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Comment by RevRal | Hacker News Reader

My last straw was seeing the Chrome logo.

I've always had the "they're watching you" thought running in the background of my mind. But, I have always ignored those thoughts.

Then I saw the Chrome logo. To me, it very blatantly looks like an imposing robotic eye, watching every move. I said: screw this, too f'n much. And I, incidentally, also moved on and also use Duck Duck Go. But, I still use Google as a spell checker every once in a while.

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Addendum: Google has the uncanny ability of making bad logos look nice.

Link to robotic eye logo: http://www.gadgetzone.ro/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/chrome-l... .

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Yeah, because the logo of a fully open-source browser is totally reasonable. Well, it's probably as reasonable as freaking out over 180-day anonymous cookies that improve your search results.

Well, the logo alone would be a pretty stupid reason to abandon Google. But, like I said, it was just the last straw.

And if I am going to have a last straw, the thing that removes that piece of straw must be eccentric. Yet, vaguely resemble truth. The point is to have prepared a retort to "why don't you use Google search?" Because people will ask with the intent to condescend.

I find myself smug about the robotic eye logo because I think it is ironic. It is as if a totalitarian government plastered posters onto drab brick walls. The posters say: "big brother respects your privacy." And on the poster, above those words, is a picture of a robotic eyeball staring at the citizens who stopped to read.

I'd much rather have a fun reason to change loyalties, so I don't have to go into the many details.

It'll keep me from receiving the same flak as when I switched to Linux.

The problem is that when you go into such detail about this eccentricity, it stops coming across as a funny joke ("Of course Google's evil. Did you see the eye?!") and starts sounding like you've cracked.

Why worry about flak? Use what works for you. If people get bitchy about that, tell them you like it, and if they push it tell them to fuck off. End of every pointless tech debate you'll ever have. If you're going so far as to build defenses you're worrying too much.

I wouldn't go as far as saying that I've cracked because I explained a joke. Something I called an eccentricity since I do realize it is a little out there. Besides that, I just came up with the "totalitarian government" thing, and I thought my explanatory comment was a more suitable place to extrapolate into the small story.

But, it is intrinsically me to worry too much. Sardonic fun.

I don't know why I've explained here... but in real life the almost-joke would stop the conversation before there was even a debate. Which is valuable to me because hearing people's inane remarks is worse than fingernails on a chalkboard.

I enjoy the company here.

How can you have mistaken the Chrome logo for an evil robotic eye when it was engineered to resemble everyone's happy childhood game Simon

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&client=firefox-a&#...

Come on in, the water's warm.

I can understand anyone who's worried about the privacy concerns of using Google products. But leaving them just because of a logo? That does seem like the over-reaction sahaj mentioned.

It was not the logo that made him leave. It made him realise that he wants to leave.

edit: Huh? I upvoted your comment because I felt it was a somewhat valid question but the site still shows it at 0. Well, maybe someone downvoted just in the same second. Unlikely though.

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