Amazon Fail: Another Update

[filkertom]

Interesting stuff. No public statement yet from Amazon, and they really could use one. One guy claims responsibility. Another guy calls bullshit.

Much more important, I have received a message from someone who works for Amazon (who wants to remain anonymous), saying on good authority that it really actually was a glitch. Somebody did something stupid, and the problem is that the sheer scale of what happened means it will take awhile to sort out. But they are on it.

I don't know any of this for sure myself (although I'm inclined to believe the Amazon employee); we'll see what goes on. However, I did have to tell you guys about one thing. Last night, I was speaking with sazettel, who suggested a possible way of affecting Amazon directly if it did turn out to be their fault and deliberate: Everyone who has one return their Kindle.

At which point I started laughing like a loon, and created these:


I probably should get the domain putthekindleback.com or something, but I don't care all that much. And, who knows, they may fix everything up this afternoon. But I at least wanted to share the joke. If you use 'em, please credit me and tomsmithonline.com.

ETA: the info from the Amazon employee.

Comments

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

Hee! Nice one.

[stormsdotter.livejournal.com]

I looked at the cost of a Kindle. I've decided I'd rather buy a One Laptop Per Child from eBay, so I can write on public transportation without worrying about dropping/spilling coffee on my expensive laptop. It works as an eBook reader, took.

Also, thank you for making me smile.

[alverant.livejournal.com]

I am glad it's looking more and more like either 1) it was a glitch or 2) it was a single employee who will get a nice PINK slip in the near future.

Looking back, I wonder how many people will think they over-reacted, a little too quick to delete their accounts. It's easy to say "I won't shop there until this is fixed" because you can go back once it is fixed. But deleting your account is burning your bridges behind you.

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

I don't get it...

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

Somebody did something stupid, all righty. However... A "glitch" would be a computer error, this was deliberate. How could it not be? The "blacklisted" books were carefully chosen on account of content.

The roots of Proposition H8 run deeply.

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

*dies* Those are great.

I've chronicled what's been going on with my stuff, but I haven't made any rash statements or deleted anything.

I have a Sony 505. I don't like proprietary devices, formats and DRM.

[siliconshaman.livejournal.com]

Reading some of the backend stuff on the amazon's developers forums, their metatags database is very, very broken.

Add possible troll to that, or cack-handed employee, and you get a clusterfuck of this order.

[peachtales.livejournal.com]

The pics are cute :D

In a very loosely related issue, I just found out that my hometown of Zurich in Switzerland (in this case, the city where I grew up, rather than the city of San Francisco, where I was born) will have it's first lesbian City President (aka Mayor) starting May 4. Her name is Corine Mauch. Nifty.

[saganth.livejournal.com]

A riot iss an ugly ting, unt, I tink that it iss just about time dat ve had von!

[batyatoon]

*SHRIEKS WITH LAUGHTER*

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

boogiebabe_smap has suggested the possibility that Amazon may have simply gotten hacked from outside. I hadn't thought of this, but if the anti-gay/fundie bastards are now recruiting black-hat hackers (or, incredibly, learning how to code themselves) to sabotage any site that sells even remotely LGBTQ-positive material, they are now way more dangerous than anyone ever expected them to get.

[hsifyppah.livejournal.com]

Bwahahaha, I love you.