Ad Blocking Irony

With this week's release of iOS9, the web has been up in arms over the ad blocking apps now available. The internet's content as we know it is predominantly supported by ads (that is.. Google Ads, and/or Google served ads), leaving publishers scratching their heads at how best to alternately support the content. Ads have been known to compromise user experience, sometimes blocking content and adding to slow web pages, so the ad blocking technology may sound appealing. Although without ads, what is the alternative? Some publishers (The Economist, WSJ, NY Times, OC Register and others) have created content "paywalls", which limit the amount of content a user can view before paying a subscription fee, which can be equally frustrating for users. The message to publishers has been "adapt or die", but time will tell what the solution really entail. Will ads go away forever? Certainly there are no signs of the internet ad business slowing down just yet. The Verge summed it up with the most ironic display of the topic: a giant ad on top of the article about ad blocking. Behold: