Exactly. This is an old retail tactic and you see it more around the holidays. Sometimes they will even raise the price a few weeks prior. Why would Amazon or any company be any different?

I own, but do not operate, a few IT companies that manage corporations in the $600MM-$1B receivables range.

Based on our own help desk ticket software, our clients have opened 40% fewer tickets since ChatGPT was rolled out to every desk and phone. 40%. I expect another 40% drop (total 80%) by next year as end users just manage things themselves.

I won't downsize as the tickets aren't really generating revenue as much as headaches. One of my engineers had a broken PDF file that took her 6 hours to fix, and the end user spent 6 days trying to fix it themselves with Ai.

But -- the basic stuff? Reboot your computer stuff? Email rejected because you mistyped a domain name stuff?

You don't need a human, and we would probably have outsource that stuff to India anyway next year if not for ChatGPT etc.

I spend quite a bit on Discord server services, but I'm out.

GFY, Discord and governments, for mandating this bullshit nonsense.

Synology may have learned their lesson (probably not) but it is highly unlikely that I will be buying another one of their products.

Which is a shame. Opera was a nice free alternative that seemed relatively safe.

Talking to people in public isnâ(TM)t harassment.

Talking to people on taxpayer funded grounds also isnâ(TM)t trespass.

Tax funded?

Not private property anymore.

Not all updates are to fix problems. Some updates are introducing new problems .... oops, I meant features.

This. Technology isn't the problem in this case. The lawyer asked someone else to do his work and didn't check it at all before putting his signature on it. He signed off on it so he gets to take full responsibility.

MS tech support is so bad these days. Take one or two of those $Bs and invest them in some decent support.

This is retarded.

1. It isn't for profit healthcare that is the problem, it's THIRD PARTY PAY.
2. I don't use third party pay, ever, for healthcare. I've been insured nonstop for over 30 years, and NEVER ONCE has my insurer paid my doctor.
3. Even when I've had emergencies, I still called around, negotiated a fair cash up front rate, paid cash up front, and billed it to my insurer. My cash up front rate was sometimes below any co-pay negotiated with my insurer, lol.

I just recently had some elective surgery that would have cost me about $2000 on my annual deductible, but I was able to cash pay a negotiated rate of $400 including a follow-up "free". I submitted the $400 to my insurer and they reimbursed me.

Third party insurance exists because YOU VOTERS demanded the HMO Act of the 1970s, which tied health care to employment, and then employers outsourced it to third parties.

Health care is remarkably cheap in the US (cash pay, negotiated) and I don't have to wait months to see a doctor when I call and say I am cash pay. They bump me up fast.

Some folks would rather work harder at not having to work than to just get a regular job. For some it seems to be the thrill of doing nefarious things. For others I guess they make their own hours and just get by.

e-bikes have greater acceleration and top speed than traditional bicycles. It is a recipe for increased rider injuries and deaths. Letting them in pedestrian spaces increases their collateral damage.

Because they are willing to prioritize other things, like privacy, over profit. "For profit" does not have to be all or nothing. Unfortunately, some investors, shareholders, and leaders, are driven solely by profit.

Long time Roku fan but the last few years has changed that. The ads, the hardware, the support ... all downhill. It is such a shame because IMO they still have the least shitty interface.