Gentrified food snacks

TikTok by taylorhrogers. Uncensored Transcript:

They’re gentrifying snack foods now. You guys have seen this, right? Like, you go into the store and there’s a bag of chips and it looks like Doritos but it’s not Doritos. It’s got like chia seeds in it and it’s called something like “Nathaniel’s Harvest” or some shit.

They all have the same two little sections written on the back of them. They always have “Our Story” and then below that “Our promise to you”. That’s how you know they are going to taste awful, because things that taste good don’t have multiple treatises written on them.

It would be cool if they did though. It would be cool if Coca-Cola had, like, an evil version of those two little sections. Like you turned around a can of Coke and it was like:

“Our Story: The original formula was created in the year 1880 by a morphine addicted ex-Confederate general who thought it could cure syphilis. Since then, our little family has grown and we are now part of the same multinational conglomerate that sole chemical weapons to both sides during World War 2. They made us take the cocaine out, but it’s still pretty fucked up. Our promise to you: if you try to unionize one of our bottling plants, we will fucking kill you.”

[Video: tik tok by @ taylor h rogers , in which a stand up comedian is holding a microphone on stage. They are pale with a beard and glasses. They have brown shoulder-length and back t-shirt and trousers. The audience laughs from time to time. There is super imposed text at the beginning of the video, that reads "Gentrified Snack foods". End description.]

1998 SNL cartoon sketch

Deregulation kills creativity. #monoculture

Transcript:

[Upbeat song perfromed in the style of “The Noun song” by “Schoolhouse Rock!” a series of educational animations. The lyrics switch between voiceover singing by Shannon Hart Cleary and Carolyn Forno, and the voice of a cartoon character with grey hair and torn clothing reportedly sung by Leon Redbone.]

Shannon and Carolyn sing: It’s a Media-opoly!

A media-opoly!

All medias controlled by a few corporations thanks to deregulation by the F.C.C.

Leon Redbone asks: You mean Disney, Fox, Westinghouse and good old G.E?

Shannon and Carolyn sing: They own networks from C.B.S to C.N.D.C.

Leon Redbone sings: They can use em to say, whatever they please.

And put down the opinions of anyone who disagrees.

Shannon and Carolyn sing: Or stuff about P.C.B.s

Leon Redbone asks; What are P.C.Bs?

Shannon and Carolyn sing: They come from electric power plants built by Westinghouse and G.E.

Leon Redbone sings: They can give you lots of Cancer that can hurt your body.

[Sneeze sound effect plays as cartoon character in white lab coats nose comes off]

Shannon and Carolyn sing: But on network TV you rarely hear anything bad about the nuclear industry.

Leon Redbone asks: Like when Westinghouse was sued for fraud?

Shannon and Carolyn ask: Which time?

Leon Redbone sings: When G.E made defective bolts it was an unreported crime.

Or when it was boycotted for operating nuclear bomb plants just to squeeze a dime.

Shannon and Carolyn sing: That’s a footnote by the way.

Leon Redbone sings: A footnote protects you from folks who from folks who doubt what you say.

Now maybe the voices in my head will go away.

Shannon and Carolyn sing: But the big shots don’t care.

They’re all sitting pretty thanks to Corporate Welfare.

Leon redbone asks: What’s that now?

Shannon and Carolyn sing: They get billions in stocks and deeds from the Government, it’s supposed to create jobs but that’s not how it’s spent.

They use P.A.Cs and soft money to support congressmen, who will vote for weapons programs again and again. And let them dump toxic waste where the young ones play.

Leon Redbone sings: How G.E. made the bullets that shot J.F.K.

Shannon and Carolyn sing: You contribute to this chain every time you buy a product sponsored on this show.

Leon Redbone sings: That’s what N.B.C doesn’t want you to know.

So the next time..

[Singing is intruptted by long beep sound effect as “Please stand by” screen shows, then a canned laugh track plays as words begun moving]

[All three begin singing]

Please stand by.

Please stand by.

It means there’s technical difficulties.. supposedly.

So if you see a “Please stand by” you know it’s all part of G.Es big lie.

Shannon and Carolyn sing: Why’d they take Norm MacDonald away?

Leon Redbone sings: Cause he made too many jokes about O.J.

Shannon and Carolyn sing; Was Lorne Michele’s overruled?

Leon Redbone sings: Now don’t be fooled he and [unintelligible sounds like Barry and berry?] went to the same high-school.

[Sound of live audience clapping and whooping plays over credits, and quieter tv dot come jingle repeats three times]

[Tiktok sound effect plays as users tiktok handle displayed]

[Image: a tweet by Yell in a War🐀 @/jelenawoehr posted on November 11th, 2022. It reads,

Every single company that's done massive layoffs this month has vacancies open for contractors right now.

This isn't "profits are down" (they aren't, except at Twitter because of the new guy) or "costs are up," it's "we no longer want to provide employment.

End description.]

Hey. Don't fucking use Shutterstock.

So. I'm in deep shit because Shutterstock has no cancel plan button. Let me explain. Long story short, tried a free trial and tried to cancel after the free month was over. I called, they helped me cancel my account.

And then I got charged. Again.

So I call again. I think it gets cancelled again.

And then I get charged again. And I call again, get it cancelled. Repeat.

Keep in mind, I'm a fucking college student. I don't have much money to begin with. At all. My only money is for testosterone, groceries, and emergencies, and OCCASIONALLY one nice thing every like. 3 or 4 months.

So I email them, after continuously trying to get ahold of them for 8. Months.

And I get this.

Read that closer, folks.

They're charging me for the months worth of trying to cancel, thinking it was fine, and then trying to cancel again, only to be lied to.

Don't use this shit. I thought I was getting a free trials and then was gonna cancel, and instead I've had money charged every 3 months, and then told I have to pay 160 dollars for the shit I already paid for.

I know this ain't yelp but like. Fuck this bullshit.

IM FUCKING SORRY????

I tried to delete my payment method.

I am going. To explode.

This happened to me once and I literally just shut off my card. Is that an extreme response? Maybe. But it was easier than the bureaucracy.

If you can, I think it would be worth sending a complaint to the FTC, especially as you have a lot of what they would ask for already. They might not be quick, but they're typically the regulators that do something about subscription fraud.

It might not immediately resolve your issue, but it might help stop them from robbing others in the future

Yeah all of this seems super illegal

Hey, just so you know, if any company pulls something like this, you can go to your bank and have them issue a stop payment. That will block any future chargers.

I had to do that with my mom a couple of times after she subscribed to home delivery of some snake oil that they wouldn't cancel. Remember, you are your bank's customer and they will generally try to help with issues like this.

[Image: a tweet by EFF @EFF "Data brokers use your phone's ad ID to track and profile you. Disabling it does a lot for protecting your data privacy, and only takes one minute. Here's how, for Android and iOS". And their article "How to disable ad ID tracking on iOS and Android, and why you should do it now" attached. Same article is also linked to just below the image.]

And here's the whole article if you don't want to leave tumblr:

How to disable ad ID tracking on iOS and Android, and why you should do it now

by Bennett Cyphers

May 11, 2022

[Buttons to click to see the article in Italian, Korean, or Spanish]

The ad identifier – aka “IDFA” on iOS, or “AAID” on Android – is the key that enables most third-party tracking on mobile devices. Disabling it will make it substantially harder for advertisers and data brokers to track and profile you, and will limit the amount of your personal information up for sale.

This post explains the history of device ad identifiers and how they have enabled persistent tracking, identification, and other privacy invasions. 

But first things first. Here’s how to revoke tracker access to your ad ID right now:

On Android

With the release of Android 12, Google began allowing users to delete their ad ID permanently. On devices that have this feature enabled, you can open the Settings app and navigate to Privacy > Ads. Tap “Delete advertising ID,” then tap it again on the next page to confirm. This will prevent any app on your phone from accessing it in the future.

The Android opt out should be available to most users on Android 12, but may not available on older versions. If you don't see an option to "delete" your ad ID, you can use the older version of Android's privacy controls to reset it and ask apps not to track you, shown below:

[A red arrow pointing to a slider for you to turn on. The text on the left of it reads, "Opt out of Ads Personalization

Instruct apps not to use your advertising ID to build profiles or show you personalized ads."]

On iOS

Apple requires apps to ask permission before they can access your IDFA. When you install a new app, it may ask you for permission to track you.

[A phone screen with a pop-up that reads, "Allow 'App' to track your activity across other companies' apps and websites?

Your data will be used to measure advertising efficiency.

Ask App Not to Track

Allow"]

Select “Ask App Not to Track” to deny it IDFA access.

To see which apps you have previously granted access to, go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking. The menu should look like this:

[Text next to a turned off slider that reads, "Allow Apps to Request to Track

Allow apps to ask to track your activity across other companies' apps and websites".

Below that is an app, titled App with its own slider turned off. It is likely meant as a representation of the list of apps currently tracking you, that you can turn off.]

Here you can disable tracking for individual apps that have previously received permission. Only apps that have permission to track you will be able to access your IDFA.

You can set the “Allow apps to Request to Track” switch to the “off” position (the slider is to the left and the background is gray). This will prevent apps from asking to track in the future. If you have granted apps permission to track you in the past, this will prompt you to ask those apps to stop tracking as well. You also have the option to grant or revoke tracking access on a per-app basis.

Apple has its own targeted advertising system, separate from the third-party tracking it enables with IDFA. To disable it, navigate to Settings > Privacy > Apple Advertising:

[Text that reads, "Apple-delivered advertising

The Apple advertising platform does not track you. It is designed to protect your privacy and does not follow you across apps and websites owned by other companies. You have control over how Apple uses your information. About Apple Advertising & Privacy...

View Ad Targeting Information

Ad targeting information is used by Apple to personalize your ad experience.

Personalized Ads" a turned off slider

"Turning off personalized ads will limit Apple's ability to deliver relevant ads to you but will not reduce the number of ads you receive."]

Set the “Personalized Ads” switch to the “off” position to disable Apple’s ad targeting.

History

In the early days of smartphones, trackers used static device identifiers - the “Unique Device Identifier” (UDID) on iOS, and the “Android ID” on Android - to track users across apps. These identifiers were unique, permanent, and were frequently accessed by third parties without user knowledge or consent.

This was rightfully considered a problem for user privacy. A 2010 investigation by the Wall Street Journal exposed the extent of the issue, and in 2011, after a series of probing questions from US members of congress, Apple began restricting access to the UDID. 

The industry had already begun to rely on data collection tied to UDID, and trackers scrambled to adapt to the change. Then, in 2012, Apple quietly introduced the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA). IDFA was almost identical to the UDID it replaced: it was a globally unique identifier that was available to all apps by default. The biggest difference was that IDFA could be reset -- though this was only possible if users knew what to look for. Apple also allowed users to enable a setting called “Limit Ad Tracking.” This sent a signal to apps asking them not to track, but it did not actually affect the apps’ ability to access IDFA.

Android followed suit in 2013, introducing the Android Advertising Identifier (AAID). Like Apple, Google made its identifier available to all apps by default, without any special permission. It also allowed users to reset their ad identifier, but not restrict access to it or delete it.

In 2016, Apple updated Limit Ad Tracking to set the IDFA to a string of zeroes - effectively deleting it. This meant that for the first time, users had an effective, technical opt-out of IDFA tracking.

In 2021, Apple introduced App Tracking Transparency (ATT), which requires apps to get affirmative consent before they can track users with IDFA or any other identifier. This had an enormous impact on the tracking industry. While previously, about 20% of users chose to opt out of tracking (meaning 4 out of 5 were “opted in”), after the change, the vast majority of users have chosen not to allow tracking. Defaults matter.

Meanwhile, Android finally started rolling out a way for users to disable their ad ID.As of April 1, 2022, Android also requires developers to request a separate permission in order to access the ad ID. However, this is treated as a “normal” permission, meaning users don’t see any pop-up asking for their consent. Despite the ad ID’s central role in enabling third-party tracking, the developer documents explain that this kind of permission is for data that presents “very little risk to the user's privacy.” In other words, Android’s ad ID is still exposed on an opt-out basis, and users have to go out of their way to defend their privacy on the platform.

In February, Google also indicated that it may eventually phase out the ad ID altogether. It plans to bring a version of the Privacy Sandbox framework to mobile devices to support behavioral advertising “without reliance on cross-app identifiers.” But Google assured developers that it won’t change anything substantial about the ad ID for “at least two years.”

Why It Matters

The ad identifier is a string of letters and numbers that uniquely identifies your phone, tablet, or other smart device. It exists for one purpose: to help companies track you. 

Third-party trackers collect data via the apps on your device. The ad ID lets them link data from different sources to one identity you. In addition, since every app and tracker sees the same ID, it lets data brokers compare notes about you. Broker A can buy data from broker B, then use the ad identifier to link those two datasets together. Simply, the ad ID is the key that enables a whole range of privacy harms: invasive 3rd-party profiling by Facebook and Google, pseudoscientific psychographic targeting by political consultants like Cambridge Analytica, and location tracking by the U.S. military.

Sometimes, participants in the data pipeline will argue that the ad ID is anonymous or pseudo-anonymous, not “personally identifying” information, and imply that it does not pose a serious privacy threat. This is not true in practice. First, the ad ID is commonly used to help collect data that is obviously personally identifiable, like granular location data. If you can see where a person works, sleeps, studies, socializes, worships, and seeks medical care, you don’t need their email address to help identify them. And second, an entire industry exists to help trackers link ad IDs to more directly identifying information, like email addresses and phone numbers. In a vacuum, the ad ID may be anonymous, but in the context of the tracking industry, it is a ubiquitous and effective identifier.

Disabling this ID makes it substantially harder for most advertisers and data brokers to track you. These industries process data from millions or billions of users every day, and they rely on convenient technologies like the ad ID to make that kind of scale possible. Removing this tool from their toolbox will result in substantially less data that can be associated with you in the wild. It is not only beneficial to your privacy, it also makes the surveillance advertising industry less profitable. And don’t take our word for it: Facebook has said that Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature would decrease the company’s 2022 sales by about $10 billion.

But although it’s a good first step, removing your ad ID won’t stop all tracking. If you are concerned about a specific privacy-related threat to yourself or someone you know, see our other resources, including Digital Security and Privacy Tips for Those Involved in Abortion Access. You can also check out EFF’s guides to surveillance self-defense, including personal security plans, attending a protest, and privacy on mobile phones. These resources are organized into playlists such as this one for reproductive healthcare providers, seekers, and advocates.

Related issues: [three more buttons reading, 'locational privacy', 'privacy', and 'security education']

End article.

Audio of the first video "Bill Hicks on Marketing" (tw for suicide bait). Audience reactions are included, because he reacts to them:

By the way, if anyone here is in advertising or marketing - kill yourself. [applause] Thank you. It's a little thought, I'm just trying to plant seeds. And maybe one day they'll take root, I don't know. You try. You do what you can. Kill yourself.

Seriously though, if you are - do. Uum. [applause] No, really. There is no rationalization for what you do, and you are Satan's little helpers. Okay? Kill yourself. Seriously.

You are the ruiner of all things good. Seriously. No, um this is not a joke- [doing a voice] "There is going to be a joke coming." There's no fucking joke coming. You are Satan spawn, filling the world with violent garbage; you are fuck, you are fucking us. Kill yourself, it's the only way to save your fucking soul. Kill yourself. [loud applause with whistles] Plant seed.

I know all the marketing people are going "he's just doing a joke", there's no joke here whatsoever. Suck a pill pie, fucking hang yourself, borrow a gun from a Yank friend - I don't care how you do it. Rid the world of your evil fucking machinations. Okay, whatever, you know what I mean.

I know what all the marketing people are doing right now "oh, you know what Bill's doing? He's going for that anti-marketing dollar. That's a good market, he's very smart." [laugher]

Oh, man. I am not doing that, you fucking evil scumbags. [more laughter] "Oh, you know what Bill's doing now? He's going for the righteous indignation dollar. That's a big dollar. A lot of people are feeling that indignation. We've done research, huge market. He's doing a good thing." God damn it, I'm not doing that. You scumbags! Quit putting a goddamn dollar sign on every fucking thing on this planet!

"Ooh, the anger dollar, huge. [laughter] Huge in times of recession, giant market. Bill's very bright to do that." God, I'm just caught in a fucking web.

[covers mouth and mic with a hand, so he sounds like an old radio] "Oh, the trapped dollar, big dollar, huge dollar. Good market. Look at our research! We see that many people feel trapped, and we play to that and separate them into the trapped dollar-"

God, you live like that. And I bet you sleep like fucking babies at night, don't ya? [lays down] "What did you do today, honey?" "Oh, we make a, we made a, arsenic a childhood food now. Goodnight! [fake snors] Yeah, we just said, you know, 'is your baby really too loud', you know. Yeah, that'll... yeah, the mom's will love it, yeah."

Sleep like fucking children, don't ya? This is your world, isn't it?

End audio.

Second video "George Carlin - advertising and bull shit":

I call this piece "Advertising".

Quality, values, styles, service, selection, convenience, economy, savings, performance.

Experience, hospitality, low rates, friendly service, name brands, easy terms, affordable prices, money back guarantee, free instalation.

Free admission, free appraisal, free alterations, free delivery, free estimates, free home trial, and free parking.

No cash, no problem.

No kidding, no fuss, no muss, no risk, no obligation, no red tape, no hidden charges, no down payment, no entry fee, no purchase necessary. No one will call on you, no payments or interest till December, and no parking.

Limited time only though, so act now, order today, send no money, offer good while supplies last, due to a customer, each item sold separately, batteries not included, mileage may vary.

All sales are final, allow six weeks for delivery, some items not available, some assembly required, some restrictions may apply.

Shop by mail, order by phone, try it in your home, get one for your car. All entries become our property, employees not eligible, entry fee is not refundable, local restrictions apply. Void wear prohibited, except in Indiana.

So come on in, come on in for a free demonstration, and a free consultation with our friendly professional staff, our courteous and knowledgeable sales representatives will help you make a selection that's just right for you and just right for your budget, and say, don't forget to pick up your free gift. A classic, delux, custom, designer, luxury, prestige, high quality, premium select, gourmet pocket flashlight.

And - and if you act now, we'll include an extra added free complimentary bonus gift a classic, delux, custom, designer, luxury, prestige, high quality, premium, select, gourmet, leather style wallet, with detachable keychain and a pencil holder. It's our way of saying thank you.

And if you're not completely satisfied, you pay nothing, simply return the unused portion for a full refund, no questions asked. It's our way of saying thank you. Keep your free gift.

Actually it's our way of saying "bent over just a little further, and let us stick this big dick into your ass a little bit deeper".

[pause to drink water, while the audience gives a bigger applause]

You know, whenever you're exposed to advertising in this country, you realize all over again, that America's leading industry is still the manufacture, distribution, packaging, and marketing of bullshit. High quality bullshit. World class designer bullshit, to be sure. Hospital tested, clinically proven bullshit. But bullshit none the less.

And it always amuses me that so many people seem to think that bullshit only comes from certain sources. You know: advertising, politicians, salesmen. Not true. Bullshit is everywhere. Bullshit is rampant.

Parents are full of shit, teachers are full of shit, clergymen are full of shit, law enforcement people are full of shit. The entire country is completely full of shit. In fact, this country was founded by a group of slave owners, who told us that all men are created equal. That is what's known as being stunningly, stunningly full of shit.

And you know, I think- And I think people show their ignorance when they say they want politicians to be honest. What are these people talking about? If honesty were suddenly introduced to politics, it would trow everything off. The whole system would colapse.

And I think deep down the American people know that. The American people like their bullshit out front, where they can get a good strong whiff of it. That's why they reelected Clinton. Listen, Clinton might be full of shit but he let's you know it. Dole tried to hide it "I'm an honest man." Bullshit.

Bullshit. People don't believe that shit. Clinton said "Hi, I'm full of shit and how do you like that?" And the people said "At least he's honest. At least he's honest about being full of shit."

It's like the business world. All businessmen are completely full of shit. Just the worst kind of people you could ever wanna run into - businessmen. And the proof of it is they don't even trust each other. They don't trust each other. When a businessman is negotiating a deal, the first thing he does is to automatically assume that the other guy is a complete lying prick, who's trying to fuck him on the deal. So he has to do everything he can to fuck the other guy a little bit harder and a little bit faster.

And then when it comes to dealing with customers. That's when you get the big smile, that's when you get the big smile. Businessman always has that big smile on his face, as he carefully positions himself directly behind the customer and unzips his pants and services the account.

"We specialize in customer service". You heard that? Now you know what it means. Whoever coined the phrase "let the buyer beware" was probably bleeding from the asshole.

Then you have advertising. Advertising is the businessman's cheaply dressed two-dollar blowjob. Advertising sells you things that you don't need and can't afford, that are overpriced and don't work. And they do it by exploiting your fears and insecurities. And if you don't have any, they'll be glad to give you a few by showing you a nice picture of a woman with big tits. That's the essence of advertising - big tits. Threateningly big tits.

An speaking of big tits, what about showbusiness. Showbusiness: completely dishonest, corrupt, and full of shit, but in a nice way. Plenty of expensive drugs and perverted sex. If you're gonna be full of shit, might as well enjoy your work.

Then you have the media. Not just the news media, let's include them all. The media are almost literally exploding with bullshit. Because they're located right at the crossroads of all the other bullshit. The media are made up of equal parts: advertising, politics, business, public relations, and showbusiness. These people are sitting right at bullshit junction. There's enough bullshit in the media for Texas to open a branch office. And you still have enough left over to start two law firms and a Christian bookstore.

Because- because folks, I gotta tell ya... When it comes to bullshit, truly major league bullshit, you have to stand back in awe- in awe of the all time heavy weight champion of false promises and exadurated claims - religion. Organized religion. It's no contest.

Religion easily, easily has the best bullshit story of all time. Think about it. Religion has convinced people that there's an invisible man, living in the sky, who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn't want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place: of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish, for you to live forever, and suffer and burn and scream, until the end of time.

But he loves you. He loves you. He loves you and he needs money. He always needs money. He's all powerful, all present, all knowing, and all wise. Just can't handle money.

Religion takes in billions and billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and somehow they always need money. You talk about a good bullshit story. If I may be permitted a small pun. Holy shit! Holy shit.

End audio.

@wodneswynn

[Photo ID: A screenshot of a Twitter interaction. The original article is from the Verge, reading “Instacart is firing everybody who voted to unionize” with the article link cut off. The response by @/ksteeno: “If you are like me and have an annual membership, you can call and have them refund you for your unused months remaining. 1-888-246-7822. They ask for the reason fo the cancellation, make sure you say it’s because of this”. End ID]

I see this getting passed around a lot, and I just want to remind everyone that Lush UK and Lush North America were founded by the same people but currently run under entirely different leadership, methods and ideals. Lush UK actually sued the CEO of Lush NA a few years back, and Lush NA has openly condemned Lush UK’s partnership with a TERF group masquerading as a charity.

was anyone going to tell me that king arthur flour is an 100% employee-owned benefit corporation or were you just going to let me keep using their recipes without buying their flour

Bob's Red Mill is Employee Owed as well!! Upon Bob's death, he gave the Employees ownership. Good man, that Bob.

This post gave me a heart attack and made me google like crazy. Bob’s NOT dead! He still works there in his 90s. He’s a local celeb, and I’ve met him a handful of times at the restaurant where he eats almost every day, wearing that red vest and cap, giving out coupons to kids. It’s 100% employee owned but he didn’t like, leave it to them in his will. He’s always cared about his employees and he set up a Employee Store Ownership Plan in 2010. His story of how and why he founded the company is awesome. NPR did a podcast on him a couple years ago that’s worth a listen! https://www.npr.org/2018/05/17/612108005/bobs-red-mill-bob-moore

I was worried there for a minute. I just saw Bob a few months ago. King Arthur (which just rebranded and is not King Arthur Baking Company) is an amazing company that is not only employee owned and a great source for baking help, but very committed to supporting charities like the ACLU.

The responsible company baking trifecta: Bob's Red Mill King Arthur Baking Penzey's Spices All three companies have responsible politics and an employee-centric business model. Make delicious things and support good companies!

After 5 years it’s super slow

It’s got proprietary tires that don’t fit on anything else and shred themselves every hundred miles

also it’s only compatible with about 40% of roads

Radio has no speakers and only works with specialized bluetooth headset

There’s only one button to control everything on the center console and a tiny ass touchscreen

You need to buy a special accessory if you want to open the door and sit down at the same time.

Costs more than your house and will outsell everyone

[ID 1: a tweet by @nasmarai "In 2020 Apple will unveil their first car." with a picture of a futuristic looking car, and followed by a response by @Sloondadon "Engine & key sold separately."

ID 2: black text on a white background "Car salesman: *Slaps roof of car* It's an Apple." Below that is a picture of a drawn car salesman and a client in front and a little to the side of a photo of a car, whose window is exploding.

End ID.]

MAY DAY (MAY 1ST) DO NOT CROSS THE PICKET LINE. NO AMAZON. NO INSTACART. NO TARGET. NO WHOLE FOODS.

these companies are making RECORD PROFITS while their workers are dying from being on the job. boycott them on may 1st. the power of our efforts lies in the efforts of the working class.

anyway reminder to

NOT USE TURBOTAX OR H&R BLOCK FOR YOUR TAXES

if youre filing a simple return where these two companies do NOT require you to pay any money: live your life. file away with them. youll get back what youre supposed to.

IF THEY ASK YOU TO PAY FOR ANYTHING TO UNLOCK YOUR FULL RETURN DO NOT DO IT.

listen. the IRS has a free filing system. go online and look up IRS free filing forms. they are currently available.

it will redirect you to the IRS website where they will show you a number of options to use in order to file your return 100% free.

example. turbotax was just in the middle of doing my return. they told me in order to unlock the extra hundred or so for my retirement deductions i would have to upgrade and pay $40 to them.

went to the website, chose fileyourtaxes.com which is in joint partnership with the IRS and they gave me my full refund 100% free.

AGAIN: if youre filing a simple return, no specifics just income and taxes feel free to use these companies. nothing bad will happen.

if they ask you to pay them more to do your taxes the right way dont do it and go check if there are still eligible websites on IRS.GOV to file 100% free.

GET ALL YOUR MONEY. THANK YOU.

I was in 1st/2nd grade grade when the big Pokémon boom of the late 90s-early 00s happened. It was HUGE. Every kid was into it and we’d watch the show and play pretend and collect the cards and bring our game boys to school to trade Pokémon during recess. I was lucky to have supportive parents, but I remember how teachers and other adults would scoff and say how tired they were of Pokémon, how annoying and juvenile it was and how they couldn’t wait for us to “get over it already”. I might have been young, but I still remember how much these kinds of comments bummed me out. Why in the world are we being mean to little kids who like Fortnite

Why are you comparing pokemon to fortnite???

Because… Fortnite is very popular amongst children at the moment? And there are adults who dismiss it in the same way other adults did when Pokémon was big, calling it stupid, saying the dances are annoying, how much they can’t wait for the “fad to be over”, etc. It’s pretty much the same scenario.

Fortnite has a lootbox system that is glorified gambling, and can cause patterns of addiction in even adult minds, and that is in fact its intended goal in order for the game to make money from microtransactions. That’s how all games with lootboxes function. That’s how they draw in their customer base and squeeze more money out of them.

Like, I don’t judge kids who enjoy Fortnite. My little cousin plays Fortnite.

But last week, my little cousin also stole his mother’s credit card and spent about a month’s salary on microtransactions without his parents’ knowledge.

Modern gaming has become vile and predatory in ways that we didn’t have to deal with as children.

And we shouldn’t be mean to children about this, but we should definitely be coming down on these companies like a pile of fucking bricks.

Delicious.

Finally, some PROPER FORTNITE CRITICISM

We, ADHD adults and youths, are particularly at risk for those manipulative techniques.

Both because our reward system craves the kind of dopamin  highs this system generates, and because of our impulsivity symptoms.

Please be careful with microtransactions, especially in the context of lootboxes, special events, time limited offers and other techniques meant to manipulate you into spending money. Be aware of these techniques, and tread carefully with games who use them. This can be really dangerous.

Cody was fired for sharing a meme, on his day off. Then the bosses son messaged him after it went viral

Jesus fuck. that last part about the kid. This company deservers whatever’s coming to them.

I am a glorified office administrator who understands server hardware why am I the only person in this company who gets what social engineering is?

Total stranger on the phone who we’ve never spoken to before: I have power of attorney over the CEO of this corporation and we are a customer of yours. Please change the administrator password on the server to XXXXX

My boss, putting on white grease paint and a red wig: Oh, of course! Let’s do it quickly so that you’ll want to keep working with us since you’re going to be making business decisions!

Me: I would sell you to satan for one corn chip and I’m allergic to corn but before you do this maybe you should call someone who is actually on our contact list for our customer and see if they’ve ever heard of this stranger.

My boss, looking through a selection of shoes that honk when you walk: Oh, but she said that it was very important that none of the employees know what was happening because they’re making staffing changes.

Me: As your lawyer I recommend that you just call a single one of our contacts and see if they’ve ever heard of her name.

My boss, shoving all of our technicians into a VW beetle: You’re not my lawyer.

Me: HOW THE FUCK WOULD YOU KNOW? I COULD BE! YOU SHOULD MAYBE CHECK ON THAT.

TIL everyone’s employee ID at my company is the last five of their SSN.

Boss: On the bright side, it’s only the last five

Me: YOU CAN COMMIT FRAUD WITH FOUR

Security firms that are hired to check the security of banks will often use the following tactic: They will walk up to the teller in a suit with their ID badge and a clipboard and go:

“Hello I am [name] from [security firm] we’ve been hired to verify the security of the facility I need to see your computers.”

“Erm…I’ll have to verify that with my managers.”

“Congratulations, you have just passed the security verification.” [Scribbles on clipboard] “But in all seriousness I do need to verify your security so I need to see your computers.”

“Oh okay.” AND LETS THEM IN.

“Social engineering” is a way too fancy word for what it is. I know a guy (not personally) who broke several people out of prison by essentially writing “Greetings, please release this person, signed, whoever the judge is” on a piece of paper and faxing it there. Because no one would have a fax machine in their own house I guess.

not to derail, but holy shit that praxis

New Look, New Features, New Advantages…

   Armco Steel Buildings, 1960

The men on my father’s side worked making Armco steel, my father worked for Armco until he died. They were bought by Kawasaki and became AK Steel and then my husband worked for them for about 5 years before moving to his current job. At the time my husband worked there they had maybe 1 or 2 deaths a year but the history of Armco is dark, they used to use death calendars to keep track of all of the people who died in the workplace. That doesn’t even count all of the cancer related deaths of which there are many to this day.

whoa canada

someone needs to turn down that sass level

Two things to know about Canada!

A few things you need to know about this hot coffee case:

MORE FUN FACTS:

9. The woman who was burned was not driving the car, she was a passenger.

10. The car was not in motion when she was burned. The car was parked so she could add cream and sugar.

The coffee case is one of the biggest examples of a carefully-crafted smear campaign by a company that is in the wrong trying to hide that.

Do you ever see something that makes you want to chew glass?

It more makes we want to eat the smoked neckmeat of billionaires

Save the planet, eat a billionaire