3
Dereliction 3 points ago +3 / -0

Their major expense is software development and of course employees who further service it (tech support, etc.). In 2022, they had $220 million in software development expenses, out of $425 million total expenses. Google paid them $480 million that same year.

They could cut back, but it would irreparably damage their ability to compete and function as they are now. They would become a shadow of their current existence, if they survived that transformation. Mozilla might survive in some capacity, but Firefox likely would not.

I do believe that's part of the point. I think the powers that be (IC) want to transform and corral Internet users, and carving up Google lets them accomplish that, including an detonation of both Chrome and Firefox browsers as we know them.

6
Dereliction 6 points ago +6 / -0

80%+ of Mozilla's revenue comes from Google's payments for search engine priority. The rest of their revenue comes from Mozilla VPN/Relay and a bit from other advertisers. They'll be dead in no time if the government's request for Google to stop these payments is granted.

8
Dereliction 8 points ago +9 / -1

I think it's being understated what is actually happening here. The DOJ is forcing a partial collapse and consolidation of the Internet with this move.

For example, Mozilla/Firefox is gone in a year if Google is no longer allowed to pay them for search engine priority. Apple loses around 15% of their profitability for the same reason (around $20B/year). Many other companies depend heavily or entirely on Google paying for priority.

This will have a domino effect that, as I see it, largely benefits Microsoft as they also stop support for Win10 next year. (Note that the decision on Google and how it will be broken up comes down summer of next year.) The timing, I think, is not a coincidence.

5
Dereliction 5 points ago +5 / -0

I'm just learning that WuKong had that many all-time peak players. I knew it was successful but holy fuck.

4
Dereliction 4 points ago +4 / -0

But, but, but ... that would hurt peoples' feelings!

5
Dereliction 5 points ago +6 / -1

Meanwhile, the ADL normalizes hate and extremism against non-Jews.

8
Dereliction 8 points ago +8 / -0

Just remember: "The object of war is not to die for your Asuka patch but to make the other bastard die for his tranny flag." -- Patton

Oh shit I'm stealing

2
Dereliction 2 points ago +2 / -0

John F. Trent, "Now we're going to try and lose harder!"

6
Dereliction 6 points ago +6 / -0

Don't you worry, our taxes will help muh government to stop monopolies and collusive markets in their tracks!

15
Dereliction 15 points ago +15 / -0

Mods 1 and 2 are completely reasonable and not super-whored. #3, okay, maybe hard to the other direction, but we could use some of that after the decade we've been living.

2
Dereliction 2 points ago +2 / -0

Modder for the last frame really did some heavy lifting.

2
Dereliction 2 points ago +2 / -0

It really depends. Some mid-level design manager for Xbox signing this can't be seen as an Xbox or Microsoft endorsement.

Having Mike Turian, Executive Producer of MtG and Jason Tondro, senior designer for D&D at Wizards of the Coast, can for WotC, though. (Not to mention there are many other WotC/Hasbro signers too.)

2
Dereliction 2 points ago +2 / -0

Some don't even seem to be in the gaming industry, or just minimalistically so.

Elizabeth Barrial, Co-Owner (Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab)

Ted Barrial, Co-Owner (Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab)

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL) specializes in unique, handcrafted perfumes with a focus on esoteric themes and storytelling.

5
Dereliction 5 points ago +5 / -0

My genuine take?

If Kamala wins, it's only because the DS cheated very, very big, and everyone knows it. The Right (and even a good bit of the middle) will not accept this fraud, and no, it won't be like 2020. We're likely to have some sort of significant civil conflict or re-ordering thereafter. No one will respect the Federal Government except the idiots who supported Kamala. Everyone else will look to states to provide separation, and we'll get some of that certainly, starting with Texas and Florida who will set the examples for other states that will follow.

In the meantime, China will make moves that they wouldn't ordinarily because we're all going to be caught up in our own bullshit, and the Federal Government is corrupted by China already as it is. More plainly, much of what we're about to undergo is a long-term corruption and manipulation by China. They live to carry out life-spanning agendas, something that Westerners can't even fathom.

13
Dereliction 13 points ago +13 / -0

They're fighting against normalcy and sanity everywhere it appears. Their success at it could only last so long.

1
Dereliction 1 point ago +1 / -0

Well there's that, too. Yup.

2
Dereliction 2 points ago +2 / -0

You're right, he actually generates analysis on public polls rather than any polls himself. He would be out of a job if no one thought they were valid, and further, he actually did do some polling of his own (via FiveThirtyEight) in the now distant past. It's perfectly reasonable to think and believe that campaigns will publicly release "internal polling" results that are fabrications to develop a public narrative, but this doesn't actually address the question of whether real internal polls are more or less valid than public ones.

Here's the thing -- we ALL know that public polls are almost entirely Left slanted and intentionally erroneous to some degree, not even speaking to their other inherent flaws. Which is to say, they're unreliable just on the face of them. While internal polls could suffer the same problem, hitting on Silver's claim of "principal-agent" and "true believer" bias, there is a much, much stronger incentive for candidates to operate on precise internal polls. After all, there is a tremendous amount of money and power involved, not merely ego stroking, and the people backing these candidates apply even more pressure for them to use good internal data to get the desired outcome -- won elections that solidify regulatory capture, corruption and all the other things being paid for by these external parties.

6
Dereliction 6 points ago +6 / -0

The long and short of it is that Kamala was part of the same campaign committee as Joe, with respect to the donations that had been made. There was around $250 million from donations at the time. Because they shared the same committee, it was highly likely that there would be no complications in transferring funds to her as the new Presidential candidate.

For anyone else to become the new candidate, however, Biden would have to offer donors the option for refunds (which the Dems absolutely did not want since they knew it would leak away massive amounts of that warchest). The remainder could still end up going to the DNC, but only a fractional portion of that could then be sent back to a new candidate. That would still have been relatively sizable, like 30 or 40 million, but not near the quarter-billion Biden had built up.

This also doesn't touch on PACs which had hundreds of millions generated for Biden, but that may not have been therefore usable for a new non-Harris candidate. I think some of these still faced complications even with Harris.

Regardless, the huge held-breath pause that the Democrats seemed to take as it became clear Biden was being forced out was because of the internal maneuverings regarding the campaign funds and how they could keep their hands on it all.

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