Sense of Adventure

Amazon.com does something smart! Not that that’s a huge surprise…

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I really want this utterly swell “I Still Want My Flying Car” t-shirt. As well, of course, as my damn flying car.

Not pictured: a flying car I can actually buy

Having a fairly reasonable appreciation of which I’m likely to get first, if not at all (hope springs, and comes not unsprung) I was pleased when Amazon added a new and very shrewd feature: one which enabled me to link to the shirt on my Wish List even though Ammie doesn’t sell it.

How smart is that? Umm, real. Unlike some entities trying to do business these days, Amazon has realized openness sells. Specifically: the point to allowing users to make (and what’s really valuable, manage) wish lists, is manifestly to encourage others to buy them presents from Amazon.com. They make it very quick and convenient to do so, and I really like it when my friends post these lists, and encourage you all to do so if you haven’t yet.

So why would Amazon let you link to completely separate vendors? Well, just for starters, let’s look at a totally random sample wish list: mine. (How’s that for an almost subtle plug?) Notice that everything else on the list is available through Amazon. (Quickly and conveniently. Just thought I’d mention that again. Reinforce the message and all.)

Granted, that’s so far; and I’ll undoubtedly add other off-site items to the list. But clearly this capability creates additional value for users, and hence is likely to attract more eyes to Amazon.

And that’s a good thing for all concerned.

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Time to take this one off my Amazon Wish List (where I’d just placed it) …

… and time likewise for you to put it on yours.

My good and beloved friends L. Neil and Cathy L. Z. Smith found themselves taking an unexpected trip to Tucson, which brought them through Burque today. I got an email alert from El Neil a couple days ago. I’ve not seen them for a couple years, which is that long too long, so I was happy for the chance to see them.

Early this afternoon Neil called to let me know they were on the road. He’s suffering laryngitis and asked if I did text messaging. I told him I didn’t. He said, too bad, since he used it all the time and it would save his voice.

So after I hung up I got out the User’s Manual for my Tracfone to look up how to do this here new-fangled texting thing. Yes, as I told Steve Kubica in my reply to his comment on my keeping stuff straight post, I’m boldly striding forward into the past and finally learning!

This delighted me. The upshot being Neil and I whiled away the afternoon texting each other like 12-year old girls.

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