#2018 at 07:30PM

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The long bezzle

Going to Defcon this weekend? I’m giving a keynote, “An Audacious Plan to Halt the Internet’s Enshittification and Throw it Into Reverse,” on Saturday at 12:30pm, followed by a book signing at the No Starch Press booth at 2:30pm!

https://info.defcon.org/event/?id=50826

When it comes to the modern world of enshittified, terrible businesses, no addition to your vocabulary is more essential than "bezzle," JK Galbraith's term for "the magic interval when a confidence trickster knows he has the money he has appropriated but the victim does not yet understand that he has lost it"

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/09/accounting-gimmicks/#unter

The bezzle is contained by two forces.

First, Stein's Law: "Anything that can't go on forever will eventually stop."

Second, Keynes's: "Markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent."

On the one hand, extremely badly run businesses that strip all the value out of the firm, making things progressively worse for its suppliers, workers and customers will eventually fail (Stein's Law).

On the other hand, as the private equity sector has repeatedly demonstrated, there are all kinds of accounting tricks, subsidies and frauds that can animate a decaying, zombie firm long after its best-before date (Keynes's irrational markets):

https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/02/plunderers/#farben

One company that has done an admirable job of balancing on a knife edge between Stein and Keynes is Verizon, a monopoly telecoms firm that has proven that a business can remain large, its products relied upon by millions, its stock actively traded and its market cap buoyant, despite manifest, repeated incompetence and waste on an unimaginable scale.

This week, Verizon shut down Bluejeans, an also-ran videoconferencing service the company bought for $400 million in 2020 as a panic-buy to keep up with Zoom. As they lit that $400 mil on fire, Verizon praised its own vision, calling Bluejeans "an award-winning product that connects our customers around the world, but we have made this decision due to the changing market landscape":

https://9to5google.com/2023/08/08/verizon-bluejeans-shutting-down/

Writing for Techdirt, Karl Bode runs down a partial list of all the unbelievably terrible business decisions Verizon has made without losing investor confidence or going under, in a kind of tribute to Keynes's maxim:

https://www.techdirt.com/2023/08/10/verizon-fails-again-shutters-attempted-zoom-alternative-bluejeans-after-paying-400-million-for-it/

Remember Go90, the "dud" streaming service launched in 2015 and shuttered in 2018? You probably don't, and neither (apparently) do Verizon's shareholders, who lost $1.2 billion on this folly:

https://www.techdirt.com/2018/07/02/verizons-sad-attempt-to-woo-millennials-falls-flat-face/

Then there was Verizon's bid to rescue Redbox with a new joint-venture streaming service, Redbox Instant, launched 2012, killed in 2014, $450,000,000 later:

https://variety.com/2014/digital/news/verizon-redbox-to-pull-plug-on-video-streaming-service-1201321484/

Then there was Sugarstring, a tech "news" website where journalists were prohibited from saying nice things about Net Neutrality or surveillance – born 2014, died 2014:

https://www.theverge.com/2014/12/2/7324063/verizon-kills-off-sugarstring

An app store, started in 2010, killed in 2012:

https://www.theverge.com/2012/11/5/3605618/verizon-apps-store-closing-january-2013

Vcast, 2005-2012, yet another failed streaming service (pray that someday you find someone who loves you as much as Verizon's C-suite loves doomed streaming services):

https://venturebeat.com/media/verizon-vcast-shutting-down/

And the granddaddy of them all, Oath, Verizon's 2017, $4.8 billion acquisition of Yahoo/AOL, whose name refers to the fact that the company's mismanagement provoked involuntary, protracted swearing from all who witnessed the $4.6 billion write-down the company took a year later:

https://www.techdirt.com/2018/12/12/if-youre-surprised-verizons-aol-yahoo-face-plant-you-dont-know-verizon/

Verizon isn't just bad at being a phone company that does non-phone-company things – it's incredibly bad at being a phone company, too. As Bode points out, Verizon's only real competency is in capturing its regulators at the FCC:

https://www.techdirt.com/2017/05/02/new-verizon-video-blatantly-lies-about-whats-happening-to-net-neutrality/

And sucking up massive public subsidies from rubes in the state houses of New York:

https://www.techdirt.com/2017/03/14/new-york-city-sues-verizon-fiber-optic-bait-switch/

New Jersey:

https://www.techdirt.com/2014/04/25/verizon-knows-youre-sucker-takes-taxpayer-subsidies-broadband-doesnt-deliver-lobbies-to-drop-requirements/

and Pennsylvania:

https://www.techdirt.com/2017/06/15/verizon-gets-wrist-slap-years-neglecting-broadband-networks-new-jersey-pennsylvania/

Despite all this, and vast unfunded liabilities – like remediating the population-destroying lead in their cables – they remain solvent:

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/verizon-sued-by-investors-over-lead-cables-environmental-statements-2023-08-02/

Verizon has remained irrational longer than any short seller could remain solvent.

Short-sellers – who bet against companies and get paid when their stock prices go down – get a bad rap: billionaire shorts were the villains of the Gamestop squeeze, accused of running negative PR campaigns against beloved businesses to drive them under and pay their bets off:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/30/meme-stocks/#stockstonks

But shorts can do the lord's work. Writing for Bloomberg, Kathy Burton tells the story of Nate Anderson, whose Hindenburg Research has cost some of the world's wealthiest people over $99 billion by publishing investigative reports on their balance-sheet shell-games just this year:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-08-06/how-much-did-hindenburg-make-from-shorting-adani-dorsey-icahn

Anderson started off trying to earn a living as a SEC whistleblower, identifying financial shenanigans and collecting the bounties on offer, but that didn't pan out. So he turned his forensic research skills to preparing mediagenic, viral reports on the scams underpinning the financial boasts of giant companies…after taking a short position in them.

This year, Anderson's targets have included Carl Icahn, whose company lost $17b in market cap after Anderson accused it of overvaluing its assets. He went after the world's fourth-richest man, Gautam Adani, accusing him of "accounting fraud and stock manipulation," wiping out 34% of his net worth. He took on Jack Dorsey, whose payment processor Square renamed itself Block and went all in on the cryptocurrency bezzle, lopping 16% off its share price.

Burton points out that Anderson's upside for these massive bloodletting was comparatively modest. A perfectly timed exit from the $17b Icahn report would have netted $56m. What's more, Anderson faces legal threats and worse – one short seller was attacked by a man wearing brass-knuckles, an attack attributed to her short activism.

Shorts are lauded as one of capitalism's self-correcting mechanisms, and Hindenberg certainly has taken some big, successful swings at some of the great bezzles of our time. But as Verizon shows, shorts alone can't discipline a market where profits and investor confidence are totally decoupled from competence or providing a decent product or service.

I’m kickstarting the audiobook for “The Internet Con: How To Seize the Means of Computation,” a Big Tech disassembly manual to disenshittify the web and bring back the old, good internet. It’s a DRM-free book, which means Audible won’t carry it, so this crowdfunder is essential. Back now to get the audio, Verso hardcover and ebook:

http://seizethemeansofcomputation.org

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/10/smartest-guys-in-the-room/#can-you-hear-me-now

[laresearchette]

Thursday, June 06, 2024 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES: CHANGING ENDS (BritBox) SECOND CHANCE CHAMPIONS (Paramount+ Canada) BIG CITY GREENS THE MOVIE: SPACECATION (Disney Channel Canada) 8:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT: AM I OK? (Premiering on June 07 on Crave at 9:00pm) LIVE FROM DETROIT: THE CONCERT AT MICHIGAN CENTRAL (Premiering on June 08 on NBC Feed)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA DINDA WNBA: CHICAGO SKY AT WASHINGTON MYSTICS

CRAVE TV AM I OK?

NETFLIX CANADA BAKI HANMA VS KENGAN ASHURA (JP) BASMA (SA) KÜBRA (Season 2) (TR) NELMA KODAMA: THE QUEEN OF DIRTY MONEY (BR) RAFA MÀRQUEZ: EL CAPITÁN (MX) SWEET TOOTH (Season 3)

MLB BASEBALL (SN) 12:30pm: Orioles vs. Jays (SN Now) 6:30pm: Dodgers vs. Pirates (SN) 7:00pm: Twins vs. Yankees

THE BRIDGE: AUSTRALIA (Discovery Canada) 8:00pm: The group debate Madison's team-mate sacrifice, as flares signal the arrival of two new builders. With The Bridge serving up a moral dilemma, will somebody steal from the group and keep a dark secret?

THE GREAT POTTERY THROW DOWN (Makeful) 8:00pm (SEASON FINALE): Strapping in for an exciting finale as the three remaining potters face the two most challenging assignments yet; stacking up the odds as they create a pyramid vase centerpiece and then watch each potter craft a daring graffito globe from scratch.

NBA BASKETBALL (TSN4/TSN5) 8:30pm: Game 1 - Mavericks at Celtics

CFL FOOTBALL (TSN/TSN3) 8:30pm: Alouettes vs. Blue Bombers

OUTCHEF'D (Food Network Canada) 9:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): Eddie Jackson gives software consultant Tommy Ranucci the chance to face off against his childhood hero, chef Andrew Zimmern; after they duke it out with wild grains, a panel of New York City judges decides if Tommy goes home with the $5,000 prize.

LEGO MASTERS AUSTRALIA (Discovery Canada) 9:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): Each of the eight teams has 14 hours to create a model of a world /civilisation on a disk hung by a single cable from the ceiling.

PORTRAIT ARTIST OF THE YEAR (Makeful) 9:00pm: This special film follows the winner of Portrait Artist of the Year 2018 as they paint a commissioned portrait of Sex and the City actress Kim Cattrall.

[drawrty]

Filosofem. by chispin67

[d-criss-news]

An Evening With Darren Criss Featuring Special Guest Producer Ron Fair

Fri, Nov 12 at 7:00-9:00 PM

800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015, USA

The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to welcome Emmy Award-winner and singer-songwriter Darren Criss, along with multi-GRAMMY nominee and producer of numerous GRAMMY-winning hits, Ron Fair, for a special conversation discussing the making of Darren’s new holiday album, A Very Darren Crissmas (Decca Records US). Darren will also perform songs from the album throughout the evening.

Produced by Ron, A Very Darren Crissmas features a wildly eclectic collection of tunes. Recorded in 2020 at Nashville’s Faircraft Studios with an A-list lineup of local musicians, Darren enlists celebrated artists on the 12-song set. Pop star Adam Lambert joins in on the magnificently jazzy “(Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With the Bag,” fellow multihyphenate Evan Rachel Wood lends her heavenly vocals to the classic “Somewhere in My Memory,” and on the album’s sole original, “Drunk on Christmas” features chart-topping and wildly talented country artist Lainey Wilson. Merging country and cocktail jazz to irresistible effect, “Drunk on Christmas” offers a dazzling glimpse into Darren’s sensibilities as a songwriter.

A Very Darren Crissmas is only the latest evidence of Darren’s singular gifts as a song interpreter. In 2010, he brought those talents to the masses by joining the cast of FOX’s massively successful musical series Glee, eventually landing a 2015 Emmy nomination for Best Original Music and Lyrics for his work in writing “This Time” (a chart-climbing track that appeared on Glee’s series finale). In 2017, his EP Homeworkdebuted at #1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Album chart; that same year, he joined his brother Chuck in releasing the debut project from their indie-pop band Computer Games. An acclaimed actor whose credits include the titular role of Hedwig and the Angry Inchon Broadway, Criss starred as serial killer Andrew Cunanan in Ryan Murphy’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story in 2018, a widely celebrated turn that earned him a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critics’ Choice Award. Through the years he’s also written songs for the comedy musical Royalties, co-wrote “Starting Now” for Disney which was performed by Brandy, headlined the iHeartRadio Music Festival with Steve Aoki, and in August 2021 delivered his EP Masquerade, a collection he describes as character-driven singles.

Member Check - In: 6:00pm

Nonmember Check - In / Doors: 6:30pm

Show Time: 7:00pm

[saranya3fold]

3FOLD Education Centre

3FOLD Education Centre is an approved training partner of CQI IRCA. We are offering CQI IRCA Certified Lead Auditor courses.

Why don’t you attend todays webinar on “ISO 45001:2018 OHSMS Clauses & OHS Manual”

Timing: 07:30pm – 09:30pm (IST)

Register Here

Check out here for our more Webinars

[sywtwfs]

2019 World Championships: Info & Streaming

It’s here! The climax of the 2018-19 season will take place in Saitama, Japan, from March 18-24. Here's a guide on how to watch! More information will be added to this post as it appears.

Live results | Entries | Detailed schedule | Website | ISU

SCHEDULE

Japan Standard Time (UTC+9). Subscribe to our Google Calendar to get all competition times in your own time zone!

Mar. 20: Pairs’ SP 10:30; Ladies’ SP 15:05 Mar. 21: Pairs’ FS 10:30; Men’s SP 16:00 Mar. 22: Rhythm Dance 12:00; Ladies’ FS 17:30 Mar. 23: Free Dance 12:30; Men’s FS 17:30 Mar. 24: Gala 15:00

=============================

HOW TO WATCH

Be careful of popups and ads on free streaming sites. We are not responsible for the quality of the streams; we only provide the links. Many streams for major figure skating events have geographic restrictions. In order to unblock streams, consider using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Free VPN services are available online, but the most reliable ones usually require a fee.

Fan streams: These fan-run streams may livestream part or all of the event: FSLive, QQ Live. Check the streams when the events are on. The streams should be available worldwide.

ISU: The ISU will livestream the entire competition and gala in countries that have not purchased broadcasting rights for the event.

NBC Gold: Subscribers in the USA can watch the entire competition live on NBC Gold. NBC and NBCSN will also air parts of the competition on TV in taped broadcasts.

CBC Sports: Canada’s CBC Sports will stream the entire competition and gala live. CBC will also air the competition on TV in taped broadcasts; see their website for more info. Streaming schedule in EDT:

3/19: Pairs’ SP 9:30PM (live)

3/20: Ladies’ SP 2:05AM (live); Pairs’ FS 9:30PM (live)

3/21: Men’s SP 3:00AM (live); Rhythm Dance 11:00PM (live)

3/22: Ladies’ FS 4:30AM (live); Free Dance 11:30PM (live)

3/23: Men’s FS 4:30AM (live)

3/24: Gala 2:00AM (live)

Official streams (blocked outside of Canada)

Match Arena: Russia’s Match Arena will air the entire competition and gala live. Broadcast schedule in Moscow Time:

3/20: Pairs’ SP 04:30 (live); Ladies’ SP 09:05 (live)

3/21: Pairs’ FS 04:30 (live); Men’s SP 10:00 (live)

3/22: Rhythm Dance 06:00 (live); Ladies’ FS 11:30 (live)

3/23: Free Dance 06:30 (live); Men’s FS 11:30 (live)

3/24: Gala 09:00 (live)

Unblocked streams: Stream 1, Stream 2, Stream 3

Match TV: Russia’s Match TV will air parts of the competition live. Broadcast schedule in Moscow Time:

3/20: Pairs’ SP 04:25 (live)

3/21: Pairs’ FS 04:25 (live); Men’s SP 12:35 (live 2 hrs 35 min in)

3/22: Rhythm Dance 08:00 (live 2 hrs in)

3/23: Men’s FS 13:05 (live 1 hr 35 min in)

Unblocked streams: Stream 1, Stream 2, Stream 3

Sportbox: Russia’s Sportbox.ru will stream the entire competition and gala live. The streams are blocked outside of Russia. Broadcast schedule in Moscow Time:

3/20: Pairs’ SP 04:25 (live); Ladies’ SP 09:05 (live)

3/21: Pairs’ FS 04:25 (live); Men’s SP 10:00 (live)

3/22: Rhythm Dance 06:00 (live); Ladies’ FS 11:30 (live)

3/23: Free Dance 06:30 (live); Men’s FS 11:30 (live)

3/24: Gala 09:00 (live)

Eurosport Player: Subscribers to Eurosport Player can stream the competition and gala live online. Eurosport Player is only available in Europe. Please check the schedule in your own respective countries.

Russian Eurosport: Russian Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 will air parts of the competition live. Other Eurosport channels may have slightly different schedules; check your local TV listings to make sure. Broadcast schedule in Moscow Time:

3/20: Ladies’ SP 10:30 (ESP2, live 1 hr 25 min in)

3/21: Men’s SP 10:30 (ESP2, live 30 min in)

3/22: Ladies’ FS 11:30 (ESP1, live)

3/23: Men’s FS 11:30 (ESP2, live)

3/24: Gala 09:00 (ESP2, live)

Eurosport 1 streams: Stream 1, Stream 2, Stream 3, Stream 4

Eurosport 2 streams: Stream 1, Stream 2, Stream 3, Stream 4, Stream 5

British Eurosport: British Eurosport 2 will air parts of the competition live. Other Eurosport channels may have slightly different schedules; check your local TV listings to make sure. Broadcast schedule in GMT:

3/20: Ladies’ SP 07:30 (live 1 hr 25 min in)

3/21: Men’s SP 07:00 (live)

3/22: Ladies’ FS 08:30 (live)

3/23: Men’s FS 08:30 (live)

3/24: Gala 06:00 (live)

Unblocked streams: Stream 1, Stream 2, Stream 3

RaiSport: Italy’s RaiSport & RaiSport+HD will air parts of the competition live. Broadcast schedule in CET:

3/20: Pairs’ SP 08:00 (taped); Ladies’ SP 10:00 (live 3 hrs in)

3/21: Pairs’ FS 04:00 (live 1 hr 30 min in); Men’s SP 10:00 (live 2 hrs in)

3/22: Rhythm Dance 06:00 (live 2 hrs in); Ladies’ FS 11:00 (live 1 hr 30 min in)

3/23: Free Dance 05:00 (live 30 min in)

3/24: Men’s FS 00:25 (taped); Gala 07:00 (live)

Official streams: RaiSport, RaiSport+HD (blocked outside of Italy)

YLE: Finland’s YLE Areena will stream the entire competition and gala live. The streams are blocked outside of Finland. Schedule in EET:

3/20: Pairs’ SP 03:25 (live); Ladies’ SP 08:00 (live)

3/21: Pairs’ FS 03:25 (live); Men’s SP 08:55 (live)

3/22: Rhythm Dance 04:55 (live); Ladies’ FS 10:25 (live)

3/23: Free Dance 05:25 (live); Men’s FS 10:25 (live)

3/24: Gala 07:55 (live)

Fuji TV: Japan’s Fuji TV will air parts of the competition live. Broadcast schedule in JST:

3/20: Ladies’ SP 18:30 (live 3 hrs 30 min in)

3/21: Men’s SP 18:30 (live 2 hrs 30 min in)

3/22: Ladies’ FS 18:30 (live 1 hr in)

3/23: Men’s FS 18:30 (live 1 hr in)

3/25: Gala 00:40 (taped); Pairs & Dance Recap 02:55 (taped)

Unblocked stream, mirror

SBS Sports: South Korea’s SBS Sports will air parts of the competition live. Broadcast schedule in KST:

3/20: Ladies’ SP 21:00 (taped)

3/21: Men’s SP 21:00 (taped)

3/22: Ladies’ FS 23:00 (taped)

3/23: Men’s FS 19:20 (live 1 hr 50 min in)

Unblocked stream

CCTV 5: China’s CCTV 5 will air parts of the competition live. Broadcast schedule in China Standard Time:

3/20: Pairs’ SP 10:30 (live 1 hr in); Ladies’ SP 18:30 (live 4 hrs 30 min in)

3/21: Pairs’ FS 09:30 (live); Men’s SP 16:10 (live 1 hr 10 min in)

3/22: Rhythm Dance 11:00 (live); Ladies’ FS 17:00 (live 30 min in)

3/23: Free Dance 13:00 (live 1 hr 30 min in); Men’s FS 16:30 (live)

3/24: Gala 14:00 (live)

Official stream (blocked outside of China), Stream 1, Stream 2

ELTA Sports: Taiwan’s ELTA Sports 3 will air the entire competition and gala live. Schedule in China Standard Time:

3/20: Pairs’ SP 09:30 (live); Ladies’ SP 14:00 (live)

3/21: Pairs’ FS 09:30 (live); Men’s SP 15:00 (live)

3/22: Rhythm Dance 11:00 (live); Ladies’ FS 16:30 (live)

3/23: Free Dance 11:30 (live); Men’s FS 16:30 (live)

3/24: Gala 14:00 (live)

Official stream (blocked outside of Taiwan)

Other TV channels: Other TV channels will also air parts of the competition. Check your local TV channels for other skating broadcasts.

On demand: If you can’t watch live, videos from the competition will be uploaded online by fans, so you can always catch up later. Search skaters' names on Youtube and filter by upload date for the latest videos. See this post for useful skating Youtube and Dailymotion channels.

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Spring Fling Movie Countdown

This Friday starting at 10pm/9c Hallmark will start airing its 2020 Spring Fling Movie Countdown. Normally it’s a surprise as to which movies air or what number they end up being, but Hallmark has let us know beforehand what they are airing this year. Not sure why, but here's the schedule as of right now.  

Friday, April 24th 

10pm/9c - #23 Tulips in Spring (2016) 

Saturday, April 25th 

12am/11c - #22 Love, Romance & Chocolate (2019) (Countdown to Valentine’s Day) 

2am/1c - #21 The Art of Us (2017) 

3:30am/2:30c - #20 Love at First Bark (2017) (Spring Fling) 

5am/4c - #19 Love Under the Rainbow (2019)

7am/6c - #18 Like Cats & Dogs (2017) (Spring Fling) 

9am/8c - #17 Hearts of Spring (2016) (Spring Fling)

11am/10c - #16 Easter Under Wraps (2019) (Spring Fever) 

1pm/12c - #15 Fashionably Yours (2020) (Spring Fling) 

3pm/2c - #14 Flip that Romance (2019) (Spring Fever) 

5pm/4c - #13 Nature of Love (2020) (Spring Fling) 

7pm/6c - #12 Royal Matchmaker (2018) (Spring Fever) 

11pm/10c - #11 You’re Bacon Me Crazy (2020) (Spring Fling) 

Sunday, April 26th 

1am/12c - #10 The Perfect Catch (2017) (Spring Fling)

3am/2c - #09 Campfire Kiss (2017) 

4:30pm/3:30c - #08 The Sweetest Heart (2018) (Spring Fever) 

6am/5c - #07 Moonlight in Vermont (2017) (Spring Fling) 

8am/7c - #06 A Brush With Love (2019) (Spring Fever) 

10am/9c - #05 Love by Chance (2016) (Spring Fling) 

12pm/11c - #04 Love to the Rescue (2019) (Spring Fever) 

2pm/1c - #03 Bottled With Love (2019) (Spring Fever) 

4pm/3c - #02 Once Upon a Prince (2018) (Spring Fever) 

6pm/5c - #01 Just My Type (2020) (Spring Fling) 

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

Going to Defcon this weekend? I'm giving a keynote, "An Audacious Plan to Halt the Internet's Enshittification and Throw it Into Reverse," on Saturday at 12:30pm, followed by a book signing at the No Starch Press booth at 2:30pm!

https://info.defcon.org/event/?id=50826

#10yrsago Lavabit competitor Silent Circle shuts down its secure email service, destroys servers https://silentcircle.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/to-our-customers/

#10yrsago Bikram “Yoga” Choudhury accused of rape, sexual harassment, racism, homophobia, and unsafe practices related to the color green https://jezebel.com/bikram-yoga-founder-hates-sluts-and-fatties-loves-talk-1068127138

#10yrsago More on the NSA’s weird, deceptive, indefensible definition of “targeted surveillance” https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/07/what-it-means-be-target-or-why-we-once-again-stopped-believing-government-and-once

#10yrsago Assault on Equestria: My Little Pony themed D&D game with a young kid! http://www.chippewavalleygeek.com/2013/07/assault-on-equestria.html

#10yrsago Court finds for man who rewrote the credit-card fine-print to give himself unlimited, interest-free credit https://consumerist.com/2013/08/09/man-tries-to-beat-bank-at-its-own-game-with-fine-print-that-gives-him-unlimited-credit/

#10yrsago NSA leak: US can spy on Americans, despite direct statements of President, Congress, top spooks https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/09/nsa-loophole-warrantless-searches-email-calls

#10yrsago Animatronic Hatbox Ghost https://insidethemagic.net/2013/08/haunted-mansion-hatbox-ghost-reanimated-at-2013-d23-expo-as-disney-imagineers-demonstrate-audio-animatronics/

#5yrsago My closing keynote from the second Decentralized Web Summit https://archive.org/details/decentralizedwebsummitmedia-2018-courtyard-2?start=475

#5yrsago Bad infrastructure means pacemakers can be compromised before they leave the factory https://www.wired.com/story/pacemaker-hack-malware-black-hat/

#5yrsago Florida’s prisons change tech providers, wipe out $11.2m worth of music purchased by prisoners https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/08/captive-audience-how-floridas-prisons-and-drm-made-113m-worth-prisoners-music

#5yrsago Kill sticky headers: a bookmarklet to get rid of the web’s static blobs https://alisdair.mcdiarmid.org/kill-sticky-headers/

#5yrsago Defective Comcast security exposes 26.5m customers’ partial Social Security Numbers and addresses https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nicolenguyen/a-comcast-security-flaw-exposed-millions-of-customers

#5yrsago State of Georgia goes to court to defend voting machines that recorded 243% voter turnouts https://www.mcclatchydc.com/latest-news/article216056560.html

#5yrsago Everybody hates their cable company, unless the company is Google, or the city, or a tiny mom-and-pop https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/telecom-services/best-and-worst-home-internet-providers-a2853390170/

#5yrsago What should go in an IoT safety-rating sticker? https://memex.craphound.com/2018/08/09/what-should-go-in-an-iot-safety-rating-sticker/

I'm kickstarting the audiobook for "The Internet Con: How To Seize the Means of Computation," a Big Tech disassembly manual to disenshittify the web and bring back the old, good internet. It's a DRM-free book, which means Audible won't carry it, so this crowdfunder is essential. Back now to get the audio, Verso hardcover and ebook:

[theoralcigarette]

[!!!] NOTICE

The 2018-2019 Kisses and Kills Tour Arena Series 〜Directly in a Wide Place〜 at Yokohama Arena video, released March 6, 2020 8:00pm JST, is a limited release on Youtube until March 13th, 11:59pm

The PARASITE DEJAVU THE MOVIE Live Documentary, releasing March 07, 2020 8:00pm JST, is also a limited release on Youtube until March 07, 10:30pm 

The Oral Cigarettes and their team have decided to release these two videos in lieu of the tour being cancelled for health and safety reasons due to the Coronavirus. These videos are for fans who aren’t able to go to the tour, so they can enjoy seeing the band’s music in a live setting.

[food-log-life]

海鮮平麺炒め🍝#昼食 #中華街

[avanguardia1911]

Waterbourne Skateboard Surf Adapter https://ift.tt/2Q6Cfck

Surf the asphalt just like you do the waves with the Waterbourne Skateboard Surf Adapter. This clever accessory attaches to any board, sitting between it and the truck. Once installed... Visit Uncrate for the full post. November 30, 2018 at 07:30PM

[alternative-eyes]

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZRfde9GsbA/W7zVJk_YrSI/AAAAAAAAkTw/CJ1SUX_gSbss6YuJa9DHkF5X70HlbL5OgCLcBGAs/s72-c/What%2Bis%2BReally%2BHappening%2Bat%2Bthe%2BSkinwalker%2BRanch.jpg

Hunting the Skinwalker

     It was after uncovering some disturbing information about the Skinwalker Ranch owned by Robert Bigelow that I began to have doubts about the real purpose behind the MUFON-BAASS project. Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) is an aerospace company allegedly involved in discovering novel and cutting edge space technologies and contracted MUFON in 2009 to perform UFO investigations on its behalf. In the following email to the MUFON Board of Directors, I summarized my research findings and my misgivings about any further relationship with BAASS.

By James Carrion 2-8-2011

Note that this email has been modified to remove identifying information about the confidential source here called Brad Newton who is still under a non-disclosure agreement from his work with the now defunct National Institute for Discovery Sciences (NIDS), also an organization founded by Robert Bigelow.

CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT FORWARD – FOR MUFON BOARD ONLY – HIGHLY SENSITIVE Gentlemen, Since taking on the MUFON International Director position, I have been in observation mode trying to understand the true nature of the UFO phenomenon. In 2007 I personally financed a “meeting of the minds” in Fort Collins to try and gain insight into what the status quo was in Ufology. I have personally investigated high level cases such as Kinross and the California Drones and have found myself on the receiving end of a constant flow of disinformation. What I have observed over the last three years seriously disturbs me. It is my belief that there are forces at work here that “manage” Ufology for their own purposes. When an organization like MUFON starts to operate outside of the box “they” intend to keep us in, then these controlling forces move in to tighten their grip. Case in point is MUFON’s relationship with BAASS. Although John (Schuessler) knows who BAASS’ sponsors are, I am no longer comfortable with the MUFON-BAASS relationship. Let me explain in detail. Just last month, I financed my own trip to Utah with Dr. Frank Salisbury who was looking to republish his book “The Utah UFO Display” and was looking for new material to add. Since the book covered the Uintah Basin in North East Utah where the Bigelow Skinwalker Ranch is located, Salisbury sought and was denied access to the Ranch. I also asked and was denied access. Instead, we spent our time interviewing new witnesses around the Ranch. Our contact person was Brad Newton (real name withheld) who has researched the area for many years. What I learned from Brad is what has led to the doubts I now harbor. Brad worked with NIDS on the ranch and mentioned that after an alleged sighting, metal rods were found on the ranch that were sent to NIDS for analysis. Brad was in contact with a NIDS scientist who informed him that the rods were made from Element 115 and did not originate on earth, and that he (the scientist) had worked at Area 51 on a reverse engineering project where they had accumulated 300 pounds of this material. This in a nutshell is the Bob Lazar story. Through Dr. Salisbury, we were able to interview the brother of the original owner of the ranch who sold it to the Shermans who subsequently sold it to Bigelow. The ranch owner’s brother was adamant that there was no UFO or strange activity on the ranch prior to the Sherman’s purchase, contrary to what was discussed in the Skinwalker Book and that he (the owner’s brother) had personally received a call from Bigelow trying to convince him otherwise. I found this to be extremely odd and disturbing. I also subsequently learned of a business relationship between Lazar and Bigelow (documented in the MUFON archives). What I see in the MUFON-BAASS relationship is active management of MUFON’s work, despite assurances from BAASS otherwise. By carefully controlling the purse strings with each contract evaluation period, they are ensuring they receive a constant flow of information from MUFON while also making sure that MUFON does not end up with operational funding to stabilize its long term financial well being. Who’s on the receiving end of this information? Since that will not be disclosed to MUFON, I cannot state for sure, but I don’t feel confident that the information is being used for what MUFON was originally informed. If you were able to listen to my speech at the Symposium or read my paper in the Proceedings or read my blog, then you know where I stand on the active management and control of information on the part of governmental or quasi governmental forces in our work. Conspiracy theory? Yes. Plausible? Yes. MUFON has an obligation to the public to fulfill its mission. I for one believe that we cannot adequately do so as long as we are actively managed, nor can I in good faith stand by while this is happening. Those are my personal feeling however and as such I don’t want to speak for the organization when making the decision to renew or terminate our contract with BAASS. I leave it to the Board for a decision on this. I have already stated my decision to step down as the International Director, and in large part my decision has been based on my research. I will continue to work within MUFON and for MUFON’s long term viability, but I will not stand by and be managed. My time will be better spent actively uncovering the trail left by the forces of disinformation and my efforts focused on uncovering the truth. In the end that is all that is important. Sincerely, James

John Schuessler responded with the following email:

James, I am concerned for you if you are basing decisions on what Brad has said. It is not my intent to argue the point, but the whole Element 115 thing is pure bunk. Don't take my word for it, just ask any scientist. Both CSICOP scientists and MUFON scientists like Stanton Friedman have thoroughly debunked Lazar's Element 115 story. If you could get Element 115 (or Elements 114 and 116) to be stable enough to make them into rods, they would make extremely heavy rods. I can find no one except Bob Lazar and now Brad that believes there are Element 115 rods anywhere, let alone dumping them out on the ground in an uncontrolled environment on a ranch in Utah. As for the rods found on the Skinwalker Ranch, I was on the NIDS Scientific Advisory Board back in those days and can verify that rods were found. They were not heavy Element 115 rods. Instead, they were thin carbon rods that are used in arc lamps to make very bright lights in field operations. I have personally used this type of rods in arc lamp operations many years ago. John

My email response to John follows:

Hi John, That is my point exactly. Lazar and element 115 are bunk but it appears to me that the NIDS scientist was promoting it to Brad. Why? I found Brad to be honest in his demeanor and he is held in high esteem by everyone we came into contact with including many of the witnesses we interviewed. Brad has no motive for promoting the Bob Lazar story but it was communicated to him nonetheless. Actually, it was the former ranch owner’s brother’s assertions that cemented for me that something is amiss. The Skinwalker ranch story did not play out as described in the book and that coupled with us being denied access does not add up for me. I can only conclude that BAASS is at someone else’s beck and call. The Board does not need to agree with me on this, which is why I am leaving the contract renewal response to the Board. Best wishes, James

It was after this email exchange that the MUFON Board bypassed me as acting MUFON International Director and secretly engaged BAASS in renegotiating the MUFON-BAASS contract while purposely keeping me out of the loop. As you can see from the email exchange, this secretive communication was altogether unnecessary because I deferred to the majority decision of the MUFON Board. Unethical behavior on the part of the MUFON Board aside, the following questions still beg for answers: What is really happening at the Skinwalker Ranch and why are serious investigators being denied access? Why was a NIDS scientist pushing the Bob Lazar story which is a known farce? Why does the book “Hunt for the Skinwalker” describe paranormal activity present on the ranch prior to the Shermans purchasing it when a close surviving relative of the former owner denies such activity? Why is the truth about activities on the ranch being censored through non-disclosure agreements? It appears that once again in Ufology there are more questions than answers; common fare for a field where the waters are muddied but never cleared. If you consider yourself a truth seeker then perhaps it is time to take a stand against these forces of ambiguity that seek only to obscure the truth rather than bring it to light. It is time to promote truth and not mystery in a field that has too many mysteries already. It is time to reveal the truth by not compromising ethics or principles or by allowing truth to be censored. It is time to stop falling prey to fear and lies but instead to hunt the Skinwalker forces of deception in their own territory. Who is up for a hunting trip?

Editor's Note: As most know, James Carrion is the former International Director of MUFON. Given the renewed interest in the Skinwalker Ranch precipitated by Jeremy Corbell's documentary, based on George Knapp and Colm A. Kelleher book of the same name, Hunt for The Skinwalker, we re-present James' article on the ranch and his involvement originally published in 2011-FW

See Also: Army Colonel Reveals Amazing Skinwalker Ranch Stories | VIDEO Alien Ranch Up For Sale Hunt for the Skinwalker & The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Connection Shermans' 480-acre Ranch a Hotbed for UFOs and Bizarre Paranormal Activity

REPORT YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE

Read more »

What is Really Happening at the Skinwalker Ranch? http://www.theufochronicles.com/2018/10/what-is-really-happening-at-skinwalker-ranch.html

[sywtwfs]

2019 Four Continents Championships & Bavarian Open: Info & Streaming

The second ISU Championships of the 2018-19 season will take place in Anaheim, CA, USA from Feb. 4-10! Here's a guide on how to watch. More information will be added to this post as it appears.

Live results | Entries | Detailed schedule | Website | ISU

SCHEDULE

Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8). Subscribe to our Google Calendar to get all competition times in your own time zone!

Feb. 7: Ladies’ SP 12:30; Men’s SP 18:15 Feb. 8: Pairs’ SP 11:45; Rhythm Dance 15:00; Ladies’ FS 19:00 Feb. 9: Pairs’ FS 14:00; Men’s FS 19:00 Feb. 10: Free Dance 13:00; Gala 18:00

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HOW TO WATCH

Be careful of popups and ads on free streaming sites. We are not responsible for the quality of the streams; we only provide the links. Many streams for major figure skating events have geographical restrictions. In order to unblock streams, consider using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Free VPN services are available online, but the most reliable ones usually require a fee.

Fan streams: These fan-run streams may livestream part or all of the event: FSLive, QQ Live. Check the streams when the events are on. The streams should be available worldwide.

ISU: The ISU will stream the entire competition and gala live in countries that have not purchased broadcasting rights for the event.

NBC Gold: Subscribers in the USA can watch the entire competition live on NBC Gold. NBC Gold subscriptions include most major competitions in the skating season.

NBC Sports: USA’s NBCSN will air parts of the competition live. Broadcast schedule in EST:

2/7: Ladies’ SP 5:00PM (live 1 hr 30 min in); Men’s SP 11:30PM (live 2 hrs 15 min in)

2/9: Ladies’ FS 12:00AM (live 2 hrs in)

2/10: Men’s FS 12:00AM (live 2 hrs in)

2/11: Free Dance 12:00AM (taped)

Official stream (blocked outside of US), Stream 1, Stream 2, Stream 3, Stream 4

CBC Sports: Canada’s CBC Sports will stream the entire competition and gala live. CBC will also air the competition on TV in delayed broadcasts; see their website for more info. Streaming schedule in EST:

2/7: Ladies’ SP 3:30PM; Men’s SP 9:15PM

2/8: Pairs’ SP 2:45PM; Rhythm Dance 6:00PM; Ladies’ FS 10:00PM

2/9: Pairs’ FS 5:00PM; Men’s FS 10:00PM

2/10: Free Dance 4:00PM; Gala 9:00PM

Official streams (blocked outside of Canada)

SBS Sports: South Korea’s SBS Sports will air parts of the competition live. Broadcast schedule in KST:

2/8: Ladies’ SP 07:00 (live 1 hr 30 min in); Men’s SP 18:00 (taped)

2/9: Ladies’ FS 13:30 (live 1 hr 30 min in)

Unblocked stream

CCTV 5: China’s CCTV 5 and CCTV 5+ will air parts of the competition live. Broadcast schedule in China Standard Time:

2/8: Men’s SP 12:30 (CCTV5+, live 2 hrs 15 min in); Ladies’ SP 15:00 (CCTV5, taped)

2/9: Ladies’ FS 11:00 (CCTV5+, live); Pairs’ SP 14:00 (CCTV5, taped)

2/10: Pairs’ FS 14:10 (CCTV5, taped); Men’s FS 16:05 (CCTV5, taped)

CCTV 5 streams: Official stream (blocked outside of China), Stream 1, Stream 2

CCTV 5+ streams: Official stream (blocked outside of China), Stream 1, Stream 2

ELTA Sports: Taiwan’s ELTA Sports 3 will air the entire competition and gala live. Schedule in China Standard Time:

2/8: Ladies’ SP 04:30 (live); Men’s SP 10:15 (live)

2/9: Pairs’ SP 03:15 (live); Rhythm Dance 07:00 (live); Ladies’ FS 11:00 (live)

2/10: Pairs’ FS 06:00 (live); Men’s FS 11:00 (live)

2/11: Free Dance 05:00 (live); Gala 10:00 (live)

Official stream (blocked outside of Taiwan)

Other TV channels: Other TV channels such as Fuji TV will also air parts of the competition in taped broadcasts. Check your local TV channels for other skating broadcasts.

On demand: If you can’t watch live, videos from the competition will be uploaded online by fans, so you can always catch up later. Search skaters' names on Youtube and filter by upload date for the latest videos. See this post for useful skating Youtube and Dailymotion channels.

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BAVARIAN OPEN

Results | Entries | Schedule | Website | ISU

Designation: B competition When: Feb. 5-10 Where: Oberstdorf, Germany Level & disciplines: novice/junior/senior men, ladies, ice dance, pairs How to watch: Free livestream

Senior Schedule (CET, UTC+1) 2/7: Pairs’ SP 21:10 2/8: Men’s SP 17:00; Pairs’ FS 18:40 2/9: Ladies’ SP 16:40; Rhythm Dance 19:10 2/10: Ladies' FS 09:00; Men's FS 11:50; Free Dance 13:45

Notable entries: Conrad Orzel, Yuto Kishina, Koshiro Shimada, Yuna Aoki, Satoko Miyahara, Serafima Sakhanovich, Annika Hocke/Ruben Blommaert, Yuna Shiraiwa (jr), Young You (jr), Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha (jr)

[mwesterl]

RT @fidanekiz: Waar de verdraagzaamheid stopt, zijn onze persvrijheid en de vrijheid van meningsuiting onderhandelbaar. #(zelf)CensuurInNederland https://t.co/W510pPdB0C | mwesterl | http://twitter.com/mwesterl/status/1044277901045243905