I certainly understand not wanting them! But I also deeply understand the money that can be made from them. And if that money is going to the owner of the content, rather than some larger corporate entity giving them a small cut, I'm very happy to support that paradigm (even if I, personally, would avoid as much video ads as possible).
Edited to add:
As far as write.as, I like what they've done! I just want more rich content, rather than just text. That's kind of RSS's deal, too. Only text, all the time (exceptions make the rule). There's value in sharing all kinds of content, rather than just text.
Interesting. With Hey Homepage I'm emphasizing image/photo feeds, because only text is a little boring. Providing video is a bridge too far for me now, but with some simple rules like no-autoplay it would be nice to add.
Regarding your request for (interactive) commenting allover this thread (just joking), Hey Homepage will soon enable simple and accessible commenting features (in the background based on simple email).
Edited to add:
As far as write.as, I like what they've done! I just want more rich content, rather than just text. That's kind of RSS's deal, too. Only text, all the time (exceptions make the rule). There's value in sharing all kinds of content, rather than just text.