186304830
submission
hadleyburg writes:
I recently received an email from Google explaining that my plan would no longer give me access to Gemini "Pro" models, but which contained no mention of any reduction in subscription price to compensate for the downgrade in service. The emailed thanked me for being a subscriber and reminded me that I can change or cancel my subscription at any time.
Google is one of those enormous companies, where if a paying customer has a question or complaint, they may be able to look through online documentation, but they are not able to talk to a human.
We forget, but this is a relatively new phenomenon. A couple of decades ago, any organisation could be contacted by snail mail, or telephone. If I was dissatisfied with the service I was receiving, I would be able to speak to a representative of the company. I may not always come away satisfied, but I could at least expect the company to have a go at defending their position. This was true both for large independent companies and for state owned organisations.
The stance for companies such as Google is a "You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time" stance. There is no need seen to communicate beyond the announcement.
This view of customers has become normal, and expected in 2026, but as we moved from the family owned shop where the shopkeeper knew you, to the large chain store, where the staff didn't know you but would at least talk to you, to the enormous organisation which has no personal communication at all... have we come to accept the change without really noticing?
186072958
submission
hadleyburg writes:
The BBC reports the Pentagon announcing that "Fort Hood attacker's execution by firing squad will be livestreamed".
This would be the first public execution in the US in almost a century. "We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public," Hegseth said. Only Iran and Afghanistan are known to currently carry out public executions.
There are some who suggest that such an execution could have the effect of lowering support for the death penalty in the US as it would "force a level of transparency that we have probably never seen before in this country".
185912312
submission
hadleyburg writes:
Ezra Klein's recent interview with Bill Gates on the dangers of AI leaves a different impression from the current discussion on this topic. He addresses some of the usual questions — What about China?, plausible dangers, regulation vs. free market, the "jobpocalypse", etc., but with his more Gatesian figures-backed style of response.
One of Gates's perspectives is on providing foreign aid, an area in which he has been involved since stepping away from the helm of Microsoft. He addresses both AI, and the recent drop in contributions to foreign aid.
He is also questioned about Epstein, and his relationship with the man.
185697944
submission
hadleyburg writes:
BBC is reporting that "US President Donald Trump has announced that he is "immediately" banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House".
"Trump said that the outlets "constantly write or report fiction or lies" about his administration, although he provided no examples".
184965701
submission
hadleyburg writes:
The BBC reports "Tech leaders say AI means less work — their staff say they work up to 90 hours a week".
While a 4-day working week was suggested as one of the benefits of AI, it hasn't yet come to pass — not even in the AI companies themselves.
184922398
submission
hadleyburg writes:
Radio New Zealand reports that "Privacy experts warn of gaps in NZ law, as camera glasses hit Kmart shelves".
Historically there has been an appreciation of "street photography" where unwitting members of the public are photographed on the street, in a candid fashion, capturing a feeling at a particular moment. It can capture history and create art.
But as the photography of the public has become more pervasive, with smart phones, and now cheap smart glasses, issues of privacy start to be weighed up against the rights of the artist.
180057676
submission
hadleyburg writes:
For a user with an Android phone, and happy to stick with the Google environment, an Android tablet might seem a more obvious choice than an iPad. Of course iPads are a lot more popular, and asking about Android tablets is likely to invite advice about sticking with what everyone else has.
The Slashdot community on the other hand, being a discerning and thoughtful crowd, might have some experience in this area, and willing to share the pros and cons they have found.
The use case is someone not requiring any heavy usage — no video editing or gaming. Just email, browsing, youtube, video calls, and that sort of thing.
179911188
submission
hadleyburg writes:
President Trump has directed the Department of War to restart nuclear testing.
The directive appears to be a counter measure to rival nations catching up with the US. The last US nuclear test was an underground test, on September 23, 1992, in Nevada.
178093437
submission
hadleyburg writes:
I recently had a look at Ground News. It's a site which displays a rating indicating how much any given story is published by left, centre, and right-leaning media. The idea is that you can avoid being in a "news bubble" by seeing what the other side is saying.
Wanting to avoid bias, the idea appealed to me. But after a few visits to the site, it seemed somehow unsatisfying. The site offers you "blindspots" — stories which are missing on one side of the political spectrum. You have the chance to look into these blindspots, and see the news you might be missing if you remained in your news bubble. But it dawned on me that the blindspots might actually be precisely the corners of the news I want to avoid. Yes — I want to avoid bias. But I think that means I want a politically central (less biased) news source. It doesn't mean I want news from each extreme.
177727999
submission
hadleyburg writes:
The memecoin launched and promoted by the US president is prompting major, first-of-their-kind ethics questions.
Transparency International's "Corruption Perceptions Index" ranked the US 28th as of 2024. It is difficult to see how developments in 2025 would show an improvement.
177178873
submission
hadleyburg writes:
The official account for the visa branch of the US Embassy in Tokyo posted an important note for those applying for a nonimmigrant visa — or DS-160 — for the States. According to the notice, applications must include accurate information regarding their SNS accounts that they have used within the last five years. Anyone who fails to comply with this request won’t be allowed to enter the country.
The embassy announcement has sparked concern among Japanese citizens who regularly travel to the United States.
According to Jeffrey J. Hall, a lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies, “The threat of having a visa denied over one’s political social media posts feels much more real in 2025.”
