Posts by mostly average

AI threatens to automate away the clergy

Forgive me, Alexa, for I have sinned...

Alexa: I know.

Share your 2024 tech forecasts (wrong answers only) to win a terrible sweater

Google reinstates the "don't be evil" rule and promptly ceases all operations.

What's really going on with Chrome's June crackdown on extensions – and why your ad blocker may or may not work

Re: Time to unleash AI on adverts?

A wise man once said, "it is better to get pissed off, than pissed on." And Google does do a lot of pissing on a lot of people/organizations.

Google dragged to UK watchdog over Chrome's upcoming IP address cloaking

They're both evil.

Advertisers want to screw everyone. Google wants screw exclusivity. They're both evil. Screw them both.

YouTube cares less for your privacy than its revenues

Re: Chrome

That's true, however PC is no longer the most common means of surfing the interweb sewers. All the youngins these days use fondleslabs, most of which run android. Microsoft is desperately clawing for control of a relative minority.

Google bins integrity API that looked more than a bit like horrible DRM for websites

This has only two purposes...

1. Ensure only Google can use Web scrapers.

2. Protect Google's precious ad revenue by breaking ad blockers.

Any other stated purpose is either bovine excrement or a side effect.

Microsoft CEO Nadella's compensation drops... to $48M

Re: Compensation

His role is chief executive officer, so presumably he's being paid to execute.

So this one time, at Bandcamp, half the staff were laid off

Fully clothed capitalism isn't much better, though far less exciting.

3D printer purchases could require background checks under proposed law

Do those numbers include...

...printed guns actually [successfully] discharged in a crime, or just the ones turned in for cash at police buy back events?

Actually, now that I think about it, this could be retribution for that one time a guy sold a box of $0.75 3d printed guns at a police "no questions asked" gun buy back event for $200.00 apiece. The fuzz was not amused.

When Microsoft complains that you're a monopolist you know things are bad

Both are evil

But right now, Google's better at being evil. As much as I hate them, Google has a superior search product than Bing. I avoid them both most of the time unless I can't find what I'm looking for, then I use Google as a last resort.

AI girlfriend encouraged man to attempt crossbow assassination of Queen

If only he was using Dr. Sbaitso, he might have gotten his life in order. Or not. Anyway, I miss my soundblaster.

Elon Musk's ambitions for Starship soar high while reality waits on launchpad

Rushed?

I believe they prefer the term, "agile."

FEMA to test emergency alert system US-wide today

Every fule kno

it's not the shot that has the mind control chips, it's the COVID test they shove waaaay up your nose, directly into your brains. That should be obvious! (See icon)

Microsoft CEO whinges about Google's default search deals

It's ok...

...to hate them both. It's a devil stepping on the toes of a fellow devil.

Linux interop is maturing fast… thanks to a games console

Re: interesting Until....

Anything is better than snap.

Unity apologizes, tweaks runtime install fees after gaming world outrage

The damage is done

The new terms sound downright reasonable, however the damaged trust is going to be nigh impossible to repair. Now everyone realizes they can pull a Darth Vader and alter the deal wherever they please. They're going to need to put some verbiage into their new terms to guarantee that they won't pull the rug. A sane dev would make any new terms apply only to the newest version of the software and phase out the old version. But that would require making newer versions more desirable, something an EA bean counter can't understand.

Unity talks of price cap and fees for only largest games developers

Re: the trust is gone though

No sane Dev will bet their livelihood on them now. I could see some working with them under a strict contract, but I can't see too many small devs being able to afford lawyers to negotiate their deal with the devil, let alone sue when they inevitably alter the deal. (Cue Darth Vader breathing)