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Comment Re:So what? (Score 1) 53

Why is this news for anyone else?

Mostly because we're witnessing a shift away from the ideals of a global internet. China bans our apps, we're possibly going to do the same, the EU is now telling American tech companies how to run their businesses, etc.

It used to be that you followed the laws of where your server was plugged in, and foreign users visiting your site was akin to them having taken a virtual "trip" to the hosting country. But lawmakers across the globe have begun to consider remote access to be tantamount to having a presence within their jurisdiction, and are legislating under that interpretation.

A world-wide computer network was a nice idea while it lasted.

Comment Re:So there are benefiting from (Score 2) 35

A bunch of streaming services while they haven't gone under or so on profitable that they are licensing out content again and Netflix has been able to pick up a ton of shows and movies.

I dunno, personally I don't have the patience to keep up with who has the rights to what. If I want to watch something new and it ain't on one of the services we subscribe to (which presently is Amazon Prime, Disney+ and Hulu), step #2 is hitting the high seas. If I want to re-watch something old, well, that's already on my media server through Kodi. The last time my partner complained that we didn't have Netflix was when there was some Taylor Swift exclusive thing on there, which I promptly just downloaded and dumped on Kodi, because who wants to deal with the hassle of subscribing and cancelling just to watch a single special?

My guess is that Netflix is probably just picking up subs from their password sharing crackdown, and IIRC they recently raised their prices too. That's probably where the extra money is coming from. A lot of people also just put on whatever random crap the service recommends just as background noise. My father is one of those people, he lives out in BFE and subscribed to Starlink just so he could get Netflix and then complain about how bad the shows are. #retiredboomerproblems

Comment Re:It isn't a ban, it's a cash grab (Score 1) 63

YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook are all banned in China. The fact TikTok has been allowed in the US for as long as it has is ridiculous.

Banning a foreign social media company makes us more like China, not less. I'm truly surprised how many Americans have jumped on the "China BAD! Let's beat them by emulating them!" bandwagon.

Comment Re:Doesn't like military using their services (Score 1, Insightful) 308

Only possible to hold that kind of attitude from behind a heavily armed military holding the savages at bay.

Furthermore, while residing in a country that had dropped two atomic bombs on Japan as an act of retaliation. Even The Great Seal of the United States depicts a bald eagle clutching a bunch of arrows, implying that we will absolutely fuck your shit up if you mess with us (and sometimes just because we want your oil).

We're just very lucky that our eastern and western borders are oceanic coastlines, our neighbor to the north is an ally and our neighbor to the south is mostly benign. If we were in Israel's situation, we'd have already bombed our neighbors into glass a long time ago.

Comment Re:Cancelled? (Score 2, Interesting) 126

To play devil's advocate though, it's not all poorly articulated criticisms. Some of these folks genuinely have concerns about putting their kids in front of entertainment that they believe is promoting a message which is in conflict with their moral and/or political standards. Offering the advice of "well then, don't let them watch it" as the only solution comes across as condescending and adversarial, and it's no wonder they've begun to see it as a culture war.

Apparently there used to be a service in Utah that would edit movies, but they were sued out of existence.

Comment Re:alt stores need to pay per install even under t (Score 1) 11

alt stores need to pay per install even under the million sounds like something the EU needs to say no to!

The fee is being passed on to the end users, so ultimately it comes down to how big a stink people make about having to pay 1.50 euros annually to be able to install *checks notes* a classic Nintendo emulator and/or a clipboard manager.

Presumably they'll have additional apps at some point, but I'd figure most developers who are willing to play by Apple's rules are going to still prefer distributing through Apple's official App Store. That obviously was the intended outcome of Apple's malicious compliance in the first place.

Comment I feel old (Score 2) 10

Like TikTok, Instagram was also another one of those social network things I never really got. I've just never felt the need to share any of my photos beyond the realm of people I personally know, so Facebook has been fine for that purpose. Can't say I've ever cared about acquiring "likes" or other imaginary internet points. I decided to Google "what's the point of Instagram" and a top result was a Reddit thread with someone who said this:

Simply put, to connect and see what friends are up to and for funny memes. I think mainly for younger audiences, it's just entertainment because memes are funny.

I don't think for a personal user it's all about value/status at all. Sure, people can show off things or looks but I don't care about that. I'm not actively looking for any of the best most attractive photos, I'm using it when I'm in the toilet seeing what's up. You know, like on Facebook. Except a lot of people like me and people I know in my age group deleted Facebook because family is on there and it's become an annoying place where people just complain.

So, it's for memes and avoiding old people on Facebook, while you use the toilet. Yep, that about sums up TikTok's demographic nicely, so this new venture should be an excellent fit for them.

Comment Re:Yesterdays news. Today closed 15% higher. (Score 4, Insightful) 126

Apparently I did very well unless you are illiterate.

That's precisely what makes your example dangerous investment advice. For every person who beat the odds, there's going to be quite a few others who didn't. It's a very short trip from /r/WallStreetBets to "Does anybody know how I can hide my car from the repo man?"
 

Comment Re:Serious question (Score 1) 126

For the time time something like this or Reddit IPOs: Is it possible to short an IPO?

Shorting involves borrowing shares and selling them at the current market value, then re-buying and returning the number of shares you borrowed at a later date (hopefully, at a profit). Can't really do that at the start of an IPO because the shares are still in the process of being purchased by their initial owners.

In order to short a stock, the market first has to have a high initial valuation of the stock you plan on shorting. You could've probably made good money shorting the scooter rental company Bird, if you had timed it right.

Comment Re:Yesterdays news. Today closed 15% higher. (Score 4, Insightful) 126

I played DWAC before it merged into DJT and bought nearly 800 shares under $13.

First rule of meme stocks is always: don't gamble with what you can't afford to lose. If you have an extra $10.4k kicking around that you don't mind potentially watching go up in smoke, good on you. Not everyone has that kind of hookers & blow money in their couch cushions, and would be well advised to stick to more conservative forms of investing.

Comment Re:Cancelled? (Score 2, Funny) 126

Judging by the comments here every time there's a Disney related story, it seems like what some right-wingers actually want are "de-woked" versions of existing popular content. Perhaps Trump could negotiate licensing with the major studios to produce edited versions of current shows and movies (or perhaps they could save money by just getting copies of the versions that are already edited for China).

Seems like there's actually a market for people who want to pretend they're living under a theocracy, so Trump may as well milk that cash cow. I remember for quite awhile Walmart used to sell edited versions of popular music, so obviously some people were buying it.

Comment Re:Not mine (Score 1) 50

Disclaimer: I have solar panels (good investment). I do not have batteries (bad investment).

Yeah, last time I did the math on it, batteries totally killed the ROI of a PV system. Going fully grid-tied with net metering is the only way it makes sense financially, if the goal is to save money rather than being done out of necessity (such as for an off-grid cabin) or for environmental principles.

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