Sam L.Oct 7
Cory Doctorow
Love that the slop merchants are using my book to (further) enshittify Amazon, and that Amazon's terrible QA standards is letting 'em do it.
Oct 6 at 8:37pmWeb
Show threadJohanna, CanCon varietyOct 6

@pluralistic

“Hey, Alexa, an illustrated example of Enshittification, please.”

Don’t know whether to laugh or cry, really.

Show threadThird spruce tree on the leftOct 6

@johannab @pluralistic

the sample chapter is so... cringe. Like you expect it to be bad, but ... its bad.

Observation #1 - $20 dollars for THAT? Who's paying $20 for that?

Observation #2 - I could make $20 for selling crap like THAT?
I'm in the wrong business. "Either I want less corruption, or more opportunities to be a part of it."

Stupid moral compass. <grumble>

Show threadThird spruce tree on the leftOct 6

@johannab @pluralistic

Sadly Ronan Keir Thronwell has no other titles to their name, otherwise I'd suggest dubbing RKT the patron saints of slop mongering.

Show threadJohanna, CanCon varietyOct 6

@tezoatlipoca @pluralistic

I’m just adding this to my “irony is the opposite of wrinkly, isn’t it?” file. 🤣😭

Show threadJames Mitchell-WhiteOct 6
@pluralistic not to teach my grandmother to suck eggs privacy-wise... But shouldn't you hide your location in the screenshot (sorry, just concerned)
Show threadCory DoctorowOct 6
@kuraisle The fact that I live in Burbank is a matter of public record (it's on my jacket flap!) and 91505 is the ZIP for 80% of town, but it's a good point!
Show threadJames Mitchell-WhiteOct 6
@pluralistic ah in the UK your postcode is a lot more specific! I suppose ZIP codes have to cover a much larger area
Show threaddraeathOct 6
@kuraisle @pluralistic we have an extra part of the code for a smaller area, but you don't often see it. An example would be "27604-2017"
Show threadJohn TimaeusOct 6

@draeath @kuraisle @pluralistic

In lower density areas the zip+4 designates a single mailbox

Show threaddraeathOct 6
@johntimaeus @kuraisle @pluralistic yikes!
Show threadJohn TimaeusOct 6

@draeath @kuraisle @pluralistic

In my neighborhood it covers one side of one block (five houses). I used to have a post office box with 72xxx-1086

Guess what my box number was?

Show threadJonathan YuOct 7

@johntimaeus Box number 1086? Or perhaps just 86?

@draeath @kuraisle @pluralistic

Show threadUniversal Basic FriendOct 7
@jawnsy @johntimaeus @draeath @kuraisle @pluralistic this whole post code tangent is excellent
Show threadJames Mitchell-WhiteOct 7
@coolandnormal @jawnsy @johntimaeus @draeath @pluralistic it's made me realise I don't really know how UK postcodes work! Trying hard not to get nerd-sniped about it while at work...
Show threadJohn TimaeusOct 7

@jawnsy @draeath @kuraisle @pluralistic

1086

Show threadThe Lack Thereof Oct 6

@johntimaeus @draeath @kuraisle

The first 5 designates the destination post office
The last 4 designate what I believe is called the "route stop", which could be a single roadside mailbox in rural areas, a street-end bank of mailboxes in suburban areas, or a single apartment building's bank of boxes in urban areas.

When I was a kid they constructed a new post office to serve our rapidly growing fringe suburb, which had previously been served half and half from the nearest two towns. Everyone was very confused when our zip codes suddenly changed overnight

Show threadElectropictOct 6

@pluralistic

Toilet training the internet.

Show threadAngus McIntyreOct 6

@pluralistic Eventually the slop “summaries” of popular titles will get fed into the slop summarizers and you'll be able to buy summaries of slop.

"The Key Understanding You Get from the Key Understanding You Get From Enshittification Workbook Workbook.”

Show threadThird spruce tree on the leftOct 6

@angusm

Listen Inspector, I'm a very busy person, could we hurry this along?

_Oh sure. How about you just give me $20 for the NOTION of a book then?_

That seems reasonable, here.

Show threadbkOct 6
@angusm @pluralistic
#enshittification ouroboros
Show threadAngus McIntyreOct 6
@knutson_brain @pluralistic Garbage in garbage in garbage in garbage in garbage in … model collapse.
Show threadmarkOct 7

@angusm @pluralistic the slop summarizers will eventually boil everything down to a single word.

This is how we get to 42

Show threadJustin MacleodOct 7
@ATLeagle @angusm @pluralistic Newsspeak by any other name.
Show threadTrantionOct 7
@ATLeagle @angusm @pluralistic What is the average word? According to Wikipedia, the modal word is "the". According to my system dictionary, the median word is "modicity". The mean word (not by usage) is 9 letters long and vowel heavy...
Show threadCavyherdOct 7

@ATLeagle @angusm @pluralistic

This explains everything.

In multiple dimensions.

In several senses of the word 'dimensions'....

Show threadkirbygouletOct 6
@pluralistic oh, the irony.
Show threadcomp_ed82Oct 6
@pluralistic
Show thread'|Oct 6
@comp_ed82 @pluralistic I couldn't have said it better.
Show threadLonMOct 6
@pluralistic but you earn 15 points though! who doesn't want points?
Show threadPerrin42Oct 6

@LonM @pluralistic

Lindon seized him, terror filling his words. “Every second we waste is another point gone. You understand? We’re *losing points*.”

-Wei Shi Lindon Aurelius, "Wintersteel", by Will Wight

#Cradle #Willverse #WillWight

Show threadBrendonowicz☭☤ (Wears an N95)Oct 6
@pluralistic it’s fun that they won’t sell a single hardcopy but they still killed a bunch of rainforest to generate it
Show threadTim BrayOct 6

@pluralistic LOL “Ronan Keir Thornwell”.

ChatGPT, please generate an aristocratic-anglo sounding name.

Show threadOzzelot Oct 6
@timbray @pluralistic I swear I haven't heard of anybody named Kier/Keir before watching Severance this year (I do not keep up with ukpol)
Show threadMegatronicThronBanksOct 6

@timbray @pluralistic

Oddly Round

Show threadIke SeblonOct 6
@pluralistic I'll withhold judgement until I find out who they're executing
Show threadGunChleocOct 6

@pluralistic Gaelic speakers are way ahead of you there - we've been enjoying our slop since 2016!

https://akerbeltzalba.wordpress.com/2016/09/01/when-things-are-way-way-way-worse-than-you-thought-they-might-get/

When things are way, way, WAY worse than you thought they might get

You may recall that back in November last year I (and some other people) seriously questioned whether Google Translate for Gaelic was really such a great idea. Most people who came down on the side…

Dear Developer,
Show threadLM LittleOct 7
@pluralistic #BoycottAmazon
Show threadFlipper 🐬🏳️‍🌈Oct 7
@pluralistic bought my copy straight from the source - freshly picked, even has a spot of dew on it.
Show threadRiverOct 7
@pluralistic it's a workbook because they're trying to teach you *how* to enshittify. :/
Show threadStoneBear Oct 7
@pluralistic Standards? Amazon have standards? News to me... :sarc-mark:
Show threadJimmy Angelakos Oct 7
@pluralistic personally I'm more worried and annoyed about LLMs spouting out copyrighted material from my books than some small-time scammer plagiarizing them.
Show threadJonathan YuOct 7

@pluralistic I imagine that the workbook is a step by step checklist with a business plan for unscrupulous executives to establish trust with customers and suppliers, create a monopoly, then betray that trust for personal gain.

At least they would be honest with themselves about what they're doing and what it is called

Show threadFreediverXOct 7
@jawnsy @pluralistic
Step 1. Borrow a quarter million dollars from your parents…
Show threadTim ChambersOct 7
@pluralistic Irony is very ironic sometimes.
Show threadMichael NewtonOct 7
@pluralistic "Enshittification: the execution" has some of those fancy 90s RPG feels with more, well, shit.
Show threadacbOct 7
@pluralistic @aj “Enshittification: a How-To Guide for Founders”
Show threadKrisBuytaertOct 7
@acb @pluralistic @aj pretty sure just like 1984 wan't a manual .. This book will be used as a manual too :(