We've seen this story before, just a few days ago.

https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyro.slashdot.org%2Fstory...

While it's not the fault of the guys who discovered this that it was adopted at breakneck speed, there are problems with CRISPR. These problems have even been covered on this site.

"A suite of experiments that use the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 to modify human embryos have revealed how the process can make large, unwanted changes to the genome at or near the target site. "

Won't Spotify want him to close his own website? They seem to prefer exclusive content. How does cutting off people who don't want to pay for the podcast increase his audience? Expect a noticeable drop in his audience once the show is Spotify exclusive. I certainly won't be listening anymore.

It is very important that people realize this also skips the local HOSTS file. That means that people who have been using "null" entries in their HOSTS files to block unpleasant things like ads and snooping will no longer have that particular layer of protection. As protective as encrypted DNS might be of some aspects of privacy, it might not be worth the price in other areas.

Ideally, any network-aware OS should be smart enough to do the encrypted DNS query, but include the local HOSTS check in the process. But I believe the only way to do that right now would require third-party utilities which most people will not be tech-savvy enough to setup for themselves.

Since Opera was once I good browser I had installed it on a device I own. It seemed OK for a while, but then I got flooded with tourism ads for China. The "notices" would respawn as quickly as I could delete them. Uninstall was the only remedy. Now I will not have anything to do with Opera in any OS.

This sounds like they are about to start the mindless updating for the sake of updating that has ruined Firefox. Can some other group be persuaded to fork the current Thunderbird? Wouldn't an integrated email client be a good addition to the Libre Office suite, for example?

No, it's not a non-issue, but it's a different kind of issue than most people realize. Remember the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution and the propaganda they pumped out last decade about how Linux and Open Source in general was a parasite on the tech industry, was enabling all sorts of illegal activities (such as terrorism - of course!), and attempted to publish a book claiming Linus Torvald's didn't really invent the Linux kernel? Microsoft was (and still is!) a major funder of this propaganda mill.

Think about the possible implications of a story like this: Could it generate calls to change the way the Linux kernel and programs that run under it are written? And now MS have their hooks sunk deeply into the kernel dev team. The SCO gambit (also funded by MS) failed, spectacularly. And the Astroturf de Tocqueville gambit failed, though not quite as spectacularly. And now we have MS "cooperating" in the development of Linux. And up pops a story that may justify an overhaul of Linux to make it controllable by MS Windows. Well, surprise, surprise! This "change of attitude" by MS is looking more and more like a subtler strategy to seize control of Linux rather than outright destroy it.

If enough of us ask nicely, or not so nicely, the FTC might sue them.

Send your complaints about Microsoft's unfair and unethical behavior to: antitrust@ftc.gov

This is the official address for reporting antitrust violations. I think trying to leverage the near universal presence of old versions of Windows on PCs worldwide to force acceptance of the new version qualifies as abuse of market position. The FTC might agree with enough public comment/complaint. People who have experienced the "involuntary upgrade" problem are likely to be especially influential. If you know anyone who has experienced this, pass that address along to them.

^^^ This. They should have thought to include an option like that because voting "roughly the same" implies that you watch tv at least some. I stopped watching all but news in the mid-90s, and pretty much gave up even on news by the turn of the millennium.

Steven Spielberg claimed to have done something similar. He claimed to have occupied an unused office on the Universal Studios lot by simply dressing in a suit, carrying a brief case, and bluffing his way past the security guards. But his story kept growing and growing. A clear sign of fabrication. So it was finally debunked by snopes. But even his tallest tale didn't claim to have lived on the lot full time. And now this kid has gone one better than the tall tale, actually living inside the corporate complex of a major tech company.