Notices by Ian Betteridge (ianbetteridge@writing.exchange), page 2

Here's a story about Gates' comments...

https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/6/20952370/bill-gates-windows-mobile-android-competition-comments-microsoft-antitrust

And here's the key point. Importantly, the DOJ didn't have to *legislate* to keep Microsoft out of mobile: the chilling effect of worrying about the antitrust implications slowed the company down enough to make space for others.

An entire generation of tech commentators and CEOs have grown up not understanding the history of antitrust in tech, or the impact it had in shaping the industry. And they really don’t understand that without regulatory action in the 1950s to 1980s, their own businesses would not exist.

Another thing that US pundits get wrong about EU antitrust action: the EU doesn't tell companies *how* to comply, the companies propose solutions and the EU tells them *if* is complies. They don't design your products for you. If a company goes for a browser ballot, say, it's because that's what it wants to do, not because the EU is making them do it that way.

There are definitely days when I look at where we were 40 years ago - high vaccination levels, conspiracy theories confined to weird little books - and think maybe we should just turn off the internet and chalk it up to experience.

I’m shocked, shocked I tell you.

(Reminder: Google Messages “RCS” is not the actually RCS standard, and forces all messages to go through its servers, giving it all the sweet, sweet unencrypted metadata it wants)

https://9to5google.com/2024/02/29/google-messages-rcs-rooted/

Look this is still the best headline in history, I don't make the rules.

700 jobs lost and this lot of shysters is crowing about it.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91039401/klarna-ai-virtual-assistant-does-the-work-of-700-humans-after-layoffs

Really unsurprised at this. A car was well outside Apple’s area of competence, lower margins than they normally want, and a hard market to get into. I could never really see the point.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-27/apple-cancels-work-on-electric-car-shifts-team-to-generative-ai?leadSource=uverify%20wall

Elon Musk buying Twitter just to get personal tech support from Satya Nadella has to be the most expensive support contract in history.

Pet peeve: phrases like "citizen journalists", "citizen scientists", etc. Professional journalists and scientists are also citizens, kids. Why not just call them "amateur"? It's a perfectly good word. And there is nothing wrong with being an amateur at something.

The speed at which Amazon has moved from "we love and care for our workers" to "trying to enforce workers' rights is illegal" is really quite something.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/15/business/economy/amazon-labor-nlrb.html

Well this is quite a thing #musk

https://mashable.com/article/x-twitter-elon-musk-bots-fake-traffic

One of the most embarrassing things I have read

"Pay us more money or we will degrade the service we provide" is the very essence of enshittification.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2024/02/11/amazon-prime-videos-new-ads-based-subscription-has-a-surprise/

@BethanyBlack Argh, that really does take the biscuit. I blocked someone yesterday who popped up with a "why is everyone posting about this just ignore it!!1!1!". Someone who doesn't follow me, who I have never interacted with before. Honestly blocking's too good for them, some kind of taser should be involved.

Remember when politicians were falling over themselves to be associated with Russell Brand, and left wing publications were getting him to guest edit? Yeah, they would all rather you didn't remember that.

The university of Kent, where I virtually live (long story) wants to lay off over 50 academics, including closing its journalism course. Please sign this petition.

https://www.change.org/p/save-arts-humanities-and-social-sciences-subjects-at-the-university-of-kent?recruiter=203519596&recruited_by_id=c8cf45a0-9083-11e4-b3c5-710ce9c0bb18&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf&share_bandit_exp=initial-37878885-en-GB

No (unless it’s “the end of capitalism” https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/feb/07/the-art-of-doing-nothing-have-the-dutch-found-the-answer-to-burnout-culture

What’s that? The world’s richest man, pumping out a racist conspiracy theory? #ElonMusk