Alaknár

Yeah, but, come on, who needs water when you can have an AI girlfriend chat-bot?

You’re thinking of the highest integer number, not the “number of numbers” - which is 256, from 0 to 255, and thus 256 possible users in a group chat.

Still odd

Actually, it’s even.

How it got to any measurable levels in the first place is the real mystery.

This seems to work as a model for YouTubers and podcasters

No, it doesn’t. They’re still being paid by YouTube/Spotify a flat amount based on the number of views - which are being paid for by ads and premium subscriptions.

Which means: people pay (one way or another) first, consume the content later.

You people behave like you believe that artists got gathered up under threat of violence, put into these companies and are being forced to work there against their will…

Nobody is forcing you to consume any of the media you feel you need to pirate.

Just live beyond consumption. You can do that, you know?

Unfortunately, I feel that switching to Bluesky is not the correct move if we want to defend against “musk-ism”. They’ve already banned a tonne of people for political reasons. The larger they get, the bigger a snack they become for “investors” and businesses. It’ll just turn into “Twitter with different logo” and eventually fall into the same exact pitfalls as Twitter did.

With all its problems and shortcomings, Mastodon seems to be the only sensible option.

While I hate what’s happening in the US right now as much as the next guy, let’s not over-inflate the language used. It doesn’t help anybody.

If we start calling what’s currently there “ICE death camps” because 10 old people died across the whole country, people will get jaded, will start ignoring the cries for help as alarmist. And THEN the actual death camps will show up, but by that time nobody will be paying attention.

Exactly as it happened with Gaza.

It would be absolutely hilarious if Musk actually set up his own party, financed it all the way to the Congress, got offended because people didn’t lick is arse deep enough, got kicked out for being annoying and accidentally created an actual pro-people alternative to all these corporate vampires.

It could

If it were done right. Just as Communism really really would end poverty and save the world and bring equality for all if juuuust done right.

Yeah! All it takes is a fundamental change in human nature where we eradicate greed. Funnily enough, that one little trick fixes both Capitalism AND Communism and allows us to finally reach utopia.