Playing with Flash ads.

I used to rant against the stupid advertisements, made with Macromedia Flash™, that had you “catch the ball” or “shoot the terrorist” or “whack the mole” or do something successful with your mouse in order to win a free iPod or PSP or some other electronic tchotchke (after you respond to five offers and manage to get five others to do the same). They were ubiquitously obnoxious.

Now, I play ’em.

That’s right, I play them. As if they were video games. They’re not; they’re not that hard to win. But they’re mildly amusing, and it’s fun to whack the mole or catch the ball or shoot Tom Cruise (or the terrorist, depending on the ad). And when I’m successful, and the new website pops open, I simply close the new window and go back to whacking moles, catching balls, and shooting Tom Cruise. Because I’m not going to their bloody website.

We may as well get a little fun out of the crap the internet flings at us.