… that the latest twist on web advertising — the dynamic image that (temporarily) imposes itself in front of the page content — is without a doubt the most incredibly annoying thing yet, from an industry (web advertising) which has come up with a lot of annoying things.
For an example, go to the TV Guide page cited below, then click on the link for the Greatest Show Ever. The Zyrtec ad comes alive and blocks most of the page, like some idiot in a sandwich sign interposing himself as you try to get into a movie. Unfortunately, while you can punch the idiot with a sandwich sign in the nose, you can’t do anything with the web ad until it finishes running and returns control of your web page to you.
I don’t know how it works. I don’t care. (Well, actually, I do want to know how it works, but that’s beside the point.) I just want someone to come up with a tool to block them. Now.
It’s done with Javascript in Flash. Sometimes you can right click on the ad and ‘uncheck’ play. But in this instance the designer has disabled the right click menu and forces you to watch it. Sucks….I dislike them too.
Hmmmm. I wonder if I use PopUpCop to block Flash from automatically running if I can keep it from happening.
Well, blocking Flash from autorunning left me with just a pale (Java-induced, no doubt) but no movie running in it. And if I block Java applets (vs Java scripts), I don’t even get that.
Victory … I guess. Of course now who knows what won’t work properly elsewhere.
Of course, the page also has six frickin’ cookies set on it … plus a 1×1 gif …
huh. No Flash ad for me. But then again, I’m on a Mac at work. Yes, we have Flash, but this must be some sniffer thing that I get to skip it.
I was going to check specificially for the disabling right-click…because that NEVER works on a Mac. Macs don’t come with two-button mice.
One reason I like surfing at work…