The AOL floppy used to come shrink-wrapped to some cardboard. Later it became a CD, and now a DVD, in progressively more and more expensive-looking cases, which make me feel more and more guilty for throwing away because of the trash that they generate.

I just now received my latest unwanted copy of AOL 9.0 optimized in a DVD case that was significantly nicer than the case that the Lord Of the Rings Trilogy box set comes in. If I throw it out (which in fact I also just now did) I'm an accomplice to their unspeakable waste.

At this rate, I predict that AOL will soon arrive attached to a new-born baby. The baby (which will be cherubic and gurgly) will be sealed inside of a clear acrylic cube, and you have to put the AOL DVD into your computer within 24 hours or else the cube fills with poison gas. You laugh now, but just wait.