Still not great, but it's... Extra jarring, that we can't even freely travel interstate (in Aus), right now, even as citizens/PRs... Even from a state not in lockdown, to another state/territory not in lockdown...
I can't tell you how fucked it is down here. Seriously...
More broadly, though, if we hadn't all happily taken up fucking smartphones, then NONE of this would have been possible. This was inevitable, from then on. And I'm sure both Apple, and most governments, knew that. Which is why they gave Apple (and its competitors, depending on the country) so many fucking tax breaks, and so much development funding, because they knew how useful that would be...
People like to blame the internet as a whole (as do I), and/or social media, and yes, I think those are both massively important elements of this, but if it wasn't for smartphones, this whole "cashless", survellance-state based dystopia breaks down, an would not be possible...
I can't believe we happily trade in all our freedoms for a little "convenience" in our fucking pockets. To the point where now, in Australia, it is essentially mandatory to have a smartphone, and to carry it, charged and all, at all times, if you want to leave your fucking house/go to work. What an absolute nightmare, and we asked for it... :-(
How is this shit even enforceable? You can't leave your house without a smartphone? Are they going to arrest people for the crime of not giving Apple or Google money?
That alone would be as much of a red line for me as mandatory vaccinations. I'm already looking into getting rid of my smartphone. Nobody is going to force me to have one. (unless it's for work, then it's shut off after hours)
Still not great, but it's... Extra jarring, that we can't even freely travel interstate (in Aus), right now, even as citizens/PRs... Even from a state not in lockdown, to another state/territory not in lockdown...
I can't tell you how fucked it is down here. Seriously...
More broadly, though, if we hadn't all happily taken up fucking smartphones, then NONE of this would have been possible. This was inevitable, from then on. And I'm sure both Apple, and most governments, knew that. Which is why they gave Apple (and its competitors, depending on the country) so many fucking tax breaks, and so much development funding, because they knew how useful that would be...
People like to blame the internet as a whole (as do I), and/or social media, and yes, I think those are both massively important elements of this, but if it wasn't for smartphones, this whole "cashless", survellance-state based dystopia breaks down, an would not be possible...
I can't believe we happily trade in all our freedoms for a little "convenience" in our fucking pockets. To the point where now, in Australia, it is essentially mandatory to have a smartphone, and to carry it, charged and all, at all times, if you want to leave your fucking house/go to work. What an absolute nightmare, and we asked for it... :-(
/endrant
How is this shit even enforceable? You can't leave your house without a smartphone? Are they going to arrest people for the crime of not giving Apple or Google money?
My work has a simple policy: If your cell phone goes off, you're fired. Lockers exist for a reason, phones are for on-break only.
I wonder if any businesses in Australia will be getting daily police visits because they have similar policies.
That alone would be as much of a red line for me as mandatory vaccinations. I'm already looking into getting rid of my smartphone. Nobody is going to force me to have one. (unless it's for work, then it's shut off after hours)
Damn dude. I encourage you to tell people. Pump it out online. If you are scared to then find a go-between to post the info for ya.