Google should have to clearly communicate to users what they did. Only few will even read and know about this. Rarely anybody will care.

Misbehavior on such a scale should at least be communicated so users can make an informed decision on their continued trust.

Given that their mediation is binding to discord too, depending on the mediator, it can be a good thing for customers too.

Opting out may be the safe way. But I have to wonder if that clause would be binding. ToS can’t overrule law.

Usually, your consent is a simple yes/no flag, no and saving that in a cookie is enough.

I have seen this “processing” before. My assumption was that it sets cookies on third parties websites instead of only the one you visit. The basis for that assumption being that some ad network and tracker websites have/offer “opt out cookies”.

I haven’t checked whether that’s actually the case.

There is no other reasonably valid explanation for it. Setting a few cookies doesn’t take that much time. It would then be either intentionally slow and lying to you, or has horrendous unacceptable implementation (which could be seen as unlikely given how obviously customer facing it is).

You can’t continue the setup process without connecting to a wifi network. There is no alternative in the UI.

Banelings are created from zerglings following a brief chrysalis phase. In the new form, the zergling’s claws shrivel and become withered, and a swollen sac filled with volatile chemicals grows out of its back. The zergling’s skin is repurposed, stretching over newly formed growths while its bone plates soften to hold bulbous, pulsating acid sacs in place. Though the remains of the carapace offer no real protection, they allow for unhindered delivery of the baneling’s payload. The digestive and reproductory tracts are assimilated as nutrients to accelerate the process, and make room for the fleshy, mutated adrenal glands. These are re-purposed to produce and store large quantities of highly corrosive acid. Few materials can withstand this acid burst.

When a baneling gets close enough to an enemy, it triggers a reaction within its volatile chemical payload, causing the creature to explode with a shower of searing acid. The explosion destroys the baneling but also inflicts terrible damage to its enemies, highly effective against both structures and ground forces.

src

I think we saw how that goes in a Rick and Morty episode - Lawnmower Dog.

a worked - apparently doesn’t even need to be a valid/web email address

Before using any potentially valid domain name I try to use example.com, which is guaranteed to not be in use or claimable.

This laptop has no way to disable wifi. I at least did not find anything - no such function key. And the Windows setup required you to connect to a wiki, with no way to proceed otherwise. Like, wtf?

Maybe add a Solopilot key too so I can use a local Windows account, and not have to uninstall adware or disable online-search when I search my PC.

That looks like cake

I just set up an HP Laptop for someone and Windows setup is horrendous. Fuck you Microsoft.

There’s no way around using a Microsoft account, but when you enter an invalid login, you can proceed setting up a local account anyway. Then all the shit is set up to my disliking. And of course, Microsoft installs its own services adware and additional third-party adware you can’t uninstall, and then, HP does the same, installing more scamware. Disgusting.

I say fault lies not with only one, but both.

Thoth was more than a messenger of a single message. Quoting Wikipedia:

He was the god of the Moon, wisdom, knowledge, writing, hieroglyphs, science, magic, art and judgment.

Thoth played many vital and prominent roles in Egyptian mythology, such as maintaining the universe, and being one of the two deities (the other being Ma’at) who stood on either side of Ra’s solar barque. In the later history of ancient Egypt, Thoth became heavily associated with the arbitration of godly disputes,[6] the arts of magic, the system of writing, and the judgment of the dead.

You quoted the wrong/other comment

Yes, exactly. That’s what I was referring to in my last sentence.

My LG asked me whether I want to enable the smart voice, listening, and AI stuff and I declined.

I am astonished by an established, commercial website having good structure.

It looks like a documentation website. Sidebar with clear categories and navigation. I really like it.

The article doesn’t say much. So I checked the source for more information. It doesn’t say much more, but IMO in a much better way, in two concise paragraphs. In the sourced financial report, it is in the intro, two paragraphs:

An example R&D initiative, sponsored by the Innovation team was Project Ava, where a team, initially from Electric Square Malta, attempted to create a 2D game solely using Gen AI. Over the six-month process, the team shared their findings across the Group, highlighting where Gen AI has the potential to augment the game development process, and where it lags behind. Whilst the project team started small, it identified over 400 tools, evaluating and utilising those with the best potential. Despite this, we ultimately utilised bench resource from seven different game development studios as part of the project, as the tooling was unable to replace talent.

One of the key learnings was that whilst Gen AI may simplify or accelerate certain processes, the best results and quality needed can only be achieved by experts in their field utilising Gen AI as a new, powerful tool in their creative process. As a research project, the game will not be released to the public, but has been an excellent initiative to rapidly spread tangible learnings across the Group, provide insights to clients and it demonstrates the power and level of cross-studio collaboration that currently exists. Alongside Project Ava, the team is undertaking a range of Gen AI R&D projects, including around 3D assets, to ensure that we are able to provide current insights in an ever- evolving part of the market

The central quote and conclusion being:

One of the key learnings was that whilst Gen AI may simplify or accelerate certain processes, the best results and quality needed can only be achieved by experts in their field utilising Gen AI as a new, powerful tool in their creative process.

Which is obvious and expected for anyone familiar with the technology. Of course, experiments and confirming expectations has value too. And I’m certain actually using tools and finding out which ones they can use where is very useful to them specifically.

Firefox, uBlock Origin, adguard DNS, sponsorblock (crowdsourced video sections with auto skip), DeArrow (crowdsourced clickbait replacement), nyancat seek/progress bar, playback speed control, Dark Reader.

Same setup on Windows desktop and my Android devices.

I’ve noticed videos stopping and buffering after the first few seconds, but not always, and seemingly less so again. It was acceptable to me.