Me as well
MiDaBa
All companies care about is profit margin. This is why automotive companies are so focused on trucks and SUVs. These vehicles cost a bit more to produce but can be sold at multiple times the additional investment. When electric vehicles took off they were a status symbol and sold primarily to luxury car buyers. US manufacturers beholden to share holder value will never focus on affordable transportation. This is why China will eventually eclipse the US in electric vehicles.
I've had prime since almost day one. Lately I've been trying to reduce my dependency on Amazon which isn't easy when you're already paying them in advance for shipping just to keep prime video and a few free games and ebooks. This was the push I needed to finally sever that tie and release myself from their trap. This could be the start of a good thing for a lot of people. Prime has been an effective competition blocking lock-in scheme for too long. It's end result is it's ability to keep prices high because they are the sole gatekeeper. Good riddance Amazon.
We should do both.
When He-Man becomes Cringer.
I'd call them all Snoopy considering the very legitimate privacy concerns.
There needs to always be multiple game stores to keep prices in check. Steam can not be the only option or prices will skyrocket. See game console stores for reference. I use Playnite to seamlessly bridge my game libraries from Steam, GOG, Epic, Amazon Prime, itch.io etc. This is the way.
The bad news is the AI they'll pay for will instead estimate your net worth and the highest price you're likely to pay. They'll then dynamicly change the price of things like groceries to make sure the price they're charging will maximize their profits on any given day. That's the AI you're going to get.
The issue is the right to repair is being challenged in an almost unprecedented way. Propitiatory software allows the developer to cut off access to critical diagnostic abilities as well as lock basic features behind subscriptions etc. Do you really own your car? The future is being fought now.
Has anyone seen the 80's animated series The Mysterious Cities of Gold? It took me forever to find it and before I did I started doubting if it even existed or if I made it all up in my head. It takes place in the 1500's and it follows this group that is looking for the lost cities of gold. At some point early on they find an ancient aircraft that is made of solid gold, solar powered and in the shape of a giant condor.
This was released on the original PlayStation and definitely available in English. I remember it being a very cool game.
Do not buy BS internet connected devices period. There was a time when internet connected devices did exactly they were supposed to do and nothing more. There is literally no reason why most of these devices can't act as their own server and keep your data local and private. Corporations have become far too greedy to trust their cloud won't sell you out in every way it can. The ONLY two reasons a manufacturer adds internet connectivity are:
To monitor and collect as much data as possible and/or:
To implement a subscription service for something that normally wouldn't require monthly payments.
Corporate closed clouds have proven time and time again that they can't be trusted.