This is the real reason that will resonate with 'regular' people and let them know why cloud services suck.
Privacy, lock-in, and all that don't register with free/open software enthusiasts.
But price hikes that you can do nothing about will
Here is the background on this topic.
Car theft has become an increasing problem in the past few years.
The area affected is the corridor between Toronto and Montreal and urban areas around them.
There are many aspects to this, including the technology part where thieves use an antenna to connect to a keyfob that is inside the house to unlock the car, the law enforcement part, the justice system aspect, and then the export of these vehicles from the port of Montreal to west Africa, UAE, and elsewhere.
Some thefts were actually carjackings caught on surveillance cameras.
SUVs are the main cars targeted (CR-V, Lexus SUV, and so on
There is definitely an organized crime aspect in all this. Those who do the theft are not the ones doing the paperwork at the port and allowing all those cars to be exported.
Global crime rings target Canada for car thefts
Yesterday, there was an auto theft summit where the RCMP (FBI equivalent of sorts), and OPP (Ontario's police force), justice and other ministers to discuss what to do about this.
Dr Angela Collier, an astrophysicist, did an analysis of Avi Loeb's alien research
Definitely worth watching
The evidence is overwhelming.
The causes are now well known.
The effects are are what the scientists have predicted.
NASA has a simple site explaining this:
Evidence. Brief descriptions of some of the key scientific observations that our planet is undergoing abrupt climate change.
Causes. A concise discussion of the primary climate change causes on our planet.
Effects. A look at some of the likely future effects of climate change, including U.S. regional effects.
Vital Signs. Graphs and animated time series showing real-time climate change data, including atmospheric carbon dioxide, global temperature, sea ice extent, and ice sheet volume.
The individual who established the relationship between CO2 and temperature, and received a Nobel prize for it, concluded that it was overwhelming a GOOD thing, leading to more temperate global temperatures and overall greening. What he assumed we now know to be correct based on the temperature changes in the past 30 years: increased temperatures makes more areas habitable and arable.
Enough with the climate denial
Svante Arrhenius thought that more CO2 in the atmosphere will make the climate better. But he did that all the way back in 1906.
He didn't know a lot of things that scientists now know
At that time, there were trucks and cars driven by almost every family in the Western world, nor was the population what it is now.
Here didn't know how fast CO2 levels are rising (look at the Keeling Curve).
CO2 levels are at their highest in 800,000 years. The last time it was that high, there were no humans around.
And ecosystems need time to adapt. That is impossible when CO2 levels go up by 2.8 ppm PER YEAR.
Even later Nobel Prizes were awarded to all the complexities of the weather and climate.
XKCD has a clear drawing that gives one a perspective on what is going on
* The famous 1977 Powers of Ten video has had a few "versions" over the years:
* The Scale of the Universe - Maybe you were thinking of this one?
* UNIVERSCALE - craps out at the fm scale
* The Super Zoom - CG animation but still a nice quantum perspective
Thank you. I saw the first one a while back, and perhaps the second.
There is also this simpler, lay person, one from 1968. No quantum stuff, no galaxy clusters,
Good points
I also forgot about immunotherapy.
Some cancers are now treated with that as a first line.
Because of British tabloids, we will hear soon what it might be.
Kind of an important detail is that what type of cancer isn't announced, but it's not prostate cancer. Which isn't great news, since prostate cancer is usually you die with but not from.
One can guess it is some type of blood cancer, say leukemia or lymphoma.
That is probably why it was discovered recently, when he went in to get blood tests before the prostate procedure (most likely Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia BPH).
Also, this is why he is getting treatment in sessions, not surgery. Maybe chemotherapy, or even radiation.
Either that, or he has something that is in a late stage and he opted for no surgery.
Like others said earlier, this is like tobacco executives testifying there is no link to cancer.
And also reminds me of the same industry promoting leaded fuel for many decades. A scientist trying to measure the age of earth using isotopes of lead, found that lead was everywhere.
Back to Keeling
Here is the Keeling Curve from readings at Mauna Loa.
Mauna Loa is chosen because it is away from significant vegetation (boreal forests, agriculture, tropical rain forests).
CO2 levels are rising by 2.8 ppm PER YEAR! It passed 400 ppm in 2013.
See my reply.
Although I have a bachelor's degree in pharmacy, and I try to keep up to date, I have not practiced in decades (switched to the then new computer thing).
Also, I use Aleve myself for osteoarthritis.
But yes, it is a good idea not to take any medical advice from someone you don't know.
Instead, talk to your family doctor about Aleve, and see what he says.
It is an over the counter medicine, and needs to be taken on a full stomach.
If it is osteoarthritis, try Aleve (naproxen 220 mg) once a day, with breakfast.
Works wonders
Two different accused, two different accusations.
The article from The Volokh Conspiracy is about one Dr Jeffery Battle, who was accused of seditious conspiracy.
The USA Today link is written by Dr. Jonathan Turley, who was accused by ChatGPT of sexual harassment. Eugene Volokh is the one who alerted him of the accusation.
The Volokh Conspiracy is a blog by Dr. Eugene Volokh on legal matters (his specialty).
It is about time
These so called hallucinations can cause real harm and ruin people's lives.
Examples:
Professor accused of sexual harassment based on a non-existent article in the Washington Post.
Another professor accused of being convicted and imprisoned for seditious conspiracy against the USA.
Lawyer fined $5,000 for submitting an AI generated brief to court quoting non-existent precedence cases.
Fake complaint against man for embezzlement.
Let me start by saying that self checkout is often more convenient than cashiers.
So I see value in them
But this part:
Retailers hoped it would usher in a new age of cost savings. Their thinking: why pay six employees when you could pay one to oversee customers at self-service registers, as they do their own labour of scanning and bagging for free?
When self checkout started, I remembered what happened with banks and ATM.
They were marketed as a way to lower costs, but whatever cost savings that materialized, were never passed on to the consumer.
Same with self checkout: it will not affect what you pay, but it is a convenience thing.
To the systems programmer, users and applications serve only to provide a test load.
