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When you need to get around in Toronto and you’re not sure which cab to hire, it can be difficult. There are a lot of local cab companies in Toronto that have been around for years. So how do you know which one is the best Toronto cab?
You could ask your family or friends who live in Toronto what they recommend, but that might not work either if they don’t like any of the local taxi cab companies. In this article, we’ll explore why it’s important to hire a local taxi cab company when you’re visiting Toronto and show you how to find the best company for your needs.
Why Hire a Local Taxi Cab Company?
Hiring a local taxi cab company is important for lots of reasons. When you’re visiting somewhere for the first time, it’s always a good idea to rely on the locals for advice when it comes to how to get around. Locals know which cabs are safe and reliable, and they’ll be able to give you insider tips about how to use public transportation in Toronto. It’s also important that your taxi driver knows where they’re going. If you’re lost or unfamiliar with the city that you’re visiting, it would be frustrating if your driver didn’t know where to take you or got lost on the way there. Hiring a local cab company will make sure you have an easy ride without any headaches!
One other thing: some of these companies provide airport shuttle services so they can help get visitors to and from the airport too.
How to Find the Best Toronto cab service?
There are two ways to go about finding the best Toronto cab service. The first is to find a taxi company that has positive reviews or testimonials from family members, friends, or other people you know who live in Toronto. You can also check out Trip Advisor and Yelp. This will give you an idea of which companies have the best reviews and are highly rated by previous customers.
The second way is to ask the hotel where you’re staying if they have a preferred local cab company. If they do, you can visit their website and book your ride through them so that you don’t have to worry about trying to find one on your own. Otherwise, if there’s not a particular taxi company recommended by the hotel where you’re staying, it’s smart to use Google Maps. In the top left corner of the screen there will be a search bar; type “taxi” into this search bar and Google Maps will display all of the taxi companies with their current prices for different destinations in Toronto. Compare these prices before making your decision on who to hire for your ride!
Toronto Cabs Guide
Toronto is a big city and it’s very hard to know which taxi company is best for you. We’re here to help!
We’ve put together some of the most important points that people should consider when choosing which local taxi company to hire in Toronto.
The uniformity of cars – Does the taxi company have a lot of different models of cars? If so, this might be a good sign.
Cost – When do they charge peak rates (during rush hour)? How much do they charge for night rates? What other charges are there?
Are the drivers friendly and personable?
Is there a flat rate fee or not?
Is there any specific service you can request from your driver?
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airport corporate car service Toronto |: Your Ultimate Guide to Airport Limousine Services in Toronto
Introduction
Traveling can be both exciting and exhausting. Whether you're a frequent traveler or embarking on a special journey, your airport experience sets the tone for your trip. While Toronto Pearson International Airport is one of the busiest in the world, navigating the bustling terminals and traffic can be daunting. That's where airport limousine services step in, offering a seamless blend of luxury, comfort, and convenience. In this guide, we'll explore the world of airport limousine services in Toronto, helping you make the most of your travel experience.
The Essence of Airport Limousine Services
Airport limousine services are the epitome of sophistication and convenience. They provide a luxurious alternative to traditional airport transportation, ensuring that you arrive at your destination with style and grace. These services are particularly popular among business travelers, celebrities, and anyone who values comfort and privacy.
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Benefits of Choosing Airport Limousine Services
Stress-Free Travel: Navigating through busy airports and unfamiliar roads can be stressful. Airport limousine services offer a peace of mind, allowing you to relax and unwind while a professional chauffeur handles the logistics.
Punctuality: Time is of the essence when traveling. With airport limousine services, you can expect punctuality and timely pickups, ensuring you reach your destination on schedule.
Comfort and Luxury: Step into a world of comfort and luxury as you settle into plush leather seats and enjoy amenities like climate control, entertainment systems, and even refreshments. This level of comfort is unparalleled, especially after a long flight.
Professional Chauffeurs: Experienced chauffeurs with extensive knowledge of Toronto's roadways ensure a smooth ride. They are well-trained to prioritize your safety, comfort, and privacy throughout the journey.
Efficiency: Airport limousine services often track your flight's schedule to ensure they are ready to pick you up when you land. This eliminates any unnecessary waiting time and guarantees a swift transition from the airport to your destination.
Choosing the Right Airport Limousine Service
Research: Before making a reservation, research reputable airport limousine services in Toronto. Read reviews, check their fleet, and ensure they have a positive track record for reliability.
Fleet Variety: Different occasions and group sizes call for different types of vehicles. Look for a service that offers a diverse fleet of vehicles, from executive sedans to spacious SUVs, to accommodate your needs.
Rates and Packages: Compare pricing among different providers. While luxury comes at a cost, a transparent pricing structure is essential. Consider any additional fees, gratuity, and package offerings.
Availability: Ensure that the service you choose operates 24/7 to accommodate any flight schedule, whether you have an early morning departure or a late-night arrival.
Conclusion
When it comes to airport transportation, airport limousine services in Toronto stand out as the pinnacle of comfort, style, and convenience. Whether you're a weary traveler in need of relaxation or a business professional looking to make a statement, these services offer a holistic experience that begins and ends with luxury. By choosing an airport limousine service that aligns with your needs and preferences, you can elevate your travel experience and make every journey an unforgettable one.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Book Now!<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Visit site:https://www.prestigeairportcars.ca/
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corporate airport transfer Toronto| Toronto airport cars airport limo Toronto
Luxury and Convenience: Your Ultimate Guide to Airport Limousine Services in Toronto
Introduction
Traveling can be both exciting and exhausting. Whether you're a frequent traveler or embarking on a special journey, your airport experience sets the tone for your trip. While Toronto Pearson International Airport is one of the busiest in the world, navigating the bustling terminals and traffic can be daunting. That's where airport limousine services step in, offering a seamless blend of luxury, comfort, and convenience. In this guide, we'll explore the world of airport limousine services in Toronto, helping you make the most of your travel experience.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Book Now!<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Visit site:https://www.prestigeairportcars.ca/
The Essence of Airport Limousine Services
Airport limousine services are the epitome of sophistication and convenience. They provide a luxurious alternative to traditional airport transportation, ensuring that you arrive at your destination with style and grace. These services are particularly popular among business travelers, celebrities, and anyone who values comfort and privacy.
Benefits of Choosing Airport Limousine Services
Stress-Free Travel: Navigating through busy airports and unfamiliar roads can be stressful. Airport limousine services offer a peace of mind, allowing you to relax and unwind while a professional chauffeur handles the logistics.
Punctuality: Time is of the essence when traveling. With airport limousine services, you can expect punctuality and timely pickups, ensuring you reach your destination on schedule.
Comfort and Luxury: Step into a world of comfort and luxury as you settle into plush leather seats and enjoy amenities like climate control, entertainment systems, and even refreshments. This level of comfort is unparalleled, especially after a long flight.
Professional Chauffeurs: Experienced chauffeurs with extensive knowledge of Toronto's roadways ensure a smooth ride. They are well-trained to prioritize your safety, comfort, and privacy throughout the journey.
Efficiency: Airport limousine services often track your flight's schedule to ensure they are ready to pick you up when you land. This eliminates any unnecessary waiting time and guarantees a swift transition from the airport to your destination.
Choosing the Right Airport Limousine Service
Research: Before making a reservation, research reputable airport limousine services in Toronto. Read reviews, check their fleet, and ensure they have a positive track record for reliability.
Fleet Variety: Different occasions and group sizes call for different types of vehicles. Look for a service that offers a diverse fleet of vehicles, from executive sedans to spacious SUVs, to accommodate your needs.
Rates and Packages: Compare pricing among different providers. While luxury comes at a cost, a transparent pricing structure is essential. Consider any additional fees, gratuity, and package offerings.
Availability: Ensure that the service you choose operates 24/7 to accommodate any flight schedule, whether you have an early morning departure or a late-night arrival.
Conclusion
When it comes to airport transportation, airport limousine services in Toronto stand out as the pinnacle of comfort, style, and convenience. Whether you're a weary traveler in need of relaxation or a business professional looking to make a statement, these services offer a holistic experience that begins and ends with luxury. By choosing an airport limousine service that aligns with your needs and preferences, you can elevate your travel experience and make every journey an unforgettable one.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Book Now!<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Visit site:https://www.prestigeairportcars.ca/
#luxury#cabs#limoserviceintoronto#Toronto#airporttransfer#airportcars#airporttransfers#bestcabs#cabservice#Ajax#cars#Aurora#pickering#limousine#chauffeurs#airportlimotoronto#airport limo service#corporate limo service#limoservicenearme#toronto
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Prestige Airport Cars in Toronto
At Prestige Airport Cars, we pride ourselves on providing excellent customer service and top-notch transportation services. Here are some reasons why you should choose us for your next trip to Toronto:
Visit Site:https://www.prestigeairportcars.ca/
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Luxury Fleet
We have a wide range of luxury vehicles to choose from, including sedans, SUVs, and limousines. All of our vehicles are well-maintained and equipped with the latest technology to ensure a comfortable and safe ride.
Professional Drivers
Our drivers are experienced professionals who are knowledgeable about Toronto and its surrounding areas. They will ensure that you arrive at your destination on time and in style.
Convenience
Booking a ride with us is easy and convenient. You can make a reservation online or by phone, and we will take care of the rest. Our drivers will meet you at the airport, help with your luggage, and take you to your destination.
Top Destinations in Toronto
Limo service in Toronto
Toronto is a vibrant city with plenty to see and do. Here are some of the top destinations that you should visit during your trip:
CN Tower
The CN Tower is an icon of Toronto and offers stunning views of the city from its observation deck. You can also enjoy a meal at the revolving restaurant or take a thrilling walk on the EdgeWalk.
Toronto Islands
Take a ferry ride to the Toronto Islands and enjoy a day of relaxation and fun. You can go for a bike ride, have a picnic, or take a dip in the lake.
Royal Ontario Museum
The Royal Ontario Museum is a must-visit for history and culture enthusiasts. It has a vast collection of artifacts and exhibits, including the famous dinosaur skeletons.
Distillery District
The Distillery District is a pedestrian-only area that is full of charm and history. You can stroll through the cobblestone streets, shop for unique gifts, and enjoy a meal or a drink at one of the many restaurants and bars.
Fun Facts About Toronto
Here are some fun and interesting facts about Toronto that you might not know:
Toronto is the largest city in Canada and the fourth-largest city in North America.
The city is home to over 140 languages and dialects, making it one of the most diverse cities in the world.
Toronto is the birthplace of several famous musicians, including Drake, The Weeknd, and Neil Young.
The Toronto Zoo is the largest zoo in Canada and has over 5,000 animals.
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto and is a must-visit for hockey fans.
Conclusion
Toronto is a beautiful and exciting city that is well worth a visit. And with Prestige Airport Cars, you can enjoy a comfortable and stress-free travel experience. Book your ride with us today and let us take care of the rest!
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Our services include passenger transport, airport meet & greet, executive travel, and long-distance private hire. Our drivers are the best of the best, not only because of their training and experience, but because they love the job. No matter who you are, where you are going and what your budget is, we have a Toronto airport limo solution for you.
Choose from a wide selection of cars ranging from Benz E class to Mercedes Benz S class. We have every type of cars available to meet your needs. We also take custom orders and will help you acquire a specific car of your need.
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Prestige Airport CaBS specialize in offering the highest quality service for both business and private individuals requiring a premium airport transfer. Airport Limousine Service London www.prestigecabs.co.uk
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Prime’s enshittified advertising
Prime's gonna add more ads. They brought in ads in January, and people didn't cancel their Prime subscriptions, so Amazon figures that they can make Prime even worse and make more money:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/10/amazon-prime-video-is-getting-more-ads-next-year/
The cruelty isn't the point. Money is the point. Every ad that Amazon shows you shifts value away from you – your time, your attention – to the company's shareholders.
That's the crux of enshittification. Companies don't enshittify – making their once-useful products monotonically worse – because it amuses them to erode the quality of their offerings. They enshittify them because their products are zero-sum: the things that make them valuable to you (watching videos without ads) make things less valuable to them (because they can't monetize your attention).
This isn't new. The internet has always been dominated by intermediaries – platforms – because there are lots more people who want to use the internet than are capable of building the internet. There's more people who want to write blogs than can make a blogging app. There's more people who want to play and listen to music than can host a music streaming service. There's more people who want to write and read ebooks than want to operate an ebook store or sell an ebooks reader.
Despite all the early internet rhetoric about the glories of disintermediation, intermediaries are good, actually:
https://pluralistic.net/2022/06/12/direct-the-problem-of-middlemen/
The problem isn't with intermediaries per se. The problem arises when intermediaries grow so powerful that they usurp the relationship between the parties they connect. The problem with Uber isn't the use of mobile phones to tell taxis that you're standing on a street somewhere and would like a cab, please. The problem is rampant worker misclassification, regulatory arbitrage, starvation wages, and price-gouging:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/29/geometry-hates-uber/#toronto-the-gullible
There's no problem with publishers, distributors, retailers, printers, and all the other parts of the bookselling ecosystem. While there are a few, rare authors who are capable of performing all of these functions – basically gnawing their books out of whole logs with their teeth – most writers can't, and even the ones who can, don't want to:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/19/crad-kilodney-was-an-outlier/#intermediation
When early internet boosters spoke of disintermediation, what they mostly meant was that it would be harder for intermediaries to capture those relationships – between sellers and buyers, creators and audiences, workers and customers. As Rebecca Giblin and I wrote in our 2022 book Chokepoint Capitalism, intermediaries in every sector rely on chokepoints, narrows where they can erect tollbooths:
https://chokepointcapitalism.com/
When chokepoints exist, they multiply up and down the supply chain. In the golden age of physical, recorded music, you had several chokepoints that reinforced one another. Limited radio airwaves gave radio stations power over record labels, who had to secretly, illegally bid for prime airspace ("payola"). Retail consolidation – the growth of big record chains – drove consolidation in the distributors who sold to the chains, and the more concentrated distributors became, the more they could squeeze retailers, which drove even more consolidation in record stores. The bigger a label was, the more power it had to shove back against the muscle of the stores and the distributors (and the pressing plants, etc). Consolidation in labels also drove consolidation in talent agencies, whose large client rosters gave them power to resist the squeeze from the labels. Consolidation in venues drives consolidation in ticketing and promotion – and vice-versa.
But there's two parties to this supply chain who can't consolidate: musicians and their fans. With limits on "sectoral bargaining" (where unions can represent workers against all the companies in a sector), musicians' unions were limited in their power against key parts of the supply chain, so the creative workers who made the music were easy pickings for labels, talent reps, promoters, ticketers, venues, retailers, etc. Music fans are diffused and dispersed, and organized fan clubs were usually run by the labels, who weren't about to allow those clubs to be used against the labels.
This is a perfect case-study in the problems of powerful intermediaries, who move from facilitator to parasite, paying workers less while degrading their products, and then charge customers more for those enshittified products.
The excitement about "disintermediation" wasn't so much about eliminating intermediaries as it was about disciplining them. If there were lots of ways to market a product or service, sell it, collect payment for it, and deliver it, then the natural inclination of intermediaries to turn predator would be curbed by the difficulty of corralling their prey into chokepoints.
Now that we're a quarter century on from the Napster Wars, we can see how that worked out. Decades of failure to enforce antitrust law allowed a few companies to effectively capture the internet, buying out rivals who were willing to sell, and bankrupting those who wouldn't with illegal tactics like predatory pricing (think of Uber losing $31 billion by subsidizing $0.41 out of every dollar they charged for taxi rides for more than a decade).
The market power that platforms gained through consolidation translated into political power. When a few companies dominate a sector, they're able to come to agreement on common strategies for dealing with their regulators, and they've got plenty of excess profits to spend on those strategies. First and foremost, platforms used their power to get more power, lobbying for even less antitrust enforcement. Additionally, platforms mobilized gigantic sums to secure the right to screw customers (for example, by making binding arbitration clauses in terms of service enforceable) and workers (think of the $225m Uber and Lyft spent on California's Prop 22, which formalized their worker misclassification swindle).
So big platforms were able to insulate themselves from the risk of competition ("five giant websites, filled with screenshots of the other four" – Tom Eastman), and from regulation. They were also able to expand and mobilize IP law to prevent anyone from breaking their chokepoints or undoing the abuses that these enabled. This is a good place to get specific about how Prime Video works.
There's two ways to get Prime videos: over an app, or in your browser. Both of these streams are encrypted, and that's really important here, because of a law – Section 1201 of the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act – which makes it really illegal to break this kind of encryption (commonly called "Digital Rights Management" or "DRM"). Practically speaking, that means that if a company encrypts its videos, no one is allowed to do anything to those videos, even things that are legal, without the company's permission, because doing all those legal things requires breaking the DRM, and breaking the DRM is a felony (five years in prison, $500k fine, for a first offense).
Copyright law actually gives subscribers to services like Prime a lot of rights, and it empowers businesses that offer tools to exercise those rights. Back in 1976, Sony rolled out the Betamax, the first major home video recorder. After an eight-year court battle, the Supreme Court weighed in on VCRs and ruled that it was legal for all of us to record videos at home, both to watch them later, and to build a library of our favorite shows. They also ruled that it was legal for Sony – and by that time, every other electronics company – to make VHS systems, even if those systems could be used in ways that violated copyright because they were "capable of sustaining a substantial non-infringing use" (letting you tape shows off your TV).
Now, this was more than a decade before the DMCA – and its prohibition on breaking DRM – passed, but even after the DMCA came into effect, there was a lot of media that didn't have DRM, so a new generation of tech companies were able to make tools that were "capable of sustaining a substantial non-infringing use" and that didn't have to break any DRM to do it.
Think of the Ipod and Itunes, which, together, were sold as a way to rip CDs (which weren't encrypted), and play them back from both your desktop computer and a wildly successful pocket-sized portable device. Itunes even let you stream from one computer to another. The record industry hated this, but they couldn't do anything about it, thanks to the Supreme Court's Betamax ruling.
Indeed, they eventually swallowed their bile and started selling their products through the Itunes Music Store. These tracks had DRM and were thus permanently locked to Apple's ecosystem, and Apple immediately used that power to squeeze the labels, who decided they didn't like DRM after all, and licensed all those same tracks to Amazon's DRM-free MP3 store, whose slogan was "DRM: Don't Restrict Me":
https://memex.craphound.com/2008/02/01/amazons-anti-drm-tee/
Apple played a funny double role here. In marketing Itunes/Ipods ("Rip, Mix, Burn"), they were the world's biggest cheerleaders for all the things you were allowed to do with copyrighted works, even when the copyright holder objected. But with the Itunes Music Store and its mandatory DRM, the company was also one of the world's biggest cheerleaders for wrapping copyrighted works in a thin skin of IP that would allow copyright holders to shut down products like the Ipod and Itunes.
Microsoft, predictably enough, focused on the "lock everything to our platform" strategy. Then-CEO Steve Ballmer went on record calling every Ipod owner a "thief" and arguing that every record company should wrap music in Microsoft's Zune DRM, which would allow them to restrict anything they didn't like, even if copyright allowed it (and would also give Microsoft the same abusive leverage over labels that they famously exercised over Windows software companies):
https://web.archive.org/web/20050113051129/http://management.silicon.com/itpro/0,39024675,39124642,00.htm
In the end, Amazon's approach won. Apple dropped DRM, and Microsoft retired the Zune and shut down its DRM servers, screwing anyone who'd ever bought a Zune track by rendering that music permanently unplayable.
Around the same time as all this was going on, another company was making history by making uses of copyrighted works that the law allowed, but which the copyright holders hated. That company was Tivo, who products did for personal video recorders (PVRs) what Apple's Ipod did for digital portable music players. With a Tivo, you could record any show over cable (which was too expensive and complicated to encrypt) and terrestrial broadcast (which is illegal to encrypt, since those are the public's airwaves, on loan to the TV stations).
That meant that you could record any show, and keep it forever. What's more, you could very easily skip through ads (and rival players quickly emerged that did automatic ad-skipping). All of this was legal, but of course the cable companies and broadcasters hated it. Like Ballmer, TV execs called Tivo owners "thieves."
But Tivo didn't usher in the ad-supported TV apocalypse that furious, spittle-flecked industry reps insisted it would. Rather, it disciplined the TV and cable operators. Tivo owners actually sought out ads that were funny and well-made enough to go viral. Meanwhile, every time the industry decided to increase the amount of advertising in a show, they also increased the likelihood that their viewers would seek out a Tivo, or worse, one of those auto-ad-skipping PVRs.
Given all the stink that TV execs raised over PVRs, you'd think that these represented a novel threat. But in fact, the TV industry's appetite for ads had been disciplined by viewers' access to new technology since 1956, when the first TV remotes appeared on the market (executives declared that anyone who changed the channel during an ad-break was a thief). Then came the mute button. Then the wireless remote. Meanwhile, a common VCR use-case – raised in the Supreme Court case – was fast-forwarding ads.
At each stage, TV adapted. Ads in TV shows represented a kind of offer: "Will you watch this many of these ads in return for a free TV show?" And the remote, the mute button, the wireless remote, the VCR, the PVR, and the ad-skipping PVR all represented a counter-offer. As economists would put it, the ability of viewers to make these counteroffers "shifted the equilibrium." If viewers had no defensive technology, they might tolerate more ads, but once they were able to enforce their preferences with technology, the industry couldn't enshittify its product to the liminal cusp of "so many ads that the viewer is right on the brink of turning off the TV (but not quite)."
This is the same equilibrium-shifting dynamic that we see on the open web, where more than 50% of users have installed an ad-blocker. The industry says, "Will you allow this many 'sign up to our mailing list' interrupters, pop ups, pop unders, autoplaying videos and other stuff that users hate but shareholders benefit from" and the ad-blocker makes a counteroffer: "How about 'nah?'":
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/adblocking-how-about-nah
TV remotes, PVRs and ad-blockers are all examples of "adversarial interoperability" – a new product that plugs into an existing one, extending or modifying its functions without permission from (or even over the objections of) the original manufacturer:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/adversarial-interoperability
Adversarial interop creates a powerful disciplining force on platform owners. Once a user grows so frustrated with a product's enshittification that they research, seek out, acquire and learn to use an adversarial interop tool, it's really game over. The printer owner who figures out where to get third-party ink is gone forever. Every time a company like HP raises its prices, they have to account for the number of customers who will finally figure out how to use generic ink and never, ever send another cent to HP.
This is where DMCA 1201 comes into play. Once a product is skinned with DRM, its manufacturers gain the right to prevent you from doing legal things, and can use the public's courts and law-enforcement apparatus to punish you for trying. Take HP: as soon as they started adding DRM to their cartridges, they gained the legal power to shut down companies that cloned, refilled or remanufactured their cartridges, and started raising the price of ink – which today sits at more than $10,000/gallon:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/09/30/life-finds-a-way/#ink-stained-wretches
Using third party ink in your printer isn't illegal (it's your printer, right?). But making third party ink for your printer becomes illegal once you have to break DRM to do so, and so HP gets to transform tinted water into literally the most expensive fluid on Earth. The ink you use to print your kid's homework costs more than vintage Veuve Cliquot or sperm from a Kentucky Derby-winning thoroughbred.
Adversarial interoperability is a powerful tool for shifting the equilibrium between producers, intermediaries and buyers. DRM is an even more powerful way of wrenching that equilibrium back towards the intermediary, reducing the share that buyers and sellers are able to eke out of the transaction.
Prime Video, of course, is delivered via an app, which means it has DRM. That means that subscribers don't get to exercise the rights afforded to them by copyright – only the rights that Amazon permits them to have. There's no Tivo for Prime, because it would have to break the DRM to record the shows you stream from Prime. That allows Prime to pull all kinds of shady shit. For example, every year around this time, Amazon pulls popular Christmas movies from its free-to-watch tier and moves them into pay-per-view, only restoring them in the spring:
https://www.reddit.com/r/vudu/comments/1bpzanx/looks_like_amazon_removed_the_free_titles_from/
And of course, Prime sticks ads in its videos. You can't skip these ads – not because it's technically challenging to make a 30-second advance button for a video stream, and doing so wouldn't violate anyone's copyright – but because Amazon doesn't permit you to do so, and the fact that the video is wrapped in DRM makes it a felony to even try.
This means that Amazon gets to seek a different equilibrium than TV companies have had to accept since 1956 and the invention of the TV remote. Amazon doesn't have to limit the quantity, volume, and invasiveness of its ads to "less the amount that would drive our subscribers to install and use an ad-skipping plugin." Instead, they can shoot for the much more lucrative equilibrium of "so obnoxious that the viewer is almost ready to cancel their subscription (but not quite)."
That's pretty much exactly how Kelly Day, the Amazon exec in charge of Prime Video, put it to the Financial Times: they're increasing the number of ads because "we haven’t really seen a groundswell of people churning out or cancelling":
https://www.ft.com/content/f8112991-820c-4e09-bcf4-23b5e0f190a5
At this point, attentive readers might be asking themselves, "Doesn't Amazon have to worry about Prime viewers who watch in their browsers?" After all browsers are built on open standards, and anyone can make one, so there should be browsers that can auto-skip Prime ads, right?
Wrong, alas. Back in 2017, the W3C – the organization that makes the most important browser standards – caved to pressure from the entertainment industry and the largest browser companies and created "Encrypted Media Extensions" (EME), a "standard" for video DRM that blocks all adversarial interoperability:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/09/open-letter-w3c-director-ceo-team-and-membership
This had the almost immediate effect of making it impossible to create an independent browser without licensing proprietary tech from Google – now a convicted monopolist! – who won't give you a license if you implement recording, ad-skipping, or any other legal (but dispreferred) feature:
https://blog.samuelmaddock.com/posts/the-end-of-indie-web-browsers/
This means that for Amazon, there's no way to shift value away from the platform to you. The company has locked you in, and has locked out anyone who might offer you a better deal. Companies that know you are technologically defenseless are endlessly inventive in finding ways to make things worse for you to make things better for them. Take Youtube, another DRM-video-serving platform that has jacked up the number of ads you have to sit through in order to watch a video – even as they slash payments to performers. They've got a new move: they're gonna start showing you ads while your video is paused:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/09/20/youtube-pause-ads-rollout/75306204007/
That is the kind of fuckery you only come up with when your victory condition is "a service that's almost so bad our customers quit (but not quite)."
In Amazon's case, the math is even worse. After all, Youtube may have near-total market dominance over a certain segment of the video market, but Prime Video is bundled with Prime Delivery, which the vast majority of US households subscribe to. You have to give up a lot to cancel your Prime subscription – especially since Amazon's predatory pricing devastated the rest of the retail sector:
https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/28/enshittification/#relentless-payola
Amazon's founding principle was "customer obsession." Ex-Amazoners tell me that this was more than an empty platitude: arguments over product design were won or lost based on whether they could satisfy the "customer obsession" litmus test. Now, everyone falls short of their ideals, but sticking to your ideals isn't merely a matter of internal discipline, of willpower. Living up to your ideals is a matter of external discipline, too. When Amazon no longer had to contend with competitors or regulators, when it was able to use DRM to control its customers and use the law to prevent them from using its products in legal ways, it lost those external sources of discipline.
Amazon suppliers have long complained of the company's high-handed treatment of the vendors who supplied it with goods. Its workers have complained bitterly and loudly about the dangerous and oppressive conditions in its warehouses and delivery vans. But Amazon's customers have consistently given Amazon high marks on quality and trustworthiness.
The reason Amazon treated its workers and suppliers badly and its customers well wasn't that it liked customers and hated workers and suppliers. Amazon was engaged in a cold-blooded calculus: it understood that treating customers well would give it control over those customers, and that this would translate market power to retain suppliers even as it ripped them off and screwed them over.
But now, Amazon has clearly concluded that it no longer needs to keep customers happy in order to retain them. Instead, it's shooting for "keeping customers so angry that they're almost ready to take their business elsewhere (but not quite)." You see this in the steady decline of Amazon product search, which preferences the products that pay the biggest bribes for search placement over the best matches:
https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/06/attention-rents/#consumer-welfare-queens
And you see it in the steady enshittification of Prime Video. Amazon's character never changed. The company always had a predatory side. But now that monopoly and IP law have insulated it from consequences for its actions, there's no longer any reason to keep the predator in check.
Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.
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/2024/10/03/mother-may-i/#minmax
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Ducking under Liverpool Road overpass, GO Transit GP40TC 9807 trails a westbound 3-car consist of Hawkers (with cab car 9855 leading) that has just departed Pickering GO Station, and is heading through the plant at "Liverpool" on CN's Kingston Subdivision. As GO was still in its infancy, Pickering was the easternmost station on its initial Oakville-Pickering Lakeshore corridor, and the GO Sub didn't exist yet. The track branching off to the right on the incline is CN's York Sub, part of the "Toronto Bypass" project that helped divert CN freight traffic around Toronto and made a new GO commuter service possible. September 1971
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Classy Carolina Varnish por David Blazejewski Por Flickr: Amtrak Train 75 the afternoon southbound Piedmont from Raleigh to Charlotte is just about to depart from its station stop in Salisbury at the splendidly restored 1908 Spanish Mission style depot. There is no doubting the heritage of these rails as the whistle post guarding the East Council Street crossing is unique to the Southern Railway. Rather than use a W or an X they mounted these heavy aluminum canoe paddle style signs in posts that spelled out the whistle signal for a grate crossing: two longs - a short - and a long. This train is funded by NCDOT as one of Amtrak's state supported services. As described in Amtrak's five year plan: "Across the country, 29 routes are funded by 21 partners from 18 states, including state departments of transportation and authorities chartered specifically to administer individual rail corridors. Collectively, these transportation departments and other entities are referred to as State Partners, and the routes they fund are referred to as state-supported routes. All routes are under 750 miles in length as defined by 49 U.S.C. 24102(13)." While Amtrak provides the equipment for the interstate New York City to Charlotte Carolinian that NCDOT also funds the state's rail division provides the equipment for the strictly intrastate Piedmonts. 1859 seen here is an EMD F59PH built Dec 1988 as GOT 534 serving GO Transit out of Toronto. The train consists of refurbished "heritage" equipment built by Pullman or St. Louis Car Co. originally for the UP and/or KCS. NCDOT owns a total of 8 locomotives, 5 cab cars, and 20 other cars including coaches and baggage/lounge cars. All are adorned with this unique livery based on the North Carolina state flag. This is MP 333. on Norfolk Southern's Charlotte District Mainline. Interestingly despite this being the heart of NS' north south Wasghinton to Atlanta mainline this particular stretch of railroad is not NS but actually the North Carolina Railroad Company. The NCRR is a privately owned non-operating company whose shares are 100% held by the State of North Carolina. Long leased to the Southern and its predecessors since the 1870s the NCRR today is operated and maintained by NS under and exclusive trackage rights agreement. Salisbury, North Carolinan Monday April 11, 2016
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"ARREST OF three men today has led to a clean-up in the Royce Ave. bank robbery of 10 days ago, police claim. Hector LeBlanc (left) was picked up in an Toronto house while William Lake (right) and Stanley Scarfield were captured at Bartonville, a Hamilton suburb, wearing air force uniforms.
SMALL-SIZED arsenal was confiscated in the seizure of the men, including a Sten gun and a double-barrelled shotgun. Cash of $9,000 was also seized. Toronto bank was robbed of $12,549.
MAKES ARREST ON LAST DAY Detective John McArthur, serving his last day on the city police force before retiring on pension after 30 years' service, arrested Hector LeBlanc, one of the three men charged with robbing the Bank of Montreal branch on Royce Ave." - from the Toronto Star. September 11, 1943. Page 2.
"BANDIT GUNS confronted Elta McClellan (left) and Kathleen McLean when they arrived at the Royal Bank in Wheatley yesterday for work. The guns were held by five men who took $34,000 from the vault.
AT GUN-POINT, Miss Jean Tait, accountant, was prodded into opening the vault.
BANK MANAGER William Forshee, held captive with his wife throughout the night, stands at the door of the vault.
ROY HOPPER, 13, was one of the two boys who saw the men enter the bank manager's apartment.
HIS COMPANION was Ken Julien. 12. They never did sound a warning because they thought it was a "false alarm." - from the Toronto Star. September 11, 1943. Page 25.
"CHARGE THREE MEN WITH A ROYCE AVE. BANK ROBBERY," Toronto Star. September 11, 1943. Page 25. --- Two Are Nabbed in Bartonville and One in Toronto --- PAIR WORE WINGS ---- Arrests of three men at the point of drawn guns and the seizure of a Sten machine-gun, loaded revolvers and almost $9,000 in cash, was announced today at police headquarters. The three men are charged with machine-gun robbery of the Royce Ave., branch of the Bank of Montreal 10 days ago, when $12,549 was stolen.
Inspector of Detectives M. M. Mulholland announced that the men held and charged with the armed robbery are: William Lake, alias Dell Harris, 25. Toronto; Hector Le Blanc, alias John Rivers, 25, of Montreal, and Stanley Scrafield, 22, of Long Branch.
Scrafield and Lake were arrested at Bartonville, a Hamilton suburb. when visiting a friend, police said. Le Blanc was arrested in a house on Bartlett Ave., Toronto, by Detective John McArthur, who is serving his last day on the city force after 30 years service. McArthur is retiring on pension.
When arrested, Lake and Le Blanc were wearing air force uniforms. Lake had a D.F.M. ribbon on his tunic. Both tunics also carried wings. In the Bartonville house, police said they found $3,600 in cash in a club bag and a loaded revolver, also a large quantity of jewelry.
Hamilton detectives and Dets. Nimmo and Tong went to a Hamilton hotel and searched a room. In a suit case, police say, they found $2,073 and a loaded revolver, which was identified as the one stolen from the Bank of Montreal, Royce Ave. on the day of the hold-up.
Lake and Le Blanc are also charged with armed robbery of the People's Watch Co., Dundas St. W.. last month when jewelry and $10 were stolen. Scrafield and Wm. Bennett, 22 of Lake Shore Rd., Lakeview, and Harry Franklin, 24, Bartle Ave., are charged with receiving the stolen jewelry. Franklin was under arrest two days ago and Bennett was arrested yesterday.
Lake, Scrafield, Bennett and Le Blanc are also charged with shooting with intent. Police state H. D. Smith of Kingston surprised four men attempting to steal his automobile on Aug. 11 and in a chase was fired on.
Lake, Serafield, Bennett and Le Blanc are also charged with the armed robbery of a taxi cab driver in Montreal in August. Police say the driver was thrown out of his machine on the highway outside of Montreal after being robbed of $20. This car, recovered today at London, Ont., was used in the Bank of Montreal hold-up in Toronto, Inspector of Detectives Mulholland stated.
In "A" police court before Magistrate Browne today Scrafield, Le Blanc and Lake were remanded until Sept. 17. No bail was set. The trio are also charged with shooting with intent to maim R. Purton, manager of the bank.
Officers working on the case were Inspector Arthur Levitt, Det- Sergt. Hector Barber and Det. Lister Sullivan. Det-Sergt. Maxwell Richardson worked in co-operation with Hamilton police.
#toronto#bank robbery#bank robbers#hamilton#machine gun robbers#bank manager#armed robbery#armed robbers#canada during world war 2#crime and punishment in canada#history of crime and punishment in canada#professional criminals#montreal#london ontario#shooting with intent#sten gun#armed with a shotgun
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CP 1100 529 Milton ON May 21 1996 by Glenn Courtney Via Flickr: For a number of years CP ran a daily Roadrailer train from Toronto to Detroit. It started small but the traffic grew and the train size limit was eventually increased (IIRC) to 125 or 150 trailers.
#529 was out of Toronto around 1700, right in the middle of the GO train rush, but the train was treated as priority and I don't ever recall it slowly down any GO trains.
It started running with a single GP38-2 but CP did not like paying Conrail to wye the power in Detroit so they started a program of removing the prime mover from C-424s and creating a cab car so there was no need to turn the power. The cab car concept spread to RS-18us and even a few GMs before a number of other services.
Here #529 is running on the south track, staying out of the way of the GO trains on the north track (or more likely passing them as they make station stops).
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How Can You Find Reliable Taxi Services in Toronto and Niagara Falls?
Getting around bustling cities like Toronto and popular tourist destinations like Niagara Falls requires dependable and efficient transportation. Whether you're a tourist exploring new places, a business traveler, or a local looking for a quick ride, taxis offer a convenient solution. In this guide, we’ll explore the transportation options available taxi cabs in toronto and Niagara Falls and highlight why Zoom.Cab is an excellent choice for your travel needs.
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Affordable Airport Cars in Toronto
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Traveling can be both exciting and exhausting. Whether you're a frequent traveler or embarking on a special journey, your airport experience sets the tone for your trip. While Toronto Pearson International Airport is one of the busiest in the world, navigating the bustling terminals and traffic can be daunting. That's where airport limousine services step in, offering a seamless blend of luxury, comfort, and convenience. In this guide, we'll explore the world of airport limousine services in Toronto, helping you make the most of your travel experience.
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Airport Limousine Toronto/Reliable Transfer
Pearson Airport Limo
As one of the top ten busiest airports in North America, Toronto Pearson International Airport has a constant buzz of activity. Over 1,100 flights take off and land at Pearson each day, servicing about 155,000 passengers daily. That is a large number of people to move, and it can create challenges when it comes to traffic, parking, and simply knowing which terminal you need to get to or leave from.
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