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At no point has the cable industry or its executives been particularly keyed in to the “cord cutting” threat. As streaming video chipped away at their subscriber bases, most cable giants like Spectrum and Comcast responded by raising prices and being difficult. When confronted by growing evidence that cord cutting (defined as cutting the TV cord but keeping […]

It was only a few weeks ago that we were discussing how, thanks to how fractured streaming has become, watching NFL games is becoming more and more an expensive and complicated process. It’s gotten so bad that ESPN has released an app designed specifically just to help viewers find where to watch the NFL game […]

You probably remember Redbox, the DVD-rental kiosk company that went went bankrupt last June. The story behind the bankruptcy is interesting, in case to you missed it. The company failed to pivot to streaming (you might recall the failed joint venture with Verizon), and the bankruptcy has been profoundly ugly in a scorched Earth kind […]

Axon — having apparently exhausted the market for Tasers — has moved on to hawking body cameras to police departments. The cameras are the loss leaders. The real money comes from perpetual service contracts and access fees. With every new feature added to Axon’s line of products, the difficulty level of switching manufacturers and service […]

Elon Musk’s SLAPP suit against Media Matters has hit a roadblock, as the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals—not exactly known for its progressive rulings—has granted a stay on Judge Reed O’Connor’s order compelling the nonprofit to reveal its donor information. These days, the Fifth Circuit is where good law goes to die, but apparently even […]

Sometimes, people who think they know things about defamation pursue their own lawsuits, making fools of themselves because they so very firmly believe anything said about them that they don’t like must be libel. Then there are the lawyers who do the same thing. They should know better. Even if they don’t specialize in defamation […]

Take a giant step towards your dream career or promotion with access to courses on everything from Unity 3D game development to Linux security. Virtual Training Company, one of the world’s largest producers of online learning, promises top-notch instruction not only on building new skills but on mastering software from Autodesk, Adobe, and more. It’s […]

Recently, Karl had a post taking FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr to task for a painfully misleading Wall Street Journal article that attacked Kamala Harris. The article claimed that her policies resulted in the lack of new broadband deployments under Joe Biden’s 2021 Infrastructure Bill that put aside $42.5 billion in broadband grants for underserved communities. […]

Back in February, the Biden administration issued an executive order preventing the “large-scale transfer” of Americans’ personal data to “countries of concern.” The restrictions cover genomic data, biometric data, personal health data, geolocation data, and financial data, with the goal of preventing this data from being exploited by foreign intelligence agencies. This week the administration […]

When it comes to comedy, there is a principle that a physical gag will be funny if done 3 times, but then will stop being funny on any further attempts unless it reaches a much higher number, like 9. To see this in action, you need only look at this clip of the classic gag […]

Excited delirium just won’t go away. No medical association recognizes this condition as factually true. And no cop shop will ever move away from using it as a handy excuse for in-custody killings, at least not until forced to by state legislators. Excited delirium actually pre-dates its current status as the go-to excuse for cops […]

One of the many interesting aspects of the current enthusiasm for generative AI is the way that it has electrified the formerly rather sleepy world of copyright. Where before publishers thought they had successfully locked down more or less everything digital with copyright, they now find themselves confronted with deep-pocketed companies – both established ones like Google […]

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a government official go from sending a clearly censorial First Amendment-violating threat letter to quitting his job to telling a court, “I was pressured to do that and I resigned so that I wouldn’t do that again” so quickly. Last week, we wrote about the fairly notable ruling in […]

People are censoring books all over the country, thanks mainly to a new wave of hatred encouraged and blessed by a failed businessman and marginal golfer who somehow managed to be elected president for a single term. These book ban laws encourage activists with “conservative views” (you know which ones) to “challenge” any content they […]

uTalk can help you start speaking like a native within minutes. Using the uTalk learning App you can listen to real native speakers to help you navigate through your next vacation or business trip. With more than 2,500 words and phrases to learn in each of our 140+ languages, the app gives you a running start […]

I talk a lot about confirmation bias here because it’s at the heart of many of the debates and discussions regarding disinformation. It’s something we can all fall prey to, at times. But lately, I’ve been thinking a lot more about what makes one more susceptible to confirmation bias, and I’m increasingly coming around to […]

Back in July, the Biden FCC voted to make unlocking your phone easier. As a result, the agency is now crafting new rules that would require that wireless carriers unlock customers’ mobile phones within 60days of activation, even if you’re still under contract. Wireless giant T-Mobile, which used to have a consumer-friendly reputation until its […]

As they say, the wheels of justice grind slowly. The presumed upside is that they grind finely, which means every periodic iteration should produce better outcomes. And maybe that’s true in some cases. (Cases handled in the Fifth Circuit, not so much.) This one’s in the Fifth Circuit but at least hasn’t suffered the possible […]

A few years ago agricultural equipment giant John Deere found itself on the receiving end of an antitrust lawsuit for its efforts to monopolize tractor repair. The lawsuits noted that the company consistently purchased competing repair centers in order to consolidate the sector and force customers into using the company’s own repair facilities, driving up costs and […]

There are examples of the Streisand Effect… and then there are examples of the Streisand Effect. And, frankly, what Intuit just decided to do to itself must surely be one of the most explosive and idiotic examples of the Streisand Effect I’ve ever come across. Readers here will be familiar with our posts about Intuit. […]