When you have to word your defense this carefully, even you should question the validity of it.

I suppose we hardly have a gun problem in the US to argue about either. I mean after all, murders per bullet fired is at an all time low...

Regardless of the original intent, if it is a device that allows human beings to ignore each other and stay tethered to social media with even greater efficiency, there will be no amount of money or time large enough to stand in the way of budgeting or building it.

What started out as a joke will become the next major city project.

There's a reason people are this desperate for an answer, so don't sit here and trivialize it, or waive it off as if anything in use today is actually working.

The only bullshit here is believing that it is.

Hrm. I wonder how that same consumer will feel about being "cut off" sitting in a jail cell for vehicular manslaughter.

I only list that here for reference. The electric chair isn't enough of a deterrent for people these days. After all, everyone thinks they are an excellent texter.

You know, all this confusion over what these companies are is rather silly. If you've established anything that even remotely resembles a corporation (like filing for a business license, paying employees, taxes, etc.), then it's a business.

If Bob and Tom decide to share fuel costs by carpooling to the same building every day, that's a personal agreement and a "tax" system that doesn't need to go beyond each others wallets. If Bob picks up 2 other co-workers on the way, it doesn't change the dynamics much. And let's make this clear. THIS type of organic ride sharing has been going on far longer than anyone who decided to make a business out of it.

As far as what all of this is and means, let's not confuse that either. All of these companies like Lyft and Uber and encroaching on other companies business, and this is nothing more than the large (and corrupt) establishment trying to push them out.

And yes, I gladly label this as corrupt. One should not have to resort to making another companies practices illegal in order to ensure "competition".

Oh, please tell me society isn't ready to start labeling some automated fuck-you-very-much-and-have-a-nice-day response as "communication".

Sorry, but I don't consider out-of-office replies or a voicemail recording as "discussion". I've not talked to a person, I've talked to a machine. I have no confirmation that my monologue at that point will ever be seen or heard by another human ever.

I'd rather Google even be more honest and not even provide a support email at all.

Trying to label a email address with a permanent piss-off-we're-busy auto-response as "support" is like trying to label a mannequin as human. Kinda looks like the real thing, but you're not fooling anyone here.

From what I understand, no one actually pays for anything anymore.

No one.

Therefore, you will see this new generation of it-better-be-free demanding new reform to protect what will be known as a "customer", regardless of what you pay.

Believe me, you make perfect sense here. But we don't live in a world that makes sense anymore. We live in a world that makes money. Somehow that is accomplished by giving most services away for free to attract "customers".

I'm still struggling to understand how digitizing a library and then creating these kinds of restrictions around the use of the content somehow makes it easier to use said library.

Today, I can walk into a building called a library, and check out a book for several weeks, and not have to pay or communicate with a single person outside of that facility in order to do so.

Compare and contrast that with a "new and improved" digitized library saddled with legal loopholes and requests as you simply attempt to leave the building with information in the same manner as before.

Yup, seems legit. In a MAFIAA kind of way.

I'm sorry, but this smells a lot like common sense and good security practice.

In other words, it doesn't stand a chance getting past the don't-bother-me-with-security collective we like to call "smart" phone users.

I'd say this more takes IT cost justifications to a whole new level...

"Uh yeah hey boss, we're gonna need to buy $8K worth of replacement hard drives this month."

"Wait, what? We didn't budget for that! Why?!?"

"Well, I just got an alert, ours are leaking pretty bad. Low PSI warning. These things aren't SSD run-flats you know."

I mean c'mon...that would peg the bullshit meter of even the PHB.

Trying to accuse America of having a preoccupation with coffee is a slap in the face to the proud countries who use and abuse it like a religion.

Why don't you go do something less offensive, like accuse Germany of making horrible beer.

...and you now expect me to give it away?

I really need to get to Starbucks and find out just what in the hell all the hipsters are sucking down. Apparently it's a Venti Capitalism with a New Math chaser that doesn't add up for shit.

I guess I'm struggling to believe this bullshit when I can name exactly zero friends with an ISP-level email address. All of them converted to webmail services (or use their own domain they own) long ago.

In fact, I'd challenge you to find anyone who even knows their ISP offers email as a service, since the first (and last) time I heard of that service was on the day my broadband was installed.

That was 1998. Not a damn peep since then about ISP email. That's one hell of a "sticky" sales tactic.

Uh, you do realize that your latter statement is throwing fresh bullshit all over your former statement, right?

Either HR "gatekeepers" give a shit what kind of degree you have, or they don't.