Terrain Diffusion: A Diffusion-Based Successor to Perlin Noise in Infinite, Real-Time Terrain Generation
Terrain Diffusion: A Diffusion-Based Successor to Perlin Noise in Infinite, Real-Time Terrain Generation
For decades, procedural worlds have been built on procedural noise functions such as Perlin noise, which are fast and infinite, yet fundamentally limited in realism and large-scale coherence.arXiv.org
ICE is using smartwatches to track pregnant women, even during labor: ‘She was so afraid they would take her baby’
ICE is tracking pregnant women all the way to the delivery room: ‘She was so afraid they would take her baby’
Pregnant immigrants in ICE monitoring programs are avoiding care, fearing detention during labour and deliveryJohana Bhuiyan (The Guardian)
Canadian Boycott Has Officially Failed
If we look at the top US companies market cap list, Canadians are still in love with the top 10 companies, if not most from the top 100. Seems the majority of loser Canadians prefer Canschluss. Welcome 51st state/15th territory! 50 billion maximum travel boycott is literally nothing when Google is worth more than the entire Canadian economy alone. Every Canadian still has a Google/Apple phone, uses Microsoft products, Amazon servers, Visa/Mastercard transactions, etc. etc. America's got you by the balls and they will have your resources at this rate!
companiesmarketcap.com/usa/lar…
Largest American companies by market capitalization
List of the largest american companies by market capitalization, all rankings are updated daily.companiesmarketcap.com
like this
NoneOfUrBusiness and RaoulDuke85 like this.
Go ahead and start smoking them then I suppose.
They call that brand cowboy killers for a reason.
People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you. You, however, are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity. Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It’s yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head. You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don’t owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don’t even start asking for theirs.
- Banksy
In Spain we have an roadside advertising for the Brandy de Jerez made by the Osborne Group, declared "cultural and artistic heritage of the people of Spain.", the Osborne bull, which you can find everywhere in Spain
"People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you.
You, however, are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity.
Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It’s yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.
You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don’t owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don’t even start asking for theirs."
-Banksy
Exclusive: U.S. businesses are getting throttled by the drop in tourism from Canada: ‘I can count the number of Canadian visitors on one hand’ | Fortune
like this
classic, RaoulDuke85 and aramis87 like this.
Their god-king, Trump of the Narcolepsy, said America doesn't need Canada.
I'm glad this is coming true and is working out so well for them.
I'm doing my part and not buying US products or produce (haven't for months) and have zero plans to ever visit the US again.
It's only going to get much worse when the economic reality hits.
See the 1970s. People were getting murdered 4-5x a day in large cities, crime was rampant.
Not to the mention the collective nothing the entire population is doing about it.
Sorry - they DID stand around en masse a couple times about it. So not technically nothing.
The next chance to do something will be in November.
If anything less comes out of that than a Dem House and Senate that immediately moves to impeach both the President and at least one SCOTUS judge, the entire country is a permanent write-off for me.
Most of the Americans either voted for this mess or could not be convinced the Democrats were worth voting for.
Hope they have the day they voted for, or didn't.
I feel sorry for the Americans that actively voted against this. However, at the same time, that's as far as I'll go. I don't feel like Americans are standing up for Canadians either. I have friends that are Canadians that became American citizens that say things like: "oh that 51st state stuff? you still on that? we forgot about that a long time ago".
Exclusive: U.S. businesses are getting throttled by the drop in tourism from Canada: ‘I can count the number of Canadian visitors on one hand’ | Fortune
Exclusive: U.S. businesses are getting throttled by the drop in tourism from Canada: ‘I can count the number of Canadian visitors on one hand’
Canadians traditionally make up the largest group of international tourists to the U.S.Dave Smith (Fortune)
Canada becomes 1st country to list extremist network 764 as terrorists
Ottawa added four new organizations to the Criminal Code list of terrorist entities:764.
Maniac Murder Cult.
Terrorgram Collective.
The Islamic State-Mozambique.
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RaoulDuke85 likes this.
/s
like this
NoneOfUrBusiness likes this.
67 is a cultural meme, and pretty harmless. It's like an adult seeing 69 and pointing it out to a friend to share a chuckle, but without the adult material being part of the joke.
764 however is a very real, and very dangerous, criminal ring. Read up on it a little, and you'll see. Just, don't go too deep down the rabbit hole, for your own mental health
764 is a decentralized, internationally operating online sextortion network. It emerged in 2021 from the CVLT network.
Jesus
Hakeem Jeffries Pilloried for Putting Pro-Industry Democrats on AI Policy Task Force, Despite Voter Distrust of Big Tech
At a time when the American public, and especially Democratic voters, express overwhelming distrust of artificial intelligence and Big Tech, the top House Democrat is being accused of failing to meet the moment.
On Tuesday, in preparation for an executive order to be signed this week by President Donald Trump, which would seek to block states from implementing new AI regulations, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) unveiled his own effort to cozy up to the industry, whose major players have set aside more than $200 million to push out anti-AI politicians during the 2026 midterms, according to the New York Times.
Jeffries announced the creation of a “House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy,” which will “develop policy expertise in partnership with the innovation community, relevant stakeholders, and committees of jurisdiction.”
What immediately caught the eye of critics was the list of fellow Democrats Jeffries picked to serve on the commission. It will be co-chaired by Reps. Ted Lieu (Calif.), Josh Gottheimer (NJ), and Valerie Foushee (NC), with Reps. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.) and Frank Pallone (NJ) serving as ex officio co-chairs.
As Sludge reported Tuesday: "The panel’s leaders rank among the House Democrats with the deepest ties to Big Tech and AI, from holding millions of dollars in tech stock to the contributions they’ve raised for their campaigns and the Republican-backed deregulation bills they've signed onto."
In July, Gottheimer introduced a bill along with Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) "that would require financial regulators to create 'AI Innovation Labs' where firms could experiment with AI-driven financial products under looser regulations and without the normal threats of enforcement actions."
Gottheimer is also a major stakeholder in Microsoft, which has invested tens of millions of dollars into AI and nearly $7.5 million on lobbying in 2025 so far. Beyond the almost $100,000 in contributions Gottheimer has received from Microsoft, he is also a former executive who received anywhere from $1 million to $5 million last year from his stock holdings in the company, according to financial disclosure forms. He also frequently trades in other AI power players like Amazon, Meta, and Dell.
Lofgren, meanwhile, has accepted more money from the Internet industry over the course of her career than all but one other current House Democrat—including $265,000 from Google, $115,000 from Apple, and $110,000 from Meta, according to data from OpenSecrets.
In September 2024, Lofgren co-sponsored a bill introduced by Rep. Jay Abernolte (R-Calif.) which "would create a federal 'center for AI advancement and reliability' that it would instruct to work closely with private companies and other stakeholders on developing 'voluntary best practices and technical standards for evaluating the reliability, robustness, resilience, security, and safety of artificial intelligence systems.'"
Foushee, a member of the corporate-backed New Democrat Coalition, rode to Congress in 2022 with more than $1 million from the Protect Our Future political action committee, which was backed by former FTX CEO and convicted fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried.
In response to Trump's industry-friendly "AI Action Plan" in July, Foushee and the New Democrats unveiled their own "Innovation Agenda," which called for federal tax credits to companies that "reskill" workers and perform private research and development as well as federal investments in apprenticeships and "labor market data modernization."
Jeffries has neglected to take a position on Trump's proposal to preempt state regulations. Last Monday, he told reporters, "That conversation hasn't been brought to the leadership level yet."
In his statement announcing the Democratic commission on Tuesday, Jeffries said, "It is important that American companies continue to thrive" in the arena of AI, while "at the same time, Congress must consider what policies are needed to prevent bad actors from exploiting this transformative technology and inflicting harm upon the American people." However, he did not specifically mention Trump's pending block on state regulations.
— (@)
A poll released Friday by the progressive group Demand Progress showed that Americans across the political spectrum are unsettled by AI's influence in Washington: 68% of respondents overall said they were more worried that "the US government will not regulate artificial intelligence enough," as opposed to just 21% who feared too much regulation. While Democrats and independents were somewhat more concerned about underregulation at 71%, Republicans largely shared those fears, with 62% saying they feared the government would not regulate AI enough.
The consensus was even stronger regarding Big Tech's power over AI policy, with 78% of respondents overall saying it had too much influence. This included 81% of Democrats and independents and 74% of Republicans.
With this in mind, many critics were puzzled by Jeffries' decision to stack his AI commission with some of the industry's top allies.
— (@)
As Aaron Regunberg wrote in the New Republic last month, harnessing anger against the rapid, largely unregulated expansion of expensive, energy-sucking AI data centers was an essential part of Democrats' victories across the board in November's off-year elections:
In New Jersey, Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s closing argument was a pledge to freeze electricity rates, which have soared because of data-center demand.In Virginia, Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger won after pledging to make data centers “pay their own way,” and many Democrats went even further.
At least one candidate, John McAuliff, flipped a seat in the House of Delegates by focusing on tying his Republican opponent to the “unchecked growth” of data centers, with an ad that asked, “Do you want more of these in your backyard?”
And in Georgia, Democrats won their first nonfederal statewide races in decades, earning 60% of the vote against two Republican members of the Public Service Commission by criticizing Big Tech “sweetheart deals” and campaigning for policies “to ensure that the communities that they’re extracting from” don’t end up with their “water supplies … tapped out or their energy … maxed out.”
"This is the most populist moment of voter rage I've ever seen, and the leading Democrats are absolutely hostile to the idea of doing anything to address Silicon Valley's massive power," said Matt Stoller, an anti-monopoly expert.
"Anticorruption is one of the strongest arguments with the broadest appeal in American politics right now, but the Democratic leadership simply refuses to stop tanking it," added Matt Duss, a former advisor to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
"I have never seen a gulf this wide between Democratic leadership and the party writ large," said author Zachary D. Carter. "The top is corrupt, the base is raging against corruption."
From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.
Ga. rate panel election focuses on power bills, data centers
Two seats are up for grabs on the Georgia Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities and decides whether power bills increase.Staff (WRDW-TV/WAGT-TV)
Hakeem Jeffries Pilloried for Putting Pro-Industry Democrats on AI Policy Task Force, Despite Voter Distrust of Big Tech
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1280…
At a time when the American public, and especially Democratic voters, express overwhelming distrust of artificial intelligence and Big Tech, the top House Democrat is being accused of failing to meet the moment.
On Tuesday, in preparation for an executive order to be signed this week by President Donald Trump, which would seek to block states from implementing new AI regulations, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) unveiled his own effort to cozy up to the industry, whose major players have set aside more than $200 million to push out anti-AI politicians during the 2026 midterms, according to the New York Times.
Jeffries announced the creation of a “House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy,” which will “develop policy expertise in partnership with the innovation community, relevant stakeholders, and committees of jurisdiction.”
What immediately caught the eye of critics was the list of fellow Democrats Jeffries picked to serve on the commission. It will be co-chaired by Reps. Ted Lieu (Calif.), Josh Gottheimer (NJ), and Valerie Foushee (NC), with Reps. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.) and Frank Pallone (NJ) serving as ex officio co-chairs.
As Sludge reported Tuesday: "The panel’s leaders rank among the House Democrats with the deepest ties to Big Tech and AI, from holding millions of dollars in tech stock to the contributions they’ve raised for their campaigns and the Republican-backed deregulation bills they've signed onto."
In July, Gottheimer introduced a bill along with Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) "that would require financial regulators to create 'AI Innovation Labs' where firms could experiment with AI-driven financial products under looser regulations and without the normal threats of enforcement actions."
Gottheimer is also a major stakeholder in Microsoft, which has invested tens of millions of dollars into AI and nearly $7.5 million on lobbying in 2025 so far. Beyond the almost $100,000 in contributions Gottheimer has received from Microsoft, he is also a former executive who received anywhere from $1 million to $5 million last year from his stock holdings in the company, according to financial disclosure forms. He also frequently trades in other AI power players like Amazon, Meta, and Dell.
Lofgren, meanwhile, has accepted more money from the Internet industry over the course of her career than all but one other current House Democrat—including $265,000 from Google, $115,000 from Apple, and $110,000 from Meta, according to data from OpenSecrets.
In September 2024, Lofgren co-sponsored a bill introduced by Rep. Jay Abernolte (R-Calif.) which "would create a federal 'center for AI advancement and reliability' that it would instruct to work closely with private companies and other stakeholders on developing 'voluntary best practices and technical standards for evaluating the reliability, robustness, resilience, security, and safety of artificial intelligence systems.'"
Foushee, a member of the corporate-backed New Democrat Coalition, rode to Congress in 2022 with more than $1 million from the Protect Our Future political action committee, which was backed by former FTX CEO and convicted fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried.
In response to Trump's industry-friendly "AI Action Plan" in July, Foushee and the New Democrats unveiled their own "Innovation Agenda," which called for federal tax credits to companies that "reskill" workers and perform private research and development as well as federal investments in apprenticeships and "labor market data modernization."
Jeffries has neglected to take a position on Trump's proposal to preempt state regulations. Last Monday, he told reporters, "That conversation hasn't been brought to the leadership level yet."
In his statement announcing the Democratic commission on Tuesday, Jeffries said, "It is important that American companies continue to thrive" in the arena of AI, while "at the same time, Congress must consider what policies are needed to prevent bad actors from exploiting this transformative technology and inflicting harm upon the American people." However, he did not specifically mention Trump's pending block on state regulations.
— (@)A poll released Friday by the progressive group Demand Progress showed that Americans across the political spectrum are unsettled by AI's influence in Washington: 68% of respondents overall said they were more worried that "the US government will not regulate artificial intelligence enough," as opposed to just 21% who feared too much regulation. While Democrats and independents were somewhat more concerned about underregulation at 71%, Republicans largely shared those fears, with 62% saying they feared the government would not regulate AI enough.
The consensus was even stronger regarding Big Tech's power over AI policy, with 78% of respondents overall saying it had too much influence. This included 81% of Democrats and independents and 74% of Republicans.
With this in mind, many critics were puzzled by Jeffries' decision to stack his AI commission with some of the industry's top allies.
— (@)As Aaron Regunberg wrote in the New Republic last month, harnessing anger against the rapid, largely unregulated expansion of expensive, energy-sucking AI data centers was an essential part of Democrats' victories across the board in November's off-year elections:
In New Jersey, Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s closing argument was a pledge to freeze electricity rates, which have soared because of data-center demand.In Virginia, Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger won after pledging to make data centers “pay their own way,” and many Democrats went even further.
At least one candidate, John McAuliff, flipped a seat in the House of Delegates by focusing on tying his Republican opponent to the “unchecked growth” of data centers, with an ad that asked, “Do you want more of these in your backyard?”
And in Georgia, Democrats won their first nonfederal statewide races in decades, earning 60% of the vote against two Republican members of the Public Service Commission by criticizing Big Tech “sweetheart deals” and campaigning for policies “to ensure that the communities that they’re extracting from” don’t end up with their “water supplies … tapped out or their energy … maxed out.”
"This is the most populist moment of voter rage I've ever seen, and the leading Democrats are absolutely hostile to the idea of doing anything to address Silicon Valley's massive power," said Matt Stoller, an anti-monopoly expert.
"Anticorruption is one of the strongest arguments with the broadest appeal in American politics right now, but the Democratic leadership simply refuses to stop tanking it," added Matt Duss, a former advisor to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
"I have never seen a gulf this wide between Democratic leadership and the party writ large," said author Zachary D. Carter. "The top is corrupt, the base is raging against corruption."
From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.
Hakeem Jeffries Pilloried for Putting Pro-Industry Democrats on AI Policy Task Force, Despite Voter Distrust of Big Tech
At a time when the American public, and especially Democratic voters, express overwhelming distrust of artificial intelligence and Big Tech, the top House Democrat is being accused of failing to meet the moment.
On Tuesday, in preparation for an executive order to be signed this week by President Donald Trump, which would seek to block states from implementing new AI regulations, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) unveiled his own effort to cozy up to the industry, whose major players have set aside more than $200 million to push out anti-AI politicians during the 2026 midterms, according to the New York Times.
Jeffries announced the creation of a “House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy,” which will “develop policy expertise in partnership with the innovation community, relevant stakeholders, and committees of jurisdiction.”
What immediately caught the eye of critics was the list of fellow Democrats Jeffries picked to serve on the commission. It will be co-chaired by Reps. Ted Lieu (Calif.), Josh Gottheimer (NJ), and Valerie Foushee (NC), with Reps. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.) and Frank Pallone (NJ) serving as ex officio co-chairs.
As Sludge reported Tuesday: "The panel’s leaders rank among the House Democrats with the deepest ties to Big Tech and AI, from holding millions of dollars in tech stock to the contributions they’ve raised for their campaigns and the Republican-backed deregulation bills they've signed onto."
In July, Gottheimer introduced a bill along with Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) "that would require financial regulators to create 'AI Innovation Labs' where firms could experiment with AI-driven financial products under looser regulations and without the normal threats of enforcement actions."
Gottheimer is also a major stakeholder in Microsoft, which has invested tens of millions of dollars into AI and nearly $7.5 million on lobbying in 2025 so far. Beyond the almost $100,000 in contributions Gottheimer has received from Microsoft, he is also a former executive who received anywhere from $1 million to $5 million last year from his stock holdings in the company, according to financial disclosure forms. He also frequently trades in other AI power players like Amazon, Meta, and Dell.
Lofgren, meanwhile, has accepted more money from the Internet industry over the course of her career than all but one other current House Democrat—including $265,000 from Google, $115,000 from Apple, and $110,000 from Meta, according to data from OpenSecrets.
In September 2024, Lofgren co-sponsored a bill introduced by Rep. Jay Abernolte (R-Calif.) which "would create a federal 'center for AI advancement and reliability' that it would instruct to work closely with private companies and other stakeholders on developing 'voluntary best practices and technical standards for evaluating the reliability, robustness, resilience, security, and safety of artificial intelligence systems.'"
Foushee, a member of the corporate-backed New Democrat Coalition, rode to Congress in 2022 with more than $1 million from the Protect Our Future political action committee, which was backed by former FTX CEO and convicted fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried.
In response to Trump's industry-friendly "AI Action Plan" in July, Foushee and the New Democrats unveiled their own "Innovation Agenda," which called for federal tax credits to companies that "reskill" workers and perform private research and development as well as federal investments in apprenticeships and "labor market data modernization."
Jeffries has neglected to take a position on Trump's proposal to preempt state regulations. Last Monday, he told reporters, "That conversation hasn't been brought to the leadership level yet."
In his statement announcing the Democratic commission on Tuesday, Jeffries said, "It is important that American companies continue to thrive" in the arena of AI, while "at the same time, Congress must consider what policies are needed to prevent bad actors from exploiting this transformative technology and inflicting harm upon the American people." However, he did not specifically mention Trump's pending block on state regulations.
— (@)
A poll released Friday by the progressive group Demand Progress showed that Americans across the political spectrum are unsettled by AI's influence in Washington: 68% of respondents overall said they were more worried that "the US government will not regulate artificial intelligence enough," as opposed to just 21% who feared too much regulation. While Democrats and independents were somewhat more concerned about underregulation at 71%, Republicans largely shared those fears, with 62% saying they feared the government would not regulate AI enough.The consensus was even stronger regarding Big Tech's power over AI policy, with 78% of respondents overall saying it had too much influence. This included 81% of Democrats and independents and 74% of Republicans.
With this in mind, many critics were puzzled by Jeffries' decision to stack his AI commission with some of the industry's top allies.
— (@)
As Aaron Regunberg wrote in the New Republic last month, harnessing anger against the rapid, largely unregulated expansion of expensive, energy-sucking AI data centers was an essential part of Democrats' victories across the board in November's off-year elections:In New Jersey, Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s closing argument was a pledge to freeze electricity rates, which have soared because of data-center demand.In Virginia, Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger won after pledging to make data centers “pay their own way,” and many Democrats went even further.
At least one candidate, John McAuliff, flipped a seat in the House of Delegates by focusing on tying his Republican opponent to the “unchecked growth” of data centers, with an ad that asked, “Do you want more of these in your backyard?”
And in Georgia, Democrats won their first nonfederal statewide races in decades, earning 60% of the vote against two Republican members of the Public Service Commission by criticizing Big Tech “sweetheart deals” and campaigning for policies “to ensure that the communities that they’re extracting from” don’t end up with their “water supplies … tapped out or their energy … maxed out.”
"This is the most populist moment of voter rage I've ever seen, and the leading Democrats are absolutely hostile to the idea of doing anything to address Silicon Valley's massive power," said Matt Stoller, an anti-monopoly expert."Anticorruption is one of the strongest arguments with the broadest appeal in American politics right now, but the Democratic leadership simply refuses to stop tanking it," added Matt Duss, a former advisor to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
"I have never seen a gulf this wide between Democratic leadership and the party writ large," said author Zachary D. Carter. "The top is corrupt, the base is raging against corruption."
From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.
Ga. rate panel election focuses on power bills, data centers
Two seats are up for grabs on the Georgia Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities and decides whether power bills increase.Staff (WRDW-TV/WAGT-TV)
GitLab discovers widespread npm supply chain attack
GitLab discovers widespread npm supply chain attack
Malware driving attack includes "dead man's switch" that can harm user data.Michael Henriksen (GitLab)
Report Exposes Instacart's Hidden AI Price Experiments That Could Cost Families $1,200 Per Year
cross-posted from: hexbear.net/post/6989654
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1253…
Consumer advocates on Tuesday called on the Federal Trade Commission and state officials to investigate artificial intelligence-enabled pricing experiments used by Instacart, the grocery shopping app millions of Americans rely on, that charge up to 23% more for some shoppers than others when they buy the same item at the same store.
Consumer Reports joined the advocacy group Groundwork Collaborative and the labor-focused media organization More Perfect Union to uncover Instacart's pricing experiments enabled by Eversight, an AI pricing software that Instacart acquired in 2022. The company's CEO said last year that the experiments have helped the company “to really figure out which categories of products our customers [are] more price sensitive on"—in other words, to tailor prices based on a customer's shopping habits, whether they're near a competing store, and other factors.
The groups' study, Same Cart, Different Price, describes how researchers ran five tests with 437 participants, studying the prices of a basket of items bought at two Target stores and three Safeway stores using Instacart.
In one test at a Safeway in Washington, DC, shoppers logged on to the app to buy a carton of eggs from the same brand at the same time and found that the price they were given varied widely. Some shoppers were charged just $3.99 for the eggs, while others saw a price as high as $4.79—20% higher.
Shoppers at a Safeway in Seattle saw a 23% difference in prices for Skippy peanut butter, Oscar Mayer turkey, and Wheat Thins crackers. At two different Safeways in Washington, DC, Instacart quoted shoppers at one store a price that was 23% higher than at another for Signature Select Corn Flakes.
"It’s time for Instacart to close the lab. Americans shopping for groceries aren’t guinea pigs and shouldn't have to pay an Instacart tax.”
For the same basket of groceries, shoppers at the Seattle store were asked to pay as much as $123.93, while others were charged just $114.34.
"The average price variations observed in the study could cost a household of four about $1,200 per year," said Groundwork.
Justin Brookman, director of tech policy at Consumer Reports, said Instacart's tactics "hurt families who are simply trying to purchase essential groceries."
"At a time when everyday Americans are struggling with high prices, it is particularly egregious to see corporations secretly conducting individual experiments to see how much a person is willing to pay," said Brookman. "Companies must be transparent and upfront with people about pricing, so that they can make informed choices and keep more of their hard-earned money. We encourage the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to investigate Instacart’s pricing tactics."
Groundwork noted that Instcart's website acknowledges that it runs price tests, but states that "shoppers are not aware that they’re in an experiment" and are having their grocery prices selected for them via algorithm.
While Instacart has claimed its price experiments are "negligible," the groups emphasized that they're being used "against the backdrop of the fastest increase in food prices since the late 1970s."
After previous reporting on companies' use of "shrinkflation," "dynamic pricing," and other practices that keep prices high even as pandemic-era labor and supply chain issues have subsided, "today’s report shows Instacart’s experiments are yet another way corporate pricing tactics are squeezing American families," said Groundwork.
The study did not find evidence that Instacart is giving shoppers different prices based on their ZIP code or income, as companies like Amazon, Delta Air Lines, and Home Deport have been accused of doing.
But the groups said Eversight gives the company the capability to use that data to make pricing decisions tailored to particular shoppers.
“Instacart is quietly running pricing experiments on millions of shoppers during the worst grocery affordability crisis in a generation, and it’s costing households as much as $1,200 a year,” said Groundwork Collaborative executive director Lindsay Owens. “They have turned the simple act of buying groceries into a high-tech game of pricing roulette. When the same box of Wheat Thins can jump 23% in price because of an algorithm, that’s not innovation or convenience, it’s unfair. It’s time for Instacart to close the lab. Americans shopping for groceries aren’t guinea pigs and shouldn't have to pay an Instacart tax.”
The groups credited some state and federal lawmakers who have begun to take notice of pricing practices like Instacart's; US Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) introduced the Stop AI Price Gouging and Wage Fixing Act in July with the aim of prohibiting the use of automated systems to set prices. New York has enacted the first-of-its-kind Algorithmic Pricing Disclosure Act, which requires companies to prominently disclose to customers, "This price was set by an algorithm using your personal data" when they use methods like Instacart's. Other state legislation has been introduced in Colorado, California, and Pennsylvania to ban the use of surveillance to set prices.
The groups called on the FTC to take action under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which bans "unfair methods of competition." Those could include “'price discrimination not justified by differences in cost or distribution,' which appears to match Instacart’s pricing experiments and fluctuations," the report reads.
The FTC could also bring enforcement cases or initiate rulemaking to officially label AI-enabled pricing strategies as an "unfair or deceptive practice," affirming that companies who use them are breaking a consumer protection standard.
"Fair and honest markets are the bedrock of a healthy economy," reads Tuesday's report. "Companies like Instacart offer great convenience, but they are increasingly pursuing corporate pricing practices that unfairly decouple the price of a product from its true cost. As more consumers learn about, and decry, these practices, perhaps companies will change course. But if they do not, policymakers should intervene and require them to change their practices."
From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.
Report Exposes Instacart's Hidden AI Price Experiments That Could Cost Families $1,200 Per Year
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1253…Consumer advocates on Tuesday called on the Federal Trade Commission and state officials to investigate artificial intelligence-enabled pricing experiments used by Instacart, the grocery shopping app millions of Americans rely on, that charge up to 23% more for some shoppers than others when they buy the same item at the same store.
Consumer Reports joined the advocacy group Groundwork Collaborative and the labor-focused media organization More Perfect Union to uncover Instacart's pricing experiments enabled by Eversight, an AI pricing software that Instacart acquired in 2022. The company's CEO said last year that the experiments have helped the company “to really figure out which categories of products our customers [are] more price sensitive on"—in other words, to tailor prices based on a customer's shopping habits, whether they're near a competing store, and other factors.
The groups' study, Same Cart, Different Price, describes how researchers ran five tests with 437 participants, studying the prices of a basket of items bought at two Target stores and three Safeway stores using Instacart.
In one test at a Safeway in Washington, DC, shoppers logged on to the app to buy a carton of eggs from the same brand at the same time and found that the price they were given varied widely. Some shoppers were charged just $3.99 for the eggs, while others saw a price as high as $4.79—20% higher.
Shoppers at a Safeway in Seattle saw a 23% difference in prices for Skippy peanut butter, Oscar Mayer turkey, and Wheat Thins crackers. At two different Safeways in Washington, DC, Instacart quoted shoppers at one store a price that was 23% higher than at another for Signature Select Corn Flakes.
"It’s time for Instacart to close the lab. Americans shopping for groceries aren’t guinea pigs and shouldn't have to pay an Instacart tax.”
For the same basket of groceries, shoppers at the Seattle store were asked to pay as much as $123.93, while others were charged just $114.34.
"The average price variations observed in the study could cost a household of four about $1,200 per year," said Groundwork.
Justin Brookman, director of tech policy at Consumer Reports, said Instacart's tactics "hurt families who are simply trying to purchase essential groceries."
"At a time when everyday Americans are struggling with high prices, it is particularly egregious to see corporations secretly conducting individual experiments to see how much a person is willing to pay," said Brookman. "Companies must be transparent and upfront with people about pricing, so that they can make informed choices and keep more of their hard-earned money. We encourage the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to investigate Instacart’s pricing tactics."
Groundwork noted that Instcart's website acknowledges that it runs price tests, but states that "shoppers are not aware that they’re in an experiment" and are having their grocery prices selected for them via algorithm.
While Instacart has claimed its price experiments are "negligible," the groups emphasized that they're being used "against the backdrop of the fastest increase in food prices since the late 1970s."
After previous reporting on companies' use of "shrinkflation," "dynamic pricing," and other practices that keep prices high even as pandemic-era labor and supply chain issues have subsided, "today’s report shows Instacart’s experiments are yet another way corporate pricing tactics are squeezing American families," said Groundwork.
The study did not find evidence that Instacart is giving shoppers different prices based on their ZIP code or income, as companies like Amazon, Delta Air Lines, and Home Deport have been accused of doing.
But the groups said Eversight gives the company the capability to use that data to make pricing decisions tailored to particular shoppers.
“Instacart is quietly running pricing experiments on millions of shoppers during the worst grocery affordability crisis in a generation, and it’s costing households as much as $1,200 a year,” said Groundwork Collaborative executive director Lindsay Owens. “They have turned the simple act of buying groceries into a high-tech game of pricing roulette. When the same box of Wheat Thins can jump 23% in price because of an algorithm, that’s not innovation or convenience, it’s unfair. It’s time for Instacart to close the lab. Americans shopping for groceries aren’t guinea pigs and shouldn't have to pay an Instacart tax.”
The groups credited some state and federal lawmakers who have begun to take notice of pricing practices like Instacart's; US Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) introduced the Stop AI Price Gouging and Wage Fixing Act in July with the aim of prohibiting the use of automated systems to set prices. New York has enacted the first-of-its-kind Algorithmic Pricing Disclosure Act, which requires companies to prominently disclose to customers, "This price was set by an algorithm using your personal data" when they use methods like Instacart's. Other state legislation has been introduced in Colorado, California, and Pennsylvania to ban the use of surveillance to set prices.
The groups called on the FTC to take action under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which bans "unfair methods of competition." Those could include “'price discrimination not justified by differences in cost or distribution,' which appears to match Instacart’s pricing experiments and fluctuations," the report reads.
The FTC could also bring enforcement cases or initiate rulemaking to officially label AI-enabled pricing strategies as an "unfair or deceptive practice," affirming that companies who use them are breaking a consumer protection standard.
"Fair and honest markets are the bedrock of a healthy economy," reads Tuesday's report. "Companies like Instacart offer great convenience, but they are increasingly pursuing corporate pricing practices that unfairly decouple the price of a product from its true cost. As more consumers learn about, and decry, these practices, perhaps companies will change course. But if they do not, policymakers should intervene and require them to change their practices."
From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.
Casar-Tlaib Bill Would Ban Corporations From Using AI to Set Prices, Wages
"The idea that employers would leverage surveillance data to exploit a worker in a desperate position and offer them a lower wage is appalling," said Rep. Rashida Tlaib.stephen-prager (Common Dreams)
Israeli plot to assassinate Marwan Barghouti sparks international outcry
The struggle of veteran freedom fighter, and prominent leader of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement, Marwan Barghouti, came back to the fore this week after his family had received an anonymous “intimidating” call, claiming that he was subjected to systematic brutal torture and abuse by his jailors.
Barghouti’s son, Qassam, wrote in a Facebook post on Friday, December 5:
“I woke up this morning to a phone call from a released prisoner, who told me: your father was physically destroyed; they broke his teeth, kept beating him, cut off part of his ear, and broke his fingers just for fun.”
“What should I do? Who should I talk to? To whom should we turn? We are living with this nightmare daily… Oh God, have mercy. My father is now 66 years old. Oh God, where do we find the strength?” Qassam added.
Barghouti’s son clarified in another post hours later that he and his family were not able to reach out to the unnamed freed prisoner, who informed them about his father’s condition:
“We are still trying to reach the released prisoner who contacted me this morning, but we have not yet been able to. We have contacted all possible official and legal authorities to help us obtain any information, but we have not been able to do so either. I apologize for causing concern to many of my loved ones due to my emotional reaction to the call. I hope my father and all the prisoners are well; that is all that matters to us.”
Israel is seemingly trying to end Barghouti’s life
The incident was perceived by many as an attempt to end Marwan Barghouti’s life, especially after the Trump administration had brought forward a proposal in October, suggesting the release of the consensual Palestinian political leader, so he would rule post-war Gaza.
The proposal had already provoked the ire of Israeli officials, above all Israel’s Minister for National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has unleashed an unprecedented crackdown against the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement since January 2023.
Even before the US government put forward the suggestion, Ben-Gvir had intentionally targeted Barghouti, in particular, by releasing a video, showing him threatening the iconic Palestinian national figure inside his jail in August.
Barghouti’s condition sparked an international outcry
In response to the new development regarding Marwan Barghouti’s condition in Israeli prison, more than 200 public figures from different nationalities over the globe joined an international campaign calling for his release.
“We express our grave concern at the continuing imprisonment of Marwan Barghouti, his violent mistreatment and denial of legal rights whilst imprisoned. We call upon the United Nations and the Governments of the World to actively seek the release of Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison,” the statement reads.
The post Israeli plot to assassinate Marwan Barghouti sparks international outcry appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.
From Peoples Dispatch via This RSS Feed.
Palestinian groups express ‘grave concerns’ over Marwan Barghouti’s safety
Palestinians express alarm following ‘intimidating’ call to family of imprisoned leader alleging new abuse.Lyndal Rowlands (Al Jazeera)
Israeli plot to assassinate Marwan Barghouti sparks international outcry
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1252…
The struggle of veteran freedom fighter, and prominent leader of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement, Marwan Barghouti, came back to the fore this week after his family had received an anonymous “intimidating” call, claiming that he was subjected to systematic brutal torture and abuse by his jailors.Barghouti’s son, Qassam, wrote in a Facebook post on Friday, December 5:
“I woke up this morning to a phone call from a released prisoner, who told me: your father was physically destroyed; they broke his teeth, kept beating him, cut off part of his ear, and broke his fingers just for fun.”
“What should I do? Who should I talk to? To whom should we turn? We are living with this nightmare daily… Oh God, have mercy. My father is now 66 years old. Oh God, where do we find the strength?” Qassam added.
Barghouti’s son clarified in another post hours later that he and his family were not able to reach out to the unnamed freed prisoner, who informed them about his father’s condition:
“We are still trying to reach the released prisoner who contacted me this morning, but we have not yet been able to. We have contacted all possible official and legal authorities to help us obtain any information, but we have not been able to do so either. I apologize for causing concern to many of my loved ones due to my emotional reaction to the call. I hope my father and all the prisoners are well; that is all that matters to us.”
Israel is seemingly trying to end Barghouti’s life
The incident was perceived by many as an attempt to end Marwan Barghouti’s life, especially after the Trump administration had brought forward a proposal in October, suggesting the release of the consensual Palestinian political leader, so he would rule post-war Gaza.The proposal had already provoked the ire of Israeli officials, above all Israel’s Minister for National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has unleashed an unprecedented crackdown against the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement since January 2023.
Even before the US government put forward the suggestion, Ben-Gvir had intentionally targeted Barghouti, in particular, by releasing a video, showing him threatening the iconic Palestinian national figure inside his jail in August.
Barghouti’s condition sparked an international outcry
In response to the new development regarding Marwan Barghouti’s condition in Israeli prison, more than 200 public figures from different nationalities over the globe joined an international campaign calling for his release.“We express our grave concern at the continuing imprisonment of Marwan Barghouti, his violent mistreatment and denial of legal rights whilst imprisoned. We call upon the United Nations and the Governments of the World to actively seek the release of Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison,” the statement reads.
The post Israeli plot to assassinate Marwan Barghouti sparks international outcry appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.
From Peoples Dispatch via This RSS Feed.
Israeli plot to assassinate Marwan Barghouti sparks international outcry
The struggle of veteran freedom fighter, and prominent leader of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement, Marwan Barghouti, came back to the fore this week after his family had received an anonymous “intimidating” call, claiming that he was subjected to systematic brutal torture and abuse by his jailors.Barghouti’s son, Qassam, wrote in a Facebook post on Friday, December 5:
“I woke up this morning to a phone call from a released prisoner, who told me: your father was physically destroyed; they broke his teeth, kept beating him, cut off part of his ear, and broke his fingers just for fun.”
“What should I do? Who should I talk to? To whom should we turn? We are living with this nightmare daily… Oh God, have mercy. My father is now 66 years old. Oh God, where do we find the strength?” Qassam added.
Barghouti’s son clarified in another post hours later that he and his family were not able to reach out to the unnamed freed prisoner, who informed them about his father’s condition:
“We are still trying to reach the released prisoner who contacted me this morning, but we have not yet been able to. We have contacted all possible official and legal authorities to help us obtain any information, but we have not been able to do so either. I apologize for causing concern to many of my loved ones due to my emotional reaction to the call. I hope my father and all the prisoners are well; that is all that matters to us.”
Israel is seemingly trying to end Barghouti’s life
The incident was perceived by many as an attempt to end Marwan Barghouti’s life, especially after the Trump administration had brought forward a proposal in October, suggesting the release of the consensual Palestinian political leader, so he would rule post-war Gaza.The proposal had already provoked the ire of Israeli officials, above all Israel’s Minister for National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has unleashed an unprecedented crackdown against the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement since January 2023.
Even before the US government put forward the suggestion, Ben-Gvir had intentionally targeted Barghouti, in particular, by releasing a video, showing him threatening the iconic Palestinian national figure inside his jail in August.
Barghouti’s condition sparked an international outcry
In response to the new development regarding Marwan Barghouti’s condition in Israeli prison, more than 200 public figures from different nationalities over the globe joined an international campaign calling for his release.“We express our grave concern at the continuing imprisonment of Marwan Barghouti, his violent mistreatment and denial of legal rights whilst imprisoned. We call upon the United Nations and the Governments of the World to actively seek the release of Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison,” the statement reads.
The post Israeli plot to assassinate Marwan Barghouti sparks international outcry appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.
From Peoples Dispatch via This RSS Feed.
Palestinian groups express ‘grave concerns’ over Marwan Barghouti’s safety
Palestinians express alarm following ‘intimidating’ call to family of imprisoned leader alleging new abuse.Lyndal Rowlands (Al Jazeera)
Israeli plot to assassinate Marwan Barghouti sparks international outcry
cross-posted from: hexbear.net/post/6989649
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1252…
The struggle of veteran freedom fighter, and prominent leader of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement, Marwan Barghouti, came back to the fore this week after his family had received an anonymous “intimidating” call, claiming that he was subjected to systematic brutal torture and abuse by his jailors.Barghouti’s son, Qassam, wrote in a Facebook post on Friday, December 5:
“I woke up this morning to a phone call from a released prisoner, who told me: your father was physically destroyed; they broke his teeth, kept beating him, cut off part of his ear, and broke his fingers just for fun.”
“What should I do? Who should I talk to? To whom should we turn? We are living with this nightmare daily… Oh God, have mercy. My father is now 66 years old. Oh God, where do we find the strength?” Qassam added.
Barghouti’s son clarified in another post hours later that he and his family were not able to reach out to the unnamed freed prisoner, who informed them about his father’s condition:
“We are still trying to reach the released prisoner who contacted me this morning, but we have not yet been able to. We have contacted all possible official and legal authorities to help us obtain any information, but we have not been able to do so either. I apologize for causing concern to many of my loved ones due to my emotional reaction to the call. I hope my father and all the prisoners are well; that is all that matters to us.”
Israel is seemingly trying to end Barghouti’s life
The incident was perceived by many as an attempt to end Marwan Barghouti’s life, especially after the Trump administration had brought forward a proposal in October, suggesting the release of the consensual Palestinian political leader, so he would rule post-war Gaza.The proposal had already provoked the ire of Israeli officials, above all Israel’s Minister for National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has unleashed an unprecedented crackdown against the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement since January 2023.
Even before the US government put forward the suggestion, Ben-Gvir had intentionally targeted Barghouti, in particular, by releasing a video, showing him threatening the iconic Palestinian national figure inside his jail in August.
Barghouti’s condition sparked an international outcry
In response to the new development regarding Marwan Barghouti’s condition in Israeli prison, more than 200 public figures from different nationalities over the globe joined an international campaign calling for his release.“We express our grave concern at the continuing imprisonment of Marwan Barghouti, his violent mistreatment and denial of legal rights whilst imprisoned. We call upon the United Nations and the Governments of the World to actively seek the release of Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison,” the statement reads.
The post Israeli plot to assassinate Marwan Barghouti sparks international outcry appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.
From Peoples Dispatch via This RSS Feed.
Israeli plot to assassinate Marwan Barghouti sparks international outcry
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1252…The struggle of veteran freedom fighter, and prominent leader of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement, Marwan Barghouti, came back to the fore this week after his family had received an anonymous “intimidating” call, claiming that he was subjected to systematic brutal torture and abuse by his jailors.Barghouti’s son, Qassam, wrote in a Facebook post on Friday, December 5:
“I woke up this morning to a phone call from a released prisoner, who told me: your father was physically destroyed; they broke his teeth, kept beating him, cut off part of his ear, and broke his fingers just for fun.”
“What should I do? Who should I talk to? To whom should we turn? We are living with this nightmare daily… Oh God, have mercy. My father is now 66 years old. Oh God, where do we find the strength?” Qassam added.
Barghouti’s son clarified in another post hours later that he and his family were not able to reach out to the unnamed freed prisoner, who informed them about his father’s condition:
“We are still trying to reach the released prisoner who contacted me this morning, but we have not yet been able to. We have contacted all possible official and legal authorities to help us obtain any information, but we have not been able to do so either. I apologize for causing concern to many of my loved ones due to my emotional reaction to the call. I hope my father and all the prisoners are well; that is all that matters to us.”
Israel is seemingly trying to end Barghouti’s life
The incident was perceived by many as an attempt to end Marwan Barghouti’s life, especially after the Trump administration had brought forward a proposal in October, suggesting the release of the consensual Palestinian political leader, so he would rule post-war Gaza.The proposal had already provoked the ire of Israeli officials, above all Israel’s Minister for National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has unleashed an unprecedented crackdown against the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement since January 2023.
Even before the US government put forward the suggestion, Ben-Gvir had intentionally targeted Barghouti, in particular, by releasing a video, showing him threatening the iconic Palestinian national figure inside his jail in August.
Barghouti’s condition sparked an international outcry
In response to the new development regarding Marwan Barghouti’s condition in Israeli prison, more than 200 public figures from different nationalities over the globe joined an international campaign calling for his release.“We express our grave concern at the continuing imprisonment of Marwan Barghouti, his violent mistreatment and denial of legal rights whilst imprisoned. We call upon the United Nations and the Governments of the World to actively seek the release of Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison,” the statement reads.
The post Israeli plot to assassinate Marwan Barghouti sparks international outcry appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.
From Peoples Dispatch via This RSS Feed.
Palestinian groups express ‘grave concerns’ over Marwan Barghouti’s safety
Palestinians express alarm following ‘intimidating’ call to family of imprisoned leader alleging new abuse.Lyndal Rowlands (Al Jazeera)
How slime and dumb rocks can help us better define “smart”
How slime and dumb rocks can help us better define “smart”
As we crank up our search for more powerful AI, maybe we should slow down and reimagine the shape and language of intelligence itself.Eric Markowitz (Big Think)
This looks like a job for Content Filter
This looks like a job for Content Filter
I noticed this post by jwz:
Really wish Mastodon web-interface filters had booleans, for so many reasons, but today's thing I wish I could accomplish but cannot: "Hide posts by [REDACTED] that are boosts of other people mentioning [REDACTED]."
I think I understand this. Fred boosts a post that mentions Fred, and jwz wants to filter this out. But he still wants to see other posts and boosts by Fred. And he still wants to see other people's posts that happen to mention Fred, as long as Fred didn't boost them.
Okay, we have the optional Content Filter app in (streams)/Forte (and in Hubzilla, although I'm not sure if it's identical). Can we do that?
I haven't tried to figure this out yet, so I'll just leave it here as a logic puzzle for the rest of you. 😸 Be aware that Mike added a new feature to Content Filter back in July, and it isn't documented in the help file yet:
Mike wrote:
I very recently pulled in some recent updates to the MessageFilter by Mario; so you can create slightly more complex rules requiring AND/OR logic (using && and ||).For instance
lang=de && #>10
will filter posts in German AND which have more than 10 hashtags.lang=de || lang=it
will filter people posting either in German OR Italian.
I sincerely hope that these Boolean filters will work as intended and advertised. At least on my main Hubzilla channel, one Boolean line on a per-contact blocklist defeats not only the whole blocklist, but the allowlist along with it.
What makes matters worse is that Mario can't reproduce that bug, even though I gave the devs not only steps to reproduce it, but even a number of test cases.
But generally speaking, Boolean filter lines are always welcome. They make channels specialising in one or a few topics much easier to handle with loads of connections.
would be extremely based
KPRF is the second biggest party in the Duma, but only has 57 seats while United Russia has 315. I'm guessing this doesn't pass.
like this
☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆ likes this.
Id cheer nearly anything that challenges the current regime, but I'm afraid in a while you will find out, that there can be no organised popular movement there able to challenge the regime same as currently there can be none in the western states. Any live and not imprisoned opposition politicians in Russia are either controlled or currupted, every one they can't easilly controlled is killed and imprisoned. Not that I particularly liked any of them, but this is how it works. And the masses can do shit against a modern internal army. So untill the regime falls by internal or external forces, there will be no change there.
Yeah, i know you follow a russian nationalist definition of imperialism in which russia can not be imperialist, but that's beyond the point.
We could argue about what you belive to be true about a supposed communist party and what I know to be true for such organisations in the region, but neither of us is going to convice or educate the other, since there's no respect on either of sides, so its a waste of time. Ill just point out that internal army in russia does not have to be omnipotent, but russia is authoritarian enough for any mass oposition to be impossible anyway. To put it simply: not much will cross an internal border control, or the regime controlled internet, unless the regime allows it. And that's long before you're reach areas really controlled by internal corps or FSB.
Anyway my point is just that the title is worded is such a way as to project a better image of a nationalist regime, and it is done be a russian nationalist posing as a communist. Do what you will with this, but its what half of supposed ideology here boils down to nowdays.
i know you follow a russian nationalist definition of imperialism in which russia can not be imperialist, but that’s beyond the point.
You know you're cooked when you're opening with petulant lies
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vogo13
in reply to vogo13 • • •You can be a crybaby and downvote, or you Canadians could also actually begin your boycott instead of this virtue signalling and false platitudes.
canschluss.ca/
Canschluss is coming
canschluss.canon_burglar
in reply to vogo13 • • •kbal
in reply to vogo13 • • •like this
NoneOfUrBusiness likes this.
Sunshine (she/her)
in reply to kbal • • •kbal likes this.
StoneyPicton
in reply to vogo13 • • •sns
in reply to vogo13 • • •mrdown
in reply to vogo13 • • •like this
NoneOfUrBusiness likes this.
velindora
in reply to mrdown • • •mrdown
in reply to velindora • • •like this
NoneOfUrBusiness likes this.
velindora
in reply to mrdown • • •mrdown
in reply to velindora • • •like this
NoneOfUrBusiness likes this.
velindora
in reply to mrdown • • •And, How would you propose that The Canadian government force these new Industries to produce Canadian products that rival well established American products, like the iPhone? And manufactured them…
Where do you think that money is going to come from?
mrdown
in reply to velindora • • •velindora
in reply to mrdown • • •Oh okay, so things that aren’t going to happen.
You do know $24b/y isn’t enough right? An entire self sustaining manufacturing country, with software and hardware design to rival the biggest tech companies on earth, who have decades of experience, intellectual property, and partnerships?
You’re out of your mind. This is pure fantasy.
For $24b, you can get… one car manufacturer, but the electronics are coming from China.
mrdown
in reply to velindora • • •velindora
in reply to mrdown • • •mrdown
in reply to velindora • • •velindora
in reply to mrdown • • •$24b CAD/y is not enough. That’s reality.
Just admit you’re wrong, the math literally does not add up.
Swordgeek
in reply to vogo13 • • •Well, you certainly seem to be an asshole.
Besides, you're missing the point - ALL of the points.
1) There are unfortunately a lot of things that cannot be done without US companies. You call people losers for having an Apple or Android phone or using a credit card, but what other options are there right now?
2) We may not be doing perfectly - hell, we're probably not doing as well as we should - but not getting everything perfect right away doesn't negate what we've done.
3) The point isn't to hurt the US - we're not big enough to really accomplish that. The point is to avoid the US as much as we can for our benefit and sovereignty.
like this
FaceDeer likes this.
Sunshine (she/her)
in reply to vogo13 • • •Threeskittiesinatrenchcoat
in reply to vogo13 • • •For this we need Canadian alternatives, but the tech monopolies having a stranglehold on the supply chain. For all the tough talk, all this American tech was built with Chinese labour, and with chips made in Taiwan.
To get Canadian alternatives we'd probably need a crown corporation, simply because under the current market conditions there isn't going to be a way for a Canadian tech company to enter the market now and compete with the likes of Apple or Google.
I'm all for this, but it's going to be a very hard sell in the current political climate.
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Auli
in reply to Threeskittiesinatrenchcoat • • •velindora
in reply to vogo13 • • •like this
FaceDeer likes this.
excursion22
in reply to vogo13 • • •cv_octavio
in reply to vogo13 • • •Weird. It's 100% successful in my household, and I just told my employer in won't be traveling to the conference they wanted me to next year because I won't spend time or money on fascism.
OP must live among weak willed people.
like this
FaceDeer likes this.
badmancrooks
in reply to cv_octavio • • •Auli
in reply to cv_octavio • • •cv_octavio
in reply to Auli • • •Reannlegge
in reply to vogo13 • • •I will not be buying another iPad or iPhone, I have “De-Appled” most of the things. I have moved almost all of my web services to Canadian hosts, and I look at all my purchases to make sure they are Canadian first or not US second. I use a pi-hole setup to block ads, and Unwatched to block youtube ads. I have raspberry pi’s to do the computer things.
I moved to Lemmy, an open source social network I am on a Canadian host, to get away from Reddit.
The government of Canada is constantly looking for trade deals that are not centred on the US. I think the boycott is working.
panda_abyss
in reply to vogo13 • • •Things take time, jackass.
You can't walk into a store and buy a non Google off some phone yet, so yeah, people aren't magicking then into existence.
teslasdisciple
in reply to vogo13 • • •Maple Engineer
in reply to teslasdisciple • • •