tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post1246387438012499529..comments2024-03-29T04:54:50.435-05:00Comments on Bayou Renaissance Man: How "Big Tech" got big enough to own our government and our politicians, and control our access to informationPeterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10595089829300831372noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-81111600252778597392021-03-13T10:47:37.328-06:002021-03-13T10:47:37.328-06:00I think it’s fascinating that so many people frame...I think it’s fascinating that so many people frame socialism vs fascism as a left vs right conflict nowadays. They are both closed market systems which discourage innovation, competition, and eventually personal freedom. The only meaningful difference between the two is the facade chosen by those who rule over the means of production. <br /><br />I’ve been scribbling on this a bit myself. Might post something soon. We’ll see if it comes together.Mr. Engineering Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14836082448388766212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-35569150477380381912021-03-12T07:41:27.200-06:002021-03-12T07:41:27.200-06:00I went to five stores looking for a replacement se...I went to five stores looking for a replacement seal for my old Presto pressure cooker. Could have ordered it on line in about five minutes. Last place I went (Farmer's Coop) said they could order it for me so that will be another trip into town to pick it up when it arrives. However, I didn't spend money at Amazon and I told people at three of the stores why I wasn't just ordering one from Amazon. Told them about Amazon commissioning cheap copies of stuff being sold on their platform, and told them that I wouldn't be supporting Amazon any more. They were all amazed and thoughtful. This is an easy message because it isn't political.<br /><br />This will have to go through the courts, imo. I know they aren't particularly reliable, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally. Lawsuits every time one of the big tech companies can be proved to have colluded (there are whistleblowers out there); lawsuits every time they violate terms of service, even if it is implied terms (Parler).<br /><br />Support alternative platforms such as Gab (I don't do social media so this is a difficult one for me), switch to anonymous browsers and tech (I use Brave and Signal Messaging for now) and have opened a Protonmail account. This begins the process of starving the beast of advertising revenue. Alternative bookstores online. I saw two on Sarah's blog the other day (I think that's where I saw them linked) and of course promptly forgot what they were. Requires authors to do the extra work of migrating over and the fans to do the extra work of telling their friends so that it becomes worthwhile. And, of course, sue when Amazon figures out a way to shut them down.heresolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00461382067580153600noreply@blogger.com