I used to be a Comcast customer, and thankfully I've escaped their clutches.
Two bits of detail re old TV vs streaming: Science channel had a site, not quite a stream in today's sense. Close, but not quite. The problem was there were MORE commercials than watching over the air. The maximum time I could watch something was less than 4 minutes, past that - commercial after commercial. Needless to say, that didn't last two days.
Comcast has their Xfinity badge trying to pretend they aren't associated with that suckage known as Comcast. However, it sucks on its own. Their streaming option for existing customers was more problematic than watching using their (chicken-shit) cable box. Again, more commercials than old TV. Yet, they couldn't understand my complaint; well, TV has ads and we have to show them. Not on the menu you twit!
No hope for anything good to come from any TV provider. Not in America.
Darkness Of Course (profile), 18 Jan 2020 @ 1:28pm
Hmm, I'm older now.
Chuck Yeager is older than myself. Which gives me pause.
Why, because I wonder who is wanting to profit off his previous exploits? Is it actually Yeager, or someone currently close to him is the actual concern.
Whether this is poison being poured into his ear from within or without might never be known. But, it does give pause.
Darkness Of Course (profile), 18 Dec 2019 @ 10:52pm
WaPo is slacking
I've commented there a few times, quoting Steve Bannon? WTF, he's a raging white nationalist and his entire purpose to helping Donny The Commy/Con get elected is "the destruction of the administrative state"
Which is to say, the rule of law. Either he is completely ignorant re why there is loads of staff to babysit all the requirements for the laws, or he's just wanting to burn everything down.
Either way, neither him or Newt are people that have anything worth quoting. Ever.
Darkness Of Course (profile), 24 Sep 2019 @ 10:44am
Re: Re: Amazon search transparency
Amazon has fully committed to machine learning. Fully.
Here's the thing. It sucks.
The problem itself is nearly as bad as the impossibly difficult content moderation (bot, troll, bad actors, think of the children) as it's yet another intractable problem. Which means that it is too freaking big to solve within a reasonable time frame.
One might suggest that recommendation transparency technically isn't possible. Because - there is little transparency in most machine learning use cases. The initial conditions, the processing (standard HW or custom like Google's tensorflow), the storage solution, the search mechanism, and the training are not something one can put in a box and say - with authority - that this is their current search. 'Cause it ain't. The random number generator alone can sink any attempt to replicate it.
Judging on how far my recommendations from them have fallen over the last decade I would say that this machine learning effort isn't working all that well.
Darkness Of Course (profile), 23 Aug 2019 @ 1:10am
But, but, the little guys can't sue YouTube
The leverage of having a dozen attorneys on staff.
I always liked the various sports teams/places claiming that no video or audio or photos are allowed, because they own all the copyrights from the game.
Hmm, copyright law references the 'person' doing the creating. Which would be the fan, with the capture device.
Not some schmuck up in the penthouse barely paying attention to the game.
Darkness Of Course (profile), 24 Jul 2019 @ 12:28pm
FTC is not consumer based
It is the Trade Commission. It only has two hammers, one is financial, the other is agreements that have little weight over extended periods. So their focus on a big fine is understandable. And wrong.
A federal law regulating exactly what privacy means, and how people own their own data is needed. With the lack of technology abilities in the legislature there is zero chance of that happening. Well, at least zero chance of it happening correctly.
Darkness Of Course (profile), 10 Jul 2019 @ 11:36am
Vote By Mail
This entire mess was predicted by many of us living in Oregon. Where we vote by mail, btw.
When Da Shrub picked off the election by chads hanging in the balance how did the GOP respond? Billions to support switching from voting with punch card ballots. From a system that produced a small percentage of possible mistakes to a collection of DOS boxes that were easily hacked and(!!) left no paper trail. A bonus for the GOP, voter suppression collides with vote changing.
This is the opposite end of Congress legislating the limitation of technology. And it went as well as the V-chip. Lots of government cash, tossed to friends of friends, and others of dubious intent.
Face it. Technology is the bane of American government. They rarely understand it, and their solutions are hamfisted, and almost unerringly wrong. They would probably do better if they resorted to deciding these issues with coin tosses. That way there is a chance of the correct outcome.
On the post: Many of Cable TV's Dumbest Habits Will Make The Leap To Streaming
Comcast can die
I used to be a Comcast customer, and thankfully I've escaped their clutches.
Two bits of detail re old TV vs streaming: Science channel had a site, not quite a stream in today's sense. Close, but not quite. The problem was there were MORE commercials than watching over the air. The maximum time I could watch something was less than 4 minutes, past that - commercial after commercial. Needless to say, that didn't last two days.
Comcast has their Xfinity badge trying to pretend they aren't associated with that suckage known as Comcast. However, it sucks on its own. Their streaming option for existing customers was more problematic than watching using their (chicken-shit) cable box. Again, more commercials than old TV. Yet, they couldn't understand my complaint; well, TV has ads and we have to show them. Not on the menu you twit!
No hope for anything good to come from any TV provider. Not in America.
On the post: Senate May Try To Sneak A Clean Reauth Of Surveillance Powers Into A Must-Pass Coronovirus Bill
The one thing that hasn't changed ...
A must pass bill shouldn't exist. At the least, once declared 'must pass' then amendments should be blocked.
I'm amazed we haven't fallen down to this level of chaos years ago, because the system was never designed to actually work.
On the post: Utah State Rep Unveils Bill To Force Porn To Come With A Warning Label
I'm ready to be the Porn Czar!
Of course, I'll work from home here in The Darkness.
Bwahahahaha.
Usage fees, required access to massive porn libraries (for research purposes) will be funded by Utah.
On the post: Federal Court Ignores Journalist Privilege For Reporting On Court Documents; Allows Bullshit Defamation Suit To Proceed
Welcome to Texas
Where patents are king and those nasty amendments, except the 2nd, don't count in a Federal Court.
On the post: RIAA, Stream-Ripping Sites Engaged In Dumb Game Of Whac-A-Mole With Search Engines
They are all in
RIAA are all in to The Way Of The Stupid.
On the post: Is William Barr's Latest Attack On Section 230 Simply An Effort To Harm Tech Companies For Blocking His Desire To Kill Encryption?
Is Barr doing something bad ...
Yes.
On the post: Airbus Asks Court To Dismiss Chuck Yeager's Lawsuit, Pointing Out It Doesn't Allege Anything Actionable
Hmm, I'm older now.
Chuck Yeager is older than myself. Which gives me pause.
Why, because I wonder who is wanting to profit off his previous exploits? Is it actually Yeager, or someone currently close to him is the actual concern.
Whether this is poison being poured into his ear from within or without might never be known. But, it does give pause.
On the post: Navy SEAL Leader Accused Of War Crimes Threatens Defamation Suit Against NY Times Reporter For Revealing Videos & Text Of Men Who Reported Him
Defending his honor and selling shit
Has a web site up selling war crime profiteering stuff.
Gotta think like a Republican, aka get the (suckers') cash.
On the post: Whistleblower Accidentally Demonstrates How Much Of The TSA's Security Efforts Is Pure Theater
I think the equation itself is incorrent
TSA is pretty much worthless. It always has been.
Ramping up its efforts will do nothing beyond delaying travel. Decreasing its efforts will hit a wall of incompetence that is their lower boundary.
TSA = TSA Zero (+-Nothing)(Press)
On the post: No, Filing A Defamation Lawsuit Is Never The Only Way You Can Clear Your Name
WaPo is slacking
I've commented there a few times, quoting Steve Bannon? WTF, he's a raging white nationalist and his entire purpose to helping Donny The Commy/Con get elected is "the destruction of the administrative state"
Which is to say, the rule of law. Either he is completely ignorant re why there is loads of staff to babysit all the requirements for the laws, or he's just wanting to burn everything down.
Either way, neither him or Newt are people that have anything worth quoting. Ever.
On the post: Oregon Supreme Court Shuts Down Pretextual Traffic Stops; Says Cops Can't Ask Questions Unrelated To The Violation
It's Beaverton, Oregon - of course it is.
Violating the 4th every single time does not make violating the 4th justifiable in this case. Unless you're a Beaverton cop that is.
On the post: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Apologizes And Unblocks Critic Who Sued Her
Never!
Never block, always mute.
Muting is an American right, established by the very intellectuals that support the ??AA teams. Because TV remotes have mute button, Q.E.D.
Sadly, not Quid Pro Quo.
On the post: Attorney Who Sued Grindr Responds Extremely Poorly To The Supreme Court's Rejection Of Her Section 230 Lawsuit
Hmmm, her tweet is missing.
Funny, maybe someone explained how off target her very lawyerly position was.
On the post: People Freaking Out About Amazon Copying A Shoe Are Totally Missing The Point
Re: Re: Amazon search transparency
Amazon has fully committed to machine learning. Fully.
Here's the thing. It sucks.
The problem itself is nearly as bad as the impossibly difficult content moderation (bot, troll, bad actors, think of the children) as it's yet another intractable problem. Which means that it is too freaking big to solve within a reasonable time frame.
One might suggest that recommendation transparency technically isn't possible. Because - there is little transparency in most machine learning use cases. The initial conditions, the processing (standard HW or custom like Google's tensorflow), the storage solution, the search mechanism, and the training are not something one can put in a box and say - with authority - that this is their current search. 'Cause it ain't. The random number generator alone can sink any attempt to replicate it.
Judging on how far my recommendations from them have fallen over the last decade I would say that this machine learning effort isn't working all that well.
On the post: Canadian Brewery Changes Name Of Brew Due To Peanut Butter Company Bully That Doesn't Ship In Canada
Fuck Skippy.
Caution, contains soy.
On the post: Why Is MLB Claiming Revenue From Obviously Fair Use Videos On YouTube?
But, but, the little guys can't sue YouTube
The leverage of having a dozen attorneys on staff.
I always liked the various sports teams/places claiming that no video or audio or photos are allowed, because they own all the copyrights from the game.
Hmm, copyright law references the 'person' doing the creating. Which would be the fan, with the capture device.
Not some schmuck up in the penthouse barely paying attention to the game.
On the post: The Great Hack Wasn't A Hack And Big Tech's Problems Aren't Really About Big Tech
moar data from ur bases
"Now, what does Netflix recommend we watch next?"
Not enough data, try again later.
On the post: FTC's Privacy Settlement With Facebook Gets Pretty Much Everything Backwards; Probably Helps Facebook
FTC is not consumer based
It is the Trade Commission. It only has two hammers, one is financial, the other is agreements that have little weight over extended periods. So their focus on a big fine is understandable. And wrong.
A federal law regulating exactly what privacy means, and how people own their own data is needed. With the lack of technology abilities in the legislature there is zero chance of that happening. Well, at least zero chance of it happening correctly.
On the post: Following Trump Ruling Against Twitter Blockade, AOC Sued For Her Blocks On Twitter
Mute. Ignore.
That is all that is needed.
The sender will never see anything. No popups, messages, or anything beyond silence.
As it should be.
On the post: Voting Machine Makers Claim The Names Of The Entities That Own Them Are Trade Secrets
Vote By Mail
This entire mess was predicted by many of us living in Oregon. Where we vote by mail, btw.
When Da Shrub picked off the election by chads hanging in the balance how did the GOP respond? Billions to support switching from voting with punch card ballots. From a system that produced a small percentage of possible mistakes to a collection of DOS boxes that were easily hacked and(!!) left no paper trail. A bonus for the GOP, voter suppression collides with vote changing.
This is the opposite end of Congress legislating the limitation of technology. And it went as well as the V-chip. Lots of government cash, tossed to friends of friends, and others of dubious intent.
Face it. Technology is the bane of American government. They rarely understand it, and their solutions are hamfisted, and almost unerringly wrong. They would probably do better if they resorted to deciding these issues with coin tosses. That way there is a chance of the correct outcome.
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