We all thought Bill Gates was a megalomaniac, but clearly we didn’t know shit

Interesting, maybe the content has changed, I probably don’t watch enough TV to have noticed. But I think Channel 4 news is pretty good, and I liked their Paralympics coverage.

But then you could look at Channel 4, which does show ads to UK people, but I think Channel 4 is still okay and I don’t think it has been ruined by ads. So maybe a profit motive is what causes enshittification, rather than just ads. I definitely hate ads but maybe ads alone don’t destroy platforms.

True, they don’t show commercial adverts in the UK, but they do to other countries. People outside the UK can access the BBC website but they’ll see adverts on there, and apparently BBC America (shown in the US) has commercial adverts

And Channel 4 of course does show commercial adverts in the UK, but I think they still make some decent content, and I don’t think they’re on the verge of self-destruction

Maybe the real problem is when an entity is chasing profits, because Channel 4 isn’t a normal for-profit business, since they’re owned by the government, and I think they have to abide by some rules

I don’t think that’s necessarily true - maybe it depends on (a) the owners of the platform and/or (b) whether there are sources of funding besides advertising

E.g. here in the UK, the BBC and Channel 4 are both broadcasters owned by the government, and both are funded at least in part by adverts. But I think both of them are relatively healthy and aren’t on the brink of destroying themselves.

I think most of the BBC’s funding comes from the licence fee (British people pay for a TV licence) but they make some money from ads shown to international audiences. Channel 4 is solely funded by adverts I think, but it’s owned by the government and I think they have to abide by certain rules and targets.

Same I think. Here in the UK the main two TV news channels (BBC and Sky) have extensively reported on deaths and suffering in Gaza, and now they are reporting on the situation in Lebanon

Of course there are also right-wing papers (Telegraph, Express) who give the impression that Israel is always good and everybody else is always bad, but they’re just one segment of the overall media

The Steam Deck seems like a decent console, if that counts, because you’re free to do what you want with it

But perhaps you consider that to just be a handheld PC instead of a console, which I suppose is true

If someone has bought a Switch game legally, then it’s legal to dump that game to a PC and play it on a Switch emulator, right?

Sure you could say that very few people dump their own games, but those that do are doing everything legally I think?

We all know that social media can encourage extremism in some people, but it’s surprising when it happens to the richest guy in the world

The funny part was when he said he was a free speech absolutist, but then he started restricting the free speech of people he doesn’t like

More anti-consumer stuff from corporate bigwigs

I just use Google with uBlock Origin to get rid of adverts

I guess it’s personal to different people. Some people don’t care about sex and that’s fine. Some people want sex, and as long as they do it in an ethical way (e.g. not sexually abusing anybody), that’s fine too.

If sex does matter to someone then they might not want to lose that part of themselves. Just like, if you have a certain hobby, you might think “I hope I maintain my interest in this hobby, because it’s a key part of who I am”.

Sex is important to most organisms. I don’t think people want sex just because it’s a norm in society. I think they want it due to an instinctive desire. Just like people want to eat food and breathe air.

I think you are right. Somebody who lights themselves on fire could try to ignite other people. The cops are just following their training and trying to make sure that the guy doesn’t try to harm others.

And saying the cops are cowardly for this behaviour doesn’t really make sense, I don’t think. They’re thinking the guy could try to hurt others, so they’re prepared to stop that.

Well, if we’re talking about actual physical violence against people, I don’t think advocating for that is a great idea. Especially since, if you try to use violence against people you don’t like, they will probably try to use violence against you.

Centrist here. I don’t think the point of horseshoe theory is that the far-left and far-right are the same. The point is simply that they have similarities. Like both wanting to use violence to achieve their aims.

I’m not trying to justify unlimited greed, nor do I mean that we should permit unlimited greed. I’m saying the opposite of that - I think we should have laws to curtail unlimited greed.

But I do still think greed and selfishness are human nature, because when I look at humans, I consistently see selfishness and greed. Maybe this means I’m a pessimist but I think it’s just realistic. If humans weren’t inherently greedy and selfish then there would be no need for laws that punish theft.

As for whether greed and selfishness have been dominant in human societies… it looks like the rich and powerful in society, throughout history, never gave up their power and wealth unless they were made to do so.

You are wrong. HMD is a Finnish company, not Chinese. Apparently it is largely made up of former Nokia employees.

If you’re going to be a smart-arse and say things like “you’re welcome”, maybe you should check the facts first.

To be fair, he may well have been like that. Humans have been selfish bastards since the dawn of time. And maybe this is why we need good government regulations - because human nature is greed. Any company in a position of power will just leech as much money as they can, if nobody is going to stop them.