total dick move there, amazon (bezos)
Source: Ars Technica
FTC: Amazon tricked users into buying Prime and made canceling a Homeric ordeal.
Source: Ars Technica
i was given one - it’s in a drawer
Source: Ars Technica
hey look -
Alexa, Echo, Ring, security cams, outdoor lights, motion sensors, and Tile trackers will be automatically enrolled in the system if you do not opt out of this experiment.
I would strenuously recommend opting out if you have ANY of the above-listed devices...
If you use Alexa, Echo, or any other Amazon device, you have only 10 days to opt out of an experiment that leaves your personal privacy and security hanging in the balance.
On June 8, the merchant, Web host, and entertainment behemoth will automatically enroll the devices in Amazon Sidewalk. The new wireless mesh service will share a small slice of your Internet bandwidth with nearby neighbors who don’t have connectivity and help you to their bandwidth when you don’t have a connection.
By default, Amazon devices including Alexa, Echo, Ring, security cams, outdoor lights, motion sensors, and Tile trackers will enroll in the system. And since only a tiny fraction of people take the time to change default settings, that means millions of people will be co-opted into the program whether they know anything about it or not.
Source: Ars Technica
Futurama did that already:
Source: New York Magazine
...turn-around model sheet design for the basic look of an Amazon tribe
Source: mudwerks
hey it's that really popular Drake guy...
Source: slaymonstrobot.blogspot.com
mudwerks reblogged
Black Piranha - Serrasalmus rhombus
The black piranha (also known as the redeye or rhombeus piranha) has recently been discovered to have a bite force as strong as the estimated force of the extinct Megapiranha.
Though the negative stigma towards piranhas is largely undeserved, the mature black piranha is one of the most aggressive fish. This is especially true recently, with the over-fishing of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers, depleting the food sources of the adult fish.
Most species of juvenile piranhas feed on the scales and fins of others fish. Yes, they will swim up to, and rip the fins off of big fish, especially as they near maturity, but are not yet large enough to reliably hunt down other fish.
Despite their huge size (up to 1 m long, four times longer than adult black piranhas) and extremely strong bite force, the Megapiranha of the Pleistocene era (8-10 mya) wasn’t believed to have a solely carnivorous diet. Their saw-shaped teeth bear similarities to the Serrasalmus genus, but also to the teeth of the Pacu, or “vegetarian piranha”.
Expédition dans les parties centrales de l’Amérique du Sud, de Rio de Janeiro à Lima et de Lima au Para. Under direction of Le Comte Francis de Castelnau, 1856.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org
mudwerks reblogged
Black Piranha - Serrasalmus rhombus
The black piranha (also known as the redeye or rhombeus piranha) has recently been discovered to have a bite force as strong as the estimated force of the extinct Megapiranha.
Though the negative stigma towards piranhas is largely undeserved, the mature black piranha is one of the most aggressive fish. This is especially true recently, with the over-fishing of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers, depleting the food sources of the adult fish.
Most species of juvenile piranhas feed on the scales and fins of others fish. Yes, they will swim up to, and rip the fins off of big fish, especially as they near maturity, but are not yet large enough to reliably hunt down other fish.
Despite their huge size (up to 1 m long, four times longer than adult black piranhas) and extremely strong bite force, the Megapiranha of the Pleistocene era (8-10 mya) wasn’t believed to have a solely carnivorous diet. Their saw-shaped teeth bear similarities to the Serrasalmus genus, but also to the teeth of the Pacu, or “vegetarian piranha”.
Expédition dans les parties centrales de l’Amérique du Sud, de Rio de Janeiro à Lima et de Lima au Para. Under direction of Le Comte Francis de Castelnau, 1856.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org
mudwerks reblogged
Coracina cephaloptera [now Cephalopterus ornatus] - the Amazonian Umbrellabird
Bro’s got some wicked style. That wattle inflates when it calls, by the way. Just cause the ultra-hawk wasn’t bad enough.
Amazonian umbrellabirds are the largest passerines (perching birds/”songbirds”) in the world. Aside from their distinctly woodpecker-like flight, they resemble terribly stylish crows, rather than their closer cousins, such as finches and sparrows.
Bilder-Atlas zur Wissenschaftliche-Popularen Naturgeschichte der Vogel. Leopold Joseph Fitzinger, 1864.
Amazon.com has launched a textbook rental service, allowing US students to borrow print editions for a school term at up to 70 per cent off the price of new titles, but the education industry is expecting the growth of rentals to slow.
Book Industry Study Group research found that textbook rentals rose last year from 8 per cent of the market to 11 per cent, with a corresponding drop in new textbook sales, from 59 per cent to 55 per cent. There is also a sizeable second-hand market in textbooks...