Posts by Chet Mannly

Agents of misfortune: The world isn't ready for autonomous software

Re: Agents and employees may not be equivalent from Amazon's viewpoint

Totally. Agents/software are not the same as employees, but in some cases they can do exactly the same thing. Limited cases now, but they are getting better.

Re: "all in alignment with human intent"

"Amazon may not like a Perplexity bot because it could jump over some "algorithms" Amazon designed to maximize its profits in goods searches, display and pricing"

100% this. Yesterday I searched for a brand of headphones. Even after using the specific brand filter on top of the search term the first and third lines of results were all sponsored results from brands I didn't want, and the 5th row was a showcase line for a brand I didn't ask for. Literally 50% of the screen was things I didn't ask for.

Forget buying stuff, I'd use an agent that could just list what I actually ask for in a search, but then Amazon loses all that promo money, and if the agent buys stuff it wont buy Prime when it's shoved in it's face and selected by default...

Amazon complains that Perplexity's agentic shopping bot is a terrible customer

All about Amazon losing their grip

While no doubt return rates are higher can't help thinking this is more about Amazon. In particular:

1 - losing their 'promotion power'. After all a bot wont get distracted by recommendations, constant plugs for Amazon's basics and Prime, and will happily look beyond the first page containing all the sellers that have paid to be there to find exactly the same product for a cheaper price. They also can't tailor prices to different people's perceived purchasing power.

2 - even worse these bots will look at multiple sites so instead of being a site people look to buy things Amazon just becomes another data point for a bot and their brand diminishes. There will probably come a time where people probably wont even visit their site, just ask the agent to find X and after reviewing the options say to go ahead and buy it.

Re: "...degraded ... customer service experience it provides."

Well I had a customer service agent delete my access to Amazon after leavng a well-deserved 1 star rating for his 'service' (the guy was extremely rude, didn't help at all and left me with a $250 bill for something I returned, Amazon had received according to tracking but I assume then lost).

Didn't lock me out of my account, he deleted it from all Amazon sites. First I knew was when I turned on my Kindle and watched my entire ebook collection vanish before my eyes (luckily I had everything backed up).

Called Amazon the old fashioned way and they told me I didn't exist on any of their ssytems. They had to go to a backup to restore me.

So yeah, what was that you were saying about customer service?

Bose kills SoundTouch: Smart speakers go dumb in Feb

"

But they should understand that the "smart" features are effectively subscription services."

Sorry, that's utter rubbish. Netflix and Spotify are subscription services. The Bose speakers (of which I have none) sonnect to the internet and receive those streams, just like TV's do with regular TV, my phone does with Spotify et al. As far as a customer is concerned they supply the internet connection and the speakers just connect to it like every other device that streams.

Blaming customers for expecting their smart speaker to act like every other internet connected device they own is simply ridiculous.

Explain digital ID or watch it fizzle out, UK PM Starmer told

Re: The opportunity to mis-use a digital ID will be irresistable

They don't need the scanner - they'll use free public wifi for wifi scanning or use bluetooth beacons like in Australia to scoop up all the bluetooth IDs. If they have the ID card on the phone they'll ask permissions for the MAC addresses etc and then they'll be able to track everyone (or at least their phones) easily.

Re: And I assume

It's idiocy if it's mandated for every type of medical condition, but there are many appointments this could work for - eg routine renewal of scripts, receiving blood test results, getting referrals that sort of thing. We use telehealth in Australia for things like that and it's a godsend. Nothing worse than wasting an hour in travel time and the waiting room for a routine 5 minute consult. Also reduces the chances of catching something in the medical centre from all the other sick people.

But totally agree if you have a serious condition that would need a Paramedic telehealth is the wrong option.

OpenAI's GPT-5 looks less like AI evolution and more like cost cutting

Re: That's when it shows how good it is.

"I’ve found quite the opposite. In the domain I know best, it’s consistently knowledgeable, understands context and nuance, and can develop and iterate on ideas in ways that are frankly beyond a simple search engine."

So you work in marketing for an AI firm then obviously.

Re: Consistency

...or you could make the new models so good that no one wants to use the old ones. That's what is supposed to happen but isn't.

Re: So Sam...

"if your latest multi-billion dollar model is only fractionally better than the last?"

It isn't better, in my experience it is demonstrably worse.

Banning VPNs to protect kids? Good luck with that

Re: "access a few foreign shows on Netflix"

Only if you have a lousy VPN. I can pick and choose the Netflix library I want by choosing the VPN location.

I just deleted my entire social media presence before visiting the US – and I'm a citizen

Re: Yeah..

Non-citizen here and similarly have had no problems. Be polite and respectful and you get a passport stamp and a 'enjoy your stay' in a few minutes.

I'm sure there are some horror stories. I'm also sure there are some horror stories out there with crucial bits left out when they are reported that suddenly seem to make sense when the followups happen...

" the author is American so can't be refused entry at the border"

Actually they can:

"Lawful permanent residents cannot be refused entry unless their travel was not brief (more than 180 days) or they engaged in illegal activity after leaving the United States as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(13)" https://www.aclunc.org/our-work/know-your-rights/know-your-rights-us-airports-and-ports-entry

I mean completely agree it's very hard to see how social media posts would qualify as 'illegal' unless they were openly supporting ISIS or something. The ones you hear about getting refused at the border have usually short-term visitors who have posted enough crazy things to get border attention then found to have lied on their visa application, overstayed a previous one or are quite obviously looking to work in the US without a green card.

Re: Hmmmm

Deleting everything right before you cross the border would make them even more suspicious.

I've heard of the wayback machine, I assume US authorities do too. Assuming of course they haven't simply made their own copies of everything...

Remember the year: 2025 was when it all changed.

"Remember the year: 2025 was when it all changed."

Hate to break it to you but this has been going on for many, many, years. 2025 was just when it started getting attention in the media...

Meta calls €200M EU fine over pay-or-consent ad model 'unlawful'

Re: Lots of news sites use this model

Difference being news and blogging sites provide actual content - Meta just serves up other people's content provided for free.

Re: As much as it pains me to say this...

"Either everyone should be able to offer "Pay or OK" or nobody should."

Nobody should. Simple.

I really hope this sticks. Since Meta pulled this cr@p everybody and his dog has been slapping 'pay or accept tracking from 1096 partners'* on their websites.

*Actually a real number that was on a website today...

Supremes uphold Texas law that forces age-check before viewing adult material

Re: I Have a Question...

The VPN I use (Windscribe) allows you to create a mock location in the system under Android. Works like a charm - if the GPS is turned off Google maps, Uber et al all dutifully report I am in the middle of the city where the VPN server is.

It's the only one I've stumbled across that has this feature but there are probably others that do it too.

(No affiliation with Windscribe, just a user...)

European consumers are mostly saying 'non' to trading in their old phones

Re: Why upgrade quickly?

The new Pixels give 7 years of updates, even less reason to upgrade...

Re: Do you really need that expensive phone?

Phones are like computers. A couple of decades ago you couldn't wait to update your computer because the new ones were a huge jump in performance. Nowadays you only update your computer when it dies because the difference between a few years old computer and the new one is negligible.

Phones are the same now - the new ones don't do anything the old ones didn't it's a mature industry.

Hence the reason computer and phone makers are desperately spruiking AI to try and make someone buy their prducts again...

Completely unsurprising

How is it surprising that people are holding on to their phones longer?

The market has long reached maturity - new phones are really just 5% faster than the previous model with a 5% better camera. Plus manufacturers are marketing their phones based on how long they get OS upgrades for, some are promising 7 years.

Under those circumstances the only reason you'd upgrade frequently is because you're a prat that always has to show off that you have the latest phone, or someone who gets their phone free on their phone plan.

If the EU have regulated themselves out of the market whinging about the lack of old phones on the market is not the problem they need to address...

100% When the new Samsung Fold came out I looked at upgrading. They offered me A$250 trade-in for the 3 year old top of the line Fold that cost A$3000 3 years ago.

Needless to say I told them to get stuffed...

Google's unloved plan to fix web permissions gathers support

Except the problem is that this will get abused. Google know that the majority of users just click OK, especially when the don't give permission button is reduced to a greyed out text link buried in the permissions box (like they always do with cookie permissions). It also opens the interfect up to a full screen 'approve this or you can't use the website' boxes like the Admiral ones demanding subscriptions.

The launch of ChatGPT polluted the world forever, like the first atomic weapons tests

Re: Huh what a load of twaddle

"Content created by humans is easy to keep creating, just ask humans to sit in a room and create content."

Except now most of those humans will use AI to create....

Re: the problem pre-dates AI

Except people are using AI to research now.

Re: The problem with AI is trust

The problem is ask most peole and they think that's what it can do and trust it.

Re: Why search?

"good results from asking AI complicated things"

I'd argue you get answers that would please you - not the truth. These things are trained to be yes men that provide believable results you'll be happy with. Sometimes these coincide with the truth, but that is a secondary consideration.

It's the real danger of AI - it's a slightly more sophisticated 'I feel lucky' button from Google search. When was the last time people genuinely thought the first result from a Google search was 100% accurate?

Blocking stolen phones from the cloud can be done, should be done, won't be done

Re: Nice idea

"the scrote is still back on the street nicking phones the same day."

Perhaps you should actually read my comment - it talks specifically about getting them off the streets.

Besides letting 'scrotes' skate with no police intervention achieves nothing.

"Nick the bell end who pays scrotes for stolen phones, and you have a whole bunch of scrotes that have to look elsewhere for their drug money"

Yeah they'll just mug you for your wallet instead, which involves a LOT more risk to the victim. You really need th¡o think things through.

"If you want more cops, then pay more taxes"

I don't want more cops, I want the ones I'm paying for now to actually do their jobs.

Re: Minimal Impact

The police could walk them through it. Heck a police website called 'what to do when your phone gets stolen' would do.

But it isn't about that, it's about the police wanting the power to shut down any phone user they point at.

Re: Nice idea

So you have zero problem handing the UK police the ability to kill any phone they point at?

Err...ok...

Re: Nice idea

"Proven not to work"

Utter garbage. If you take 1 criminal off the street that is 1 less criminal that can potentially break the law and potentially many, many more who will now think twice about it.

Letting criminals run amok and not doing anything about it does nothing to make people safer.

Re: Nice idea

Are you not familiar with the concept of democracy?

Re: Nice idea

You can't. Even if the IMEI is blocked they are still very valuable for parts.

VIN numbers are listed for cars and they are knicked all the time (and the UK police similarly do SFA about it)

Smokescreen

Let's cut through the smokescreen eh?

The solution to not having a global IMEI ban list is to make one.

This is about the UK authorities demanding the ability to kill any phone they choose, just like their demands for backdoors into encryption.

Google and Apple know that if they say they can do it every third-world dictator and authoritarian in the world will be demanding the same power to shut down their opposition.

BTW I have zero skin in this game - running Graphene with zero Google stuff installed so I could care less about their cloud or any bans...

Cops want Apple, Google to kill stolen phones remotely – so why won't they?

Re: Nice non sequitur there...

Why? Because the UK Police want the power to kill any phone on the planet they choose to that's why. Just like they want backdoors into encryption etc...

Re: Maybe...

You don't need to go to the police state/amputation level to get some decent deterrance.

UK police don't even pursue car theives, they just fill out a report for you to hand to your insurance company. They don't enforce anything.

Re: Do the opposite

100% it's about the cops wanting the power over phones. Nothing to do with stolen phones, the plod do sweet FA about thefts in the UK.

'Copilot will remember key details about you' for a 'catered to you' experience

Re: So "You can opt out of Personalization anytime"

Exactly, they'll still hoover up all your data and profile you - they just wont use that data to personalise. Big difference between opting out of data collection and personalisation, seems like MS are only offering the latter...

Americans set to pay more on all imports: Trump activates blanket tariffs

If his move is a negotiating tactic, whereby other countries then come to the table and drop their already-existing tariffs on US goods in exchange for Trump dropping these tariffs then it's better for US businesses selling overseas. If you look at what was happening with Canadian and Mexican tariffs earlier it could be the case.

So the glass-half-full view could be that this is a short-term measure to prompt trade deals where the US had the whip hand. The half empty view being that Trump really thinks the US can ever be cost-competitive with developing countries and import tax his way to prosperity...

101 fun things to do with a locked Kindle e-reader

You also could not download from the website if you had one of their new 2024 Kindles before they dropped the hammer on everyone else.

Mozilla flamed by Firefox fans after promises to not sell their data go up in smoke

Re: Now brave is the default browser

Brave has their own advertising network and at one point were using people's browsers for crypto - you SURE that's a better option than Firefox?

Re: Benefit of continuous improvments?

The problem with that for browsers is that they have always been free, and there are no new features to add for a browser.

It's the same problem Adobe faced when they inflicted subscriptions on the world - Photoshop had gotten to the point where it did everything people wanted it to do and didn't want to pay for new versions (heck I'm still on CS6 and frankly there's still no new features I'd pay for...) so from a corporate perspective their revenue dried up. S***y deal for users though...

Murena kicks Google out of the Pixel Tablet

Privacy doesn't have to cost extra...

"Privacy costs in inconvenience as well as financially. The de-Googled version of the Pixel Tablet costs rather more than the ad-subsidized version from Google"

Privacy doesn't have to cost. OK I get this is a Murena puff piece, but you can buy a normal Pixel tablet and install GrapheneOS for free.

uBlock Origin dead for many as Google purges Manifest v2 extensions

Re: 'privacy'

According to the company, Google's decision to shift to V3 is all in the name of improving its browser's security, privacy, and FINANCIAL performance.

Hmm I have the opposite experience. Firefox is noticeably quicker on my machine, and uses less ram (at least according to the task manager). Could vary according to the sites people visit I guess...

Amazon puts an $8.5bn MGM in its shopping cart, clicks on checkout

Re: Just a shame

100% this. I wanted to rewatch a series, searched for it by it's exact name and it didn't appear in the search results. Show was there, by going back to my history I could watch it, but WTH...

AI summaries turn real news into nonsense, BBC finds

Re: LLMs cannot summarise

"Often it will drop something in the summary that I look at and decide "no, that bit is important, I really want that in" and I put it back in"

Serious question - if you have to review things in that depth anyway, and it's only 100 words, is it actually more efficient?

I could do a 100 word summary of a doc I wrote in about 2 minutes and not have to revise it - is the AI really helping all that much if you have to apply so much effort into review? Let's leave aside the nightmarish reality that probably 90% of people wont bother to review output at all...

Trump's Dept of Transport hits brakes on Biden’s EV charger build-out

Re: Slow charger rollout

All that red tape and seemingly endless complexity slowing everything down is a good argument for a review.

Whether Trump's review is the review it needs is another question though...

TSA’s airport facial-recog tech faces audit probe

Re: "The ones at the gate are private"

Whay would they need to? There's security cameras running facial rec all over the airport

"You don't think there are cameras there taking photos of everyone boarding the flight?"

Do you not understand it is those cameras they are looking into and want to stop?