2024-08-07 12:38 from IGnatius T FoobarLegal? Yes. Slimy? Also yes.
There are two questions to ask:
Google is a shadow branch of the government so you can't measure it by the yardstick you use to measure a regular company.
They collaborate with US spy programs. In my book that turns them into military contractors. That is all there is to it.
AT&T was to serve as an example to all: "dont play ball with us, we will destroy you" ( true, in the long run they were not obliterated, but they DID screw them, and hurt them badly.. and fractured the industry for decades, some would say it still is to an extent )
Has there been a breakup of that magnitude since?
Thu Aug 15 2024 09:14:31 EDT from IGnatius T FoobarSounds like the DOJ is looking for a bribe, doesn't it.
Can I just say one more time ... fuck Google.
Hi IGnatius T Foobar,
The handle you chose violates our spam, deceptive practices and scams policy.
Your new handle is: @user-yt5ny8xi8d
Seriously? The handle "ig_foobar" is spam/scam? How did they even manage to reach that conclusion?
Either it's a really dumb algorithm, or Alphabet employees are maliciously targeting people who hurt their feelz.
In this case i think its them being dumb. But, in others, ya 'you hurt my feelings, you cant use that name'
It literally took me five years to find someone willing to make a "Fuck Google" shirt, and even then it had to be a skunkworks project with the boss's approval behind the scenes. Everyone I tried? They weren't blue-nosed conservatives making the sign of the Cross at an F-bomb. Every single one of them said in so many words that they were terrified of El Goog and their army of lawyers. And I'm in basically small town central-midwest - not some festering pit of rancid snail shit like CA or NY.
Fuck Google.
Dude, everyone I know who was around back then is glad the breakup happened.
Thu Aug 15 2024 09:35:37 EDT from Nurb432AT&T was to serve as an example to all: "dont play ball with us, we will destroy you" ( true, in the long run they were not obliterated, but they DID screw them, and hurt them badly.. and fractured the industry for decades, some would say it still is to an extent )
Has there been a breakup of that magnitude since?
Thu Aug 15 2024 09:14:31 EDT from IGnatius T FoobarSounds like the DOJ is looking for a bribe, doesn't it.
2024-08-30 11:33 from Nurb432
Google has a new folding phone too now. 2500 bucks
ouch.
If anybody pays that much for a phone, they deserve to be scammed. My only regret is I would be completely unable to pull such a con.
To be fair its also a small tablet when you unfold the screen, so i can accept it being a little more than a average phone. but man... 2500 bucks.. that is freaking insane.
Meanwhile, I got an email from the Goolag saying "your android devices will soon join the Find My Device network". It then goes on to explain that it's going to use bluetooth to scan for nearby items. So I guess this is Goolag's version of "AirTag" and "Tile". It also means that there will be a billion new devices eavesdropping on the bluetooth space and returning that data back to them. Imagine the privacy concerns. Imagine the Big Brother possibilities.
It says that if you set a screen lock, it can also "use the network of over a billion devices ... to help locate your items when they're offline." I don't know why a screen lock is required for that feature. Maybe they think it's a nominally safe way of preventing someone who finds a random phone from stalking its owner? Or at least barely enough that Goog can say they did something more than zero so don't sue them.
Privacy? What privacy?
Xiaomi is who i used to get phones from, until this last change due to the radio. Reasonably priced, no carrier bloat, little of their own bloat.
Ya, eventually those screens will crease, but in theory its far enough down the road you want another device anyway. I do know they test them with 10000s of bends, years worth of daily bending. I do also think its a neat idea, but donno if its like the stylus. a neat idea but hardly ever used in reality. ( at least for me that is how it turned out ). Not sure if 2x screensize = novelty or actual use ( google ) But 3x may be across the threshold into actual use. But then again, I thought the 'flex' devices ( where they fold over backwards into a tablet ) might have fallen into that same novelty boat, but for me turned out i loved the idea and stopped using tablets totally when i got my first. I dont use keyboard a lot on the go, but having the option is good as its 'often enough' to not even bother with a traditional laptop for 'daily life' on the go.
Wed Sep 04 2024 09:17:52 EDT from IGnatius T FoobarThe big three chinaphone makers (Xiaomi, OnePlus, Huawei) are all coming out with tri-fold phones. Huawei is going to be the first to market out of those three, from what it seems. Interesting idea, to have a phone that unfolds into a tablet. I still can't get past the idea that a foldable screen isn't going to eventually develop problems at the crease. So we'll let other people be the pioneers (and get the consequential arrows in the back).
Not sure what screen lock has to do with it either. Other than like you say, if its 'lost' its 'locked' anyway. And not that tying back a BTID to a person is impossible for a hacker with a few radio skills, but not sure how easy it would be in practical terms. Ill have to build a BT tracker or something and see how granular it can be from across the room. As far as G- tracking you and your device(s), if its a cell phone they already have the towers to feed data from. ( tablets, Chromebooks, not so much since not many have cell data, but this would get around that )
And, i have not got that email yet. is there a way to disable it? ( short of getting a pinephone and physically turning off the radio )
Wed Sep 04 2024 09:25:11 EDT from IGnatius T Foobar
Meanwhile, I got an email from the Goolag saying "your android devices will soon join the Find My Device network". It then goes on to explain that it's going to use bluetooth to scan for nearby items. So I guess this is Goolag's version of "AirTag" and "Tile". It also means that there will be a billion new devices eavesdropping on the bluetooth space and returning that data back to them. Imagine the privacy concerns. Imagine the Big Brother possibilities.
It says that if you set a screen lock, it can also "use the network of over a billion devices ... to help locate your items when they're offline." I don't know why a screen lock is required for that feature. Maybe they think it's a nominally safe way of preventing someone who finds a random phone from stalking its owner? Or at least barely enough that Goog can say they did something more than zero so don't sue them.
Privacy? What privacy?
I looked up Xiaomi's out of curiosity, and its just a 2 screen fold currently. But if 3 way is coming, still say that may cross the threshold from neat gimmick to useful feature. ( current model is about same price as the lower end google fold at around $1200, so while its 'better' than googles high end for the lesser price, ill still pass )
Wed Sep 04 2024 09:17:52 EDT from IGnatius T FoobarThe big three chinaphone makers (Xiaomi, OnePlus, Huawei) are all coming out with tri-fold phones. Huawei is going to be the first to market out of those three, from what it seems. Interesting idea, to have a phone that unfolds into a tablet. I still can't get past the idea that a foldable screen isn't going to eventually develop problems at the crease. So we'll let other people be the pioneers (and get the consequential arrows in the back).
Google Chrome basically has a monopoly in the browser market; most other browsers are just the Chrome engine, Blink, wrapped in a different GUI. Blink was forked from Webkit, which was forked from KHTML. So if you ever see a KDE developer, get in his face and scream "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"
XD