#amazon service europe

[assowebtv]

REGIONE: LA GIUNTA APPROVA DELIBERE PER LO SVILUPPO ECONOMICO E CULTURALE E PER IL COMPARTO AGRICOLO

REGIONE: LA GIUNTA APPROVA DELIBERE PER LO SVILUPPO ECONOMICO E CULTURALE E PER IL COMPARTO AGRICOLO

Su proposta del presidente della Regione, Roberto Occhiuto, la Giunta, nella riunione di ieri pomeriggio, ha approvato il protocollo d’intesa, proposto a titolo gratuito dal gruppo Amazon Service Europe, per la promozione di una vetrina ad hoc dei prodotti Made in Italy con una sezione specifica per quelli calabresi. L’approvazione di questa intesa, e la successiva sottoscrizione, rientra in…

[unitedtesting]

The vibration test methods can be divided into sinusoidal vibration and random vibration:

Sinusoidal vibration is often used in the laboratory test method, to simulate rotation, pulsation, shock (in ships, aircraft, vehicle, space aircraft) on the vibration and the resonance frequency analysis of product structure and little note to pick up card is given priority to, it is divided into two kinds of sweep vibration and fixed frequency vibration, the harsh degree depends on the frequency range, loss amplitude, test duration.

Random vibration is assessed as the seismic resistance strength of the overall structure of the fire module product and the delivery environment in the packaging state, and its severity depends on the frequency range, GRMS, test duration and axial direction.

[biglisbonnews]

UrbanV is ready to launch air mobility with AWS Leading Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company will partner with AWS to develop a city-wide infrastructure for electrically powered flying taxis, with first flights expected in Rome by 2025. The article UrbanV is ready to launch air mobility with AWS first appeared in TravelDailyNews International. https://www.traveldailynews.com/aviation/urbanv-is-ready-to-launch-air-mobility-with-aws/

[gslin]

AWS 加開中歐區 (瑞士，蘇黎世)

AWS 在瑞士蘇黎世開了新的區域，代碼 eu-central-2：「A New AWS Region Opens in Switzerland」，其中代碼 eu-central-1 是德國，這次的歐洲中不稍微往南邊一點開。 I am pleased to announce today the opening of our 28th AWS Region: Europe (Zurich), also known by its API name: eu-central-2. 歐洲的 region 愈來愈多了，但可以看出來東歐一直還沒有點，不過以目前戰火的情況看起來應該不會太快…

[cosycouple]

Just came across this picture from 2022 before our first Tumblr was deleted 😞🤬 And just HAD to repost it! 🥰

This was our first time ever trying cloth nappies/diapers and they are absolutely incredible! 😍

They are so soft and adorable, the tail is detachable, the crazily soft Velcro holds so well - But come on, how bloody adorable is that fox tail diaper?!

It's so much fun to play with. Plus it plays in to how foxy he is 🦊😍

It's so so so nice to be able to support an independently owned ABDL owned company like this. They're knowledgable and passionate about what they're doing here. Their quality speaks for itself; we genuinely are delighted with everything such as the materials (so soft and well made) as well as gorgeous designs they have.

Thank you so much again @lilcomforts1 - From the customer service to the RIDICULOUSLY fast shipping from America to Ireland (genuinely unreal speed), the whole experience was exceptionally incredible 🥹🥰

We’ve recently found out that they have since released a disposable and we can’t wait to order a pack when they become available in Europe!! They look so cute 🥹

Note, in the spirit of transparency, this was gifted to us but we would absolutely be happy to purchase these products ourselves and will be purchasing from them! This company, and the people who run it are amazing! 🥰❤️

[nyerus]

Guide to Watch TGCF Donghua Season 2

With the new season of the Tian Guan Ci Fu/Heaven Official's Blessing donghua finally releasing soon, I wanted to make a post explaining the different ways fans can watch and support it! Things have changed since season 1, so my old guide is no longer relevant apart from the infographics on how to subscribe to Bilibili CN (and the YouTube channel)!

And to be upfront: the main sites that are going to be broadcasting the donghua have been very sparse with information. I fully expect that we will have to wait until after the first episode releases to know all the details, so while I am making this guide to help people right now, things might change! Please keep that in mind and stay patient! I will post any important updates in the replies as I can!

Additionally, because of copyright/licensing, different sites are going to work in different regions. I do not know with 100% certainty what is going to work in a particular country. There's gonna be some trial and error!

So the main options we have for season 2 are:

Crunchyroll

Sub price: $9.99 USD per month for basic (local prices may vary)

Regions: Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Oceania.

Pros: Easy to subscribe to if available in your region.

Cons: Unlikely for true simulcast so it'll be a bit delayed.

Link to main site (season 2 listing not up yet)

For app: download via App Store/Google Play Store.

Bilibili. tv (EN site/app)

Sub price: $4.99 USD per month (local prices may vary)

Regions: Southeast Asia only.

Pros: Airs earlier than Crunchyroll. Interface is in English.

Cons: If you want to watch it outside of SEA, you'll need a VPN.

Link to Season 2 on website

For app: download via APK link on website if you are outside of SEA. Otherwise use App Store/Google Play Store.

Bilibili YouTube Channel

Sub price: $4.99/$5.99 USD per month (local prices may vary)

Regions: Many -- EXCEPT Japan, South Korea, the Americas, UK, Australia, New Zealand.

Pros: Easy to subscribe if available in your region.

Cons: If you want to watch it from the regions listed above, you'll need a VPN.

Link to channel

It's the youtube app....

Bilibili. com (CN site/app)

Sub price: $9.99 USD for 3 months

Regions: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Pros: If they're gonna air season 2, then they might be the source broadcast if the EN site isn't. Also probably cheapest for those abroad.

Cons: Chinese interface may be intimidating. Not 100% sure if it'll air as normal.

Link to Season 2 on website

For app: download via App Store/Google Play Store.

(NOTE: If you are in Japan, it will be available on WOWOW. If you are in South Korea, it will be available on Laftel.)

F.A.Q.s

🔹What is the release date/time? Bilibili EN has announced it as 20:00 GMT+8 on October 18th. If it releases on Bilibili CN, it'll probably be the same time. Crunchyroll has stated October 18th, but has not yet announced a time as of the posting this guide. I checked. Japan and South Korea have their own release times, so please consult the relevant broadcasters!

🔹Can I watch it on Netflix/Amazon Prime/etc? These streaming services will likely only have it after the whole season concludes, and with a significant delay. For reference, it took several months after finishing for season 1 to be released on Netflix.

🔹Which platform should I choose? Whichever one you can actually access, and feel most comfortable using!

🔹When should I subscribe? Personally, I'll be waiting until the last day before release, just to make sure I have the most information possible. However, I'm sure the idea of doing that makes many people nervous, so... yeah. Whenever is convenient for you!

🔹Which one will have the donghua the quickest/earliest? Probably Bilibili CN & Bilibili EN. I suspect they'll simulcast with each other. I cannot be 100% certain about anything though, because of limited info! For season 1, YouTube and Funimation (now Crunchyroll) were delayed, and it's hard to say if they'll be better this time or not.

🔹Do I need a VPN for Bilibili EN or their YT channel? If you are outside of SEA, yes.

🔹Do I need a VPN for Bilibili CN? Probably not, unless you are in a country that restricts access to CN sites and apps (like India).

🔹Which VPN should I use? This will be up to you! It's best to research what the different options are, and what will work for your needs!

🔹How will I know I'll be able to watch season 2 from my region? The most surefire way is to subscribe to a platform that has officially announced to be serving your region (e.g. Crunchyroll for the Americas). Unofficially, if you can watch the latest trailer and other promo videos on your chosen platform, then there's a good chance you're okay! The exception to this is the YouTube channel, which has some of the trailers public, but has all of season 1 unavailable if you aren't in the right region.... Additionally, be mindful, because even if you're able to see season 1, season 2 might still be region-locked on certain platforms. (E.g. you can watch all of season 1 via Bilibili EN if you're from the USA no problem. But you can't access season 2 without a VPN to a SEA server.)

🔹What languages are going to be available and will there be English subtitles? While dubs for multiple languages have been confirmed, I'm unsure if any of these will be available on release. It'll likely be offered only in Chinese first. For season 1, there were hardcoded CN & EN subtitles for Bilibili on release. Funimation re-subbed the episodes (EN) for their own release, and Crunchyroll will probably do the same.

🔹I watched it on Funimation last time, can I watch it through them this time? No, they were absorbed (in some capacity idk) by Crunchyroll. So they are not distributing season 2 of TGCF, only Crunchyroll is.

🔹Is season 2 actually available in China and thus on Bilibili CN? Yes and no! As long as you are not in mainland China, it seems you will have access to season 2 through Bilibili CN. All promo materials and trailers seem to be available to us, which is a good sign! (They are not available for mainlanders, but mainland fans are able to watch via HK/Macau versions apparently.)

🔹Hopeful that it will be available, I would like to watch it via Bilibili CN, so how do I sign up and subscribe? To make an account, consult this reddit post. To subscribe, please consult the guide below! It's a little old (made it for season 1) but still works pretty much the same.

[simply-ivanka]

If Taylor Swift Had Endorsed Donald Trump

Democrats would scorn her business savvy, cap her ticket prices, and fret over her huge carbon footprint.

Wall Street Journal

By Allysia Finley

Forbes estimates Taylor Swift’s net worth at $1.3 billion. Despite her liberal leanings, the singer-songwriter has amassed her wealth the old-fashioned way: through hard work, talent and business savvy. Her endorsement of Kamala Harris last week is rich considering she owes her success to the capitalist system the vice president wants to tear down.

“The way I see it, fans view music the way they view their relationships,” Ms. Swift wrote in a 2014 piece for the Journal. “Some music is just for fun, a passing fling. . . . Some songs and albums represent seasons of our lives, like relationships that we hold dear in our memories but had their time and place in the past. However, some artists will be like finding ‘the one.’ ” She has become “the one” for hundreds of millions of fans worldwide with lyrics that chronicle relationship woes women commonly experience.

Ms. Swift took advantage of her ardent fan base in 2014 by removing her catalog from Spotify in a bid for higher royalties. “Valuable things should be paid for. It’s my opinion that music should not be free,” she explained. “My hope for the future, not just in the music industry, but in every young girl I meet, . . . is that they all realize their worth and ask for it.”

She also criticized Apple Music for not paying artists during the streaming service’s free trial, prompting the company to change its policy. As she jeers in a hit song, “Who’s afraid of little old me?” Apparently, Big Tech companies.

Last year she reportedly raked in $200 million from streaming royalties on top of the estimated $15.8 million she grossed per performance during her recent “Eras” tour. Some fans have shelled out thousands of dollars on the resale market to see Ms. Swift perform. Americans have even traveled to Europe when they couldn’t get tickets in the U.S.

Her fan base may be more loyal and enthusiastic than Donald Trump’s. JD Vance scoffed at the idea that the star’s endorsement of Ms. Harris could influence the outcome of the election. The “billionaire celebrity,” he said, is “fundamentally disconnected from the interests and the problems of most Americans.” Maybe, but she certainly taps into the problems of young women.

Democrats hope to use Ms. Swift’s endorsement to drive them to the polls. But it isn’t difficult to imagine what the left would be saying about her had she endorsed the Republican antihero. It might go something like this:

The billionaire has gotten rich by ripping off fans, avoiding taxes and harming competitors. Time for the government to break her up. Unlike rival artists, Ms. Swift writes, performs and owns her compositions. This vertical integration allows her to charge exorbitant royalties and ticket prices.

Tickets for her “Eras” tour on average cost about $240. That’s merely the price for admission—not including food, drink or Swiftie swag. VIP passes that include memorabilia go for $899. How dare she make young women choose between paying for groceries or rent and going to a concert.

The Federal Trade Commission must cap Ms. Swift’s ticket prices at a reasonable price—say, $20—and ban her junk fees. Concertgoers shouldn’t have to pay $65 for an “I Love You It’s Ruining My Life” sweatshirt.

Her romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce also unfairly boosts their star power, letting them charge more for endorsements. As Ms. Swift writes in one song, “two is better than one.” Mr. Kelce reportedly signed a $100 million podcast deal with Amazon’s Wonderly. By breaking up the couple, the government could reduce their royalties and ticket prices.

Ms. Swift, the self-described “mastermind,” also dodges taxes on her “full income,” which includes some $125 million in real estate and a music catalog worth an estimated $600 million. “They said I was a cheat, I guess it must be true,” Ms. Swift acknowledges in her song “Florida!!!”

Under the Biden-Harris administration’s proposed billionaire’s tax, she would have to pay a 25% levy on the $1 billion increase in her fortune since 2017. But that isn’t enough. Ms. Swift should also have to pay taxes on the appreciating value of her “name, image and likeness,” which the Internal Revenue Service considers an asset.

How much is her brand worth? Easily billions. She might say, as she does in a song, that her “reputation has never been worse.” True, Miss Americana’s image took a hit after reports that her private-jet travel in 2022 emitted 576 times as much CO2 as the average American in a year. When Ms. Swift sings, “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me,” she’s correct. She and her fat-cat friends are what’s wrong with America.

Appeared in the September 16, 2024, print edition as 'If Taylor Swift Had Endorsed Donald Trump'.

[ltwilliammowett]

Today we are taking a different approach and I will show you that it is still possible to transport freight by sailing ship. A small but fair and emission-free project awaits you behind door no. 20 - the brigantine Tres Hombres

She is rather unknown and unfortunately there is not much to say about her story, so here are two pictures of her

A bit about her :

The Tres Hombres is a former German war fishing cutter (KFK) from 1943 that was converted into a cargo ship after more than 60 years and has been operating a climate-neutral freight service between Europe and the American continent since the end of 2009. The three men (tres hombres) Andreas Lackner, Arjen van der Veen and Jorne Langelaan got to know each other on sailing ships and jointly developed the concept for an emission-free freight service by sea. As a pilot project, the Tres Hombres is intended to expand the fair transport market niche and prove its economic viability.

The Tres Hombres sails across the Atlantic every year. The ship departs from the Netherlands in October, loading stockfish in Norway, wine in France and olive oil in Portugal. The route then leads to Belém in Brazil, where wine and olive oil are unloaded and coffee beans and other fair trade products from the Amazon basin are loaded in return. On the return journey, the Tres Hombres for Rum and Cocoa Beans calls at the edge of the Caribbean, including the Antilles island of Grenada and the Dominican Republic. On the way back to Europe, tinned fish can be loaded in the Azores. And the products can then be purchased in Europe as well as online.

[twopoppies]

https://www.tumblr.com/twopoppies/762188095662735360/wow-looks-like-irving-just-made-himself-a-boat

i don’t understand any of this stuff, but i thought harry was the owner of his music? with erskine and all that. is it the distribution rights that were sold? sorry, i’m dumb when it comes to this

These questions are in reference to this anon I got last night:

As far as I understand (and please someone correct me if I’m wrong or left something out), GMR is a Performance Rights Organization (PRO) like ASCAP, SEASAC, or BMI.

What is a PRO?

The way people and businesses play, purchase, listen to, and consume music has changed drastically in recent times. Revenues related to purchases of physical media and downloads are fading. Now, the attention is turning more than ever towards other sources of royalty revenues, such as performance rights. PROs play a major role collecting these rights and they monitor the compliance of businesses playing music in public.

PROs are in charge of administering the rights of songwriters and publishers. These duties include the collection and distribution of royalties on their behalf. It would be practically impossible for these creators to pick up their royalties one by one. There are too many instances, from digital platforms to physical venues, in which where their rights are being used. This network of agencies work to make sure that people pay all the royalties. In order to do this, they have close contact with different music platforms and checking physical locations, to collect and distribute them on the creators behalf.

x

From what I understand, Azoff’s stated intention in forming this group was to make sure artists were paid their fare share of royalties, given that the rules hadn’t been updated to take into account the current ways people consume music.

From GMR’s website:

x

Basically, any business that uses music (or portions of music) in a public way must pay to license that music from GMR (or any of the other three PROs).

Who needs to buy a license?

So, if you have a restaurant that plays music in the background, if you use music when people are out on hold when they call your business, if you have a store that plays music while people shop… you have to have a license so that the artists/songwriters are paid each time their work is used.

More details here x

Are there any exceptions? Yes.

The only exception is for broadcast radio and tv in businesses under 2000 square feet (3750 square feet for restaurants). Note: this rule applies only to “over-the-air” broadcasts, not internet streams or any other source of music. You’ll also be playing any DJ banter, unfiltered lyrics, and commercials for your competitors. Plus, there may be additional fees based on your type of establishment. For example, if you own a restaurant or bar that features live music, if there is a fee for entering your establishment, or if there is a physical activity coordinated with the music (such as public skating or dancing).

x

What is UMPG?

UMPG is an enormous music publishing company that offers a variety of different services. These range from administration services to creative services and much more.

They offer their services to companies including Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount, Disney Europe (and other territories), Viacom, Amazon, HBO, DreamWorks, DreamWorks Animation, Legendary Pictures, Mar Vista Entertainment, NBC and Sesame Workshop, among many others.

Universal Music Publishing Group’s Film & TV Department creates opportunities for and licenses their catalog of songs to film, television, advertising, computer games, and stage production. This is often referred to as ‘synchronization’.

x

UMPG focuses on traditional music publishing, licensing songs for use in film, TV, commercials, and more, and handling royalties for its songwriters. GMR focuses on managing public performance rights for a select group of high-profile artists. It offers more personalized and tailored services but is invitation-only, making it more selective and exclusive than UMPG.

Harry seems to have his music listed with both companies, as they handle different aspects of royalties.

TL;DR As far as I can tell (and I'm far from an expert), this all boils down to:

Erskine Records is primarily concerned with the release and distribution of Harry's music, partnering with Sony for wider reach. This covers the production, distribution, and promotion aspects of his music.

UMPG (Universal Music Publishing Group) manages his publishing rights. They handle songwriting royalties, licensing his music for use in films, TV, commercials, and other media, and collecting royalties when his songs are performed, played on the radio, or streamed online​.

GMR (Global Music Rights) deals with performance rights. They ensure that when Styles' music is publicly performed (e.g., at concerts, in public spaces, etc., as explained above), the proper royalties are collected and distributed to him​.

Additionally, we don't know how much of the GMR catalog has been sold. Nor do we know what the private equity firm plans to do with what it's bought. From the bit of research I've done, it seems that there is a move toward selling catalogs to private equity firms. For those firms, owning these rights is about more than passive income—it's about actively enhancing the value of the music through aggressive licensing, smarter technology, and even repackaging or reselling portions of the catalog for a higher return​.

More info on that here and here

That's the best I can offer for now.

[goodluckclove]

While I agree the Internet Archive was breaking copyright and the recent findings were warranted, I also am confused by the amount of people who think this is a new low and not something they've been doing consistently since their conception in 1996. It just seems like now they took the step of wronging a company litigious enough to do something about it.

Like there is a grey area on whether or not the Wayback Machine is infringing on copyright (it is in Europe), but there's a TON of movies preserved there that technically shouldn't be. Old ones, yeah, but newer ones too still well within the rights of being scrubbed. Most seem to think that's fine.

But there are libraries! This hurts libraries! I mean I agree to a point. I support libraries and the work they do and I hate the sort of downwards spiral that field of service is going down. I don't think IA is fully in the right and I do think they made a mistake here stealing works from modern, more individual artists as opposed to teams and studios - which is something people seem to care less about for some reason.

At the same time, I also know you need an ID and proof of residence to get a library card in both states I've lived in. You also need an adult if you're a young enough minor. You also need to be able to GET to a library on a consistent basis.

I also know a lot of kids who have their access to physical books way more monitored than what they might be able to find online. My surrogate kid told me they were afraid to read the queer book they got from the library outside of their room because their parents might ask questions about the rainbow on the cover.

I also also know access to many books varies greatly outside of different countries. Some places don't have easy access to Amazon or used book stores or libraries, so if they want to read like the type of classic lit work that I can find easily for like a few bucks, they might be out of luck.

Once again, I don't think they should've won this case. They fucked up, I see that. But this isn't really a big win for writers in my eyes when, from my experience, it doesn't really keep someone from buying a book or getting it at the library. I offer a free e-book of my first book to anyone who wants it, and some people choose to buy it or request it at the library because they want a physical copy. It doesn't seem like a lot of people's first choice for literature is a website PDF of dubious quality. It just kind of seems like there are times where that's the most accessible.

[ammg-old2]

In the last decade, cacti have exploded in popularity, becoming a mainstay of hipster decor around the world – from the homes of China’s growing middle class and the meticulous cactus gardens in Japan to the fashionable cafes of Europe.

In the US alone, sales of cacti and succulents surged 64% between 2012 and 2017; a market that is now estimated to be worth tens of millions. But rising demand has met a thorny problem: cacti are extremely slow-growing, with some species taking decades to grow from seed to full maturity. Hence, many opt for the shortcut: pulling them right out of the ground.

For land managers and scientists who work with cacti, the problem appears to be on the rise. While the precise scale is difficult to measure, and catching thieves red-handed in remote deserts is nearly impossible, major busts offer clues. In 2014, more than 2,600 stolen cacti were seized at US borders – up from 411 just a year before. But law enforcement officials and field scientists say that data represents only a tiny fraction of cactus actually being stolen.

“When I first started we rarely investigated cactus theft,” said one US Fish and Wildlife Service detective, who asked not to be named due to the undercover nature of his work. He has covered the south-west region for more than a decade and says the problem is increasing. “Now we are prosecuting cases involving thousands of plants at a time. The demand is so high that I fear we can’t stop the illegal trade going on.”

While many plants fall victim to underground cactus cartels, a seemingly more benign form of theft has become part of the problem, too. International visitors who come to the south-west specifically to view rare cactus in the wild sometimes take a souvenir home, and social media is exacerbating the problem.

“We’ve had Austrian, German and Italian collectors express strong interest on social media for these plants and they share GPS coordinates,” said Wendell “Woody” Minnich, the former president of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America. “Some of these people come to steal, especially when a new species is identified. They hide the plants in their suitcase and take them back to their greenhouse in Europe.”

Minnich, 71, has been a cactus grower and nursery operator in New Mexico for 50 years. He said the internet had significantly accelerated theft of rare, slow-growing cactus species over the last decade. A case in point: Sclerocactus havasupaiensis, which is native to one drainage at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, was being auctioned on eBay in early January by a seller in Ukraine. It was just one of more than 365 internationally protected plant species that are openly traded on Amazon and eBay.

“Do a Google search on Sclerocactus and you can find people in Russia selling them,” said Minnich. “I have been on public lands in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado where years ago Sclerocactus were everywhere, and recently I found just a bunch of little holes in the ground.”

[queerly-autistic]

I just submitted my feedback to Apple TV and Amazon Prime, and am happy for people to use what I wrote as framework for their own if it's helpful. I tried to hit a number of talking points, which might be useful if coming up with your own:

third season 'and beyond' (as David specifically said)

representation and diversity

the show's success by a number of metrics

large passionate fanbase (and examples of this)

personalising it for the streamer in question (why OFMD would fit well on that platform specifically)

international appeal (specifically highlighting that I'm from the UK)

Here's what I submitted:

Apple TV Support Form I'd like Apple TV to consider picking up Our Flag Means Death, which is currently looking for a new home for its third season and beyond. It's not only fabulously diverse, with important queer representation that any network would be proud of, but it's also critically acclaimed - twice GLAAD nominated -, was consistently the top show on HBO Max, and has a large passionate fanbase willing to follow wherever it goes (nearing 75,000 on a petition to renew the show; £10,000 raised in forty minutes to fund a billboard in Times Square). Apple's shows are given space to breathe and truly inhabit their unique identities, such as the wonderful Ted Lasso, and I think this heartfelt queer pirate romcom would fit in perfectly. As a UK customer, I would subscribe to Apple TV if you picked up this show.

(note: there is a character limit here, which my message only just managed to fit in) Amazon Prime Feedback Form: I'd like Amazon to consider picking up hit show Our Flag Means Death, which is currently looking for a new home for its third season and beyond. The show is not only fabulously diverse, with important queer representation that any network would be proud of, but it is also critically acclaimed - two times GLAAD nominated -, was consistently the top show on HBO Max's streaming service, and has a large passionate fanbase willing to follow wherever it goes (nearing 75,000 on a petition to renew the show; £10,000 raised in forty minutes to fund a billboard in Times Square). Amazon Prime has recently displayed a real commitment to queer representation, with beloved titles such as Good Omens and Red, White and Royal Blue not only having massive success but being given the space and support by Prime to develop their own unique creative voice, and I think this heartfelt queer pirate romcom would fit in perfectly amongst Prime's other titles. The show is also highly merchandisable, and many fans would jump at the chance to purchase any Our Flag Means Death related merchandise (as I have previously done with Good Omens). The show also has international appeal: as a customer in the UK, I would also absolutely invest in a higher tier of subscription to support Prime should you pick up Our Flag Means Death, and know many people across the US, Australia and Europe who would do the same. Thank you for your time, and I hope you will consider picking up this incredible show for its third season and beyond.

I hope that this is helpful! Let's all go get our damned men back!

[violetdisasterzone]

For those of you who don't have Twitter or haven't seen it yet, yesterday Seven Seas finally "adressed" their supply issues, specifically in regards to SVSSS vol 4, and I actually cannot believe this. Here are the tweets:

They've completely washed their hands of all responsibility and are instead placing blame entirely on retailers or worse yet, customers, when we KNOW this isn't true! I, like many other people, had pre-ordered the special edition months in advance. When the release day came and went with no word, I reached out to customer service and was told they couldn't get stock from the supplier. This has happened to so many people - even now, I've seen orders (PRE-orders) being canceled by retailers because they still don't have the stock that we were promised. I understand that this was a limited print run, but a majority of complaints are coming from people who have already paid for the product, spent months waiting, and now are left with nothing, because Seven Seas can't get their shit together. Even in the case that there was a massive mistake in calculating the copies needed, the LEAST they could do is print another run solely to fulfill the pre-orders that have been left hanging.

And I don't even know what to say about Amazon in Europe not buying from them - according to the comments, all the works are still listed and available for purchase despite this claim.

Seven Seas just keeps disappointing me, and while I'm grateful for these translations I will never be able to not view them as a cash grab. Almost every mistake on their part has been completely preventable, and that honestly makes it worse. This should never have happened.

[inbabylontheywept]

The Defanging of FAANG

So taking this from the top.

Facebook's own prognosis is that their userbase has already peaked. Worse, their entire business model - harvesting user data in order to deliver targeted advertisements - has proven to be less effective than actual random ads. It's fucking magic beans.

Apple's problem is that their industrial base is in China. The US saw how bad Europe bled over its relationship with Russia and decided to pre-empt the problem. Bad news is that caused an inflation spike. Good news is that it did pre empt the problem. The next generation industrial country for the US is going to be Mexico, but the competition for their workers has already been won by Samsung. Apple is in for a rough twenty years.

Amazon makes most of its money from its server service, and it is looking down the barrel of an anti-trust lawsuit. It has no political allies and is very likely to lose.

Netflix is part of a supersatured hypercompetitive market over an increasingly small market share. Their entire model is not sustainable, and never has been.

Google makes their money in exactly the same way that Facebook does, and is looking at death by the same mechanism. It's a one-trillion dollar company whose main product is about to become worthless.

My suspicion is that this is why AI is getting so much money thrown at it. There are a lot of big players with shitloads of cash, but no long term future. If they were human beings, they'd take the money and bow out, but corporations don't actually care about cash - they care about living. And they only get to live as long as they can grow.

[mariacallous]

Citizens of the European Union live in an internet built and ruled by foreign powers. Most people in the EU use an American search engine, shop on an American ecommerce site, thumb American phones, and scroll through American social media feeds.

That fact has triggered increasing alarm in the corridors of Brussels, as the EU tries to understand how exactly those companies warp the economy around them. Five years ago, Shoshana Zuboff’s book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism neatly articulated much of lawmakers’ critique of the tech giants, just as they were preparing to enforce the flagship GDPR privacy law. Now as the EU enacts another historic piece of tech regulation, the Digital Markets Act, which companies must comply with starting tomorrow, March 7, a different critic du jour sums up the new mood in Brussels.

In his 2023 book, Technofeudalism, Yanis Varoufakis argues the big US tech platforms have brought feudalism back to Europe. The former Greek finance minister sees little difference between the medieval serf toiling on land he does not own and the Amazon seller who must subject themselves to the company’s strict rules while giving the company a cut of each sale.

The idea that a handful of big tech companies have subjugated internet users into digital empires has permeated through Europe. Technofeudalism shares bookshelf space with Cloud Empires and Digital Empires, which make broadly similar arguments. For years, Europe’s wanna-be Big Tech rivals, like Sweden’s Spotify or Switzerland’s ProtonMail, have claimed that companies like Google, Meta, and Apple unfairly limit their ability to reach potential users, through tactics like preinstalling Gmail on new Android phones or Apple’s strict rules for the App Store. “It’s not a problem to be a monopoly,” says Sandra Wachter, professor of technology and regulation at Oxford University’s Internet Institute. “It becomes a problem if you're starting to exclude other people from the market.”

Crowbarred Open

In answer to that problem, Brussels’ politicos agreed to the Digital Markets Act in 2022. It is designed to rein in the largest tech companies—almost all of them from the US—that act as gatekeepers between consumers and other businesses. A sibling regulation, the Digital Services Act, which focuses more on freedom of expression, went into effect last month. Wachter says they follow a long tradition of laws trying to protect the public and the economy from state power, wielded either by the government or the monarch. “With the rise of the private sector and globalization, power has just shifted,” she adds. Tech platforms rule over digital lives like kings. The DMA is part of the attempt to keep up.

The rules change tomorrow for platforms deemed “gatekeepers” by the DMA—so far including Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and TikTok parent Bytedance. The law essentially crowbars open what the EU calls the gatekeepers’ “core services.” In the past regulators have proposed containing corporate giants by taking them to pieces. EU lawmakers have adopted the motto “Don’t break up big tech companies, break them open.”

In theory, that means big changes for EU residents’ digital lives. Users of iPhones should soon be able to download apps from places other than Apple’s app store; Microsoft Windows will no longer have Microsoft-owned Bing as its default search tool; Meta-owned WhatsApp users will be able to communicate with people on rival messaging apps; and Google and Amazon will have to tweak their search results to create more room for rivals. There will also be limits on how users’ data can be shared between one company’s different services. Fines for noncompliance can reach up to 20 percent of global sales revenue. The law also gives the EU recourse to the nuclear option of forcing tech companies to sell off parts of their business.

Homegrown Challengers

Most tech giants have expressed uncharacteristic alarm about the changes required of them this week. Google has spoken of “difficult trade-offs,” which may mean its search results send more traffic to hotel or flight aggregators. Apple has claimed that the DMA jeopardizes its devices’ security. Apple, Meta and TikTok have all filed legal challenges against the EU, saying new rules unfairly target their services. The argument in favor of the status quo is that competition is actually thriving—just look at TikTok, a technology company launched in the past decade, now designated as one of the so-called gatekeepers.

But TikTok is an exception. The DMA wants to make it normal for new household names to emerge in the tech industry; to “drive innovation so that smaller businesses can really make it,” as the EU’s competition chief Margrethe Vestager explained to WIRED, back in 2022. Many hope some of the new businesses that “make it” will be European. For almost every big tech service, there is a smaller homegrown equivalent: from German search engine Ecosia to French messaging app Olvid and Polish Amazon alternative Allegro. These are the companies many hope will benefit from the DMA, even if there is widespread skepticism about how effective the new rules will be at forcing the tech giants to change.

Today, US-based Epic Games said Apple had terminated its European developer account, soon after Epic announced it would take advantage of the DMA to open a new games store for iOS. Apple told WIRED that Epic was untrustworthy and Apple has the right to terminate the accounts of any of Epic's wholly owned subsidiaries following a 2021 court judgment. “Apple chose to exercise that right,” a statement provided by company spokesperson Rob Saunders said.

App Stores will be an early area of focus for DMA enforcement, Vestager said this week. But Europeans can’t expect the internet to transform overnight. In its early days, the new law’s effects will be more about the power struggles behind the curtain of the world’s biggest companies; not about making netizens’ lives easier. In fact, their online experience is likely to get messier at first. There will probably be even more website pop-ups. “This dominant position that these companies have is partially because we have been so addicted to convenience,” says Anu Bradford, a professor at Columbia Law School and author of Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology. The new rules will mean users have to reengage with what they want their online lives to look like, she adds. Defaults set by US corporations will no longer be chosen for them.

Instead the DMA’s objective is to remind Europeans what they traded in exchange for that convenience in the first place. The DMA is about power, not necessarily convenience. Whether Europeans will be able to remember that as their online worlds are cracked open remains to be seen.

[scrumptiousbeardturtle-blog1]

Pioneering the Future of Transportation: Innovative Car Engine Technologies

The automotive industry is undergoing a revolutionary transformation, driven by innovative car engine technologies that are shaping the future of nationwide car shipping. These advancements are crucial in improving vehicle performance, efficiency, and sustainability, paving the way for a new era of mobility. As environmental concerns and regulatory pressures mount, automakers are investing heavily in developing cutting-edge engine solutions that not only enhance performance but also reduce emissions and improve fuel economy.

Emerging Car Engine Solutions

1. Electric Powertrains

One of the most significant innovations in car engine technology is the rapid development of electric powertrains. Major automakers are investing heavily in electric vehicle (EV) production, aiming to become global leaders in electric mobility by 2030. Electric powertrains offer several advantages:

Zero direct emissions, contributing to reduced air pollution

Higher energy efficiency compared to traditional internal combustion engines

Instant torque delivery, providing improved acceleration and performance

By 2030, it is expected that 55 percent of all cars sold in Europe will be fully electric, highlighting the growing importance of this technology.

2. Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

While electric vehicles are gaining traction, innovative internal combustion engine designs are also being developed to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. These advancements include:

Variable compression ratio engines that adjust compression based on driving conditions

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines that combine the best features of gasoline and diesel engines

These technologies aim to squeeze more power and efficiency out of traditional fuel sources, providing a bridge between conventional and fully electric vehicles.

3. Hybrid Powertrains

Hybrid powertrains, which combine internal combustion engines with electric motors, continue to evolve and offer a balance between traditional and electric technologies. Advanced hybrid systems provide:

Improved fuel efficiency through regenerative braking and electric-only operation at low speeds

Reduced emissions while maintaining long-range capabilities

Enhanced performance through the combination of electric and combustion power

4. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology

While still in the early stages of adoption, hydrogen fuel cell technology is gaining attention as a potential alternative to battery-electric vehicles. Fuel cell engines offer:

Zero emissions, producing only water vapor as a byproduct

Faster refueling times compared to battery charging

Longer range capabilities, especially for larger vehicles from the nationwide auto transport companies and long-distance transportation

The Future of Automotive Innovation

The continued development of advanced car engine technologies is set to transform the automotive landscape dramatically. As these innovations progress, we can expect to see:

Enhanced Vehicle Intelligence: The integration of AI and machine learning in engine management systems will lead to smarter, more responsive vehicles. For instance, BMW Group and NVIDIA Corporation's collaboration aims to integrate AI computing platforms into vehicles, enabling advanced autonomous driving capabilities and intelligent engine control features.

Improved Connectivity: The automotive industry is moving towards a more connected future. Ford Motor Company and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are developing a cloud-based platform for next-generation connected vehicles, enabling features like over-the-air software updates and predictive maintenance for engine systems.

Sustainable Transportation Solutions: With a focus on electric powertrains, hydrogen fuel cells, and more efficient combustion engines, the automotive industry is actively working towards reducing its environmental impact. This shift is expected to accelerate, with more automakers committing to sustainable practices and products.

Enhanced Performance and Efficiency: The combination of advanced engine control systems and innovative powertrain technologies will result in vehicles that are not only more efficient but also offer improved performance across various driving conditions.

Automakers are playing a crucial role in driving these innovations forward. Companies like General Motors, Volvo, Aston Martin, and Jaguar Land Rover are planning to manufacture only electric cars in the foreseeable future, demonstrating their commitment to sustainable mobility solutions.

Additionally, collaborative efforts between automakers, engine suppliers, research institutions, and government agencies are facilitating technology innovation, standardization, and scale economies that drive down costs and accelerate the adoption of cleaner, more efficient engines.

The future of auto transport services in california is being shaped by remarkable advancements in car engine technologies. From electric powertrains to advanced internal combustion engines and hydrogen fuel cells, these innovations are not only enhancing vehicle performance and efficiency but also contributing to a more sustainable automotive ecosystem.

As we move forward, the continued collaboration between automakers, nationwide car carriers, and automotive industries will be essential in realizing the full potential of these groundbreaking technologies, ultimately transforming the way we travel and interact with our vehicles.

The automotive engine market is expected to grow from USD 94 billion in 2022 to USD 130.63 billion by 2028, with a CAGR of 5.48%. This growth underscores the importance of innovative engine technologies in shaping the future of the best nationwide auto transport.

As these technologies continue to evolve, they will not only revolutionize the driving experience but also play a crucial role in addressing global environmental challenges and creating a more sustainable future for mobility.