Curious and Curiouser about Amazon

I've always been entranced by Amazon's early decisions: Why digitally remaster the one shopping experience we all arguably enjoyed -- bookstores -- first? The ones crying out for reinvention, like Grocery, Mass and Mall, came later. Once we had Prime, there was simply no going back. Now there's Dash with it's 'never run out' functionality, coming in on little cat feet but bound to unend Brand loyalty as we've understood it. Once I have a Tide Pod button on my washer, what can All or A&H or Walmart do to disrupt? Not much. And this is, of course, just the beginning. An even more fascinating new offer hit my email inbox this week: Amazon's version of Angie's List, offering me access to plumbers, cleaning help, housekeepers, and, fascinatingly, caregivers and tutors. Amazon is arguably our generation's Walmart, changing the rules wherever it plays. That is with one so far insignificant difference: In its desire to make a difference it hasn't felt honor bound to make a profit. But hey! It's hard and expensive work to improve the universe. I'm a fan.