Off Topic

[PluMGMK]

Well, Rémi wasn't that discreet, God rest him.

[Steo]

True, it was pretty cool of him to actually reply to others on the forum.

[Hunchman801]

I have the impression that, in general, video game creators stay away from fan communities, though I'm sure there are counter-examples to this.

[PluMGMK]

It's probably best for their mental health…

[The Jonster]

You all did all Nighters anyway?

Nope! I think Steo's the only one still going for it, but I think he should get some rest at some point.

Hello to all!

[Steo]

Yeah I shouldn't have done it tbh it's really not that nice.

[Elite Piranha]

Is it me or two new users joined the forums recently and then suddenly vanished?

[Steo]

If that's the case, they would have been bots.

[Elite Piranha]

If that's the case, they would have been bots.

I see, I guess that was the case.

[The Jonster]

That happens from time to time, I think. Too bad I’m awful at identifying when users are bots, however. The times I accidentally said hello to a bot....

[Elite Piranha]

The mention of bots reminded me of this quote:

And the percentage of intelligence that is not human is increasing. And, eventually, we will represent a very small percentage of intelligence.
—Elon Musk, 2018

[Steo]

Most of them advertise, some of the more clever ones use phrases from posts and/or usernames to seem more realistic. They're usually easy to spot though.

[Elite Piranha]

Considering that topics like this one exist, I think it would make sense to create a "Music" subforum in the Off Topic section, there are plenty of threads that you can move there.

[PluMGMK]

Today I finished reading "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism" by Shoshana Zuboff. It's pretty frightening, though I'd definitely recommend it to anyone.

The book makes an analogy between "digital dispossession" and the Spanish conquest of America. Makers of "smart" devices basically assume a God-given right to "render" or "datafy" people's behaviour and then somehow own that data, just as the conquistadores assumed a God-given right to own America despite the people already living there. The "terms of service" by which companies can sell that data to whomever they please, and from which there is no reasonable opt-out, are also like the "requirimiento" that conquistadores were told to read aloud to any American village they came across – supposedly this was explaining to the native people that they were supposed to surrender or suffer the consequences, but since it was in Spanish they didn't even understand it, and many of the conquistadores read it at night and just mumbled it so nobody could hear it anyway.

I'll tell you one thing, I'm gladder than ever not to have Google Apps on my phone…

[Ambidextroid]

I feel like buying a smart device is your acceptance of that though, and most people aren't bothered enough to not use them. On a global scale it might be an issue but individually I feel like any data they gather about me and the effects of them trading that data will have a negligible effect on my life. Also I'm not sure what I'd do without Google maps...

[Hunchman801]

I agree with that, it is rather hypocritical to use such services when no one is forcing you to and then complain about how they use your data.

[Steo]

Windows telemetry comes to mind when you mention that. The majority of people using computers are using Windows since they're so used to it, and they're not too familiar with Linux. I guess Windows is just easier to use for most people, Linux takes a lot of getting used to, not to mention compatibility since they likely use Windows only programs, though there are usually alternatives for those.

[PluMGMK]

Wow, I'd basically forgotten I'd even posted that.

Anyway, I'm not sure about people not being forced to use these things. My boss likes to use WhatsApp to keep in touch with us, so I'm basically forced to use WhatsApp (not the worst, I know, and thankfully it's available without Google Play). Also, if a young intern needs to be able to drive their car to work, chances are the only insurance they'll be able to afford is where they need a telemetry box installed in their car, which comes under the same concepts.

And btw here's an alternative to Google Maps which I find quite good: https://openstreetmap.org

[Hunchman801]

Yeah, I might've exaggerated a bit, it's true that some situations don't leave much room for choice. But many alternatives exist, when no one is explictly asking you to use a certain OS or app.

[Steo]

That's true, it would be like ordering food you don't like in a restaurant and then complaining about how it tastes. In fairness, I used to complain a lot about Windows, but that was when I was still using it before switching over to Linux.