et tu, Amazon?

Today I was doing a little fake shopping and took a trip to Amazon.com to look at things I will  never buy, it's like window shopping, only without the benefit exercise.  The fine folks of Amazon surprised me because the first page I landed on (when signed in under my Amazon account) was my Plog.  Plog? What? I never posted anything on Amazon.  Oh, I see, since they track everything I look at, click on, put on my wish list, purchase or even dream about they seem to think they know me well enough to create a blog, sorry, plog, for little ol' me!

I can't think of anything more exciting and informative than marketing blurbs disguised as blog postings created by Amazon... telling me what they think I think will be interesting.  Here's how they explain the Plog:

The Plog™ Service is a personalized blog. A blog is a straightforward and now widely adopted method of posting a reverse chronological diary on the Internet.
Your Amazon.com Plog is a diary of events that will enhance your shopping experience, helping you discover products that have just been released, track changes to your orders, and many other things. Just like a blog, your Plog is sorted in reverse chronological order. When we think we have something interesting or important to tell you, we'll post it to your Plog.
(They also have a list of 15 blogs which they describe as "some of the best and most popular blogs", go on and check it out, you know you want to.)

Enhance my shopping experience? I can think of some better things to enhance, but okay Amazon... try me.

A mysterious Amazon blogger (a.k.a. computer) posts on random days telling me what newly released item I would like to buy (a book which is already on my Wish List) because of what I have already purchased (a book I bought as a gift three years ago). Anonymous Amazon blogger then gives me all sorts of pertinent information on the product they are sure I would love to purchase. At the bottom of each post there are two handy little bubbles, which are located where the comments are on most blogs, and these bubbles give me the option to let Amazon know if this post was helpful or not. Wait a minute! Isn't this MY Plog? If my name is on this Plog shouldn't everything be helpful?  Oh, okay, I have a little control here...  if I so desire I can clear any post. Just delete it with one swift click of the "clear post" link.   I cannot create a post, only anonymous blogger can do that.  Corinne's Plog is written by someone else.  I do not feel enhanced.  My experience is not improved.

I find the entire idea of this Plog pretty ominous.  To be honest, Amazon already creeped me out because of their uber tracking powers, but the Plog took it one step too far.  It's basically the equivalent to some dude following me around a store with a dogeared note pad and chewed up pencil.  He hides at the end of aisles and waits until I pick something up,  then he takes dirty reading glasses out of his rumpled suit jacket pocket and makes a note of which item I've chosen and how long it's been in my hand.  He licks the end of his pencil and nods in a slow methodical fashion.  I put the item down, and notice something out of the corner of my eye.  He scurries behind a bookcase and scribbles some more.  I continue to shop, he secretly follows.  This goes on all day.  Later that night I find an envelope has been slipped under my door.  Inside this envelope is a neatly typed note, kindly letting me know that there may have been some items I overlooked in the store I visited that day. At the bottom of the letter, following suggestions for future purchases, are carefully drawn pie charts and bar graphs.  I break out in a cold sweat as I crumple the letter and carefully look around.  I hear an evil laugh followed by "see you around!" and then the sound of fleeting footsteps.  I am forever tainted and know that I can never recklessly window shop again.