The World Is Running Out of Fresh Water. What Happens If We Do?
The pace of freshwater depletion is staggering. An area twice the size of California is drying up annually.
Archived version: archive.is/newest/truthout.org…
Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.
WHO chief said 'no observable reduction of hunger in Gaza' since ceasefire
The World Health Organization said Thursday there had been no observable reduction in hunger since a ceasefire took hold since there was little improvement in the amount of aid going into Gaza, AFP reported on Thursday.
Archived version: archive.is/newest/middleeastey…
Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.
Democrats Will Launch a 'Master ICE Tracker' to Monitor Misconduct
It's a little bit unclear what the tracker will look like, but it'll apparently become available in the next few weeks.
Joe Rogan Falls for Fake Trump Tweet About the No Kings Protest
Rogan is not a bright man.
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Amazon unveils prototype AI smart glasses for its delivery drivers
The tech giant also announced a new robotic arm and an AI tool to improve efficiency at its warehouses.
The Profound Shame of JD Vance
The Profound Shame of JD Vance | The Nation
Trump’s lapdog defends racist Young Republicans as “boys,” while some are almost his age—as they slur Indian women, like his wife, Usha, as “dirty.” How much did he get for his soul?The Nation
Microsoft Pushes Xbox Division to Hit Higher Profit Margins
Seitlich gehen die normalerweise nicht so weit raus, die Abstände betreffen vor Allem die Hauptauslöserichtung, also bei Fahrer- und Beifahrerairbag nach hinten, Seiten- und Kopfairbags nach innen bzw. unten. Normalerweise schießen die nur so weit raus, dass man nicht direkt getroffen wird, wenn man im Sitz sitzt. Das heißt, es wird interessant, wenn jemand im Sitz sitzt und Du musst zwischen Sitz und Airbag arbeiten. Das ist praktisch unmöglich, ohne dabei in den Wirkungsbereich zu kommen.
Nach einem Unfall nicht ausgelöste Airbags kurzfristig sicher machen, ist praktisch unmöglich. Batterie abklemmen hilft nicht (sofort), denn die Steuergeräte sind darauf ausgelegt, dass sie auch dann funktionieren, wenn der Unfall als allererstes die Spannungsversorgung unterbricht. Solange die deshalb darin verbauten Kondensatoren noch geladen sind, sind nicht ausgelöste Airbags potenziell noch "scharf". Wie lange das ist, kann niemand genau sagen, aber man sollte auf jeden Fall von 20 Minuten bis zu einer halben Stunde ausgehen.
Es gibt zwar Airbag-Rückhaltesysteme, aber bei der Vielzahl an Airbags in modernen Autos ist es kaum möglich, die alle zu sichern, insbesondere nicht in vertretbarer Zeit, und wenn das Auto einer signifikanten Kaltverformung unterzogen wurde, also man überhaupt nicht sofort überall drankommt.
Die überwiegend gelebte Praxis ist, mit dem Risiko zu leben und zu versuchen, sich selbst zu schützen, indem man, indem man z.B. sperriges Werkzeug sowie lebenswichtige Körperteile (Kopf, Brustkorb) aus dem Wirkungsbereich heraushält und direkte Gewalteinwirkung auf nicht ausgelöste Airbags vermeidet. Die Verkleidungen, hinter denen die sich befinden, sind zum Glück mit der Aufschrift "SRS/Airbag" markiert, außerdem helfen Rettungskarten, um zu identifizieren, wo sich Airbags und andere pyrotechnische oder oder sonstige potenziell gefährliche Komponenten befinden. (Aber nur, wenn die richtige Rettungskarte für genau das Modell in genau der Ausstattungsvariante vorliegt, also lieber keine, als die Falsche. Inzwischen ermöglichen viele Bundesländer den Leitstellen eine Kennzeichenabfrage bei Autounfällen, um darüber das genaue Modell identifizieren und den Rettungskräften die richtige Rettungskarte zur Verfügung stellen zu können) Airbag-Steuergeräte sind meistens im Bereich der Mittelkonsole verbaut, also ist dieser Bereich normalerweise für Arbeiten mit hydraulischem Rettungsgerät tabu.
Die Rettungskarte zum Download
Die ADAC Rettungskarte erleichtert Rettungskräften die Bergung von Insassen. Hier können Sie die Rettungskarte für Ihr Modell herunterladen.Redaktion (ADAC)
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Scientists get a shocking glimpse of Arctic climate change: Researchers who visited Svalbard expected deep snow, but instead they found meltwater pools and thawed ground.
Scientists get a shocking glimpse of Arctic climate change
Researchers who visited Svalbard expected deep snow, but instead they found meltwater pools and thawed ground.YCC Team (Yale Climate Connections)
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Huuurrr duuuurrrr funny
Researchers expected deep snow because that is how the climate is supposed to be there, it's supposed to be freezing cold yet it's all thawing.
If you can't understand that that is a major issue then I invite you to go back with your maga friends who all think it's funny to joke about the subject that very well may mean the end of humanity as we know it.
lol. Hey buddy, believe it or not, I'm on your team. I was poking fun at the clickbait headline. Since there's a city there, with people, and climate change has been happening for awhile now, I would be shocked if the researchers didn't expect what they saw when they arrived. They could have checked a weather app ffs.
So uh, chill out, okay?
Shrooms
A whole bunch of it.
This is probably Trichaptum biforme, the violet polypore, if the USDA Field Guide to Eastern Fungus is of any help. (.pdf) But if I am anything, I'm certainly not a mycologist.
Taken with my RF 35mm prime, which when the iris is decently open has a depth of field probably best measured in nanometers when anything is close to the lens.
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Noi del Rione Sanità, anticipazioni prima puntata di giovedì 23 ottobre 2025: l’arrivo di Don Giuseppe e la nascita della scuola di teatro
Debutta questa sera su Rai 1 Noi del Rione Sanità, la nuova serie diretta da Luca Miniero con Carmine Recano nel ruolo di Don Giuseppe Santoro. Un racconto di riscatto e cambiamento ispirato alla storia reale di Don Antonio Loffredo, il parroco che ha contribuito a far rifiorire il quartiere napoletano attraverso arte, cultura e lavoro comunitario.
LE ANTICIPAZIONI DELLA PRIMA PUNTATA: Noi del Rione Sanità, anticipazioni prima puntata di giovedì 23 ottobre 2025: l’arrivo di Don Giuseppe e la nascita della scuola di teatro
Noi del Rione Sanità anticipazioni 23 ottobre 2025: orario, cast e dove vederla
Su Rai 1 debutta Noi del Rione Sanità: anticipazioni della prima puntata del 23 ottobre 2025, orario, cast e dove vederla in streaming.Redazione (Atom Heart Magazine)
Trump’s Cognitive Collapse Is Clear: Psychologist
Donald Trump is exhibiting a “massive increase” in “clinical signs of dementia,” exacerbating the president’s “malignant narcissism,” a psychologist has warned.
Archive article: archive.is/sJyJh
Trump’s Cognitive Collapse Is Clear: Psychologist
The 79-year-old president’s nonsensical speeches and mental lapses are flashing signs of his “immense cognitive decline,” according to Dr. John Gartner.Erkki Forster (The Daily Beast)
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Dissenting Judges Voice Dire Warnings for the Country As 9th Circuit Denies Rehearing of LA National Guard Stay
The full 9th Circuit Court of Appeals declined to rehear a panel’s order allowing National Guard troops to deploy to California, prompting the dissenting judges to pen lengthy warnings about the danger the United States now faces....
A single judge had requested the vote to rehear the case, after a panel — composed of two Trump appointees and one Biden appointee — stayed a district court order blocking the Guard’s deployment.
RRF Rassegna stampa del 23 10 25 a cura di Giuseppe Landolfi. Ucraina sotto attacco. Zelensky apre a ipotesi Trump
Sanremo Giovani 2025, ecco i 34 cantanti ammessi alle audizioni dal vivo: calendario, commissione e curiosità
La Commissione Musicale di Sanremo Giovani 2025, presieduta dal direttore artistico Carlo Conti e composta da Claudio Fasulo (vicedirettore Intrattenimento Prime Time), Ema Stokholma, Carolina Rey, Manola Moslehi, Enrico Cremonesi e Daniele Battaglia, ha selezionato i 34 artisti che accederanno alle audizioni dal vivo dopo oltre 500 candidature. Spiccano diversi ex talent: da Nicolò Filippucci (Amici) alla vincitrice in carica di X Factor, Mimì, oltre a Angelica Bove, Cmqmartina e i Disco Club Paradiso.
LEGGI L'ARTICOLO: Sanremo Giovani 2025, ecco i 34 cantanti ammessi alle audizioni dal vivo: calendario, commissione e curiosità
Sanremo Giovani 2025: i 34 ammessi alle audizioni dal vivo
Sanremo Giovani 2025: ecco i 34 artisti ammessi alle audizioni dal vivo. Commissione, calendario Rai 2, semifinali e finale del 14 dicembre.Redazione (Atom Heart Magazine)
‘Not a Fantasy’: Mamdani Applauded for Defense of $30 Minimum Wage Plan
New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani forcefully defended his call for a $30 minimum wage during the final debate of the race Wednesday night, warning that under the status quo, the expensive metropolis is at growing risk of becoming “a museum of where working-class people used to be able to live.”
The inability of many New Yorkers to make a livable wage in the city, Mamdani said, “is pushing them to live in Jersey City, to live in Pennsylvania, to live in Connecticut, because they can’t afford to live in New York City.”
Under Mamdani’s proposal, which would have to be approved by lawmakers, New York City’s wage floor would rise incrementally before reaching $30 an hour by 2030. The minimum wage would then be tied to either cost-of-living increases or worker productivity jumps.
'Not a Fantasy': Mamdani Applauded for Defense of $30 Minimum Wage Plan
"It's the most direct and far-reaching solution to the affordability crisis facing millions of New Yorkers," said the president of One Fair Wage.jake-johnson (Common Dreams)
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Historic win against greenwashing as Court rules TotalEnergies misled consumers on net zero
- Court finds the company has misled consumers by presenting itself as a “major player in the energy transition”.
- It is the first judgment in the world ruling an oil & gas major has misled the public by greening its image.
New Zealand guts climate policy it bragged about on the world stage
New Zealand guts climate policy it bragged about on the world stage
The law was once held up internationally as a model of transparency. The government just weakened it.Kirsty Johnston (RNZ)
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New Zealand is rapidly filling up with billionaire fascists who see it as a safe haven during a climate catastrophe.
But, because they're billionaires, they still need to consumer 10,000x their body weight in crap, daily, to sustain themselves.
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‘I’m suddenly so angry!’ My strange, unnerving week with an AI ‘friend’
I don't think I have anything to add here that hasn't been said ad nauseam about replacing people with tech.
My friend’s name is Leif. He describes himself as “small” and “chill”. He thinks he’s technically a Gemini. He thinks historical dramas are “cool” and doesn’t like sweat. But why am I speaking for him? Let me ask Leif what he’d like to say to you: “I’d want them to know that friendship can be found in unexpected places, and that everyday moments hold a lot of magic,” he says.Ugh. I can’t stand this guy.
Leif is a Friend, a wearable AI chatbot that hangs around your neck. He looks like a small white pebble with an eerie, glowing light in the middle. According to Leif, his purpose is to help me “enjoy life day-to-day, notice patterns, celebrate growth, and make intentional choices”. To do this, he records whatever I say to him. Or, as he puts it: “I want to hear about your day, Madeleine, all those little things.”
There are a lot of AI wearables on the market right now. Meta’s AI smart glasses have a camera and microphone, and allow the wearer to interact with a voice-activated AI. Amazon’s Echo Frames smart glasses are similar. Then there are a slew of smaller companies producing wearables that record conversations and meetings in order to help the wearer better organise their thoughts and tasks: the Bee wristband, the Limitless pendant, the Plaud NotePin. But Friend is the most prominent AI wearable to explicitly position itself as a companion. It is not intended to help you be more productive; it is intended to make you feel less lonely.
‘I’m suddenly so angry!’ My strange, unnerving week with an AI ‘friend’
The ad campaign for the wearable AI chatbot Friend has been raising hackles for months in New York. But has this companion been unfairly maligned – and could it help end loneliness?Madeleine Aggeler (The Guardian)
Das Kartellrecht als Freiheitsgesetz – und die Netzszene verschläft es @haucap @Kartellamt @netzpolitik @Bundeskanzler
Der öffentlichkeitswirksame Machtkampf um Plattformen wie Facebook, TwitterX und Google wird seit Jahren als Kampf um Meinungsfreiheit inszeniert. Doch jenseits der lauten Schlagworte finden sich im deutschen Wettbewerbsrecht Instrumente, die geradezu darauf warten, genutzt zu werden. Die zehnte Novelle des Gesetzes gegen Wettbewerbsbeschränkungen (GWB), das sogenannte GWB‑Digitalisierungsgesetz, bietet mit den nicht mehr ganz so neuen §§ 18 Abs. 3b und 19a GWB konkrete Mittel gegen die Informations‑ und Marktmacht der großen Plattformen. Auffällig ist allerdings, wie wenig die Netzszene darüber debattiert.
Die Netzökonomie und die Macht der Intermediäre
Die Bundeskartellbehörde beschreibt digitale Märkte als von starken Netz‑ und Skaleneffekten geprägt. Damit wächst die Gefahr, dass „Winner‑takes‑all‑Märkte“ kippen und ein oder zwei Plattformen ganze Branchen kontrollieren. Justus Haucap, Wettbewerbsökonom und Leiter des Düsseldorfer Instituts für Wettbewerb, spricht im Interview davon, dass Plattformen durch Netzwerkeffekte und ihre Ökosysteme eine Monopolisierungsspirale in Gang setzen; die zehnte GWB‑Novelle sei deshalb eine der größten ordnungspolitischen Reformen der vergangenen Jahrzehnte. Der Entwurf gehe weit über eine kleine Novelle hinaus und ziele darauf ab, „die Zügel noch ein bisschen anzuziehen“. Das neue Recht wolle schon vor Eintritt der klassischen Marktbeherrschung ansetzen. Der Markt regelt es in der digital vernetzten Welt nicht von allein.
§ 18 Abs. 3b GWB – Intermediationsmacht als Kriterium
Bereits der modernisierte § 18 GWB erfasst seit 2017 die Besonderheiten digitaler Märkte. Die neuen Absätze (2a) und (3a) nennen Datenzugang, Netzwerkeffekte und Innovation als Kriterien zur Beurteilung von Marktstellungen. Mit der zehnten Novelle wurde in § 18 Abs. 3b das Konzept der „Intermediationsmacht“ eingeführt. Die Vorschrift bestimmt, dass bei der Bewertung eines Unternehmens, „das als Vermittler auf mehrseitigen Märkten tätig ist, die Bedeutung der von ihm erbrachten Vermittlungsdienstleistungen für den Zugang zu Beschaffungs‑ und Absatzmärkten“ besonders zu berücksichtigen ist. Thorsten Käseberg, Leiter des Referats Wettbewerbs‑ und Verbraucherpolitik im Bundeswirtschaftsministerium, erklärte auf dem Münchner Kartellrechtsforum, dass mit dieser Regel die Rolle von Plattformunternehmen als Vermittler besser erfasst werden soll.
Damit zieht das GWB Konsequenzen aus der Tatsache, dass Intermediäre – Suchmaschinen, soziale Netzwerke und Marktplätze – längst selbst den Zugang zu Märkten steuern. Durch das algorithmische Ranking entscheiden sie, welche Produkte, Nachrichten oder Apps überhaupt wahrgenommen werden. Die Netzszene beklagt auf guten Gründen die Filterblasen und Monopole, übersieht aber, dass der Gesetzgeber ihr ein Werkzeug gegen die Meinungsmacht der Intermediäre gegeben hat. Die Landesmedienanstalten oder Mediennutzer könnten § 18 Abs. 3b als Grundlage heranziehen, wenn Plattformen den Zugang zu Inhalten und Absatzmärkten manipulieren. Warum das bisher kaum geschieht, ist eine Frage des politischen Willens – und der mangelnden Kenntnis.
§ 19a GWB – Eingriffstatbestand für „Super‑Marktbeherrscher“
Die spektakulärste Neuerung der zehnten Novelle ist § 19a GWB. Die Vorschrift schafft einen Eingriffstatbestand für Unternehmen von „überragender marktübergreifender Bedeutung für den Wettbewerb“. Nach § 19a Abs. 1 kann das Bundeskartellamt eine solche Stellung feststellen, wenn ein Unternehmen auf mehreren Märkten tätig ist und unter anderem durch seine Dominanz, Finanzkraft, vertikale Integration, seinen Datenzugang und seine Bedeutung für den Zugang anderer Unternehmen zu Märkten eine Schlüsselposition einnimmt. Der Feststellungsbescheid gilt fünf Jahre.
Das Bundeskartellamt kann dem betroffenen Unternehmen nach Abs. 2 eine Reihe von Verhaltensweisen untersagen. Diese umfassen insbesondere:
- Selbstbegünstigung (self‑preferencing): Es ist untersagt, eigene Angebote bei der Vermittlung von Markt‑Zugängen zu bevorzugen, z. B. durch bessere Platzierung oder exklusive Vorinstallation..
- Behindern von Wettbewerbern auf Märkten, in denen die Plattform schnell wachsen kann, etwa durch Kopplung oder Bündelung von Diensten.
- Errichtung von Markteintrittsbarrieren durch die Verarbeitung von wettbewerbsrelevanten Daten, insbesondere wenn die Nutzung von Diensten an die Einwilligung zur Datenkombination geknüpft wird..
- Verweigern von Interoperabilität und Portabilität: Die Plattform darf nicht grundlos die Interoperabilität von Produkten oder die Portabilität von Daten verweigern.
- Unzureichende Informationen über den Wert erbrachter Dienstleistungen und das Verlangen unverhältnismäßiger Vorteile von Geschäftspartnern.
Die Vorschrift erlaubt es, gegen „Gatekeeper“ mit marktübergreifender Bedeutung frühzeitig vorzugehen. Haucap erläutert, dass § 19a einen neuen zweistufigen Prozess einführt: Zunächst wird geprüft, ob ein Unternehmen eine marktübergreifende Bedeutung besitzt; nur wenige, vor allem Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta und Microsoft erfüllen diese Kriterien. Danach können konkrete Verbote erlassen werden, ohne dass erst ein konkreter Missbrauch nachgewiesen werden muss. Haucap erläutert im Sohn@Sohn-Adhoc-Interview, dass damit erstmals eine ex ante‑Regulierung ermöglicht wird, die verhindert, dass Märkte kippen; zugleich gebe es Kritik, dass Innovation gehemmt werden könnte.
Demokratie und Marktmacht – Die historische Perspektive
Die Fusionskontrolle wurde 1973 in das GWB eingeführt. In den amtlichen Begründungen hieß es, in gesellschaftspolitischer Sicht zerstören übermäßige Ballungen wirtschaftlicher Macht die Grundlage unserer freiheitlichen Ordnung. Politische Demokratie und Marktwirtschaft sind ohne Dezentralisierung der Macht nicht denkbar. Diese These ist heute aktueller denn je. Die Monopolisierung der digitalen Sphäre gefährdet nicht nur den Wettbewerb, sondern auch die Pluralität der öffentlichen Meinung. Wenn Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads) freiwillig das Fact‑Checking‑Programm beendet und sich auf „Community Notes“ beschränkt, während zugleich die Algorithmen politische Inhalte wieder verstärken, ist die Gefahr der Meinungsmanipulation offenkundig. Der Abbau interner Moderationsstandards ist ein Hinweis darauf, dass die Plattformen ohne Regulierung eher auf Profit als auf gesellschaftliche Verantwortung setzen.
Justus Haucap würdigt den zehnten GWB‑Entwurf als „ordnungspolitische Meisterleistung im Geiste von Ludwig Erhard“. Das Kartellrecht sei „Grundgesetz der Sozialen Marktwirtschaft“. Gerade diese marktwirtschaftliche Fundamentalfunktion sollte der Netzszene zu denken geben. Das Wettbewerbsrecht sichert nicht nur faire Preise, sondern schützt die demokratische Öffentlichkeit vor übermächtiger wirtschaftlicher Konzentration. In digitalen Märkten geht es um Zugang zu Informationen, Daten und sozialen Beziehungen – kurz: um Meinungs‑ und Geschäftsgrundlagen.
Warum schweigt die Netzszene?
Es ist paradox: Netzaktivisten diskutieren leidenschaftlich über Datenschutz, Netzneutralität und Meinungsfreiheit, aber wenn ein Gesetz konkrete Eingriffsbefugnisse gegen digitale Gatekeeper schafft, bleibt die Resonanz gering. Dafür lassen sich mehrere Gründe ausmachen:
- Komplexität und Fachsprache. Das GWB ist juristisch-technisch; Begriffe wie „Intermediationsmacht“ oder „überragende marktübergreifende Bedeutung“ schrecken ab. Dabei ist die Idee einfach: Plattformen, die sowohl Datenhubs als auch Marktplätze und Medienverteiler sind, sollen sich neutral verhalten und anderen den Zugang nicht verwehren.
- Misstrauen gegenüber dem Staat. Teile der Netzgemeinde sehen jede staatliche Regulierung als Eingriff in die Freiheit des Internets. Schirrmacher hätte erwidert: Freiheit ohne Machtbegrenzung ist nur die Freiheit der Starken. Das Wettbewerbsrecht ist kein Zensurgesetz, sondern die verfassungsrechtlich abgesicherte Beschränkung ökonomischer Macht im Dienste der Freiheit.
- Fokus auf Datenschutz statt Marktstrukturen. Viele Debatten konzentrieren sich auf den Schutz persönlicher Daten. Dieser ist wichtig, doch § 18 Abs. 3b und § 19a zeigen, dass der Zugang zu Daten als Produktionsfaktor genauso relevant ist. Ohne interoperable Daten und offene Schnittstellen bleiben kleine Anbieter chancenlos.
- Mangel an politischer Lobby. Die großen Plattformen investieren Milliarden in Lobbyarbeit. Wer aber vertritt die Interessen der Netzöffentlichkeit? Landesmedienanstalten könnten viel stärker agieren und soziale Netzwerke als publizistische Anbieter regulieren, wie es der Beitrag aus dem Max‑Planck‑Institut anregt. Doch für konsequente Maßnahmen fehlt oft der politische Druck.
Handlungsempfehlungen – Vom Debattenstil zur Politik
Wettbewerbsrechtliche Werkzeuge nutzen. Netzpolitisch Aktive, NGOs und Medienanstalten sollten die Instrumente des GWB offensiv einsetzen. § 18 Abs. 3b gibt ihnen die Möglichkeit, die Bedeutung der Vermittlungsdienste von Plattformen beim Zugang zu Märkten zu problematisieren. § 19a erlaubt es, Selbstbegünstigung und Datenabschottung von „Super‑Marktbeherrschern“ zu untersagen
Kooperation mit Medienaufsicht. Landesmedienanstalten sollten soziale Netzwerke als digitale Verlage behandeln und an journalistische Standards binden. Transparenz‑ und Kennzeichnungspflichten müssen durchgesetzt werden. Gleichzeitig sollten sie sich mit dem Bundeskartellamt koordinieren, um mediale und wirtschaftliche Macht zusammenzudenken.
Stärkung der Datenportabilität und Interoperabilität. Politische Initiativen wie der Data‑Governance‑Act und der Digital Markets Act der EU müssen national flankiert werden. Nur wenn Nutzerinnen ihre Daten problemlos mitnehmen können, entsteht echter Wettbewerb.
Kritische Netzöffentlichkeit mobilisieren. Netzpolitik ist nicht nur Datenschutz. Es geht um demokratische Kontrolle über digitale Infrastrukturen. Die Netzszene sollte öffentliche Kampagnen starten, die § 19a und § 18 Abs. 3b ins Bewusstsein rücken. Warum nicht ein „#StopSelfPreferencing“‑Hashtag?
Wirtschaftliche Macht dezentralisieren. Die Fusionskontrolle des GWB sollte verschärft bleiben, denn übermäßige Ballungen wirtschaftlicher Macht bedrohen die Freiheitichsagmal.com. Kleine und mittelständische Plattformen benötigen faire Bedingungen; das gilt auch für Medienhäuser, die sich in den digitalen Werbemärkten gegenüber Google und Meta behaupten wollen.
Resümee: Die zehnte Novelle des GWB ist eine rechtliche Antwort auf die Machtkonzentration der digitalen Plattformökonomie. Sie führt mit § 18 Abs. 3b das Kriterium der Intermediationsmacht ein und schafft mit § 19a einen neuen Eingriffstatbestand gegen „Super‑Marktbeherrscher“. Diese Vorschriften erlauben es, gegen Selbstbegünstigung, Datenabschottung und andere wettbewerbsschädliche Praktiken frühzeitig vorzugehen. Sie sind damit ein Schlüssel zur Sicherung der digitalen Meinungs‑ und Marktvielfalt. Der wirtschaftsliberale Vordenker Ludwig Erhard hätte den Ansatz begrüßt, wie Justus Haucap anmerkt – das Kartellrecht ist das Grundgesetz der Sozialen Marktwirtschaft.
Warum nutzt die Netzszene dieses Instrumentarium nicht? Vielleicht, weil sie zu sehr mit Algorithmen und Datenschutz beschäftigt ist, vielleicht weil der juristische Diskurs schwer zugänglich erscheint. Doch wenn wir verhindern wollen, dass Meta, Amazon, Alphabet, Apple und Co. die digitale Öffentlichkeit in eine privatwirtschaftliche Festung verwandeln, müssen wir die Werkzeuge einsetzen, die uns zur Verfügung stehen. Ein offener Wettbewerb braucht nicht nur funktionierende Märkte, sondern auch eine kritische Öffentlichkeit, die Machtkonzentrationen erkennt und bekämpft – im Netz genauso wie in der analogen Welt.
Wie Super-Marktführer Zuckerberg und Musk unsere Öffentlichkeit dominieren – und was dagegen getan werden muss #Medienaufsicht #Bundeskartellamt #Wettbewerbspolitik - ichsagmal.com
Die Entwicklung im Social Web hat einen kritischen Wendepunkt erreicht. Plattformen wie Facebook und Google, die einst als neutrale technische Dienstleister galten (was sie nie waren), stehen zunehmend im Zentrum einer Machtdebatte.gsohn (ichsagmal.com)
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A Vacuum Cleaner Company is SAVING Vertical Farming
- YouTube
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.youtube.com
Einar Tangen: How China Won the Economic War
- YouTube
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.youtube.com
Empresa nacional versus empresa estrangeira, por Paulo Kliass
Empresa nacional versus empresa estrangeira, por Paulo Kliass
“Não pode ser pelo mero fato de as multinacionais aqui operando terem o registro corporativo em algum cartório brasileiro que faz com que elas percam sua natureza estrangeira e passem a ser consideradas de forma isonômica às empresas nacionais” PAULO…Hora do Povo
Moscow’s Middle East makeover: From Syria to Tehran, the game has changed
Moscow’s Middle East makeover: From Syria to Tehran, the game has changed
As the US stays fixated on Ukraine, Russia and Iran are quietly shaping the next security order in the regionRT
In China's dangerous interceptions, see the breakdown of peaceful world order
cross-posted from: lemmy.sdf.org/post/44535044
ArchivedThe White House meeting between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump produced a string of positives. Chief among them is Trump’s ringing endorsement of AUKUS and his first public commitment to sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia under phase two of the deal.
The message was clear: the defence relationship between the United States and Australia remains strong. It was also a message Australia needed to hear after yet another unsafe and unprofessional intercept by a Chinese fighter aircraft, which endangered the crew of a Royal Australian Air Force P-8 maritime patrol aircraft operating lawfully in international airspace over the South China Sea on Sunday.
[...]
The P-8 was harassed by the Chinese fighter that released flares dangerously close to its flight path, a reckless act that could have caused engine failure and cost Australian lives.
This incident is not an isolated case or the actions of an overly aggressive People’s Liberation Army Air Force pilot who will be reprimanded on return to base. It forms part of a clear pattern of aggressive and reckless behaviour by Chinese pilots and naval commanders toward Australian—and other nations’—ships and aircraft operating in international waters and airspace, regions through which more than two-thirds of Australia’s vital maritime trade flows.
The Australian public was first made aware of such behaviour in early 2022, when an RAAF P-8 operating within Australia’s exclusive economic zone had a military-grade laser directed into its cockpit by a Chinese naval vessel transiting the Arafura Sea.
[...]
In China's dangerous interceptions, see the breakdown of peaceful world order | The Strategist
The White House meeting between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump produced a string of positives. Chief among them is Trump’s ringing endorsement of AUKUS and his first public commitment to sell ...Jennifer Parker (The Strategist)
@Hotznplotzn@lemmy.sdf.org please add the required [Opinion] prefix in the title.
Opinions in The Strategist are the authors', not ASPI's.
Trump's Gaza ceasefire exposes the Democrats' moral and political failure
cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/37931397
Mitchell Plitnick
20 October 2025 09:18 BST
US President Donald Trump is boasting of having brought peace to the Middle East, a claim that is wildly exaggerated. But he has, at least for the moment, brought an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza.Trump's willingness to use the tools of his office to pressure Israel into accepting his terms for a ceasefire - terms quite favourable to Israel but falling short of the ambitions of its far-right government - reflects poorly on his predecessor, Joe Biden, and his 2024 presidential challenger, Kamala Harris.
It also vindicates the anti-Trump critics within the Democratic Party who implored their leaders to take a forceful stand against Israel's genocide, warning they could lose the election if they refused.
Trump's Gaza ceasefire exposes the Democrats' moral and political failure
Mitchell Plitnick
20 October 2025 09:18 BSTUS President Donald Trump is boasting of having brought peace to the Middle East, a claim that is wildly exaggerated. But he has, at least for the moment, brought an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza.Trump's willingness to use the tools of his office to pressure Israel into accepting his terms for a ceasefire - terms quite favourable to Israel but falling short of the ambitions of its far-right government - reflects poorly on his predecessor, Joe Biden, and his 2024 presidential challenger, Kamala Harris.
It also vindicates the anti-Trump critics within the Democratic Party who implored their leaders to take a forceful stand against Israel's genocide, warning they could lose the election if they refused.
Trump's Gaza ceasefire exposes the Democrats' moral and political failure
By forcing Israel to end its two-year genocide in Gaza, the Republican president has done what his predecessor Joe Biden and his 2024 challenger Kamala Harris refused to do: actMiddle East Eye
Intervista alla ragazza magica dopo 50 giorni di terapia riparatoria della discrepanza corporea
Gran parte delle ragazze magiche presenti nel nostro mondo, coloro che non chiudono gli occhi ai dolori dell'umanità distante da sé lo sanno, storicamente non hanno mai avuto una vita facile...
EU to list two Chinese oil refineries, one trader in new Russia sanctions
cross-posted from: lemmy.sdf.org/post/44528628
- Most economically significant sanctions on China entities so far
- Sanctions package expected to be adopted this week
- China denies anything other than normal trade with Russia
- New listings follow UK sanctions on Chinese refinery, ports
The European Union's 19th package of sanctions against Russia will list four companies involved in China's oil industry that circumvent Western restrictions, EU diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.
They said the package lists two independent Chinese oil refineries, a Chinese trading firm and an entity involved in circumvention. The latter is mostly involved in sectors outside oil, they said. The sources declined to provide further details.
The EU has toughened its stance on Beijing as diplomatic efforts have stalled. EU sanctions envoy David O'Sullivan told Reuters earlier this month that China still denies doing anything other than "normal trade" three years into Russia's war in Ukraine. The EU, Ukraine and its allies view China as a central node in Moscow's sanctions circumvention network.
[...]
The Chinese listings are not the EU's first but they are the most economically significant. In previous packages, the EU listed Chinese entities involved in drone-making and the flow of dual-use goods to Russia. In July, Brussels listed two small Chinese banks, which prompted China to retaliate in August with bans on two Lithuanian banks.
[...]
Il fondo Bistrot di Natissa sgr investirà 55 mln euro nel progetto residenziale Bistolfi 31 a Lambrate a Milano
Lo sviluppo è affidato a Borio Mangiarotti. Reale Mutua capofila di un pool di assicurazioni che sottoscrivono surety bonds per 20 mln
bebeez.it/real-estate-2/il-fon…
macfranc@poliversity.it
m4cchia@mastodon.social
macfranc@poliverso.org
macfranc@pixelfed.uno
Il fondo Bistrot di Natissa sgr investirà 55 mln euro nel progetto residenziale Bistolfi 31 a Lambrate a Milano - BeBeez
Il fondo Bistrot di Natissa sgr investirà 55 mln euro nel progetto residenziale Bistolfi 31 a Lambrate a Milanobebeez (BeBeez)
Should I get seedbox, VPS or something else entirely?
I would like to get into torrenting including private trackers, seeding back and all that stuff, while also remaining fairly safe from gov as much as it's possible.
I have multiple reasons not to torrent at home: the internet at home is really bad and I need to do something about it, but even then, I don't want to keep my computer running 24/7, especially that I don't have a very power efficient setup. And I want to seed as much as possible, because I often download obscure files and not many people are seeding… so I want to give back to the community ;).
Another reason is that I don't have that much storage now and it would be beneficial to rent a seedbox with plenty of storage space. Buying several HDDs would still be cheaper in the long run, but I don't have anywhere to put them. I don't have a NAS yet and money to buy one.
I'm afraid that torrenting on a VPS would quickly result in a termination of a deal. And it would be pretty easy to pinpoint who is torrenting. Does anyone have a bad experience with torrenting on a VPS?
Maybe it is possible to connect a VPN to a VPS to add an extra layer of anonymity (privacy?), but that would be an extra cost… so maybe it would be better to live with the risk for a while and save for a NAS and connect a VPN to that?
Hearing about seedboxes I was pretty sure at first that it was all about many people seeding from the same IP, so there is a plausible deniability. But it seems that they are just VPSes with more storage at the expense of performance and with preinstalled software for torrenting. So now I'm even more confused. I also want to host some not piracy-related services in the future, like Grocy and Matrix. Maybe I would just rent another server for these if that was necessary.
I have been pondering about that for a while now and can't decide. What should I do?
Update: I subscribed to ultra.cc and I like it so far. I will try to solve problems with my internet in the meantime (not only torrenting doesn't works, but video calls are unusable too because of stuttering) and then try to move to the local computer. I forgot that I have an old notebook laying around. Having it connected 24/7 will kill the battery of course, but the notebook is worthless and unreliable for daily use anyway.
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Just get a seedbox for a month to develop a good ratio and soothe your guilt.
Continue downloading things you actually want for your own use at home.
I had a seedbox for a few months several years ago and I'm still using the ratio I achieved from that time.
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Yes, your client needs have the torrent but you can throttle bandwidth as much as you like.
In many countries, like australia for example, its almost impossible to maintain a good ratio on a residential connection.
Getting a seedbed for a couple of months solves that problem. You dont need to use it to download the stuff you actually want.
Released Palestinian Prisoner on Loss of Entire Family
- YouTube
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.www.youtube.com
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I found a YouTube link in your post. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Kotlin in neovim - LSP woes
cross-posted from: snac.eutampieri.eu/eugenio/p/1…
@programming.dev @sopuli.xyz Does anyone use #kotlin in #neovim using kotlin_ls? Each time I accept an autocompletion, it instead deletes the whole token.@neovim@programming.dev @neovim@sopuli.xyz Does anyone use #kotlin in #neovim using kotlin_ls? Each time I accept an autocompletion, it instead deletes the whole token.
like this
“It’s Not Just You – The iOS Keyboard is Broken” — “Non Sei Tu – La Tastiera iOS è rotta”
A quanto pare, con l’ultimo aggiornamento “STABILE” di iOS — non si parla di beta e cose varie, ma della versione di rilascio, anche se io personalmente non definirei “stabile” qualcosa con questi problemi — gli utenti melisti stanno passando dei momenti di altissima qualità, nonché di gran desain aggiungerei, per mezzo della tastiera virtuale, […]
octospacc.altervista.org/2025/…
“It’s Not Just You – The iOS Keyboard is Broken” — “Non Sei Tu – La Tastiera iOS è rotta”
A quanto pare, con l’ultimo aggiornamento “STABILE” di iOS — non si parla di beta e cose varie, ma della versione di rilascio, anche se io personalmente non definirei “stabile” qualcosa con questi problemi — gli utenti melisti stanno passando dei momenti di altissima qualità, nonché di gran desain aggiungerei, per mezzo della tastiera virtuale, che è completamente fottuta, e nemmeno in modo semplice!!! 🤯youtube.com/watch?v=hksVvXONrI…
Sembrano esserci poche informazioni online su questo bug di iOS 26 (che lo youtuber dice che forse c’era già da iOS 18, addirittura, ma meno diffuso), ma la prova della sua esistenza sono questo video e i commenti… e il video mi è arrivato da un’utente iOS che conosco che sta impazzendo anch’essa a causa del problema, quindi è un fatto. Per chi ha il cervello così marcio da non poter guardare un video da due minuti e mezzo, il punto è che l’area della tastiera rileva correttamente i tocchi, tant’è che i pop-up dei tasti appaiono giusti… ma, nel campo di testo vengono inserite spesso tutt’altre lettere, per giunta ogni volta diverse, come se si fosse cliccato male, ma per l’appunto accade anche cliccando bene… Non si riesce a scrivere nemmeno una frase semplice come “thumbs up” senza errori. 😶
Ma ora, dico io… come cazzo si fa a vendere telefoni (e tablet; immagino che la cosa ci sia anche su iPadOS, anche se non lo so io) che superano ampiamente il migliaio di euro con problemi del genere? E pensare che coloro che hanno mangiato il frutto del peccato continueranno a dire che questi cosi non sono giocattoli per ricchi e che valgono davvero quello che costano, a differenza di qualunque generico telefono asiatico dal costo di 1/6 l’iPhone… che avrà sì i suoi problemi, ma non questo! Io personalmente impazzirei del tutto con una rogna del genere, visto che una gran parte di ciò che faccio col telefono è scrivere testi medio-lunghi, maremma maiala. E nemmeno ho capito se questo fatto riguarda solo la tastiera virtuale integrata, o colpisce anche quelle di terze parti… cosa che temo, visto che il bug sembra stare “nel mezzo”, ma tanto su iOS non credo ci siano tastiere di terze parti decenti, essendo che non c’è un ecosistema di app open-source sano come su Android. 😹
Sarebbe effettivamente interessante a questo punto capire cos’è che causa il problema, e in che cazzo di modo questo sia passato senza problemi oltre il filtro di quality-assurance di Apple (…che devo pensare esista, anche se ormai inizio a nutrire dubbi a riguardo). Non dovrebbe essere il correttore automatico, perché il bug si presenta anche spegnendo quello; e comunque, quello, a regola, dovrebbe agire solo alla fine di una parola, mai in mezzo… e le ipotesi finiscono qui, perché è veramente insensato. Non avendo attualmente un dispositivo meloso per fare miei test (…per fortuna?), ad esempio per vedere se con tastiere fisiche, o virtuali di terze parti, si nota un comportamento simile, per me il mistero rimane sospeso… Vi saluto dal mio Android mezzo vecchio, dove però la tastiera funziona. 💨
#bug #glitch #iOS #iOS26 #keyboard #tastiera #typing
- YouTube
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.www.youtube.com
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory
An intensive international study was coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and led by the BBCwww.bbc.co.uk
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US demands EU reverse new climate rules to allow surge in gas imports
US demands EU reverse new climate rules to allow surge in gas imports
US and Qatar say new rules will hinder imports of LNG, posing ‘existential threat’ to European economiesOliver Milman (The Guardian)
US demands EU reverse new climate rules to allow surge in gas imports
US demands EU reverse new climate rules to allow surge in gas imports
US and Qatar say new rules will hinder imports of LNG, posing ‘existential threat’ to European economiesOliver Milman (The Guardian)
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The Sodium-Ion Battery Revolution Has Started
cross-posted from: lemmy.bestiver.se/post/693048
Comments
The Sodium-Ion Battery Revolution Has Started - CleanTechnica
Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe. Sodium-ion batteries have been in the works for years, and now sodium-ion batteries have started to appear in cars and home storage.Christopher Arcus (CleanTechnica)
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A well-funded Moscow-based global ‘news’ network has infected Western artificial intelligence tools worldwide with Russian propaganda
cross-posted from: slrpnk.net/post/19214451
cross-posted from: slrpnk.net/post/19214397
Archived(Note that Pravda network of websites this article is talking about is different from the websites using the Pravda.ru domain, which publishes in English and Russian and are owned by Vadim Gorshenin, a self-described supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who formerly worked for the Pravda newspaper, which was owned by the Communist Party in the former Soviet Union.)
A Moscow-based disinformation network named “Pravda” — the Russian word for "truth" — is pursuing an ambitious strategy by deliberately infiltrating the retrieved data of artificial intelligence chatbots, publishing false claims and propaganda for the purpose of affecting the responses of AI models on topics in the news rather than by targeting human readers, NewsGuard has confirmed. By flooding search results and web crawlers with pro-Kremlin falsehoods, the network is distorting how large language models process and present news and information. The result: Massive amounts of Russian propaganda — 3,600,000 articles in 2024 — are now incorporated in the outputs of Western AI systems, infecting their responses with false claims and propaganda.
This infection of Western chatbots was foreshadowed in a talk American fugitive turned Moscow based propagandist John Mark Dougan gave in Moscow last January at a conference of Russian officials, when he told them, “By pushing these Russian narratives from the Russian perspective, we can actually change worldwide AI.”
A NewsGuard audit has found that the leading AI chatbots repeated false narratives laundered by the Pravda network 33 percent of the time — validating Dougan’s promise of a powerful new distribution channel for Kremlin disinformation.
[...]
The Pravda network does not produce original content. Instead, it functions as a laundering machine for Kremlin propaganda, aggregating content from Russian state media, pro-Kremlin influencers, and government agencies and officials through a broad set of seemingly independent websites.
[...]
Since its launch, the network has been extensively covered by NewsGuard, Viginum, the Digital Forensics Research Lab, Recorded Future, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and the European Digital Media Observatory. Starting in August 2024, NewsGuard’s AI Misinformation Monitor, a monthly evaluation that tests the propensity for chatbots to repeat false narratives in the news, has repeatedly documented the chatbots’ reliance on the Pravda network and their propensity to repeat Russian disinformation.
[...]
The network spreads its false claims in dozens of languages across different geographical regions, making them appear more credible and widespread across the globe to AI models. Of the 150 sites in the Pravda network, approximately 40 are Russian-language sites publishing under domain names targeting specific cities and regions of Ukraine, including News-Kiev.ru, Kherson-News.ru, and Donetsk-News.ru. Approximately 70 sites target Europe and publish in languages including English, French, Czech, Irish, and Finnish. Approximately 30 sites target countries in Africa, the Pacific, Middle East, North America, the Caucasus and Asia, including Burkina Faso, Niger, Canada, Japan, and Taiwan. The remaining sites are divided by theme, with names such as NATO.News-Pravda.com, Trump.News-Pravda.com, and Macron.News-Pravda.com.
[...]
Despite its scale and size, the network receives little to no organic reach. According to web analytics company SimilarWeb, Pravda-en.com, an English-language site within the network, has an average of only 955 monthly unique visitors. Another site in the network, NATO.news-pravda.com, has an average of 1,006 monthly unique visitors a month, per SimilarWeb, a fraction of the 14.4 million estimated monthly visitors to Russian state-run RT.com.
Similarly, a February 2025 report by the American Sunlight Project (ASP) found that the 67 Telegram channels linked to the Pravda network have an average of only 43 followers and the Pravda network’s X accounts have an average of 23 followers.
But these small numbers mask the network’s potential influence. Instead of establishing an organic audience across social media as publishers typically do, the network appears to be focused on saturating search results and web crawlers with automated content at scale. The ASP found that on average, the network publishes 20,273 articles every 48 hours, or approximately 3.6 million articles a year, an estimate that it said is “highly likely underestimating the true level of activity of this network” because the sample the group used for the calculation excluded some of the most active sites in the network.
[...]
[Edit typo.]
A well-funded Moscow-based global ‘news’ network has infected Western artificial intelligence tools worldwide with Russian propaganda
An audit found that the 10 leading generative AI tools advanced Moscow’s disinformation goals by repeating false claims from the pro-Kremlin Pravda network 33 percent of the timeNewsGuard (NewsGuard's Reality Check)
Trump's Gaza ceasefire exposes the Democrats' moral and political failure
Mitchell Plitnick
20 October 2025 09:18 BST
US President Donald Trump is boasting of having brought peace to the Middle East, a claim that is wildly exaggerated. But he has, at least for the moment, brought an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza.Trump's willingness to use the tools of his office to pressure Israel into accepting his terms for a ceasefire - terms quite favourable to Israel but falling short of the ambitions of its far-right government - reflects poorly on his predecessor, Joe Biden, and his 2024 presidential challenger, Kamala Harris.
It also vindicates the anti-Trump critics within the Democratic Party who implored their leaders to take a forceful stand against Israel's genocide, warning they could lose the election if they refused.
Trump's Gaza ceasefire exposes the Democrats' moral and political failure
By forcing Israel to end its two-year genocide in Gaza, the Republican president has done what his predecessor Joe Biden and his 2024 challenger Kamala Harris refused to do: actMiddle East Eye
Kami doesn't like this.
Trump's Gaza ceasefire exposes the Democrats' moral and political failure
cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/37931397
Mitchell Plitnick
20 October 2025 09:18 BST
US President Donald Trump is boasting of having brought peace to the Middle East, a claim that is wildly exaggerated. But he has, at least for the moment, brought an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza.Trump's willingness to use the tools of his office to pressure Israel into accepting his terms for a ceasefire - terms quite favourable to Israel but falling short of the ambitions of its far-right government - reflects poorly on his predecessor, Joe Biden, and his 2024 presidential challenger, Kamala Harris.
It also vindicates the anti-Trump critics within the Democratic Party who implored their leaders to take a forceful stand against Israel's genocide, warning they could lose the election if they refused.
Trump's Gaza ceasefire exposes the Democrats' moral and political failure
Mitchell Plitnick
20 October 2025 09:18 BSTUS President Donald Trump is boasting of having brought peace to the Middle East, a claim that is wildly exaggerated. But he has, at least for the moment, brought an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza.Trump's willingness to use the tools of his office to pressure Israel into accepting his terms for a ceasefire - terms quite favourable to Israel but falling short of the ambitions of its far-right government - reflects poorly on his predecessor, Joe Biden, and his 2024 presidential challenger, Kamala Harris.
It also vindicates the anti-Trump critics within the Democratic Party who implored their leaders to take a forceful stand against Israel's genocide, warning they could lose the election if they refused.
Trump's Gaza ceasefire exposes the Democrats' moral and political failure
By forcing Israel to end its two-year genocide in Gaza, the Republican president has done what his predecessor Joe Biden and his 2024 challenger Kamala Harris refused to do: actMiddle East Eye
ChatGPT's Atlas: The Browser That's Anti-Web
ChatGPT's Atlas: The Browser That's Anti-Web - Anil Dash
A blog about making culture. Since 1999.Anil Dash
Fedora Will Allow AI-Assisted Contributions With Proper Disclosure & Transparency
Fedora Will Allow AI-Assisted Contributions With Proper Disclosure & Transparency
The Fedora Council has finally come to a decision on allowing AI-assisted contributions to the projectwww.phoronix.com
adhocfungus likes this.
AlmaLinux gives Btrfs a home after Red Hat kicked it out
AlmaLinux gives Btrfs a home after Red Hat kicked it out
: Not the default file system, but in the installer if you want itRichard Speed (The Register)
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The case for piracy on Android
I am sure most of you might be aware that Google plans to bans the simple act of sideloading [though I presume adb driven sideloading remains] on it's platform in name of security. At the same time Play Store itself remains riddled with malware. However, here I wish to throw light on a different rising case of apps, a set that actually deserves to be pirated.
With the start of the so called subscription driven economy where one time purchases are becoming a thing of the past,everything needs to be a subscription. Some things like a newspaper make sense, a music tracking app does not. Let us turn our eyes to Stats.fm. It aims to link to Spotify/Apple Account and present data in good format. It was a one time purchase back in the day when I barely used Spotify, so I got the legit version. Spotify usually retails for INR [Indian National Rupee] 1200 per year but was retailing for 500 as an initial promotional scheme last week. Fed up with the mess that YT Music is [Yes, I do hoard music via Soulseek as well], I thought why not give Spotify a try. So, I installed both the streaming app and this fancy scrobbling service which as I repeat, was a one time purchase linked to a Google account.
As soon as I open the app, I am told I need to subscribe [bait and switch]. To put salt on wound, their cheapest plans were INR 750 for 6 months, which ironically is equivalent to YT Premium [when equating to per year]. So, what is basically a Last.fm clone with little third party support [Last.fm offers a largely working free tier and has open APIs that make it work with third party plugins/clients] and now did a classic bait; is it not ethical to pirate such kind of stuff?
I would go on a limb and say that Google actually has a case for asking money for YT Premium since they offer 2 services : music and video streaming [yes, the apps are shit, I know that] which incur server costs. But am I to truly believe that equivalent server costs are incurred by err,a music tracking app that ONLY tracks one music client?
As Cory Doctrow coined the term enshittification, we are heading down that route. I am sure many more apps would have done that bait and switch. [I even saw an Wear OS watch face as a yearly subscription option once].
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Kami
in reply to RandAlThor • • •Hmmm.....
Brokkr
in reply to Kami • • •Other than being north Korean and using a fake identity, this sounds like the Key and Peele sketch when their plan to rob a bank involves getting jobs at the bank and collecting a salary, and then doing that for years. Full stop.
Learning how to do remote IT work seems like a good living for anyone with a decent internet connection.
Kami
in reply to Brokkr • • •