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Bricking
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Ideas & Questions
- Hits: 2736
Bricking. From the Wikipedia:
"The word "brick", when used in reference to consumer electronics, describes an electronic device such as smartphone, game console, router, or tablet computer that, due to a serious misconfiguration, corrupted firmware, or a hardware problem, can no longer function, hence, is as technologically useful as a brick."
Bricking can also be used to intentionally disable computers or hardware that have been modified to play "Unauthorized" content or run unauthorized apps. Consider Apple's "Error 53" - which ruins all iPhones repaired by unauthorized dealers. I'm not making this up. They are, apparently, well within their legal rights to do so. Do you own the phone?
And an interesting article on Google's acquisition of a tech company, and product, and then subsequent announcement that upon the end of the warranty on the product it would "Brick" it. Meaning Kill it. Read the full article here: https://medium.com/@arlogilbert/the-time-that-tony-fadell-sold-me-a-container-of-hummus-cb0941c762c1#.1lfxbvyf5.
This type of corporate ethos makes me increasingly uncomfortable, and raises some interesting questions regarding ownership. Do you really every own the product if the company that sold it to you (or it's subsequent acquiring company) can destroy it at will and without repercussion? What does ownership now mean? Do you own things, or are you owned by the companies that sold them to you? Consider Keurig, the idiots choice for mediocre coffee. Or GM's claim to own the software inside your car, or John Deere's ownership of your tractor. Or Monsanto's ownership of your farm, crops and grain. Three links here: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130513/12113523062/monsanto-wins-case-seed-patents-planting-your-own-legally-purchased-grown-seeds-can-be-infringing.shtml && https://thegranddisillusion.wordpress.com/monsanto-vs-farmer/ && http://www.cnbc.com/id/100464458. In fact the evils of Monsanto are far too long to be listed here, and would require months of your own research and hair pulling. It's good to be aware, but be warned you're treading now the thin line between awareness and insanity...
The intrusion of technology into our lives, increasingly, daily, has raised some complex moral and ethical dilemmas that are consistently being resolved in favor of the companies selling us these products. We own less, and in a way, after the companies fashion, rent more of our lives. For the company, this is great, we are now the lifetime consumer. But for us, maybe, not so good...
Think about it. Do you want to own your life, or merely rent it from a company?
Iceland
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 3024
I like Iceland. By which I mean, I've never been, but from pictures on the web and the music of Bjork it seems a pretty progressive place.
They don't put up with a lot of shit either...
Following the 2008 Financial Collapse, orchestrated largely by the banks, they chose to hold their bankers accountable and imprisoned them. This is without precedent, the bankers who orchestrated the 2008 US Collapse not only profited hugely from their fraud and market manipulations, they continued to profit through bailouts, despite any number of clear and transparent examples of market manipulation and fraud.
This week, one of the reasons came to light with the leak of the "Panama Papers", the biggest leak in history, showing how the rich and powerful use tax havens like Panama to illegally store and launder their money. So far, not enormously big news in the west, despite any number of notable figures being named, but also interesting in that they've already begun censoring the internet in China for any mention of them...China's ruling party have a number of inconvenient ties to Panamanian Banks. Vladimir Putin as well. As well as any number of Western and European Companies, Political figures and celebrities.
How many banks are there in Panama, anyways?
As always in the west we'll probably ignore it, or find, vilify, and if possible imprison the person who leaked the information, certainly we will in no ways seek justice for those whose transgressions are made apparent.
The Prime Minister of Iceland's name was listed in the papers. And in the ensuing demonstrations has (apparently) resigned, despite no proof of wrongdoing, but in Iceland, after the Banking & Economic Collapse of 2008, appearances are everything, and the Prime Minister has resigned. Or not, maybe...
What is certain is that one way or another the people will demand, and have, justice. This, too me, demonstrates a nation of people with both will and a strong moral compass.
I've never been, but I like Iceland.
$500.00 Damage for a $20.00 Score
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Rants
- Hits: 2444
Finish work, 9:30, an early night, the sun's been down about half an hour. The jeep, parked beside the restaurant, rear passenger window smashed, stolen, my pair of skates (I was getting rather fond of them), they left the friend's pair, they won't fit me, and some glowsticks on the floor. That's it. $500 damage for well under a hundred dollars worth of stolen goods that probably won't fit...
Fuck, I gotta get out of this town. And everywhere on the ride home, cops issuing tickets, photo-radar, in Calgary this is "Policing" or "Detective Work", the half-wits version of Scotland Yard, anything above and beyond issuing traffic tickets or photo-radar is completely beyond their scope and ability...
...and your income, half of what it was formerly, fuck, I'm lucky to have a job, but the cops, they're working overtime issuing tickets, it's a fucked economy where everybody pays but the snivel servants...
M*****
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: People
- Hits: 1926
A ridiculously slow day, broken up with news that M***** had died. Perhaps 57, a waiter there on and off, career waiter throughout the city so a few people were affected. The owner, he pretends, doesn't really care, seems a bit callous, but that's him, his own kids could die and he wouldn't give a damn...
M*****, to sum him up, career alcoholic waiter, perpetually drunk, short, balding, didn't look a day over 70 (and so to discover his real age was a surprise...), dead on vacation to Europe visiting relatives. And so the nephew regales us the entire day with tales of his drunkenness, his propping himself against the chair while he took the order, so as not to fall over, a notepad for a table of 2, and the letters of complaint that often followed his service...me, I'd happily frequent a restaurant where the waiters felt free to be drunk ass-over-keister at 12:00 noon, but others of our customers weren't so forgiving...
...and the hiring of him, he'd worked here before me, been fired for being a drunk, this time, he came for lunch with his wife, younger, the sad pretty of someone who's made a bad marriage, lived her life in regret, the owner speaks to him, receives assurances of his sobriety, M***** is quick to give them, "been months since I've touched a drop..." even if this were true this wouldn't be the job to keep that promise, but if the owner had looked closer the martini and the half liter of wine on the table might have given him away...
M*****, dead, we'd often wondered and shared his many adventures aloud, the other waiter, A***** never knew him, but knows him well enough through the legends, RIP.
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