Thomas Germain's discussions

omg I’m absolutely using cookie monster for the art next time I write about this Read more

Very close! The idea is that the only thing companies can learn about you is that you’re in a particular cohort, but they won’t be able to pick you out and follow you around individually (in theory). And you’re right, there are some very serious anti-competitive concerns here. Google says that Privacy Sandbox doesn’t… Read more

I think this is the wrong take. They absolutely continue to harvest your data, they aren’t denying that. That is a privacy problem. But what they’re doing is creating a targeted ad system that works without giving away as much detail about you as an individual. That’s a slight improvement over the status quo. If you… Read more

moonpie?
Read more

. Read more

I think the idea is they don’t need to pay anyone to read it, they can make DJ say anything they want to, but I have the same impression. It’s all pretty scripted, but it seems there’s some level of personalization in terms of which prompts and sets you get when you listen. But it didn’t take very long before I think… Read more

I would KILL for hi-fi streaming. I think it’s something a lot of users want, I’d happily pay more for it. Read more

That’s all I ask Read more

But it was the still the most delicious Baja Blast I’ve ever tasted
Read more

What a dumb mistake, I think I’m still tired from last time. Thank you. Read more

I think that’s the wrong way to read it. Very often, the data that’s requested doesn’t exist. Also, some of those requests were just asking Ring to preserve data in case law enforcement wanted it, but then law enforcement never comes back to actually try and get ahold of the data.  Read more

This is cute Read more

I understand your criticism, but as long as we’re overemphasizing things, I’ll emphasize to you that you’re 100% wrong about what I’m ignorant about here. I’m well aware that anthropomorphism in the context of AI and LLMs in particular is a problem. I’ll do you one better. I agree with you a to a point, there is a lot… Read more

woof I’m so used to ad tech flying over people’s heads that your joke flew over mine
Read more

.
Read more

Lol yeah you caught me, I have a long track record of supporting corporations and Elon Musk—especially during my years at *Consumer Reports.* But my corporate shilling has only gotten worse since I started writing for Gizmodo, a publication that’s famously friendly to the tech industry
Read more

If that’s what you what to call a nuanced, evidence based argument with ten different examples that’s about defending people’s right to avoid Nazis then be my guest pal. Section 230 has nothing to do with defending my bosses, Gizmodo is a publisher. It protects us from legal liability for the dumb things people say in… Read more

You caught me, I get a paycheck from Big Censorship™ every week. Give me a break Read more

That’s not how it works, you can target whoever you want on Facebook. Read more

I appreciate the criticism, but I don’t think I’m spinning anything here. Charging for verification seemed (to me and lots of other people) like a bad business move, but now it seems like it was a good business move. Apparently it’s a winning strategy. We’ve written lots of articles about the negative effects of the… Read more