Here at Pettifoggery, we strive to bring you nothing but the best chicanery, bickering, and squabbling. A large part of that is realizing that other sites are far superior than this one at detailing the abject state of the world.
To jumpstart today’s pettifoggery, here’s a few links:
Cory Doctorow’s blog: Bluesky and Enshittification.
https://pluralistic.net/2024/11/02/ulysses-pact/
This one’s actually from a few days ago, but has some fairly compelling thoughts regarding how lock-in inevitably leads to enshittification unless the owners of the site/widget are given no choice. For example, setting up an irrevocable creative commons license. Just a caveat, although I thoroughly enjoy Doctorow’s blog, I’d classify it as “fact-based” rather than factual. Spot checking his claims often reveals some exaggerations and truth stretching. Take it for what it is: a blog by a sci fi writer who is not too happy with the way ownership, privacy, and consumer protection laws have developed in the last 20 years or so.
Jeff Bezos kisses the ring:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/06/business/media/jeff-bezos-trump.html
Seriously, if billionaires don’t have the backbone to stand up and do what’s right when the worst that can happen is their net worth declines from 10 figures to 9 figures, what hope do we proles have?
Ze Germans are coming:
https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/12/24294827/vw-rivian-joint-venture-leadership-ev
I’ll let you in on a little secret, dear reader: I slapped down a hundred bucks and reserved a Rivian R2 for 2026 delivery. I was hesitant because any software-first car company should give a consumer pause. What happens when that company decides that you need to pay a $10/month subscription fee to use your windshield wipers? What happens when a company that charges you to use the car’s entire battery goes bankrupt? After reviewing Rivian’s FAQ on privacy and its TOS, I was relieved by what seemed a pretty reasonable language. Of course, the problem with any modern company is its ability to “twiddle” (yes, I crib a lot from Doctorow) and change it terms on a whim. With VW now looking over Rivian’s shoulder (and with Rivian’s hand in VW’s pocket), will Rivian enshittify itself? Maybe? Probably? We’ll see.
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