Late Stage Capitalism?

KitaYama said:
I know you're kidding. But just as a clarification, sound quality and sound loudness are different.
In US, it's very normal to see black people in cars listening to rap music that can be heard from a mile away. (Source: Movies I've watched)
But Here, it's very very rare to see a car with loud music. And even if you find one, because the genre is not rap, the loud sound doesn't hurt as much as the BUM BUM BUM of rap songs.

The only time that you can listen very carefully, and MAYBE you're able to hear a small sound leaking out of the walls of my car is when I'm driving through the winding roads of Odawara to Hakone.

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I'm glad to hear it, as you probably guessed correctly, I was only partly kidding.

I despise actions which disturb the peace of a neighborhood, including but not limited to very loud motorcycle pipes at 5:30 in the morning.
It's actually a matter of some psychology/fascination to me, wondering in my mind, "What kind of person is it who enjoys knowing that he just woke up 200 people within a mile range of those pipes?" It's hard for me to imagine, but they exist - because I hear them every morning!
 
Isaac said:
It's actually a matter of some psychology/fascination to me, wondering in my mind, "What kind of person is it who enjoys knowing that he just woke up 200 people within a mile range of those pipes?"
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Why do lions on the Serengeti road in a way that echoes from the smaller hills? An assertion of dominance, perhaps?
 
Yep. The same reason small men drive massive jacked up pickup trucks. Napoleon Complex
 
We've been discussing car audio systems BUM BUM and sure enough the randomly placed google ads are about car audio and tinting. Be careful you don't accidentally press on one of the ads, it tried to install an addon in my web browser. I refuse to install the AWF app on my phone. Apps gain all kinds of permissions to obtain your contacts list, emails, anything on your mobile device, beware!
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BlueSpruce said:
Apps gain all kinds of permissions to obtain your contacts list, emails, anything on your mobile device, beware!
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You can set up permissions to disallow that. Anyone who stole my phone would be very disappointed, though, since I don't use it for anything except phone & text messaging and the occasional shopping list.
 
BlueSpruce said:
I refuse to install the AWF app on my phone.
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Is there an AWF app? Where can I download it? I never knew AWF (Access World Forum) has an app to view the forum.

BlueSpruce said:
Apps gain all kinds of permissions to obtain your contacts list, emails, anything on your mobile device, beware!
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Apps on first run, or at install time, ask you if you allow the permissions you're talking. I don't know about iPhone, but in Android, they ask you, and you receive one message at a time for each permission. For each permission you have three options. You can deny, or allow only one time, or allow while the app is running. Then if necessary, you can go to settings, permissions, apps and click each app and set the permission to "Always" or delete it.

You are on control of your device.
 
Many people don't understand the concept of google ads. They think that google is searching their lives to find what they like. There's a technology behind those ads and I'm not going to details. Google has spiders that digest a page and puts ads on the page based on the contents of the page and your localization.
Once you click an ad, it means you're interested in what is advertised, and you receive more of that kind. I don't understand why people are upset about this. Do you prefer to see irrelevant ads?
You don't like this behavior? there's a three dot menu at the top right of any google ad. Click it. You receive this:

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If you want to know why google shows you this ad, click "Why this ad".
If you think the ad is trying to install something, notify google with "Send Feedback". They will investigate and remove if true.
You don't like Google checking what you click, click "Ad options". you will receive this.

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Either switch it off, or click "Learn more" and find a lot of other options to make it work as you wish.
 
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I had a car stereo ad on this page and I checked why.
This is what "Why this ad?" I explained above is showing:

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KitaYama said:
The mid-level trims officially deliver 201 hp, but the hardware is capable of 228 hp—an additional 27 hp that drivers can unlock via subscription.
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This level of wankiness reminds me of a conversation I had with our satellite tv supplier (Sky, better know as 'Bunch of thieving *****) some years ago.

They had a subscription for giving you HD picture quality which essentially meant that if you gave them money, they would get the box to stop downgrading the signal they were already sending you to SD. I sent them a query to ask why I couldn't get HD working on my TV...

"...and in regards to the HD, I’m confused… So apparently I have the right decoder, and Sky are broadcasting me an HD signal. This is a good start.

But, is this suggesting that my unit is deliberately degrading the signal to SD unless I pay you guys some money for it not to do it…? Like you’re holding my decoder to ransom…?

This seems a very strange thing to do to your loyal customers. It’s kind of like a publican supplying me with a jug of beer with a dead rat in it and then charging me to remove it. Not just once mind, but every month the same dead rat.

Please let me know if I have the wrong end of the stick here..."

They eventually ended up giving me the subscription for free :)
 
Darrell said:
This seems a very strange thing to do to your loyal customers. It’s kind of like a publican supplying me with a jug of beer with a dead rat in it and then charging me to remove it. Not just once mind, but every month the same dead rat.
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Great analogy and irrefutable...
 
KitaYama said:
Is there an AWF app? Where can I download it? I never knew AWF (Access World Forum) has an app to view the forum.
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INo app but you can save the link to your home page and open it like an app. 🍎🍊🍎
 
RonPaii said:
INo app but you can save the link to your home page and open it like an app. 🍎🍊🍎
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I know that. But a link opens in the browser. @BlueSpruce said that he had refused to install AWF app.
I was just puzzled how I can find it. Because I prefer to work in the app, rather than a browser and google play says there's no app.
 
KitaYama said:
I know that. But a link opens in the browser. @BlueSpruce said that he had refused to install AWF app.
I was just puzzled how I can find it. Because I prefer to work in the app, rather than a browser and google play says there's no app.
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Correction, there's no Google or Apple AWF app, but I would imagine the Xenforo platform AWF runs on provides that option? I have seen many apps that redirect to web browsers. I prefer using a browser because it's unbound stateless and cannot manipulate the iOS or Android filesystems like apps can, unless you install an addon, whereas most apps have access to your device's settings, contacts, emails, text messages, phone calls, etc. regardless of the permissions you set. An app is an executable file that's installed on your device's file system. It can obtain elevated root permissions. I have seen apps change a device's settings. I just don't trust the fake placebo settings on devices. You can tell several settings do nothing, or can be bypassed.
 
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@BlueSpruce - you are correct. Add-ons are dangerous. Which is why I have limited my own add-ins even on my PC, and more so on my Android. And why I have limited my e-mail to text-only, and why I cranked up security regarding downloads on my antiviral protection. Just because I'm, not really paranoid doesn't mean that someone isn't out to attack me.
 
The_Doc_Man said:
Just because I'm, not really paranoid doesn't mean that someone isn't out to attack me.
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There's always someone out to attack all of us, especially now that state sponsored actors and black hat groups have weaponized AI. Although we're not as high priority as gov infrastructure and corporations, they're attacking from all angles, including spoofed phone calls to 911 reporting armed gunslingers at major universities. It's a coordinated attack designed to disrupt our daily lives and the economy. The only browser extension I have installed is for the VPN.
 
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KitaYama said:
Some people are calling it late stage capitalism.

Volkswagen is now offering extra horsepower for a fee on its ID.3 electric hatchback in the UK.

The mid-level trims officially deliver 201 hp, but the hardware is capable of 228 hp—an additional 27 hp that drivers can unlock via subscription.

Options include $21 per month, $210 per year, or a one-time $825 payment to unlock the performance for the vehicle’s lifetime. The boost also increases torque without reducing range, and because the car is registered at the higher output, insurance isn’t affected. Critics see this as a troubling trend toward monetizing built-in features rather than including them outright.

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Forget Netflix, Volkswagen locks horsepower behind paid subscription | Auto Express

Owners can now subscribe to boost the power of their car… for a fee
www.autoexpress.co.uk www.autoexpress.co.uk

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Not sure if this would be just "Capitalism" as the CCP backs car manufacturers who already do this in China.
 
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