Wage slavery. The US is one of the worst offenders. By binding your healthcare to your employer and having next to no worker protection laws, the loss of your job might cause homelessness or death. Is that really a choice? Work or die? And with stagnating wages who has the financial security and time to fight for their rights?
This is of course by design.
The cat was Schrödingers example how super positions make no sense in complex organisms. It was a counter-example, yet everyone uses it as if there would be a undead cat in the box.
I would say probably more likely to be a personal AI assistant, that handles all PC/cell phone interactions for you. Like Star Trek: “Computer, do my taxes!”
Of course that relies heavily on AI becoming more reliable then it is now.
No one wants an AI summery of their e-mails if it’s full of hallucinations, or their tax returns to get them into prison.
Most blatantly with his rambling about ‘Americans have to flush 3 times, 5 times’. I thought what the hell is wrong with the water pressure where he lives?
Then I read that he likely flushed evidence down the toilet. Of course. HE has a problem with destroying evidence in his toilet, so ‘Americans’ have problems with their toilet. I’m not even sure if he has the ability to differentiate between his problems and anybody elses.
I normally have GPS and Bluetooth disabled, so my position would have to be guessed based on cell towers. We were not even on the same WLAN (because the WLAN was down in the vacation home, much to our dissatisfaction).
While I can’t rule out somebody in our group stealthily googling the tablets, phones while playing is generally frowned upon.
So yeah, being on the same cell tower as someone I know who might have searched for it might be the only other explanation.
The adventure itself didn’t have anything to do with the tablets, that was just our group doing strange stuff, like always.
No, I am not a AI fanboy. I just compared bad to worse.
Of course users get something from their smartphones, but not from the spyware on it. The spyware is not an integral function of a smartphone.
Just think about the scale of the surveillance: every smartphone user is being monitored 24/7 in hope to find something to sell them.
If you hate AI because it wastes so much energy, think about the cost for the this: Energy, water, battery life, bandwidth, … And in contrast to AI the ‘users’ don’t get anything in return.
Okay, so here is my story:
I was on holiday with my friends and we were playing a TTRPG. In the RPG our group needed charol tablets. I have never in my life googled or needed something like that.
After the session, I opened up Amazon to buy something I forget to pack and voilà: Amazon suggested me to buy charol tablets.
My smartphone must have listened in and given that data to Amazon.
No Alexa or similar products were in the vacation home.
Many of these “business geniuses” do the following:
The problem here is - in my opinion - caused by:
The right always chasing “deregulation”? Well, here is the result. High profits, high prices, shitty products and services.
And the people suffer.
Ah yes, the trolley problem.
Same in Germany: The center right CDU tries to get voters from the far right AFD. Never worked, but they keep on trying.
Same with flashlight batteries in horror games
Or weapon degregation in any game… Sorry this METAL weapon can’t be used for more then a few minutes?
I’m not suprised. Germany, for example, has a right wing party at the helm. And even if that were not the case, all the old politicians still have the mindset of vassal states deeply ingrained.
My car doesn’t even have a USB port. Old but reliable.
If course the next day the kids had to kill their parents: “Mom never smiled like that, the doppelgangers must have won!”
They try to squeeze the last bit of productivity out of the workforce - while salaries stagnate.
Sure, there are studies that show that a good work-life-balance (like the 4 day workweek) increase productivity and reduce sic days - but that doesn’t feel right.
It gives the boss a much better feeling to scream at his employees, force overtime, micromanage, set impossible goals and work them to the bone. How can you feel like a boss if you don’t increase your workers misery?
These armed guards have the ability to do humanity a great service. I hope at least one of them finds their conscience.
Ah, a good little peon, owns nothing but debt. Those won’t riot against their master, even if the masters are pedos and try to take even more from those who have nothing.
Everything is as planned.