For a moment, it seemed like the streaming apps were the things that could save us from the hegemony of cable TV—a system where you had to pay for a ton of stuff you didn’t want to watch so you could see the handful of things you were actually interested in.
Archived version: https://archive.ph/K4EIh
I’ve never threw away my jolly roger, it’s just safely hidden away
The only reason I have Netflix is because I get it through T-Mobile as a last resort. Fuck the state of streaming content. Raise the pirate flag boys!
Currently paying for YouTube ad-free, Netflix ad-free, and Hulu ad-free.
YouTube’s algorithm seems intent on making me look elsewhere for content, as it suggests the same twenty things over and over again, despite the fact that I’ve watched half of them already and ignored the other half for months now. We only keep it because spouse wants it for YouTube music. Me? I’ve wandered off to piped and peertube, mostly.
The Netflix app locks up and crashes the Roku at least once every movie. It used to do this just now and again, but recently it’s so bad I don’t even load it anymore and spouse is THIS CLOSE to being talked into just cancelling it.
Hulu…? Well, it’s ok. I wish it still had a lot of the older stuff, as a lot of the newer stuff is just stupid and/or revolting. Because of the above, we’d probably keep this one and dump the others, based on price and what (mostly spouse) finds useful to watch.
I’m actually checking out other things. Like Hoopla through the local library, eBooks, real books (the local library is free). Spouse and I have also learned to play several different card games, and sometimes we actually interact with each other instead of alpha-wave mind-bending into the electronic hallucination machine on the other side of the living room. We’re also exploring more outdoor activities, like hiking, birding, nature walks, team sports, and so on.
Sometimes, a “bad” thing is just the right thing that needs to happen.
despite the fact that I’ve watched half of them already and ignored the other half for months now
What’s up with that anyway? You don’t have to have a fancy algorithm to not show me the things I’ve watched already!
Also congrats on finding new hobbies. Sometimes we forget that there’s life outside of screens. Or perhaps not many have the energy for anything beyond staring at the black mirror.
We’ve all got to find balance in our lives! Sounds like you’re doing that! Wish more people would take this approach, if the streaming eco system no longer suits us we can simply choose to not participate, we don’t NEED the entertainment they provide. That’s the only way the product will improve, if we just continue paying for it what incentive do they have to improve the service?
just ordered a nice OTA antenna so I can watch my local channels, anything else needed will be purchased for exactly 1 month and then cancelled
I’ve also started looking at smaller streaming services like CuriosityStream and MagellanTV cause I’m more interested in documentaries and such instead of the latest weekly tv dramas
Can recommend Nebula if you’re interested in explainer Youtube videos (they have other content, though afaik mostly explainers)
I didn’t really like Nebula. I signed up and canceled my subscription before I even finished a single video. Almost everything is available on YouTube for free (albeit with ads if you don’t have Youtube Premium) and it just didn’t feel like they had enough content to be charging $5/month.
Well for the $5/month you get:
- Videos earlier than on Youtube for most (i think) creators (the least valuable of the 3)
- Exclusive bonus videos (this one i like, it varies what the exclusive is, but it is usually as high quality as the rest of the creators content)
- The creators get paid much more (even if you have Youtube Premium). The payout of Nebula is like Spotify where Nebula (the company) takes 30% of money earned and then split the rest to the content creators based on watch time.
These 3 things are what I think make Nebula worth it for me, though it’s fair if you don’t think it’s worth it to you (to each their own). Also, i don’t how long ago you signed up but for me I think there’s a good amount of content on Nebula (at least for the types of videos I watch)
I watch a lot of educational explainer content and I’ve thought about trying nebula. Who do you watch on there that you think makes it worth it?
So piracy is a check on the abuses of the media market?
Interesting!
Cable companies: You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me.
I gave them a chance. They collectively became more & more rapacious & greedy.
Back to sailing the high seas.
Arrr
You know after years and years of using it, the name Radarr makes way more sense now.
Luckily VPNs are cheaper
It sucks for consumers…
It sucks for writers…
It sucks for actors…
It sucks for vfx workers…
And the CEOs running the companies and making all the money claims it sucks for them too because after their last couple years of shit decisions, they’re making slightly less money.
So maybe those shareholders should re-evaulte who their CEOs are?
Maybe get rid of the people who killed the Golden Goose because they wanted to eat it?
If they’re not losing money, shareholders do not care. The end goal of a corporation is to maximize profits for the shareholders within the confines of the law. So until they start actually costing shareholders substantial amounts of money they will do nothing.
In a way it would be really nice if you couldn’t sell short term stocks and there were minimum holding periods of 1 to 3 years based on the company metrics. That alone would flip a lot of these quarterly incentives, heck quarterly earnings calls themselves would probably be less frequent. Even if you had to register the sale 6 months in advance would solve a lot in my opinion. But of course again, that would destroy the entire finance industry as we know it.
The end goal of a corporation is to maximize profits for the shareholders within the confines of the law.
And if the fine is greater than the profit, or they don’t get caught, that’s okay too.
Yep. It’s easier to just break the law, pay the fine, and continue making billions over actually stopping the activity that causes the fine. That’s what happens when it’s almost impossible to hold anyone actually personally responsible force actions of a corporation.
Ah, well. There’s always piracy.
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I’m sure Google will find a way to kill that too
Fr, they’re already trying to get rid of adblockers
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Time for a google free internet alternative.
I am happy to steal from corporations. Been doing it all my life and I will never stop. Fuck em.
Things you never hear people say: I couldn’t sleep last night worrying about corporate profit margins because I stole some of it. It’s the least culpable crime in history.
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For me it’s back to the pirating era.
I hear sea shanties are making a comeback.
I’ve set sail on the high seas again for the first time in like 15 years.
Fun thing, the captain still knows the major trade routes
I’ll plunder yer coffer, ye mutinous, squiffy gob! … Hoist the Jolly Roger!
