MattMerk

MattMerk, 1 month ago to random

I just had a conversation with a guy who said, “Yeah, well I’m a capitalist.”

So I asked, “Okay, how much capital do you have?”

Boy, oh boy, does that question put things in perspective. He became a caricature of an old Warner Brothers cartoon character, trying to compose himself as he fumbled for words, all while he avoided actually answering the question.

So I simply repeated the question. I highly recommend.

MattMerk, 3 months ago to filmmaking

#Filmmaking

MattMerk, 7 months ago to random

Seen in the wild. A Tesla model 3 with a bumper sticker stating “I BOUGHT THIS BEFORE WE KNEW ELON WAS CRAZY.”

MattMerk, 2 months ago to random

I love the idea of UBI. I only wish there was more discussion about the reality that as soon as a UBI happens, the wealth-hoarder class absolutely will do every single thing they can to claw back that money. How does anyone stop them? I ask because they did it with Covid stimulus checks by jacking up prices, and they've been doing it by creeping up the retirement age, and, and, and.... We aren't really doing anything to stop them already. UBI seems like a band-aid in that context.

Discuss.

MattMerk, 4 months ago to random

I keep having eyebrow raising moments reading the book #ChokepointCapitalism. This one being: the factual news is hidden behind paywalls, while the news articles based on lies are free.

Yowza!

Again, HT: @pluralistic

MattMerk, 5 months ago to random

Logged into Threads just to peek around, and it basically looks like the generally rage-fueled, pre-space Karen twitter. Did not see nice people nerding out over stuff they made or are just plain interested in. Do not recommend.

MattMerk, 4 months ago to random

Survey time: outside of YouTube itself and it being owned by Google, what are some of the things you hate most about YouTube videos?

MattMerk, 11 months ago to random

Just a friendly reminder that the studios and producers, represented by their union busting cabal the #AMPTP, wants to bust the #WritersGuild. In essence, they want the writers to have the same relationship as their deal with #VFX workers. And I can tell you, not having a trade union when dealing with billionaires is a losing and constantly diminishing proposition. #WritersStrike

MattMerk, 4 months ago to random

If you've heard the Trader Joe's news about attacking the National Labor Relations Board, feel free to give them a call and let them know how you feel.
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/contact-us

MattMerk, 4 months ago to random

Larry Tesler, inventor of the cut, copy, and paste commands, dies at 74 https://ioc.exchange/@mikemathia/111852682025109253

MattMerk, 27 days ago to random

This latest from @pluralistic is yet another great peek behind the curtain.

"... this is exactly what the self-driving car bros did over the past decade to convince us all that the human driver was already obsolete. The playbook was nearly identical, right down to the shameless huckster insisting that 'full self-driving is one to two years away' every year for a decade ..."

https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/112457035116703740

MattMerk, 7 months ago to random

Adobe is a garbage company.
https://cosocial.ca/@timbray/111370451370868725

And there are many excellent alternatives to the middling software they produce.

aral, 1 month ago to random

May the 4th be with you.

#abca

Via @RadicalGraffiti

MattMerk, 1 year ago to random

Normalize calling tech corporations using subscription models: "Software landlords."

MattMerk, 3 months ago to random

#CDCSays New policies now brought to you by Chat GPT!

MattMerk, 9 months ago to random

"I feel guilty that 'Rosemary's Baby' led to The Exorcist, The Omen. A whole generation has been exposed, has more belief in Satan. I don't believe in Satan. And I feel that the strong fundamentalism we have would not be as strong if there hadn't been so many of these books … Of course, I didn't send back any of the royalty checks." - Ira Levin - author of Rosemary’s Baby
#FavoriteQuotes

MattMerk, 4 months ago to random

After finishing #ForAllMankind on Apple TV+ I am convinced ...

(spoilers)

... that this is a prequel to The Expanse, and the colonists left on Mars are the ancestors of the belters.

MattMerk, 4 months ago to random

TIL: The term "regulatory capture" was actually coined by the Chicago School of Economics, and it was not a term of criticism but something they were advocating to do!

HT: @pluralistic and the book Chokepoint Capitalism

MattMerk, 5 months ago to random

There's that thing called "show-rooming" where people go to a retail space to see an item firsthand that they then go home and order from Amazon.

If I recall correctly Cory Doctorow, @pluralistic wrote on this topic about a reverse version of this: where you find an item on Amazon and are then directed to where you can get the item either locally, or through mail-order, but from a different online source than Jeff Bozos.

Am I dreaming? Anyone know of such a thing. I really want to dump Amazon.

MattMerk, 6 months ago to random

With all the #Enshitification happening in the digital world, I thought this morning might be a good time to remove the DRM from all my audio books. Who knows when these will get yanked for no reason by the company I quote/unquote "bought" them from.

As has been said by many smarter people than me, when you don't actually own it, it's not piracy. 😉

BTW: Here's what I use for all this de-DRMing, though it's not the only game in town. It's just really easy. https://epubor.com

MattMerk, 7 months ago to random

Remember when the US Senate passed a bill to end the daylight saving time switch and the house let it die? I do. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-approves-bill-that-would-make-daylight-savings-time-permanent-2023-2022-03-15/

MattMerk, 7 months ago to random

What more could really be said?
https://www.theonion.com/the-onion-stands-with-israel-because-it-seems-like-yo-1850922505

MattMerk, 8 months ago to random

https://www.theonion.com/new-york-times-issues-apology-for-reporting-palestini-1850915694?utm_campaign=TheOnion&utm_content=1696969533&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_source=twitter

MattMerk, 4 months ago to random

I just finished the second chapter of #ChokepointCapitalism by @pluralistic and Rebecca Giblin, and I can already give this one a highly recommend. It’s one thing to be angry at the state of the world, but it’s strangely comforting to see exactly how we got here.

StillIRise1963, 1 month ago to random

It’s so shocking to me how we’re letting extremely wealthy people kill the future.