I am always telling my two young children not to say ‘stupid’ which is hard for me because sometimes that word is very appropriate. The most recent case in point is from an article from the Silicon Alley Insider about all those stupid (yes I said it) applications that live on Facebook.   What I love about this article  is that it contains a series of 41 screen shots of how to play a game like Fishville.  I was always curious about the look, purpose and appeal of these games, but I absolutely refuse to sign myself up. 

But don’t be fooled by the simple graphics and smiling fish! 

What is not stupid but instead kind of frightening is how much money companies like Zynga make through their games and by creating networks that other, even more unscrupulous advertisers can join.  My newest, most favorite technology business blog TechCrunch has covered this phenomenon in a series of in-depth articles that are a fascinating dissection of how these companies operate. 

It almost makes you nostagic for the days of the annoying pop up windows.