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[BloodOmen]

Except for Microsoft who paid them to allow tracking

Just the mobile duckduckgo browser apparently, I use the search engine + brave browser.

"That controversy was mainly about the DuckDuckGo browser apps, not the DuckDuckGo search engine itself. In 2022, a researcher found that DuckDuckGo’s mobile browser allowed some Microsoft owned tracking scripts (mainly Bing and LinkedIn trackers) on third party websites because of a search syndication agreement with Microsoft.
DuckDuckGo’s CEO confirmed it at the time and clarified that:

• the issue affected the browser’s tracker blocking
• it did not mean DuckDuckGo search was tracking your searches
• search queries on DuckDuckGo were still anonymized and not tied to a profile

So:

• DuckDuckGo search engine: still generally privacy focused, doesn’t build personal search profiles like Google or Microsoft search do.
• DuckDuckGo browser/apps (at the time): had an exception where some Microsoft tracking scripts were not blocked.

DuckDuckGo later said they updated the agreement and improved blocking of Microsoft trackers afterward.
One important nuance though: DuckDuckGo search still relies heavily on Microsoft Bing for search results and ads, so Microsoft is involved in the backend ecosystem even if DuckDuckGo itself avoids user profiling."

 

[Raven]

Ordered 8x bluetooth lightbulbs.

 

[Tom]

So google are going to kill their own search engine, they're going to start putting AI generated results first in search results.

Search engines fucking suck now. When I search for "what is the best way to do x" and I get hundreds of AI-written drivel websites all telling me the top ten best x's. When I'm ruler of the world anyone who creates one of those bullshit websites will be executed.

The other day I was searching for potential issues with sealing pipes into a chased wall with expanding foam, and one of those websites told me that it was a bad idea because "expanding foam can stop the flow of electricity". Absolute fucking shite. The best way to get results now is to end the search with "forum" or "reddit".

 

[Raven]

I...I don't hate it.

Ferrari wanted to take on Chinese EVs with the Luce - then the backlash started

The brand's first EV has been heavily criticised, with some saying it has abandoned Ferrari's roots.

www.bbc.co.uk

As a plug in hybrid 4x4 it would be cool as fuck. (as if I could afford one)

Maybe a rethink on the bonnet.

Or...dare I say it. Plug in Hybrid-Hydrogen.

 

[Gwadien]

I...I don't hate it.

Ferrari wanted to take on Chinese EVs with the Luce - then the backlash started

The brand's first EV has been heavily criticised, with some saying it has abandoned Ferrari's roots.

www.bbc.co.uk

As a plug in hybrid 4x4 it would be cool as fuck. (as if I could afford one)

Maybe a rethink on the bonnet.

It's ugly!

The interior is quite nice though without the screens and stuff but yeah I dunno.

They tried to take on Chinese EVs by making a Chinese EV?

I suppose it is a good reflection of the car industry - spreadsheet says this copy paste look sells, so we do that.

 

[Raven]

It's ugly!

The interior is quite nice though without the screens and stuff but yeah I dunno.

They tried to take on Chinese EVs by making a Chinese EV?

I suppose it is a good reflection of the car industry - spreadsheet says this copy paste look sells, so we do that.

I quite like the BYD stuff, some of them at work. Pretty sure it's them that do a 4x4 with a drone in the roof, I doubt there is a market (or legality) for them here. They leave Tesla behind in design.

I could still never charge one at home, not without carving up a conservation area. Could fit at least 3 cars, and charging stations.

AND upset the old biddies...AND fucking actual tourists (Americunts, the other day), who stop and comment on who good my front garden looks.

 

[DaGaffer]

It's ugly!

The interior is quite nice though without the screens and stuff but yeah I dunno.

They tried to take on Chinese EVs by making a Chinese EV?

I suppose it is a good reflection of the car industry - spreadsheet says this copy paste look sells, so we do that.

It's not ugly; it's bland, which in many ways is even worse.

I get what Ferrari were aiming for; EV two-seat supercars have, by and large, failed, and everyone would constantly compare such a car to an ICE Ferrari anyway, so they decided to lean into the inherent packaging benefits of EVs (whopping power on a flat skateboard structure) and do something new, especially by just having an EV is stretching the brand anyway. I also think the Ive involvement was a deliberate distraction.

However, the design is just quite boring and even an EV Ferrari needs a sense of occasion that extends beyond the badge. I think they're hoping the interior does a lot of that but it's not going to work in western markets, especially at €450 grand! But they might do better in China where there's a cohort of very rich people who will only care about the badge in the same way they only care about LVMH, Rolls-Royce or Prada for what it represents, not what it is. And maybe that's part of the logic behind the boring design; the Chinese companies will copy it anyway, so all that matters is the badge.

Chinese Purosangue ripoff. As they're doing Temu Ferraris anyway, all that's left is the badge.

 

[BloodOmen]

 

[Scouse]

Meta legal action forces Facebook whistleblower to sit in silence at Hay festival

Sarah Wynn-Williams did not speak during event after lawyers warned of possible sanctions from tech firm

www.theguardian.com

 

[Tom]

Ferrari are just doing what Lamborghini and Porsche have already done - build a model that will appeal to people with money, who want the badge, but who want something practical. Hence the Urus, and the Cayenne. They sell shedloads of those, and those sales let those companies continue to make niche sports cars.

I reckon it's probably the Apple Car, rebadged, and with more expensive bits.

 

[Gwadien]

Ferrari are just doing what Lamborghini and Porsche have already done - build a model that will appeal to people with money, who want the badge, but who want something practical. Hence the Urus, and the Cayenne. They sell shedloads of those, and those sales let those companies continue to make niche sports cars.

I reckon it's probably the Apple Car, rebadged, and with more expensive bits.

I dunno, Porsche have been doing it for ages, I've not considered Porsche to be 'luxury' for the past 10 years or so...

There's no kind of 'ooof' for me anymore when I see a Porsche, it'd be a shame if it applied to Lambo and Ferrari too...

 

[DaGaffer]

I dunno, Porsche have been doing it for ages, I've not considered Porsche to be 'luxury' for the past 10 years or so...

There's no kind of 'ooof' for me anymore when I see a Porsche, it'd be a shame if it applied to Lambo and Ferrari too...

Porsche EVs and SUVs (and EV SUVs etc. etc.) still look like Porsches.

 

[Raven]

All EVs look like shit versions of something else.

Although, I quite like some of the Cupra stuff, which all seem to be better versions of the ICE VWs, than the E-VW shite.

 

[DaGaffer]

Ferrari are just doing what Lamborghini and Porsche have already done - build a model that will appeal to people with money, who want the badge, but who want something practical. Hence the Urus, and the Cayenne. They sell shedloads of those, and those sales let those companies continue to make niche sports cars.

Ferrari had already done that with Purosangue, which had a bit of grumbling from the purists until they drove it, and nobody denied it looked good for a four-door SUV-ish thing. The Luce is a much bigger break from past Ferraris.

I reckon it's probably the Apple Car, rebadged, and with more expensive bits.

Apparently not. The Apple car was basically a minivan and looked like a futuristic VW iD Buzz. It was allegedly very similar to the (now defunct) Canoo:

 

[DaGaffer]

All EVs look like shit versions of something else.

Although, I quite like some of the Cupra stuff, which all seem to be better versions of the ICE VWs, than the E-VW shite.

Sorry, I disagree:


There are some excellent EV designs; it's not EVs that are problem, its that every fucker wants to drive an SUV.

As for Cupra; the Born is very cosmetic makeover of the VW iD3, although the new Raval is much more distinct than it's VW equivalent:

The interiors are a lot funkier as well.

I quite like some of the smaller EVs coming out, I just couldn't have one as our only car.

 

[Raven]

Sorry, I disagree:

I quite like that, but would prefer it in 3 door. (is it even 3 door, with EVs?)

 

[Gwadien]

Porsche EVs and SUVs (and EV SUVs etc. etc.) still look like Porsches.

SUVs all look the same to me anyway

I hate them all.

 

[Scouse]

SUVs all look the same to me anyway

I hate them all.

I pretty much hate all cars. Well, not really, but over time I just learned I hate spending my money on cars. I figured out I've only spent £23k on cars since I was 17.

In our 2 car family, we've a 2012 Volvo estate I picked up for a song from a mate and a 2016 Honda CRV. I can't do a lot of the shit I like to do as easily as I can without the SUV. The clue is in the name: sporting utility. Bikes on the back, kayaks on the roof, camping gear in the boot. Ground clearance, comfort.

I get the yummy mummies love 'em because if they have a crash then it's unlikely to be timmy in the back seat who carks it, but the reason they're popular is that they're great.

 

[Scouse]

Private Eye | Sovereign Grant : Royalty payments

A LAST-MINUTE appeal by the Palace spared Brian from announcing his own pay packet in the King's Speech. Instead, news that the Sovereign Grant was to be reviewed (and possibly cut) was buried on p101 of the explanatory notes.

www.private-eye.co.uk

It's a good wheeze eh?

 

[Scouse]

More po-po fun:

Murdered student Henry Nowak told police 'I can't breathe' while handcuffed

An independent investigation into why Henry Nowak was handcuffed by police as he was dying is ongoing.

www.bbc.co.uk

Henry told officers that he could not breathe nine times. He told them that he had been stabbed four times. The response from one officer was: "I don't think you have mate"

The police response is utterly disgusting. If you tell them that you've been stabbed, your job is to check, whether you believe them or not.

The lad was handcuffed. It's not hard to check. These police should be prosecuted for gross negligence leading to death.

 

[Scouse]

This boils my piss about the human race more than our police does:

Noted Surrey colony of at-risk swifts destroyed during nesting season

Campaigners say builders’ demolition of nest site highlights weak protection of wildlife from development

www.theguardian.com

Natural Reources Wales are going to trash a load of stuff around here for worthless forestry operations (3k/acre) - and they're going to run roughshod over the wildlife laws whilst they do it.

 

[Gwadien]

More po-po fun:

Murdered student Henry Nowak told police 'I can't breathe' while handcuffed

An independent investigation into why Henry Nowak was handcuffed by police as he was dying is ongoing.

www.bbc.co.uk

The police response is utterly disgusting. If you tell them that you've been stabbed, your job is to check, whether you believe them or not.

The lad was handcuffed. It's not hard to check. These police should be prosecuted for gross negligence leading to death.

I find the backlash strange though.

Police saying they need to review their racism shit, but as far as I can tell what happened is that the guy that stabbed him told police he started and he was drunk and then his family backed him up on it.

Judging by the guys state you could be excused for thinking he was drunk, but even so, clearly the failure here is to go further and actually thoroughly check his claim that he's been stabbed. I'm not sure why the racism stuff plays a part in that. Unless the guidance literally says if there's a white guy and a non white person, believe the non white person soon and treat the white guy as a criminal.

Seems to be a failure of individuals, not systems, no?

 

[Scouse]

Seems to be a failure of individuals, not systems, no?

Nope. It's a combination of systemic failure (they're reviewing guidance) and three decades of corrosive, racist, identity politics and policies.

These policies are borne from a well-meaning place but they're inherently flawed. They can only divide and they cannot bring about a fairer world, because by design they're discriminatory.

You can't fix historical demographic wrongs through the medium of discriminatory modern-day policies. It produces multiple injustices at an individual level in the present day, and does nothing to "fix history".

Been banging this drum for a long time. But you can take horses to water...

 

[Scouse]

what happened is that the guy that stabbed him told police he started and he was drunk and then his family backed him up on it.

And the police, believing racism - A) because they've been trained to and B) our policies mean the "racism card" exists and was played, which, importantly, resulted in C) a change in the police response and attitude.

So the police repeatedly ignored the guy who had been stabbed, was dying, was repeatedly telling the cops that he'd been stabbed, that he couldn't breathe. Because they believed the "race card".

There's two faults here:

1) The cops were dumb fuck arseholes who couldn't do their jobs properly - basic incompetence. Quelle surprise.
2) "Race card". Identity politics. When police should be functionally colour blind. But they are no longer - by law.

Policy and law is the very foundation that gives rise to these issues. They've had to respond to a "hate crime" - which on the face of it seems perfectly reasonable. But in our efforts to fix issues with "institutional racism" - we've simply institutionalised other forms of racism.

Two wrongs can't make a right.

 

[Gwadien]

And the police, believing racism - A) because they've been trained to and B) our policies mean the "racism card" exists and was played, which, importantly, resulted in C) a change in the police response and attitude.

So the police repeatedly ignored the guy who had been stabbed, was dying, was repeatedly telling the cops that he'd been stabbed, that he couldn't breathe. Because they believed the "race card".

There's two faults here:

1) The cops were dumb fuck arseholes who couldn't do their jobs properly - basic incompetence. Quelle surprise.
2) "Race card". Identity politics. When police should be functionally colour blind. But they are no longer - by law.

Policy and law is the very foundation that gives rise to these issues. They've had to respond to a "hate crime" - which on the face of it seems perfectly reasonable. But in our efforts to fix issues with "institutional racism" - we've simply institutionalised other forms of racism.

Two wrongs can't make a right.

I absolutely believe that it's the first one alone.

I think the scenario went as follows - Guy on the floor, being told by the other guy (and his family) that he's drunk and he attacked him, no apparent signs that he's been stabbed. I'd be very surprised if the 'racial training' is - 'If you come in a situation where there's 'race' involved, believe the minority party by default'.

I just think it's become exceptionally loaded due to the political climate we live in - even the dude's family was like 'nah we don't want hate coming from this' which is absolutely what happened.

It's a bit like we're ignoring the fact that he didn't even use a Kirpan to stab the guy, he had one on him but he used another knife...

 

[Scouse]

I absolutely believe that it's the first one alone.

Been a lot of actual hard evidence posted on how our policies affect all walks of life. But you hang on to that belief.


E.G.:

It's a bit like we're ignoring the fact that he didn't even use a Kirpan to stab the guy, he had one on him but he used another knife...

Yeah, the fact that it was the wrong type of knife used is a bit daft eh?

But they still get to carry knives eh? And slaughter animals in a cruel way.

Lets not offend religious minorities eh? They're not criminal offences for them, but they are for the rest of the (non-immigrant-adjacent) population.

 

[DaGaffer]

I absolutely believe that it's the first one alone.

I think the scenario went as follows - Guy on the floor, being told by the other guy (and his family) that he's drunk and he attacked him, no apparent signs that he's been stabbed. I'd be very surprised if the 'racial training' is - 'If you come in a situation where there's 'race' involved, believe the minority party by default'.

I just think it's become exceptionally loaded due to the political climate we live in - even the dude's family was like 'nah we don't want hate coming from this' which is absolutely what happened.

It's a bit like we're ignoring the fact that he didn't even use a Kirpan to stab the guy, he had one on him but he used another knife...

Yeah but when someone says "I've been stabbed", the response should never be "I don't think you have mate". You check. No matter what colour the person saying "I've been stabbed" is.

 

[Gwadien]

Yeah but when someone says "I've been stabbed", the response should never be "I don't think you have mate". You check. No matter what colour the person saying "I've been stabbed" is.

But where does it suggest they didn't check because he was white and they weren't though? I'd imagine it was more of a case of 'yeah alright mate, you're drunk.'

But yeah, I'm not defending the coppers here, I just question the obsession with the idea that things were different because it was an Asian guy and a white guy..

I guess time will tell...

 

[Gwadien]

Been a lot of actual hard evidence posted on how our policies affect all walks of life. But you hang on to that belief.


E.G.:

Yeah, the fact that it was the wrong type of knife used is a bit daft eh?

But they still get to carry knives eh? And slaughter animals in a cruel way.

Lets not offend religious minorities eh? They're not criminal offences for them, but they are for the rest of the (non-immigrant-adjacent) population.

Well yeah, imagine if he shot him and then him carrying a kirpan was also a factor.

Slaughtering animals? He's sikh mate, they're forbidden from eating halal or kosher lol.

 

[Scouse]

Well yeah, imagine if he shot him and then him carrying a kirpan was also a factor.

Imagine <insert whatever irrelevant fantasy you can come up with here>. Yeah. Just "imagine" eh?

We don't need to imagine. Reality is enough: A murderer played the race card and indoctrinated police started acting according to their racial training, and they handcuffed a white lad who'd been falsely accused to die of his stab wounds whilst crying out - all the whilst calling him a liar because they believed he was racist.

Slaughtering animals? He's sikh mate, they're forbidden from eating halal or kosher lol.

I said religious minorities and our policies affecting all walks of life. I'm well aware he was Sikh, and Sikhs get special legal or "two tier" treatment on knife-carry laws, and that muslims get special legal or "two tier" exemptions on animal cruelty laws.

But the white christian or non-religious people don't, do they. What special exemptions for being indigenous British do we get? I fancy carrying a knife and slitting animals throats.

Oh wait. I don't! I live in the first post-religious country on the planet and we've gone some distance to relegating these abhorrent idiocies into the past - yet I'm bending the knee to barbaric religions rather than saying "if you live here, you follow these rules, just like everybody else". Because if I said it, I'd get called racist.

I just question the obsession with the idea that things were different because it was an Asian guy and a white guy.

Your beloved fucking Kier admitted in Parliament this afternoon that this was a problem.

Because it's a fucking problem.

But Keir's part of the problem. Labour are doubling down on the same shit that they introduced the last time they were in power.