Speaking of huge companies with annoying websites. Have you ever tried to log out of Amazon? Seriously, It's impossible...at least without denying your own existence. Don't believe me...go ahead, surf over to Amazon and, if you're not already logged in, sign in and then try to sign out. I'll still be here when you return.

In order to learn how to sign out you could do what I did and do a Google site search of Amazon or you could navigate Amazon's site by going to "Your Account" then to "Learn how to use Your Account" and then to "Signing Out" where you will finally be rewarded with the following:

Signing Out

If you are using a public terminal, you will want to log off, or sign out, before you leave the computer. Here's how:

1. Click the link near the top of the home page that says "If you're not (your name), click here."
2. On the next page, leave the e-mail and password spaces blank and click the Amazon.com tab at the top of the page.
3. Close the browser to prevent your name or 1-Click settings from appearing on the public terminal.

Once you have done this, your name will be removed from the home page, and your 1-Click ordering settings will be inaccessible to anyone using the same computer after you.

First off, there are no instructions for non-public or home computers. They just assume you'll never sign out and that it's just fine for anyone using your computer, a friend or visiting family member, to hop on to your Amazon account and do whatever they want.

Second, even on a public terminal, there is no way to log out without clicking on "If you're not (your name), click here." Why would I ever click on that? How stupid is it that you have to pretend you are not you just to sign out? So why is Amazon being so ridiculous? The next two sentences reveal Amazon's motives:

We recommend that you sign out only when you feel that you must. If we can't identify you, it will be difficult for us to identify items that might be of interest to you.

The reason Amazon makes it so difficult for people to log out is that they want to track everything you do on your site. I don't have a problem with this, but only if you allow me an easy way to log out. It just seems common sense that, if you have a system where you log in to you should have an easy, readily apparent, method for logging out. I don't know another major website that makes it as difficult as Amazon.

Finally, Amazon's statement that, "We recommend that you sign out only when you feel that you must" really bugs me. It's under the "public terminal" section. Accordingly, if you are using a public terminal and think you should sign out but don't think you "must" sign out, then you shouldn't. How incredibly irresponsible is this? Come on Amazon, get your act together, don't be evil.