Pair's AOL disc protest gathers momentum

Ananova ^ | 09:20 Monday 11th November 2002 | Ananova

[martin_fierro]

Pair's AOL disc protest gathers momentum

A protest against America Online's promotional CDs is gathering international support.

Californians Jim McKenna and John Lieberman say they now have more than 80,000 and collection points in France, Germany, Australia and the UK.

Their ultimate aim is to return a million of them to AOL's corporate headquarters in Virginia in a dump-truck.

They insist they have nothing against the company except they are fed up with receiving unwanted discs in the post.

The pair began by requesting the CDs through a website devoted to complaining about the discs.

It features a gallery of top donors and suggests create alternative uses for the CDs, for example as pet toys or unconventional wall coverings.

AOL has responded by offering to help.

Spokesman Nicholas Graham said the company would be happy to help them reach their target and is looking forward to greeting them at the door.

However he insisted promotional CDs are the best way to reach potential customers, and added that overall, people have responded well to the discs.

He wouldn't say how many discs AOL distributes each year but noted anyone can return unwanted discs for the company to recycle.

[martin_fierro]

[ASA Vet]

I don't understand the problem. AOL disks make great shooting targets.
Just be sure to aim slightly off center or you won't know you hit.

[Poohbah]

At least when they distributed floppies, you could reuse them.

Although a friend of mine has devised a Doomsday Weapon that uses 2 solar masses of AOL disks...He think's he'll have them in six months.

[bert]

Wanted!! AOL 31/2" floppies, version 2.0 and higher.

Some of us actually collect them.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Sell 'em on ebay.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Some of us actually collect them.

You must come from one of those families that do the giant twine balls. :-)

[asformeandformyhouse]

They make great coasters here at the office.

[SamAdams76]

Their ultimate aim is to return a million of them to AOL's corporate headquarters in Virginia in a dump-truck.

Yeah, that's really going to show them! How lame. All AOL will do is collect them and put them right back in the mail. If you really want to protest AOL, cancel your subscription and go to a real internet provider.

[martin_fierro]

They make great coasters here at the office.

Yeah, I just wish they were more absorbent.

[MrB]

Actually, unless you combine them with felt or a paper towel, they make lousy coasters. The condensation just runs off the edge and on to your table top.

I like the shooting range target usage better. Put an orange dot over the center hole.

[ASA Vet]

Put an orange dot over the center hole.

That's what I did.
They do make excellent 200 yard targets.

And they're FREE!

[ErnBatavia]

Christmas ornaments...

[Marauder]

Some people just don't have enough to do. How hard can it be to toss them in the trash can?

[bert]

I'm waiting for the price to rise.

Unlike Beanie babies, there is potential for turning nothing into something. AOL will fail and the legacy is the debris they generated while alive.

[chuknospam]

I stick 'em the microwave, try it and watch, a high tech light show and you have a neat piece of artwork afterwards, only take about 20 to 30 seconds max, set on top of a coffee cup.

[babble-on]

6 years ago I shared office space with a dot-com entrepreneur who boasted a "tub of technology" , an old-fashioned claw-footed bathtub which by mid 1997 he had filled to brimming with free AOL discs. (epilogue - he did manage to sell his company to another, which then went public, on paper he was worth 50 million, but the market crashed before he could get out. The End)

[mrs. a]

Take a dowel and poke it through the center of the CD, glue the CD in place about 5/6 of the way down the dowel, attach a cup hook to the top of the dowel on the long end, and you have a cheap but easy-to-use drop spindle.

Of course, I don't think there is a market for one million of them...

[asformeandformyhouse]

Actually, unless you combine them with felt or a paper towel, they make lousy coasters

True. But I should have been more clear. My point was to show how little respect I have for AOL. The fact that they can't even make a decent coaster means I'll never trust them as an internet provider. I do like the target suggesstion however.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

Actually, that is waaaay too funny. I (for my Tiger Cubs) used AOL (and other free, non usuable discs) to make picture frames for Mother's Day. Alot of the 'on-line' moms got a hoot when they say the unfinished backs. And for the record, they turned out really nice (we did a mother/son photo of each). Anyone want the details--FReepMail me. :)PaMom

[martin_fierro]

I kept hoping there'd be a "happily ever after" there, but I guess not. <|:(~