darkvader

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darkvader
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  • Payment giant Square changes name to Block, shifts focus to blockchain

    darkvaderdarkvader
    What a great idea!  Let's take our successful payment processing company, and rename it for a scam.

    And yes, cryptocurrency is a scam.  Sure, you've still got some time to buy in and make a little money before the bottom drops out, it's probably got a few years left before the pyramid collapses or government bans really put the crunch on it.  But don't plan on holding it long term unless you want to lose a bunch of money.
    williamlondonrob53baconstangDAalsethronnappleinsideruser

  • Apple loses 'Apple Car' senior director of engineering to electric aviation startup

    darkvaderdarkvader
    More evidence that the Apple car project is continuing to be a failure.

    I don't expect it to ever ship, and I can't imagine that it's ever going to be a huge impact on the car market even if it does.  Maybe I'm wrong - but nothing I've seen so far suggests I am.

    Apple has no experience in its history that suggests it's capable of being a successful car company.
    Roderikusmacplusplusdk49curiousrun8williamlondon

  • Samsung to reportedly build $17B chip factory in Taylor, Texas

    darkvaderdarkvader
    dtownwarrior said:
    rob53 said:
    Property tax breaks of 92.5% means Samsung won’t be contributing to schools and infrastructure (utilities). Who pays for those? Oil? Nobody does because the rich get richer and everyone else lives in poverty. Texas has become like an abused third-world country. 
    Meanwhile, my property taxes in Texas will increase by over 10% next year.  SMFH
    That's because you're not a multinational corporation that could easily afford to pay the full rate.  Gotta make it up somewhere.
    Dogperson

  • Italy fines Apple, Amazon $230 million over price fixing

    darkvaderdarkvader
    lkrupp said:
    fred1 said:
    And cue the eurobashing . . .
    No ‘eurobashing’ just government bashing in general. Just because some bureaucrats come up with allegations does not mean something illegal actually happened. Unless, of course, one is in the “ all corporations are evil” camp. Then there is an assumption of guilt. Bureaucrats are notorious for their actions to keep themselves employed. Both Apple and Amazon are appealing the fines. Let’s wait a little while longer before condemning the companies.
    There's an assumption of guilt because THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN CONVICTED.  Something illegal happened.  Apple and Amazon are guilty, have been convicted, and have been fined.  Sure, they have appeals left, but we all know Apple is notorious for engaging in anti-competitive behavior these days.
    xyzzy-xxxwilliamlondonelijahg

  • 'Apple Car' will disrupt auto industry, says Morgan Stanley

    darkvaderdarkvader
    Alchemy said:
    darkvader said:
    They're nuts.

    Sure, a few people are going to be fine not owning a car.  Most of those people already don't own a car today.  Uber is a thing, taxis are a thing, buses are a thing, you can have somebody else drive you around if you want.  And yes, autonomous taxis will be a thing.

    But Americans at least are NOT going to give up on the concept of personal car ownership.  If you own the car, it's there when you need it, you have the freedom to make last minute plan changes.  And (this is really important) you can leave your stuff in it.  You don't have to worry about whether you left something in the taxi.  If you're going somewhere that you need more stuff than you want to carry into where you're going, you can leave the rest in the car and get it later if you need it.

    The concept that Americans are going to give up owning cars is as crazy as the concept that most Americans would give up on owning homes.
    You are looking at it totally wrong.  Of course people will not want totally give up their freedom of having their own vehicle to take certain trips.  But look at all of the wasted time that is spent behind the wheel of a car driving back and forth to work or running errands.  Imagine if you could just pay a monthly fee and a self driving vehicle would show up at your door when you want it and bring you into work, maybe stop off and pick up a few items at a store.  You could spend that time doing things you want instead of watching the taillights of the car in front of you.  Most personal vehicles sit unused over 90% of the time.  And people typically pay $300 to $700/month on car payments for an asset that is losing value every day.  It will not take over all vehicle use, but can replace the mundane everyday commutes.

    What's totally wrong?  That Americans aren't going to want to trade car ownership for a monthly fee?

    I'm not buying it.  Keep in mind what happens with car payments:  You pay them for a while and then stop, because the car is then paid off.  Your car payment becomes $0/month.  Sure, some people then get back on the treadmill with a new car, but most don't, the average age of a car in the US is ovr 12 years.

    And everything you describe can happen with a car that you DO own.  There's no reason we can't have a future where the car sitting in your driveway or garage has self-driving capability - or rather no reason other than car companies' rent-seeking behavior.  And I suspect that if car companies do decide to go that route we'll see the emergence of new car companies that will sell you a self-driving car, and a decline of the car companies that take the rent-seeking route.

    And if you're suggesting that people will own a non-self-driving car AND pay a monthly fee for a self-driving car service?  LOL, I don't think so.
    muthuk_vanalingam