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They sold you a book, which you bought in good faith ... [t]hen they removed it, without consulting you, and it's currently unclear if they even refund you, which is irrefutably THEFT

I guess it was inevitable that someone would use the Magic Word. Amazon's license agreement, explicitly makes clear that digital content is "licensed", not "sold".

1. Digital Content

Use of Digital Content. Upon your download of Digital Content and payment of any applicable fees (including applicable taxes), the Content Provider grants you a non-exclusive right to view, use, and display such Digital Content an unlimited number of times, solely on the Kindle or a Reading Application or as otherwise permitted as part of the Service, solely on the number of Kindles or Other Devices specified in the Kindle Store, and solely for your personal, non-commercial use. Unless otherwise specified, Digital Content is licensed, not sold, to you by the Content Provider. The Content Provider may post additional terms for Digital Content in the Kindle Store. Those terms will also apply, but this Agreement will govern in the event of a conflict. Some Digital Content, such as Periodicals, may not be available to you through Reading Applications.

Amazon doesn't use Akami - they sell a competeing service.

That article is just Akami making a press release about how great they are because their business model sort of relates to a news event.

Amazon stated why on their blog - Wikileaks doesn't technically "own" the data, and Amazon doesn't want to be involved in distributing unauthorized material. Amazon also mentioned that there wasn't much attempt at redaction for purposes of keeping individuals safe (which is debatable). Why attack them when they aren't comfortable hosting the data?

Also, why not extend this to attacking those who aren't willing to host the data themselves? (e.g. harass random users until they setup a mirror, or at least distribute one page of a document.)

I learned a lot about the software industry reading articles by Richard. Give this a try as well. Better yet, buy a copy!

If you liked that book, here's another must have!

Returns?

"Has been was
Has been might again"

-William Shatner, "Has Been"

You mean "Assume a spherical terrorist of uniform density..."

http://www.amazon.com/American-Mills-15-Inch-Round-Pillow/dp/B0026IB9PE

This product claims to do what you are suggesting: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0031QNPAC/ref=oss_product using SPOT Satellite Communications (Globalstar) http://www.findmespot.com/

While I agree with your general point, I wonder if you’re not understating the positive side of entertainment media. All those shows you listed are what create unifying shared cultural moments – the quintessential water cooler conversation topics. A significant part of what makes American’s American, or the French French, or what have you, is their shared cultural touchstones – which are in turn created, propagated, reified, and dissected in popular media.

Take for instance Jerry Springer. Horrendous exploitation on one hand. On the other? A morality play in which the audience and the host cooperate to establish shared social values and negotiate the ins and outs of simplistic moral cautionary tales. CSI? Stupid science and convenient plot twists on the one hand. On the other...a not too bad exploration of moral and legal questions, and a fantastic jumping point for further conversation. TV is what you make of it. There is a degree of depth present if you’re willing to put the effort in and find it. Watch American Idol with your kids and have a conversation about what an Idol is as portrayed on the show – popularity versus meritocracy. Watch Survivor and discuss teamwork. Watch The Apprentice and let the warnings of bad hair pieces sink in for themselves.

Anyone interested in a far better framing of the argument should consider looking at Joshua Gamson’s Freaks Talk Back. It’s an interesting inversion of that idea that trash TV is in actually, complete trash.

Take a look at this!

That's what they told us.

Quoting from their site: "Reliable and redundant – Our datacenter is built using large amounts of commodity hardware. When one node fails, millions of other nodes pick up the slack. As a result, you gain all the benefits of an always-on and self-healing infrastructure, without ever having to configure or replace hardware."

So how did "a" hardware failure brought their cloud down? Anyway, a hardware failure still sounds better than a DDoS though.

Have you read the statement? It says they withdrew hosting because they believe Wikileaks doesn't own the rights to the content. They also say they are worried about the verification of the 250K cables they are publishing (not: have published).

Interesting fact: Amazon stopped selling those services to Wikileaks, and lied about why. Amazon claimed they were suspending the hosting because Wikileaks had published 250,000 embassy cables without vetting them first.

No they didn't. Read the actual message. The claimed they suspended the hosting because "that WikiLeaks doesn’t own or otherwise control all the rights to this classified content". This is true. Wikileaks may be right to publish it anyway, but they do not have the rights to the content. Further they say that they are worried that Wikileaks will not redact all 250K documents they are publishing. They do not say those documents are already published, or that those that are published are not redachted.

Foul is the word. Bill Gates and Nathan Myhrvold wrote The Road Ahead a book that sold because Bill Gates was supposedly involved in writing it, but contained nothing interesting, almost as if several editors were hired to remove any accidentally included good ideas.

Bill Gates is one of the Investors in Intellectual Ventures. These are not nice people. They want themselves to be rich, and other people to suffer. Just being rich is not enough.

Very true. The concept of value investing has been long lost to the market. If any of you are traders, or if you are looking at getting into trading, I recommend checking out the book Margin of Safety: Risk-Averse Value Investing Strategies for the Thoughtful Investor by Seth A. Klarman.

I read this book, and after was astounded with how true it rings, not because of the money I earned (I don't even invest), but because of the insights it provides into the greediness and irrational nature of the market.

To summarize the book, buys stocks based on what you think their value is, which actually requires doing a value analysis on the stock and buying when it is undervalued, and selling when it is overvalued, as to just getting sucked into the latest get rich quick stock or bond at the height of its balloon, only to have it pop.

Good luck finding a copy under $500 dollars. This is a rarity. It was once deemed the most stolen book from libraries in the world by the NYT.

But I may have seen it available on torrents before :)

Build Your Own Security Lab: A Field Guide for Network Testing by Michael Gregg ISBN 978-0-470-17986-4 http://www.amazon.com/Build-Your-Own-Security-Lab/dp/0470179864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291996372&sr=1-1

Actually, I was thinking about "Copernick's Rebellion" http://www.amazon.com/Copernicks-Rebellion-Leo-Frankowski/dp/0345340337

Good book... I might just put that on the "re-read this" pile.

I quite like reading reviews of the Bible. They are very entertaining except for the excessively positive ones which don't really ring true. You can take a joke too far you know.

http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Bible-English-Standard-Version/dp/1581345968/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291975710&sr=1-3

Here an example of how funny fake reveiws help drive incredible sales of a real item. http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Three-Short-Sleeve-Medium/dp/B000NZW3J8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=apparel&qid=1291935780&sr=8-3-catcorr

Here's some more fake products that aren't gamed on reviews, but are just complete rip-off's:
http://www.amazon.com/HDMI-RCA-VGA-Cable-1-8ft/dp/B002ZUI68G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Component-Video-Stereo-Audio-Cable/dp/B001IUQB2W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-2
http://www.amazon.com/Composite-Audio-Video-Cable-1-5M-Length/dp/B001IPM6XU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-4
http://www.amazon.com/COMPOSITE-AUDIO-VIDEO-METERS-LENGTH/dp/B002U3GOB4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-5
http://www.amazon.com/CablesToBuy-Plated-Cable-Converter-1080p/dp/B002CHBCTM/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-13

Here's some more fake products that aren't gamed on reviews, but are just complete rip-off's:
http://www.amazon.com/HDMI-RCA-VGA-Cable-1-8ft/dp/B002ZUI68G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Component-Video-Stereo-Audio-Cable/dp/B001IUQB2W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-2
http://www.amazon.com/Composite-Audio-Video-Cable-1-5M-Length/dp/B001IPM6XU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-4
http://www.amazon.com/COMPOSITE-AUDIO-VIDEO-METERS-LENGTH/dp/B002U3GOB4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-5
http://www.amazon.com/CablesToBuy-Plated-Cable-Converter-1080p/dp/B002CHBCTM/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-13

Here's some more fake products that aren't gamed on reviews, but are just complete rip-off's:
http://www.amazon.com/HDMI-RCA-VGA-Cable-1-8ft/dp/B002ZUI68G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Component-Video-Stereo-Audio-Cable/dp/B001IUQB2W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-2
http://www.amazon.com/Composite-Audio-Video-Cable-1-5M-Length/dp/B001IPM6XU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-4
http://www.amazon.com/COMPOSITE-AUDIO-VIDEO-METERS-LENGTH/dp/B002U3GOB4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-5
http://www.amazon.com/CablesToBuy-Plated-Cable-Converter-1080p/dp/B002CHBCTM/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-13

Here's some more fake products that aren't gamed on reviews, but are just complete rip-off's:
http://www.amazon.com/HDMI-RCA-VGA-Cable-1-8ft/dp/B002ZUI68G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Component-Video-Stereo-Audio-Cable/dp/B001IUQB2W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-2
http://www.amazon.com/Composite-Audio-Video-Cable-1-5M-Length/dp/B001IPM6XU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-4
http://www.amazon.com/COMPOSITE-AUDIO-VIDEO-METERS-LENGTH/dp/B002U3GOB4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-5
http://www.amazon.com/CablesToBuy-Plated-Cable-Converter-1080p/dp/B002CHBCTM/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-13

Here's some more fake products that aren't gamed on reviews, but are just complete rip-off's:
http://www.amazon.com/HDMI-RCA-VGA-Cable-1-8ft/dp/B002ZUI68G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Component-Video-Stereo-Audio-Cable/dp/B001IUQB2W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-2
http://www.amazon.com/Composite-Audio-Video-Cable-1-5M-Length/dp/B001IPM6XU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-4
http://www.amazon.com/COMPOSITE-AUDIO-VIDEO-METERS-LENGTH/dp/B002U3GOB4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-5
http://www.amazon.com/CablesToBuy-Plated-Cable-Converter-1080p/dp/B002CHBCTM/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1291934684&sr=8-13

So many of these products are real, the true mirth in them is the reviews. Although the one for Fresh Rabbits in TFA was funny, I can't get past this one... http://www.amazon.com/Male-Testicular-Exam-Model-Anatomy/dp/B0006TYJV6/ref=pd_sbs_gro_10

Many amateurs or hobbyists have faced this dilemma in their own personal (and professional) work spaces for centuries nows. Two groups I know a little about are wood workers and machinists, who have written dozens of books and articles about this subject, in both the general and specific case.

0. Safety equipment: dust masks, goggles, safety glasses (with side protection), gloves (nitrile, latax, neoprene), hearing protection (ear muffs, ear plugs), and as needed!
1. Tools
2. Storage / management of those tools
3. Hard copy (dead-tree) documentation, it is being rapidly moved online thanks to cheap and compact computers and laptops, but much older reference material is still in old-school paper form (which can be handy) (example references to collect: ARRL Handbook, Art of Electronics, Machinery's Handbook, Woodworking Basics, Understanding Wood, Wiring Simplified)
4. Commonly used materials (lumber, hoses, holes clamps, fabric, sheet metal, dowels, nuts & bolts, wood and metal screws, etc.)
5. Parts (in anti-static containers for any static sensitive parts like CMOS ICs)
6. Labelling tools
7. Log / Lab notebooks . These should be paper-based, though can be complimented with online documents, a honest to goodness hard copy lab book is essential.
8. Chemicals
9. Large, easy to read clock
10. Test equipment: rulers, tape measures, calipers, digital multi-meter
11. Plenty of AC mains circuits and outlets. Preferably with a separate circuit for lighting versus wall outlets. - Avoid extended use of extension cables, and excessive use of power bars.

And time.

Many amateurs or hobbyists have faced this dilemma in their own personal (and professional) work spaces for centuries nows. Two groups I know a little about are wood workers and machinists, who have written dozens of books and articles about this subject, in both the general and specific case.

0. Safety equipment: dust masks, goggles, safety glasses (with side protection), gloves (nitrile, latax, neoprene), hearing protection (ear muffs, ear plugs), and as needed!
1. Tools
2. Storage / management of those tools
3. Hard copy (dead-tree) documentation, it is being rapidly moved online thanks to cheap and compact computers and laptops, but much older reference material is still in old-school paper form (which can be handy) (example references to collect: ARRL Handbook, Art of Electronics, Machinery's Handbook, Woodworking Basics, Understanding Wood, Wiring Simplified)
4. Commonly used materials (lumber, hoses, holes clamps, fabric, sheet metal, dowels, nuts & bolts, wood and metal screws, etc.)
5. Parts (in anti-static containers for any static sensitive parts like CMOS ICs)
6. Labelling tools
7. Log / Lab notebooks . These should be paper-based, though can be complimented with online documents, a honest to goodness hard copy lab book is essential.
8. Chemicals
9. Large, easy to read clock
10. Test equipment: rulers, tape measures, calipers, digital multi-meter
11. Plenty of AC mains circuits and outlets. Preferably with a separate circuit for lighting versus wall outlets. - Avoid extended use of extension cables, and excessive use of power bars.

And time.

Many amateurs or hobbyists have faced this dilemma in their own personal (and professional) work spaces for centuries nows. Two groups I know a little about are wood workers and machinists, who have written dozens of books and articles about this subject, in both the general and specific case.

0. Safety equipment: dust masks, goggles, safety glasses (with side protection), gloves (nitrile, latax, neoprene), hearing protection (ear muffs, ear plugs), and as needed!
1. Tools
2. Storage / management of those tools
3. Hard copy (dead-tree) documentation, it is being rapidly moved online thanks to cheap and compact computers and laptops, but much older reference material is still in old-school paper form (which can be handy) (example references to collect: ARRL Handbook, Art of Electronics, Machinery's Handbook, Woodworking Basics, Understanding Wood, Wiring Simplified)
4. Commonly used materials (lumber, hoses, holes clamps, fabric, sheet metal, dowels, nuts & bolts, wood and metal screws, etc.)
5. Parts (in anti-static containers for any static sensitive parts like CMOS ICs)
6. Labelling tools
7. Log / Lab notebooks . These should be paper-based, though can be complimented with online documents, a honest to goodness hard copy lab book is essential.
8. Chemicals
9. Large, easy to read clock
10. Test equipment: rulers, tape measures, calipers, digital multi-meter
11. Plenty of AC mains circuits and outlets. Preferably with a separate circuit for lighting versus wall outlets. - Avoid extended use of extension cables, and excessive use of power bars.

And time.

Many amateurs or hobbyists have faced this dilemma in their own personal (and professional) work spaces for centuries nows. Two groups I know a little about are wood workers and machinists, who have written dozens of books and articles about this subject, in both the general and specific case.

0. Safety equipment: dust masks, goggles, safety glasses (with side protection), gloves (nitrile, latax, neoprene), hearing protection (ear muffs, ear plugs), and as needed!
1. Tools
2. Storage / management of those tools
3. Hard copy (dead-tree) documentation, it is being rapidly moved online thanks to cheap and compact computers and laptops, but much older reference material is still in old-school paper form (which can be handy) (example references to collect: ARRL Handbook, Art of Electronics, Machinery's Handbook, Woodworking Basics, Understanding Wood, Wiring Simplified)
4. Commonly used materials (lumber, hoses, holes clamps, fabric, sheet metal, dowels, nuts & bolts, wood and metal screws, etc.)
5. Parts (in anti-static containers for any static sensitive parts like CMOS ICs)
6. Labelling tools
7. Log / Lab notebooks . These should be paper-based, though can be complimented with online documents, a honest to goodness hard copy lab book is essential.
8. Chemicals
9. Large, easy to read clock
10. Test equipment: rulers, tape measures, calipers, digital multi-meter
11. Plenty of AC mains circuits and outlets. Preferably with a separate circuit for lighting versus wall outlets. - Avoid extended use of extension cables, and excessive use of power bars.

And time.

I ordered the AudioQuest K2 terminated speaker cable for all my friends this Christmas.

Only $6800 and check out the reviews! Only one left in stock, so better act fast. :-)

There goes my Chanukah present

I really need some ladybugs!

Here's a bizarro product, and the 1000's of customer reviews (with pictures) that were submitted:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IZGIA8/ref=s9_simh_co_p263_d4_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=0964R987N5R9BZSJ4NP6&pf_rd_t=3201&pf_rd_p=1263271162&pf_rd_i=typ01

i'm not sure how you count but this project only has 535 reviews.

Pretty much. There always an "ist" of some sort to battle against. There were fascists, that went away. Then came communists, that got old.

You seem to be confusing militant, aggressive, ideological nation states like Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union with women's fashions. They didn't just "go away" or "get old". Nazi Germany was defeated by a hideously expensive war* that ultimately resulted in its invasion, military defeat, and dismemberment into 4 occupied zones and 2 countries (East & West Germany). The West contended with Communism's greatest power block (the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact) in Eastern Europe at great expense through the Cold War. It was by no means clear that the West and the values of democracy and free enterprise would win against them. And the struggle against Communism isn't really over yet, is it? At least the Chinese are reforming themselves a bit. Good thing too, since Communism killed about 100,000,000 people.

Now it's terrorist. You have to tell people who the bad guys are or else they start looking at what you've been up to.

Really? You have to be told? Just a little help? Well, things can get a little confusing for some, I guess.

*That was the 2nd World War - maybe you've heard of it? All the other wars are jealous about its death toll and cost.

Pretty much. There always an "ist" of some sort to battle against. There were fascists, that went away. Then came communists, that got old.

You seem to be confusing militant, aggressive, ideological nation states like Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union with women's fashions. They didn't just "go away" or "get old". Nazi Germany was defeated by a hideously expensive war* that ultimately resulted in its invasion, military defeat, and dismemberment into 4 occupied zones and 2 countries (East & West Germany). The West contended with Communism's greatest power block (the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact) in Eastern Europe at great expense through the Cold War. It was by no means clear that the West and the values of democracy and free enterprise would win against them. And the struggle against Communism isn't really over yet, is it? At least the Chinese are reforming themselves a bit. Good thing too, since Communism killed about 100,000,000 people.

Now it's terrorist. You have to tell people who the bad guys are or else they start looking at what you've been up to.

Really? You have to be told? Just a little help? Well, things can get a little confusing for some, I guess.

*That was the 2nd World War - maybe you've heard of it? All the other wars are jealous about its death toll and cost.

Pretty much. There always an "ist" of some sort to battle against. There were fascists, that went away. Then came communists, that got old.

You seem to be confusing militant, aggressive, ideological nation states like Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union with women's fashions. They didn't just "go away" or "get old". Nazi Germany was defeated by a hideously expensive war* that ultimately resulted in its invasion, military defeat, and dismemberment into 4 occupied zones and 2 countries (East & West Germany). The West contended with Communism's greatest power block (the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact) in Eastern Europe at great expense through the Cold War. It was by no means clear that the West and the values of democracy and free enterprise would win against them. And the struggle against Communism isn't really over yet, is it? At least the Chinese are reforming themselves a bit. Good thing too, since Communism killed about 100,000,000 people.

Now it's terrorist. You have to tell people who the bad guys are or else they start looking at what you've been up to.

Really? You have to be told? Just a little help? Well, things can get a little confusing for some, I guess.

*That was the 2nd World War - maybe you've heard of it? All the other wars are jealous about its death toll and cost.

Given that (Amazon CEO) Jeff Bezos has been known to post them I think they're aware, and doubt they're likely to kill them anytime soon.

It's a joke. It's funny. It's not people gaming a system, it's people being funny.

If you haven't yet read the top review on the Tuscan milk, it is easily one of the most brilliant pieces of writing on the Internet. And done anonymously too.

http://www.amazon.com/Story-About-Ping-Marjorie-Flack/dp/0140502416

Note the number of "people who has found it helpful" on this review...

Sometimes, however, things aren't quite so black and white. I ran across this thing the other day looking for trackballs. Actually looked really interesting until I noticed the price.

It's a real product (although apparently discontinued). Would somebody pay $500 for a trackball? Hell, for that much money, I'll build them by one a time out of hand selected Unicorn hooves.

This item has wolves on it which makes it intrinsically sweet and worth 5 stars by itself, but once I tried it on, that's when the magic happened. After checking to ensure that the shirt would properly cover my girth, I walked from my trailer to Wal-mart with the shirt on and was immediately approached by women. The women knew from the wolves on my shirt that I, like a wolf, am a mysterious loner who knows how to 'howl at the moon' from time to time (if you catch my drift!). The women that approached me wanted to know if I would be their boyfriend and/or give them money for something they called mehth. I told them no, because they didn't have enough teeth, and frankly a man with a wolf-shirt shouldn't settle for the first thing that comes to him.

I arrived at Wal-mart, mounted my courtesy-scooter (walking is such a drag!) sitting side saddle so that my wolves would show. While I was browsing tube socks, I could hear aroused asthmatic breathing behind me. I turned around to see a slightly sweaty dream in sweatpants and flip-flops standing there. She told me she liked the wolves on my shirt, I told her I wanted to howl at her moon. She offered me a swig from her mountain dew, and I drove my scooter, with her shuffling along side out the door and into the rest of our lives. Thank you wolf shirt.

Pros: Fits my girthy frame, has wolves on it, attracts women
Cons: Only 3 wolves (could probably use a few more on the 'guns'), cannot see wolves when sitting with arms crossed, wolves would have been better if they glowed in the dark.

Because while some fake reviews are obvious, many may not be.

I am so sorry to whomever purchased the IDC report for $1,499.99 and read the ten PDF pages and found out that there was no plot between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD and the holiday season. I am sorry from the bottom of my heart for misrepresenting that product and tricking them into purchasing it. You know I found that IDC report after searching for Blu-Ray players way back in 2005. That's what I was suggested since none were out yet.

I would also like to review geekoid's post above at a +5. After the post arrived to my home via http, I immediately experienced a glowing sensation in my loins and instantly had the clarity and foresight of a million Jesuses plus two -- as advertised!

Seriously, you want to know what's corrupting Amazon? Check out the Wikipedia printing scam that Books LLC has been running. Just the other day I was looking for a book on Washington DC as a gift and was suggested this piece of trash. It's just Wikipedia articles, as discussed on Slashdot. Except now that crap is being suggested to me in searches for books on specific subject matter!

But no, it's the reviews we are putting on products that no one should ever purchase that are "ruining the shopping experience."

Unsure if in an article or the comments, but it's arguably the most famous so surprised it wasn't mentioned.

$1000 Denon AKDL1 Dedicated Link Cable

While we are mentioning funny amazon things, don't forget the reviews for the essential book on the network tool "Ping". (Read the first Customer Review)

This exists! It's called Amazon Verified Purchase. See, for example:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R23WKI375G1JJM

I don't know if their ranking algorithm rates reviews from verified purchases higher or not, but wouldn't be surprised...

This exists! It's called Amazon Verified Purchase. See, for example:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R23WKI375G1JJM

I don't know if their ranking algorithm rates reviews from verified purchases higher or not, but wouldn't be surprised...

There's always the Denon AKDL1 Dedicated Link Cable. Oh wait, that's not a prank (sadly Denon doesn't still have this listed on their site, as it used to be a legitimate product).

Some of us do leave great reviews:
Amazon Review

A product that was well known to be hated, even though many people did not know why they were hating it, so I gave a real review on it, and it got very positive feedback. Unfortunately, weeding through fake/dumb reviews to find real reviews sucks to do

Here's a bizarro product, and the 1000's of customer reviews (with pictures) that were submitted:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IZGIA8/ref=s9_simh_co_p263_d4_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=0964R987N5R9BZSJ4NP6&pf_rd_t=3201&pf_rd_p=1263271162&pf_rd_i=typ01

As a shopper, I wasn't aware of how easy it was to apparently fake product reviews and it bothers me.

How on earth could that bother you? You didn't notice it until you stumbled into a weird category on some beta app. Do you have any sense of humor?

For what it's worth, Amazon is starting to allow reviewers who ordered the item from Amazon to mark on their review that Amazon confirms them as an owner. So you could probably in the future sort those reviews by those that wrote jokes and those that actually ordered the uranium (my god, how is this not on idle).

It really bothers you? How? Please tell me how I've ruined your shopping experience.

How long term? An investment you made in the stockmarket in 2000 is now worth less today. "Long term" is a nice concept to throw around, but if you're 65 and your investments are worth less than they were 10 years ago, it's no comfort to think they will be worth more 30 years from now.

If you pick up a decent retirement investment book, like, say, Bernstein's Four Pillars of Investing , the answer will be something along the lines that 10 years is the bare minimum term you should consider for a stock investment—yet without a guarantee of success. American stocks have done well in most 10 year periods, but there have been a number of them where they've not. We've just experienced one of them; it's not the first one, and it won't be the last.

If you're 65, ideally, you should have been investing for 40 years already, during which you should have gradually reduced your exposure to stocks over to bonds to reduce the volatility of your portfolio. And also, don't underestimate 65 year olds' investment growth needs: if you've managed to live to 65, you easily have 15-20 more years to live.