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  • Michael Viney’s final Another Life column – more than 60 years after the first – The Irish Times

    I close with a fond memory of the duach. On a fine spring day, I’m lying on my back with binoculars raised, watching my first-ever skylark soaring, singing and improvising. It rises, ever smaller, in the blue, to an ultimate, resonant speck of life.

    Thank you Michael Viney. I will miss your column.

    → 11:13 AM, Feb 5
  • ongoing by Tim Bray · Amazon Q4 2022 Financials

    Why is this business structure considered rational? And why is it legal for Amazon to be the prime competitor of the economy’s whole retail sector while not having to make a profit?

    Why indeed.

    → 11:04 AM, Feb 3
  • → 10:19 PM, Feb 1
  • What to expect from Europe’s first AI oversight agency

    Very happy to see these developments in Europe.

    → 11:30 AM, Feb 1
  • Not right now, thanks, Google.

    Google has been regularly sending us emails about listing our products on the Google Shopping tab. To achieve this, we would need to link our product and inventory data in Shopify to the Google Merchant Center.

    The issue here is that doing this gives Google complete visibility into our inventory and pricing using structured data. This does not sit well with me. My experience with Google is that their only interest in existing is continually trying to take a bigger slice of everyone elses margin. They don’t, of course say, how they will use everyone’s data to increase their ad revenue.

    Despite ignoring the emails, they keep coming and the tone of latest is more demanding. I really dislike their arrogance. The arrogance also extends to other areas like the Business Profiles they return on searches.

    I read somwhere over the weekend that Google is also now doing this for car dealer inventory. It seems the company wants to have a live view of all physical inventory for sale everywhere and associated pricing.

    Companies sleepwalking into giving Google this type of power is not wise. Yes, there may be short term benefits, but who knows long term?

    The bottom line for me is I just don’t trust the company, just like I don’t trust Facebook.

    Google has also become more agressive in recent months about trying to get us on a call about spending more on ads across the Google ad tech platform. Perhaps all is not well, or at least as comfortable as it was, in Google land.

    My view is that just like I would never buy a financial services product from the company that designed it, but seek independant advice, I would also never take advice on online ad spending from a ad tech platform. And if you wonder why, well here is just one reason among many.

    Justice Department sues Google

    → 3:51 PM, Jan 30
  • Despite bad publicity, the car test NCT booking system is kind of working. If you try and book online, your booking will be months out probably past renewal date, but get your details on the priority list and/or give them a call, they will get you an appointment in time.

    → 1:38 PM, Jan 30
  • So I wanted to write a piece of marketing copy and it occured to me that it would be an opportunity to take a look at ChatGPT. I provided just a little background and context and well…I’m now lost for words. If these are the baby slopes, where on earth are we going?

    → 5:28 PM, Jan 27
  • Google let Daily Wire advertise on ‘climate change is a hoax’ searches - Climate crisis - The Guardian

    The price of everything and the value of nothing.

    → 4:18 PM, Jan 27
  • IFI International - IFI Collection

    The IFI Collection is a compendium of new and recent Irish films representing the best of Irish independent filmmaking talent.

    → 1:03 PM, Jan 27
  • Ukraine must fight the war but plan for peace - Prospect Magazine

    → 5:37 PM, Jan 25
  • Two thirds of Irish credit card users unaware of their credit card interest rate and how it works.

    From a survey by the Irish League of Credit Unions.

    This is

    1. A failure of the education system. The solution is to make Personal Financial Planning a core mandatory subject in schools right up to Leaving Cert.
    2. A failure of the regulatory system. The solution is twofold. First, mandatory disclosure by card issuers of total interest charged on credit cards annually and summary details on who is paying those charges. Second, a close examination of how interest charges are communicated and an evaluation of the clarity or otherwise of monthly statements.
    → 2:06 PM, Jan 18
  • Jon Loomer Digital, Jon Loomer: How to Use ChatGPT to Generate a Facebook Ads Strategy

    Can’t really help with a strategy, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be useful, even now. Who knows where this is going.

    → 4:07 PM, Jan 17
  • Warning of unprecedented heatwaves as El Niño set to return in 2023 - El Niño southern oscillation - The Guardian

    The probability of having the first year at 1.5C in the next five-year period is now about 50:50.”

    → 10:06 AM, Jan 17
  • → 5:56 PM, Jan 15
  • Chokepoint Capitalism

    Adding: Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We’ll Win Them Back by Rebecca Giblin and Corey Doctorow 📚to my reading list having listened to this interview with both authors on the Decoder Podast

    → 12:18 PM, Jan 13
  • Saving documents consistently to Devonthink makes it so much easier to find something quickly four years later.

    → 12:11 PM, Jan 13
  • Given the SIZE of the electricity and gas bills we’ve received in the last few days, I’m fully expecting a big slowdown in consumer spending in Ireland for the first couple of months of 2023.

    → 5:41 PM, Jan 11
  • AI and the Big Five – Stratechery by Ben Thompson

    → 1:25 PM, Jan 9
  • Irish media need to be much more rigorous about their reporting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There is also an information war going on and some of the reporting is just not good enough.

    → 4:33 PM, Jan 8
  • A Better Biden Doctrine - The New Republic

    → 11:46 AM, Jan 8
  • Random experiment. Searched for Google related cookies on my Safari browser. Found over 20. Deleted all. Waited a few seconds without any interaction on the page I was on, then refreshed search. Several Google cookies back.

    Consent? Not in my world.

    → 5:15 PM, Jan 5
  • Important GDPR decision goes against Meta

    The news of yet another fine today for Meta is important not so much for the size of the fine, but the legal principle at stake. My reading of the decision is that Facebook can not use personal data to provide personalised advertising in Europe. As things currently stand, it seems to have no legal basis on which to do so. Gets three months to sort it out.

    Meta prohibited from use of personal data for advertisment NOYB.

    [Data Protection Commission announces conclusion of two enquiries into Meta Ireland] DPC.(https://www.dataprotection.ie/en/news-media/data-protection-commission-announces-conclusion-two-inquiries-meta-ireland)

    → 5:14 PM, Jan 4
  • A string of unfortunate events - by Shaun Usher

    → 11:10 AM, Jan 4
  • Finished reading: Against A Dark Background by Iain M. Banks 📚

    Didn’t enjoy this one as much as I thought I would.

    → 11:13 PM, Jan 1
  • Just noticed that I’ve now been using micro.blog to post to this tiny corner of the Internet for three years.

    So here’s a tiny review. micro.blog is the perfect tool for my needs and it keeps improving. Mastodon is not the only alternative available. Choose your tools wisely.

    → 5:26 PM, Dec 22
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