Today's Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

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18710 posts

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#3411060 4-Sep-2025 12:56

It's purely an industry protection measure and a delaying play.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/texas-lab-grown-meat-ban-b2819360.html

Lab Cultured Meat is typically not GMOed as I understand it

On the other hand the vast majority of Texas ranchers are very likely to be using GMOs in their operations on a daily basis. GMO cattle directly in some cases as well imo. Texas is a hotbed of biotech.

k1w1k1d

1717 posts

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#3411343 4-Sep-2025 22:21

Bosch dishwasher needs internet connection to use all functions.

I won't connect my dishwasher to your stupid cloud

johno1234

3371 posts

Uber Geek
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#3411485 5-Sep-2025 09:42

k1w1k1d:

Bosch dishwasher needs internet connection to use all functions.

I won't connect my dishwasher to your stupid cloud

Yeah have noticed this trend. They are dumbing down the UI on appliances (and on the remote controller for air conditioning) to reduce the build cost and offloading it onto the "smart" app. We have a heat pump (Haier) that has no way to set schedules using the remote - can only be done with the app.

deepred

623 posts

Ultimate Geek
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#3411668 5-Sep-2025 17:22

k1w1k1d:

Bosch dishwasher needs internet connection to use all functions.

I won't connect my dishwasher to your stupid cloud

As Cory Doctorow would describe it, it's part of the ensh*ttification process. And "dumb" devices are far more resistant to hackers & malware.

"I regret to say that we of the F.B.I. are powerless to act in cases of oral-genital intimacy, unless it has in some way obstructed interstate commerce." — J. Edgar Hoover

"Create a society that values material things above all else. Strip it of industry. Raise taxes for the poor and reduce them for the rich and for corporations. Prop up failed financial institutions with public money. Ask for more tax, while vastly reducing public services. Put adverts everywhere, regardless of people's ability to afford the things they advertise. Allow the cost of food and housing to eclipse people's ability to pay for them. Light blue touch paper." — Andrew Maxwell

deepred

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#3411671 5-Sep-2025 17:27

gzt: It's purely an industry protection measure and a delaying play.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/texas-lab-grown-meat-ban-b2819360.html

Lab Cultured Meat is typically not GMOed as I understand it

On the other hand the vast majority of Texas ranchers are very likely to be using GMOs in their operations on a daily basis. GMO cattle directly in some cases as well imo. Texas is a hotbed of biotech.

For a state that claims to be one of America's "freest", it's long had a very warped concept of freedom.

Technofreak

6657 posts

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#3411701 5-Sep-2025 19:32

Trying to do simple things in Oz.

Things like;

Topping up the MYKI public transport card for Victoria using the app. Start the process only to find they will only accept Australian issued credit cards. W T F? Have to use the MYKI machines which are only at certain stations.

Trying to book a taxi. Pretty well all companies push you towards downloading and using their app. OK, I'm not a fan of having a proliferation of one time use apps on my phone but hey I can make an exception. Trouble is I am unable to download most apps since Google Play is geofencing my device to New Zealand and those apps are not available in New Zealand. Strike 1.

For the apps I can download I have to enter my phone number to set up the app, BUT.......... they only accept an Australian number. Strike 2.

Revert to just booking by phone, the only choice is to use the 1300 number, which of course you cannot call using roaming. Strike 3.

Why does it have to be so hard?

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KiwiSurfer

1730 posts

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#3411706 5-Sep-2025 20:28

Australia is a strange place sometimes. I got a VFAU SIM last time I went over there. Thought it'd be useful to download the VFAU app but I can't because only people with their store region set to Australia can download it. Not sure if other AU telcos have the same restriction?

Handle9

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#3411709 5-Sep-2025 20:33

What I’m trying to work out is why anyone would want to take a taxi when there are much more convenient alternatives

KiwiSurfer

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#3411712 5-Sep-2025 20:39

Handle9:

What I’m trying to work out is why anyone would want to take a taxi when there are much more convenient alternatives

Cheaper maybe? While I just Uber these days as normally I claim back the cost from $WORK, i do recall when comparing Uber with Co-Op AKL that sometimes the latter was cheaper. Especially during surge pricing times.

richms

29109 posts

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#3411722 5-Sep-2025 22:14

I find the uber surges seem to go away after 15-20 mins, so would rather wait it out than support the legacy taxi industy

Richard rich.ms

Technofreak

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#3411728 5-Sep-2025 23:17

Handle9:

What I’m trying to work out is why anyone would want to take a taxi when there are much more convenient alternatives

I presume you're referring to Uber. I refuse to support a business that is willing to flagrantly ignore the laws of the country they operate in, to gain a commercial advantage. Which is exactly what Uber did when they started in New Zealand. Also anecdotally they're not always cheaper or reliable, with rides booked and on their way to you which drop your job for a better deal.

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Dell Inspiron 14z i5

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Handle9

11930 posts

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#3411731 6-Sep-2025 00:33

Technofreak:

Handle9:

What I’m trying to work out is why anyone would want to take a taxi when there are much more convenient alternatives

I presume you're referring to Uber. I refuse to support a business that is willing to flagrantly ignore the laws of the country they operate in, to gain a commercial advantage. Which is exactly what Uber did when they started in New Zealand. Also anecdotally they're not always cheaper or reliable, with rides booked and on their way to you which drop your job for a better deal.

Uber, Ola, Didi, whatever the local versions are....

There's more than one.

PolicyGuy

1822 posts

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#3411742 6-Sep-2025 08:38

Handle9:

Uber, Ola, Didi, whatever the local versions are....

There's more than one.

For some of us.

Out here in the provincial urban centres, there's less than one.
It's the taxi or walk.

Rikkitic

Awrrr
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#3411743 6-Sep-2025 08:49

Big Brother is definitely listening: I play around a lot with free AIs like ChatGPT and of course I assume that anything I say will not remain private. But I had an interesting session last night so I pass this on for whatever it is worth:

In the context of another conversation, the Perplexity AI pointed out to me that every single scrap of conversation it has with every single user, everything, is being retained indefinitely for potential future court use. Apparently the reason for this has to do with the case the New York Times has brought against ChatGPT but it covers every on-line interaction so whatever you tell an AI is being saved for posterity. This just came into effect as the result of a court ruling. Maybe it is well known but I wasn’t previously aware of it so I thought it might be worth mentioning for anyone else who didn’t know. Don’t say anything to an AI that you don’t want replayed in a US court.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

johno1234

3371 posts

Uber Geek
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#3411790 6-Sep-2025 09:18

This is part of how it learns?

I’m ok with it storing what a user says but expect it would not store a user’s identity in a way that allows a tracing back to the user.

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