GadgetComa’s Subconscious Rantings

Facebook Threatens To Leave Europe

Facebook has threatened to pack up its toys and go home if European regulators don’t back down and let the social network get its own way. From a report: In a court filing in Dublin, Facebook said that a decision by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) would force the company to pull up stakes and leave the 410 million people...

09/20/20

2020 Finalists :: Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards – Conservation through Competition

Fun! I’d love to be able to get wildlife shots like these. The FINALISTS for the 2020 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards have just been ANNOUNCED!! We have been overwhelmed by the standard of entries this year, and by the number! Never have we had so many entries, and of such high quality, and the judges will now settle down to many...

09/20/20

Beautiful: Calvin & Hobbes Superimposed In Real Photos

Such a great reimagining of Calvin and Hobbes This is a series of pictures created by Redditor nite4awk featuring real-life photographs with Calvin & Hobbs superimposed in. Read the full article at geekologie.com.

09/01/20

Facebook to block news sharing in Australia if new law is passed

Let’s get every country to do this so we can significantly reduce the amount of misinformation on Facebook … and help publishers survive. It is often said how social media has become the new way news spreads, sometimes even more quickly, but few actually consider the money involved there. From clicks to page views to ads, companies like Facebook and...

08/30/20

Facebook algorithm found to ‘actively promote’ Holocaust denial

I think the headline should read, “Facebook algorithm found to actively promote anything that generates revenue regardless of how vile, fake, racist, homophobic, sexist, transphobic, etc.” Last Wednesday Facebook announced it was banning conspiracy theories about Jewish people ‘controlling the world’. Read the full article at www.theguardian.com.

08/29/20

These ‘Dark Patterns’ Trick You Into Spending More Money Online

Rather scary manipulation going on here. A new version of “read the fine print” is needed these days. A 2019 study by researchers at Princeton and the University of Chicago shows that an overwhelming number of websites use deceptive design tactics, known as “dark patterns,” to coerce shoppers into spending more money. Read the full article at www.popularmechanics.com.

01/20/20

Family hold ‘gayceañera’ to celebrate teen’s sexuality and it’s the antidote we we need for this dark world

Congratulations to Aiden on this special milestone and for having such an awesome family! As tensions escalate over Iran and Australia burns, a cozy Italian restaurant in Maryland, US, was decorated with rainbow cakes and balloons. A refuge from the outside world. Read the full article at www.pinknews.co.uk.

01/19/20

The Secretive Company That Might End Privacy as We Know It

If the capabilities of this technology doesn’t scare you enough, the idea that Peter Thiel is helping finance it should. A little-known start-up helps law enforcement match photos of unknown people to their online images — and “might lead to a dystopian future or something,” a backer says. Until recently, Hoan Ton-That’s greatest hits included an obscure iPhone game and...