Because I never actually sit and watch a movie/TV for its own sake. Anything I watch is on another computer right next to me, whilst I work/play on another. 2 feet away from my monitor is plenty enough ‘big screen’, and most of the stuff I watch is obscure/vintage/trash/B movies, so isn’t particularly well-served for Hi-Def.
I remember the first time I came across this type of “Opt in” agreement, my Uncle bought the Atari Jaguar quite a few moons ago, and inside the box there was the console, shrink wrapped for freshness and an EULA that pretty much said that if you didn’t agree to its terms you could either return the console unopened or destroy it.
Of course you only saw this once you actually bought the thing, brought it back to your house and opened the box hoping to play Cybermorph as soon as possible.
I would love for opt in to mean what I think it means and not what the manufacturer thinks will hold up in court.
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A somewhat different situation, because at least here in Canada, 99% of retailers will let you return most devices even after opening it, for any reason (within a given time period). So… Buy it, find out that you don’t like the way it does voice recognition/fear that somebody is spying on you? Feel free to return it at no cost (aside from time/transporting of the TV).
Of course, the also requires that people take the time to learn how their products work. Which doesn’t happen very often.
I’d call that “opt out” not opt in.
And then only if you understand the risks. Which you might not. My dad consistently threw any piece of paper away unread.
Glad we still have a choice though.
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I agree. as I mentioned above they are [ technically ] accurate most of the time. Its just that their accusations are actually very innocuous much of the time.
But! The inforwars.com article was pretty self-contained. One could accept it at face value.
Same goes for Faux News. And for a plethora of less distorted but still usually grossly incomplete news sources; because actual competent journalism was cost-cutted and downsized. Best you can hope for is crowdsourced news for the given event’s article on wikipedia, where the incomplete sources are compiled into a less incomplete one.
Well, do I need to bring up Brian “Rambo” Williams?
Look, they are all full of shit.
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Actually, I think I made an excellent use of the Socratic Method* because you proved exactly my point when you said:
So when ( BoingBoing | Infowars ) says that your TV is listening to you its ( “a legitimate concern” | “irrational fear” )
Hm, Life must be hard for you.
I have no need to continue. One should at least listen to Alex Jones.
Thanks.
* BTW, I’m never impressed with people who drop names.
That seems to be your entire mission here, to announce that you’re a fan of Alex Jones.
You mean like bringing up Alex Jones over and over for no reason other than to trolley this website?
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No, no one needs to listen to Alex Jones. Time and again, the guy’s proven himself to be more interested in Alex Jones and any cash Alex Jones’ shtick could attract than in any sort of “truth.”
In addition, his voice sounds like a chain dragging over a box of stones. The only voice I’ve ever heard that was worse was that of Harvey Fierstein.
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I sometimes listen to him. (Well, scan the articles and go elsewhere with the keywords.) But that does not mean I am a fan of this clown. He does one thing well, and that is a single-stop collection of news about potential events existence. Other sources are then needed to validate the claims and put them into perspective.
The attached interpretation sucks goat balls, but the fearmongering is comical.
“If I need a fix of passive audio-visual stimulation, I’ll go to catch a Bergman or Truffaut film down at the university,” Green said. “I certainly wouldn’t waste my time watching the so-called Learning Channel or, God forbid, any of the mind sewage the major networks pump out.”
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That’s funny and all, but in our TV obsessed culture not owning a TV strikes me as something that’s worth promoting and holding up as an example and possibility to others. Especially now that its become so much easier to throw that damn thing away. Every time I stay at a hotel I check out what’s on TV, and its shocking how unbelievably inane it is, and its really scary that it has such an influence on our culture.
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