliant. I really appreciate these links to John Oliver's bits. I'm not sure when it's on or even if we get HBO.
He makes the most brilliant juxtipositions -
Comparing, for example, news and advertising to Twizzers and guacamole which are both delicious separately.
It took us a while to warm to him because it seemed like he was just rehashing the Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert tropes. But about Week 3 we noticed that actually, he was blowing well beyond them because he wasn't accountable to anybody. It's been interesting watching him get his wings.
(We borrow someone else's HBOGo account)
They have a YouTube channel with nearly all of the clips (I think), posted right after the airing. I'd suggest subscribing.
Exactly -- he was ok, even good, at times, replacing Jon Stewart when JS was in the Middle East -- a year ago. He was filling in someone's shoes rather than having his own voice -- but I agree, that now he's "blowing well beyond." I've only seen two of these sustained monologues - this one and the prison one -- which was both hilarious and painful.
The pain is what gets me. Let me venture that Jon Stewart's clips of political duplicity, doublespeak, and self--contradictions are more of the gotcha variety.
Would you say there is less gotcha and more genuine sadness in John Oliver? -- more disappointment than despair. I have to see more of these clips.
I have a maniac roommate who pays for both HBO and various sports packages. I make up for it by rubbing my penis on his bed when he's on tour. Wait...
Anyhoooo! If anyone needs a login....well...give me a reason to trust you.
That Slate or Salon or whatever it was article saying he wasn't going to forgive your sins? Can't remember the exact gist of it, but it got the right of it: Colbert and Stewart are pretty much "ha ha, this sucks, but we're laughing about it so you can feel okay" while Oliver is very much in the "ha ha, this sucks, no really, it sucks, maybe we should fucking do something about it" camp.
Man, I'm glad I saw that. I can hardly believe that news organisations are doing this, as it's clearly unethical, and frankly I don't even think it should be legal. I immediately got the extension.