Free IBM PCs ?
Want an IBM PC with a 15" monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse and Windows XP Home O/S at no charge?
If you’re in Britain and don’t mind ads in your face for 30 hours a month, a company called Metronomy might do it for you.
But this wouldn’t be a present. It’d be a three-year loaner. And to get it, you’d have to promise to watch an ad every 20 minutes.
And to make sure users watch the right ads, every month they’re sent a CD containingcompulsory views for the upcoming four weeks, and if they don’t load it, the PC shuts down.
What kind of ads would you have to watch? The site doesn’t say, but *Can I protect my children against adult-orientated advertising?* in the FAQ clearly suggests ‘adult content’ ads could be part of the deal.
Users will also be watched to make sure they actually watch the ads, although, "We will only monitor activity relating to the adverts you see, i.e. number of ads shown and hours of usage," says Metronomy. "Specific user activity not directly connected to the adverts will not be monitored."
It doesn’t say what process it’ll use to keep an eye on users.
