JWSC

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JWSC
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  • Steve Jobs and Apple auction includes rare memorabilia, autographs, computers

    JWSCJWSC
    I’ve got an original “A Guided Tour of Macintosh” cassette new in box (NIB) still in it’s plastic wrap - 1983 Windham Hill Productions. It came with my original 128K Mac I got while in college.

    I could be persuaded to part with it - for a price.  ;)
    byronlwatto_cobra

  • EU could reach deal on antitrust Digital Services Act by June

    JWSCJWSC
    crowley said:
    JWSC said:
    crowley said:
    JWSC said:
    They want tech companies to police themselves. That hasn’t worked out very well so far. 
    That's part of what this act is for, the introduce penalties if they don't.
    JWSC said:
    They want to ban illegal and harmful content. Who gets to determine that? Tech companies? 
    No, it's a blacklist of activities within the Act, according to reports.
    JWSC said:
    They want to ban political advertising. But how do you define that? On some level everything is political.
    I see nothing about a ban on political advertising.  If there is such a thing, it's not hard to ban adverts that are explicitly political.  And no, not everything is political.
    Hello McFly!  Anyone home?  Read the article again.  You missed something about banning "political beliefs."
    Calm down sunshine, it doesn't say that, and I missed nothing.  It says "as well as for advertising using sensitive data including sexual orientation or political beliefs" (emphasis mine).  That's not banning political ads, it's restricting ads from targetting users using data held about their political beliefs.  It's meant to prevent bubbles of exclusive political targetting and potential misinformation.
    JWSC said:
    And as far as wanting tech companies to police themselves, yea, I know they want that.  Duh!  Why anyone would think that is desirable is beyond me.  It's a terrible terrible terrible idea!

    It's literally what we have now.  The change is to introduce penalties so that ineffectiveness of self regulation is subject to penalty, thereby encouraging tech firms to take it more seriously.  I'm not sure what's so terrible about that.

    MISINFORMATION?!!  Are you kidding me?  Who exactly do you think should be the arbiters of what is and is not misinformation?  The Government?  Large tech companies?  These entities represent powerful entrenched interests that have not hesitated to shut down anyone who threatens their interests.  Too many that are ignorant of history seem all too willing to move us toward an information oligarchy.

    We have witnessed what has happened in Russia during Vladimir Putin’s reign.  The free media that sprung to life under Boris Yeltsin has been slowly dismembered.  The most obvious way was forced shutdown of news organizations and the arrest of their management.  The West rightly cried fowl.  But other news organizations simply moderated themselves and became subservient mouthpieces of the state.  We see this happening in Hong Kong right now.  In the West we see few news organizations being shut down.  Instead we see many news outlets self-policing, not for the betterment of society but simply to maintain their approval in the eyes of politicians and government bureaucrats.  I can’t think of a more corrosive act against democratic values.

    I love Apple.  But I trust them no more that any other news outlet to arbitrate and gate-keep what is suitable news for the masses.
    williamlondonbshank

  • EU could reach deal on antitrust Digital Services Act by June

    JWSCJWSC
    crowley said:
    JWSC said:
    They want tech companies to police themselves. That hasn’t worked out very well so far. 
    That's part of what this act is for, the introduce penalties if they don't.
    JWSC said:
    They want to ban illegal and harmful content. Who gets to determine that? Tech companies? 
    No, it's a blacklist of activities within the Act, according to reports.
    JWSC said:
    They want to ban political advertising. But how do you define that? On some level everything is political.
    I see nothing about a ban on political advertising.  If there is such a thing, it's not hard to ban adverts that are explicitly political.  And no, not everything is political.
    Hello McFly!  Anyone home?  Read the article again.  You missed something about banning "political beliefs."

    And as far as wanting tech companies to police themselves, yea, I know they want that.  Duh!  Why anyone would think that is desirable is beyond me.  It's a terrible terrible terrible idea!
    williamlondon

  • EU lawmakers unfazed by Meta's threat that it would pull out of Europe

    JWSCJWSC
    I can just see the collective outrage if Facebook and WhatsApp were removed from the EU market.  Facebook, while a tedious medium to many, is still wildly popular. Many people have built their entire lives, businesses, and social networks on the platform. While painful, I have no doubt that Meta could and would do it if they believe their entire business model is threatened. Yanking it unceremoniously from the unwashed masses would prove to be very unpopular, and Meta would make sure everyone knows who is to blame. Obviously, Meta would prefer not to do this. But it's no bluff.
    seanjrezwitswatto_cobra

  • Sony acquires 'Destiny' game studio Bungie in $3.6 billion deal

    JWSCJWSC
    jcs2305 said:
    crowley said:
    Seems like it might be a panic purchase in response to Bethesda/Activision.  Not sure what Sony stand to gain from buying Bungie, aside from keeping Bungie out of Microsoft's pockets.
    My guess is that it involves a substantial future revenue stream first and "synergy" second. Blockbuster AAA games can be incredibly profitable, and every game Bungie rolls out will be an event. This isn't rocket science.
    Destiny 2 still makes a ton of money.


    Jim Ryan, the president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said in a post on the PlayStation Blog. “Bungie’s world-class expertise in multi-platform development and live game services will help us deliver on our vision of expanding PlayStation to hundreds of millions of gamers,” he said.

    Sony has been rumored to be launching an online game service similar to XBox's game pass.. Bungie can also help with that.
    Xxx
    My son tells me that rerelease of Destiny 2 on his PS4 is almost unplayable it is so “laggy.”
    watto_cobra