Nobody Cares: PRS

[Free]

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

 

[danielravennest]

In 2019 Americans went to the library more often than to cinemas. No joke.

“Visiting the library remains the most common cultural activity Americans engage in, by far. The average 10.5 trips to the library U.S. adults report taking in 2019 exceeds their participation in eight other common leisure activities. Americans attend live music or theatrical events and visit national or historic parks roughly four times a year on average and visit museums and gambling casinos 2.5 times annually. Trips to amusement or theme parks (1.5) and zoos (.9) are the least common activities among this list.”

The other activities cost money and involve longer trips. My local library got totally renovated last year, and now has about 15 computer stations. So for people without internet or a home computer, they'll use it out of necessity. That goes double for students. I seldom need to copy or print out stuff these days, so its not worth having a printer at home any more. So I use the library's machine for ten cents a page instead.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Amazon wants to rent 28 of 35 stories of a new office building which is under construction right now in Berlin until 2023. Around 3500 people should work there in the future as software developers.

There's now a local initiative of neighborhood people active who want to prevent Amazon coming to their district. They are arguing that this massive influx of high paid jobs would mean a demographic shift in the region, pushing the residents out in the neighborhoods, and therefor don't want Amazon being able to fulfil their plans.

Construction for Berlin's tallest building is scheduled to be completeled in 2023. Plans are for 3400 software developers to occupy 28 of the 35 stories. It will be located on the Warschauer Bridge, next to the East Side Mall, a relic of the Media Spree era. Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg will be transformed into a hotspot for tech giants. The mantra of it brings jobs is repeated. Of course those jobs are not intended for local residents. The neighborhood will see a demographic shift, with tech firms disrupting the neighborhood staples: small businesses, schools, community initiatives and cultural centers. In Silicon Valley, the consequences of laissez faire capitalism is apparent. The recent victories in New York City and Kreuzberg show that we are not simply at the mercy of real estate, but that we can successfully push back against tech giants through grassroots coalitions. This is exactly what we aim for. Together we creatively and loudly protest against the Amazon infestation in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. A conglomerate like Amazon, which harasses employees, pays no taxes while earning hundreds of billions, and propogates digital surveillance, has no business in Berlin or anywhere! The city belongs to us!

Fight the Amazon Tower in Berlin! - Berlin Vs Amazon

In 2023, the highest building in Berlin is to overlook the Warschauer Bridge. The notorious Amazon corporation wants to occupy the tower. Upgrading and displacement are threatening the area.

www.berlinvsamazon.com

 

[Cristiano]

 

[Innula Zenovka]

UK Huawei decision appears to avert row with US

US sources say special relationship too important to jeopardise over Chinese tech firm

www.theguardian.com

It's certainly a contentious decision, and one which the US government and many Conservative MPs (and much of the general public) disagree strongly.

Unlike many Tory MPs or much of the general public, it seems, I have insufficient knowledge and understanding both of 5G technology in general , and of either the risks said to be posed by the equipment Huawei is to supply or the steps GCHQ (who are content with the deal) is taking to contain them, to form a firm conclusion about the wisdom of the decision, but I'm reasonably confident that Johnson wouldn't deliberately upset a lot of his MPs and voters, and certainly not the US right now, unless he'd been given very persuasive evidence by the Treasury, GCHQ and the Foreign Office to persuade him this was the least bad option, possibly for the reasons advanced by The Guardian, who broadly support the move:

Huawei decision is a sensible compromise but could still anger US

I also have to say I'm probably influenced by the automatic assumption that anything that so annoys Tory backbenchers, the Tory press and the current US administration is probably quite a good idea.

 

[RodeejahUrquan]

I mean, that's how we roll in the NYC.
But maaaan, it was a mistake reading the comments section for that thread xD

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

I mean, that's how we roll in the NYC.
But maaaan, it was a mistake reading the comments section for that thread xD

This comment chain is awesome.


And there's more!

 

[Arkady Arkright]

UK Huawei decision appears to avert row with US

US sources say special relationship too important to jeopardise over Chinese tech firm

www.theguardian.com

It's certainly a contentious decision, and one which the US government and many Conservative MPs (and much of the general public) disagree strongly.

It was interesting this morning that the BBC news item interviewed an American who made it clear (to my mind) that it had more to do with if the UK wanted to 'do business' with the USA or China.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

It was interesting this morning that the BBC news item interviewed an American who made it clear (to my mind) that it had more to do with if the UK wanted to 'do business' with the USA or China.

In the immortal words of Mandy Rice-Davies, "Well, he would, wouldn't he?"

Obviously the US want to discourage our using Huawei, since they want us to work with a US business to develop an alternative system (at unknown cost and delivery date), though I suspect a lot of commentary this time is aimed at the US audience, since they must have known about the way the decision was going quite some time ago.

Furthermore, it seems to me inconceivable that the US' position in the trade negotiations will be based on anything other than the US' perception of their interests at the time, as opposed to retaliation out of pique over a decision that's already been taken.

It's the way Trump supporters probably think trade deals are done, and probably Trump does himself, and it's intended to reassure them rather than as a statement of the US position.

 

[Arkady Arkright]

Obviously the US want to discourage our using Huawei, since they want us to work with a US business to develop an alternative system

Which will doubtless have NSA hooks built-in - so it boils down to do we want to be spied on/sabotaged by China or an isolationist USA (we already know from their Kurdish betrayal that the idea of 'allies' has little meaning for them).

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Which will doubtless have NSA hooks built-in - so it boils down to do we want to be spied on/sabotaged by China or an isolationist USA (we already know from their Kurdish betrayal that the idea of 'allies' has little meaning for them).

Fears have been raised that China might try to exert pressure on the UK by telling Huawei to stop maintaining the system, but I can certainly see Trump trying to do that, too.

Sadly, that means I can now also see a subsequent US president doing something similar -- Trump really has trashed the US' reputation.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

UK Huawei decision appears to avert row with US

US sources say special relationship too important to jeopardise over Chinese tech firm

www.theguardian.com

It's certainly a contentious decision, and one which the US government and many Conservative MPs (and much of the general public) disagree strongly.

Unlike many Tory MPs or much of the general public, it seems, I have insufficient knowledge and understanding both of 5G technology in general , and of either the risks said to be posed by the equipment Huawei is to supply or the steps GCHQ (who are content with the deal) is taking to contain them, to form a firm conclusion about the wisdom of the decision, but I'm reasonably confident that Johnson wouldn't deliberately upset a lot of his MPs and voters, and certainly not the US right now, unless he'd been given very persuasive evidence by the Treasury, GCHQ and the Foreign Office to persuade him this was the least bad option, possibly for the reasons advanced by The Guardian, who broadly support the move:

Huawei decision is a sensible compromise but could still anger US

I also have to say I'm probably influenced by the automatic assumption that anything that so annoys Tory backbenchers, the Tory press and the current US administration is probably quite a good idea.

Like I wrote in another post: the problem is that mobile networks are being run quite different in Europe compared to the USA. In USA the owners are quite still much in control of it, they have kept that knowlege alive.

In Europe most network companies first outsourced the billing; so they are exporiting all Call Detailed Records (CDRs) to the billing companies, typically in China or Israel. So no need for Chinese intelligence agencies to spy on this data in Europe when most carriers are handing them over regularly every month.

In Europe also most infrastructure it just being rent from the vendor. And configuration and maintenance done by the vendor, too. So Huawei does not need a kill switch in order to shut down European mobile networks; they 've got all the powers, they can shut it down any time, or just stop doing the maintenance and administrative works.

So in terms of digital sovereignty the USA have a clear advantage; Europe is being so dependent on China that it would really hard to cut off this dependency.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Like I wrote in another post: the problem is that mobile networks are being run quite different in Europe compared to the USA. In USA the owners are quite still much in control of it, they have kept that knowlege alive.

In Europe most network companies first outsourced the billing; so they are exporiting all Call Detailed Records (CDRs) to the billing companies, typically in China or Israel. So no need for Chinese intelligence agencies to spy on this data in Europe when most carriers are handing them over regularly every month.

In Europe also most infrastructure it just being rent from the vendor. And configuration and maintenance done by the vendor, too. So Huawei does not need a kill switch in order to shut down European mobile networks; they 've got all the powers, they can shut it down any time, or just stop doing the maintenance and administrative works.

So in terms of digital sovereignty the USA have a clear advantage; Europe is being so dependent on China that it would really hard to cut off this dependency.

So what parts of the system are Huawei supplying to the UK? All I've read is that they are to supply particular components.

I don't understand the point about

In Europe also most infrastructure it just being rent from the vendor. And configuration and maintenance done by the vendor, too. So Huawei does not need a kill switch in order to shut down European mobile networks; they 've got all the powers, they can shut it down any time, or just stop doing the maintenance and administrative works.

What maintenance and administration do Huawei do in the UK for ISPs, and what do you say they're contracted to do for the new 5G networks for which their hardware is to be used?

Interesting background here

Huawei decision is a sensible compromise but could still anger US

Boris Johnson strikes balance between security concerns and the need for a fast rollout of 5G

www.theguardian.com

And here is the National Cyber Security Centre's report on the subject (which I haven't read)

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/files/Summary of the NCSCs security analysis for the UK telecoms sector.pdf

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

A 7.7 earthquake on the ocean floor between Cuba and Jamaica has prompted precautionary tsunami advisories in the Caribbean, although the risk is low. The earthquake was felt in both Cuba and Jamaica.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

UK Huawei decision appears to avert row with US

US sources say special relationship too important to jeopardise over Chinese tech firm

www.theguardian.com

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Re: Huawei.

Similar issues in Canada, with the added bonus of an arrest of their CFO on an American warrant.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Toronto area mayors call to close border on illegal American guns.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]