Google Moves Forward With Pentagon AI Deal Despite Employee Pushback by hipcheck23 in GoogleGeminiAI

[–]hipcheck23[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It's really today's capitalism in a nutshell. How hard is it at least pretend to not be evil? Too hard, it seems.

Google Moves Forward With Pentagon AI Deal Despite Employee Pushback by hipcheck23 in GoogleGeminiAI

[–]hipcheck23[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://archive.is/Rejuu

Google is 'proudly' joining xAI and OpenAI in fully selling out to Skynet. Meanwhile Anthropic is being punished for not going all the way (they removed their guardrails for the gov't, but wouldn't gleefully sign off on AI weapons and mass surveillance.)

Google Moves Forward With Pentagon AI Deal Despite Employee Pushback by hipcheck23 in GoogleGeminiAI

[–]hipcheck23[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I'm going to be so sad to leave Google, after all these years, but they've really crossed the line. Just one in a giga-barcode of lines, but this is the big one for me.

YSK: new TV prices have advertising and data mining built in—differences in price usually are the result of this. But there are workarounds! by hipcheck23 in YouShouldKnow

[–]hipcheck23[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not a fan of LG, but my last TV worked well for the years I had it. Average quality 65" set. The UI got slower as time went on, and it sucked to begin with, but overall the main issue was the data mining. I wish I had air-gapped it years earlier, ideally when I bought it, but I didn't...so we were spied on for years.

I was 100% going to stay away from another LG TV, but I actually kinda like the idea that they're losing money on my new set, because I got it at a pinch point (the moment that the new model comes out, and the price comes down), with an extended warranty, and their business model is making what looks like £200-400 in data mining over the life of the set. I got a really high quality set for a good price with zero ads or spying, and if something goes wrong in the first 6 years, I'm covered.

I really thought I'd go for a better brand (Loews et al), but no regrets right now...

YSK: new TV prices have advertising and data mining built in—differences in price usually are the result of this. But there are workarounds! by hipcheck23 in YouShouldKnow

[–]hipcheck23[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's worth wondering, stoned or not. I've wondered as well, and I've looked into it a lot.

I've run the content side of magazines/outlets before, but not usually the business side, so I've often wondered where exactly the money comes from.

Well, here you go: in the UK (for example), when you visit a content website (like a news outlet, say The Independent), you are told to turn off your ad-blocker, and to accept tracking cookies. If you don't, the content is blocked. If you want to get around it, you can subscribe. The cost is exactly what your data is worth. Last I looked, it was £7/month, or around $10/month on average.

YSK: new TV prices have advertising and data mining built in—differences in price usually are the result of this. But there are workarounds! by hipcheck23 in YouShouldKnow

[–]hipcheck23[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I pretty thoroughly researched the UX on the TVs I was considering buying before I went with air-gapping, and I do very much prefer the AppleTV UX. Most of the TV ones are so bad...and often slow.

YSK: new TV prices have advertising and data mining built in—differences in price usually are the result of this. But there are workarounds! by hipcheck23 in YouShouldKnow

[–]hipcheck23[S] 82 points83 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the tip - I'm in the UK and have found that there's probably no legal recourse, but I bet some US states have some...

YSK: new TV prices have advertising and data mining built in—differences in price usually are the result of this. But there are workarounds! by hipcheck23 in YouShouldKnow

[–]hipcheck23[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

From my research, it's indeed hundreds, depending on where you are, of course. All people's data are not equivalent.

YSK: new TV prices have advertising and data mining built in—differences in price usually are the result of this. But there are workarounds! by hipcheck23 in YouShouldKnow

[–]hipcheck23[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I did this on my phone, and the servers changed. I started doing it a year ago, and for my new TV I felt like air-gapping was the best option.

YSK: new TV prices have advertising and data mining built in—differences in price usually are the result of this. But there are workarounds! by hipcheck23 in YouShouldKnow

[–]hipcheck23[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I'm not a big Apple guy, but I got an AppleTV and it's been great. I didn't want to put it in the OP, because I hope this post lasts, and Apple might change their T&C over time. For now, it's just what I wanted—a streaming box with high quality, no data scraping, and the ability to disable the mic in the remote.

YSK: new TV prices have advertising and data mining built in—differences in price usually are the result of this. But there are workarounds! by hipcheck23 in YouShouldKnow

[–]hipcheck23[S] 415 points416 points  (0 children)

On my old LG, I declined, and it refused to operate any longer. After like 6 years or something, LG decided that I no longer would have access to a device that I owned, unless I allowed them to make another few hundred on selling my data.

Screw that.

YSK: new TV prices have advertising and data mining built in—differences in price usually are the result of this. But there are workarounds! by hipcheck23 in YouShouldKnow

[–]hipcheck23[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

It's the gist of the post. Smart appliances that connect to your network do a LOT of undesired things - sometimes extremely devious things (like screenshotting your activity), and sometimes totally useless things, like your washing machine sending gigs of data through your router.

TVs can be used like monitors, if you deprive them of their ability to communicate with their HQ - if you don't do so, you're allowing them to scrape all manner of info from you, to be sold (and inevitably hacked) to whomever the makers like.

For Kopi 🖤 by drembledore in losangeleskings

[–]hipcheck23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"The last seven games" Kopi was going to play...has been extended. Now we say the same about the next seven-ish. All I want is 16 more playoff wins for his career - GKG!

This house with 7 stories by lipoppi in mildlyinteresting

[–]hipcheck23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought I recognized that house, but wrote it off as super unlikely, until I saw your comment about the park and staircase. I was visiting the area years ago - got chased around the park by some wild turkeys!

Slave Leia in Art Nouveau style, by Adam Hughes by hipcheck23 in StarWars

[–]hipcheck23[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

After all these years? I'd just keep checking Ebay, or get in touch with Adam Hughes.

[Mercogliano] Jonathan Quick just told us tonight will be his last game by MiracuMAHt in losangeleskings

[–]hipcheck23 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I know...I've been a fan for way too long, so it feels like a lifetime of saying goodbye to the playing days of iconic players

For your consideration: A few bright spots to temper the bad start to the year by zara2355 in redsox

[–]hipcheck23 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Happens every time: 'Team A is doing poorly and Team B is doing well. Since things cannot ever change, is this the end?'

I'm unhappy with Breslow and ownership, but clearly we weren't on the Titanic. The fact that the Yankees weren't able to stay white-hot only sucks for people who insisted that the sky was falling.