So the various state attorneys general got huge settlement for these.

As long as we are bitching about harming the poor... Shall we ask what % of those settlement ended up in, say, the actual hands of poor customers?

Just wondering.

Ironically the only streaming service I know of that doesn't interrupt with ads is.... Netflix.

Yes, I believe there are several others that if you pay enough (generally a LOT more) you can avoid them.

I'm not defending the system, because I too think it's broken... But please let me know a society where the rich don't get more of what they want?

And before you reply with something like "but in my country they can't buy their way out of a parking ticket" note that I'm not defining "rich" either. Generally assertions of virtue in this context merely means the price is higher and/or indirect, ie hiring better lawyers, funding the right politician in the next election, or donating to the right thing.

... could be replaced by an email conversation.

But then, arguments would actually have to be made (from something other then enthusiasm), and could be considered dispassionately. And everything would be in writing. We can't have that!

This is what drags meetings out, usually.

It's especially lame when there is some meeting protocol that requires everyone to speak."Um, yeah; I agree with the last ten people that we should do what the powers that be have already decided we should do anyway".

"Privileged"! "Rich"!

The number of people who are powered by sheer envy is just depressing. Envy isn't a good thing, folks.

Jesus Christ man, does anything in your day not somehow involve thinking about Trump?

Checks are a last vestige of a higher trust society.

I work for a European firm and they (their auditors) despise checks and can't comprehend how America can be so backward as to still use them.

Ironically we just had a customer involved in seven-digit fraud payments ...which couldn't have happened without electronic payments. Had they been "allowed" to pay us in checks like they used to, it simply couldn't have happened.

I'm not sure listing another random rule that allows the German state to arrest people is a "win".

In a way this is good news.
Seriously.

If Russia expected to win this conflict, it's unlikely even they are dumb enough to cause major nuclear leaks in territory they expect to hold.

It's possible this is a clue that they DON'T expect to do so, and we've advanced to the "well if I can't have it nobody can" scorched earth stage, which is very Russian.

Trump says thanks for letting him live free in there.

Never saw the movie; I'll have to see it!

I just remember having my mind blown by the novel :)

I've read MRI scans require helium, and there is currently a shortage. It's not practically renewable or recyclable so far. If everyone gets an MRI it could cause a severe shortage.

I wonder if the tech can be reworked to not require helium or any other hard-to-find resource.