Comment Re: Picking on Cuba (Score 1) 86
Things I thought would never happen, happen all the time these days.
Comment Re: Stop selling it to AI datacenters (Score 1) 57
It should be the job of a good government to make sure there is enough competition and to prevent such bottlenecks.
But the offshoring of jobs was done on purpose. At every level we are made dependent on cartels.
Comment Re: Stop selling it to AI datacenters (Score 1) 57
Itâ(TM)s like the Irish potato famine. They raised the potatoes in Ireland. There would not have been a famine if all of the potatoes didnâ(TM)t go to England.
Comment Cost (Score 2) 52
Right now, we have AI models that are good enough, what we need is for someone to focus on making them affordable, because even the Enterprise level for Github Copilot doesn't let you do anything remotely resembling the level of usage I was at before they changed their business model. I used to talk to Copilot all day long and I didn't really do anything manually anymore, with excellent results. It coded a lot better than I ever did and since it freed me from mundane work I could focus on making an excellent OOP architecture with great performance and security. Including refactoring legacy code to bring it up to the level of quality you can get in minutes. Now instead of minutes everything takes me entire weeks. Ah the joys of old-fashioned artisanal coding. After 3 years I barely know how to code anymore.
Comment Wasn't it supposed to cool down? (Score 2, Interesting) 164
Scientists have been saying that Europe will cool down with the shutdown of the Gulf stream... as far as I can remember they've been predicting this for at least twenty years. What happened?
Submission + - Bill To Block Publishers From Killing Online Games Advances In California (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader writes: A bill focused on maintaining long-term playable access to online games has passed out of the California Assembly’s appropriations committee, setting up a floor vote by the full legislative body. The advancement is a major win for Stop Killing Games‘ grassroots game preservation movement and comes over the objections of industry lobbyists at the Entertainment Software Association. California’s Protect Our Games Act, as currently written, would require digital game publishers who cut off support for an online game to either provide a full refund to players or offer an updated version of the game “that enables its continued use independent of services controlled by the operator.” The act would also require publishers to notify players 60 days before the cessation of “services necessary for the ordinary use of the digital game.”
As currently amended, the act would not apply to completely free games and games offered “solely for the duration of [a] subscription. Any other game offered for sale in California on or after January 1, 2027, would be subject to the law if it passes. [...] In a formal statement of support for the bill sent to the California legislature, SKG wrote that “there is no other medium in which a product can be marketed and sold to a consumer and then ripped away without notice As live service games rise in popularity for game developers and gamers alike, end-of-life procedures are essential tools to ensure prolonged access to the games consumers pay to enjoy.”
The Entertainment Software Association, which helps represent the interests of major game publishers, publicly told the California Assembly last month that the bill misrepresents how modern game distribution actually works. “Consumers receive a license to access and use a game, not an unrestricted ownership interest in the underlying work,” the ESA wrote. The eventual shutdown of outdated or obsolete games is “a natural feature of modern software,” the group added, especially when that software requires online infrastructure maintenance. The ESA also said the bill would impose unreasonable expectations on publishers regarding licensing rights for music or IP rights, which are often negotiated on a time-limited basis. “A legal requirement to keep games playable indefinitely could place publishers in an impossible position—forcing them to renegotiate licenses indefinitely or alter games in ways that may not be legally or technically feasible,” they wrote.
As currently amended, the act would not apply to completely free games and games offered “solely for the duration of [a] subscription. Any other game offered for sale in California on or after January 1, 2027, would be subject to the law if it passes. [...] In a formal statement of support for the bill sent to the California legislature, SKG wrote that “there is no other medium in which a product can be marketed and sold to a consumer and then ripped away without notice As live service games rise in popularity for game developers and gamers alike, end-of-life procedures are essential tools to ensure prolonged access to the games consumers pay to enjoy.”
The Entertainment Software Association, which helps represent the interests of major game publishers, publicly told the California Assembly last month that the bill misrepresents how modern game distribution actually works. “Consumers receive a license to access and use a game, not an unrestricted ownership interest in the underlying work,” the ESA wrote. The eventual shutdown of outdated or obsolete games is “a natural feature of modern software,” the group added, especially when that software requires online infrastructure maintenance. The ESA also said the bill would impose unreasonable expectations on publishers regarding licensing rights for music or IP rights, which are often negotiated on a time-limited basis. “A legal requirement to keep games playable indefinitely could place publishers in an impossible position—forcing them to renegotiate licenses indefinitely or alter games in ways that may not be legally or technically feasible,” they wrote.
Comment Malus means Apple (Score 1) 120
Comment Re: Not a fan of it but glad they won (Score 2) 83
Itâ(TM)s not a âoefreeâ country though. There are limits on everything. One person owns a thing and you canâ(TM)t touch it without permission.
We might have a lot of choices, within a confined area like what shampoo to buy from three different holding companies that might mean itâ(TM)s actually two. But we canâ(TM)t just take that shampoo without buying it.
We also have a duty to society; or we can watch it fall apart, which is what we are doing.
The prediction market is gambling, and thereâ(TM)s no protection at all against rigging. For instance; someone bet a good deal of money that Trump would bless Allah on Easter Sunday. What are the chances they had access to the script going to the teleprompter? Weâ(TM)ve actually had military strikes and peace deals predicted.
Somehow, they made something worse than gambling in a casino and gladiators spectacles and we can bet on life and death now.
And itâ(TM)s like decriminalizing dangerous drugs. It can make things better but only if itâ(TM)s not commercialized and easily accessible. If there are support systems to help with addiction. If there is opportunity for people to live happy lives.
When there is no hope, addiction gets worse. And thereâ(TM)s nothing better to improve profits and numbers of butts in pews than a crumbling hopeless society.
We can incrementally improve but easy access online gambling that favors inside information is the wrong direction. Iâ(TM)d rather trade this freedom for free college education.
Comment I agree with Apple. (Score 1) 17
Being able to create a run time app in another app is a huge security hole.
I remember back in the day when Flash was not designed for object oriented coding I could interpret text as code objects. So basically, I could do anything. And due to the nature of browsers at the time, I had to learn to check for a variable in a browser window to make sure I wasnâ(TM)t running code after a window was closed. Meaning; I had access to every window of a browser until the app itself was exited.
I did not abuse my power but i could have done a lot of abuse.
Comment Re: The reason digital labels are bad for America (Score 1) 194
I expect targeted surge pricing. Like plane tickets will go up in price if they know you searched before, or if you mentioned a wedding or if someone close to you is also buying a ticket.
And the it might get so random as to base prices on willingness to pay. Already this is happening with delivery services and taxis.
And then it might be; late at night, last store open and they can raise the price of baby formula because they know you are out.
And then it might be that you said something in social media that suggested we raise taxes on the wealthy. So you end up paying more at the grocery store.
Once an AI agent can be assigned to track and connect each customer to a profile, the profit potentials are endless.
Comment Re: Of course, the Communist Democrats are against (Score 1) 194
Itâ(TM)s like buy one get the second half price at CVS. And the half off price is higher than any sane store.
Comment Re: Gas stations do it (Score 1) 194
Are you really this naive?
Comment Re: WTF Laws (Score -1, Troll) 69
It makes sense for you realize the Epstein Class is afraid of anyone who is not them having privacy or rights. They donâ(TM)t want to depend upon us participating because itâ(TM)s on our best interests, they want us complying because we have no choice.
Comment Might as well invest in tulips (Score 4, Insightful) 134
Crypto is useless. Do I really need to remind anyone that crypto is useless?
There is no specific need for bitcoin in the world, it's a solution looking for a problem.
If I had a bitcoin, I couldn't do anything with it other than sit on it and pray that it's worth more some day, but still, in order to derive concrete utility from it I would have to first get rid of it and convert to real money instead.
It's a very formidable waste of resources, akin to growing tulips instead of something useful.
You can't eat tulips. Well even with tulips they might be edible but you could probably grow a lot of potatoes for all the work you dedicate into cultivating a rare tulip.
Comment Re: Inconsistent (Score 1) 57
Theyâ(TM)ll block porn right after the ability to create it with AI is easy to download and use.
Humans are notoriously clever at getting around censorship.
But also , I donâ(TM)t want to be around the USA when itâ(TM)s run by Christian Nationalists. Iâ(TM)m not that much of a freak. Thereâ(TM)s no hate like Christian love and no perversion like the repressed.
This is all about control and continuous warping of minds.
