External payments are a different kind of bubble with various companies entering the market, but they'll eventually be weeded out. Furthermore, external payments are only effective for games with long-standing services that have a lot of so-called 'whales,' like FGO, Monster Strike, and Genshin. I don't see app-external payments as a silver bullet for Japan's declining gacha games. After all, a higher profit margin is meaningless if the user base is shrinking.
Readit NewsAraceliHarker commented on Popular Japanese smartphone games have introduced external payment systems english.kyodonews.net/art... · Posted by u/anigbrowl
AraceliHarker commented on Study: Social media probably can't be fixed arstechnica.com/science/2... · Posted by u/todsacerdoti
I still think old school linear forums are the best format for online discussion. They’re not perfect by any means, but I think they still beat all the alternatives I’ve tried.
The internet has become a primary battlefield for making money, and we can't go back to the days when it was just a non-commercial hobby that people enjoyed. To make money online, it's crucial to spread content as widely as possible, and the most effective methods for this are clickbait and ragebait. That's why the enshittification of the internet was inevitable.
Japan has extremely favorable copyright laws to the holders. My understanding is that without explicit permission, there is no fair use and so any reproduction or modified work is only allowed as long as they don't request a takedown.
The belief that it's acceptable to copy or alter copyrighted material unless the rights holder objects is merely an assertion by those who violate copyright law. Barring a few exceptions such as citation or non-commercial use without internet distribution, you are generally prohibited from using someone else's creative work without their consent.
If they are copying and pasting news articles on their site, that's a pretty straightforward copyright case I would think.
In the US at least this should be pretty well covered by the case law on news aggregators.
It was the Yomiuri Shimbun, which boasts the world's largest circulation, that established the mass reproduction of not just article bodies, but even headlines, as a violation of copyright.
AraceliHarker commented on Lina Khan points to Figma IPO as vindication of M&A scrutiny techcrunch.com/2025/08/02... · Posted by u/bingden
I think the Figma IPO proves Khan was right. $60B market cap today vs the $20B Adobe offered in 2023.
There was some criticism about regulatory overreach when the deal got blocked. Now Figma employees are rich, the design tools market stays competitive, and we have another major independent tech company instead of just another Adobe product line.
This is exactly why we need regulators willing to tell Big Tech "no" sometimes. Competition creates more value than consolidation.
As is the case with many startups, especially those with a limited product portfolio, it's rare for them to exceed their IPO valuation in the future. So, I think we'll have to wait and see if Figma can continue its growth.
AraceliHarker commented on Microsoft is open sourcing Windows 11's UI framework neowin.net/news/microsoft... · Posted by u/bundie
Microsoft probably has no interest in WinUI anymore and intends to replace it with WebView, which is why they're making it 'open source.' Microsoft's open source is literally a graveyard.
AraceliHarker commented on Microsoft became incompetent in IT mikekaganski.wordpress.co... · Posted by u/doener
From their responses, could it be that even official Microsoft support is just Microsoft Community volunteers?
It seems like among them, some won't be satisfied with just email bombing and might even go to Visa, opening fire. Porn game otaku who prioritize cracking down on porn over presidential censorship are truly frightening.
Video rental stores, when those were still a thing, were the same way. They'd have a room in the back with a curtain to section it off.
First, it's highly concerning that some companies have gained immense power through monopolization, a point also made by former FTC Chair Lina Khan. Separately, in physical stores, there's an incentive to comply with laws because police would intervene if pornography were sold alongside regular goods. However, online, there's hardly any punishment for distributing pornography. This has led to a proliferation of people trying to sell porn on mainstream platforms to maximize profits and gain attention. Online, pornography is consumed far too casually. While it doesn't need to be completely eliminated, I believe there needs to be a clearer separation. Also, it seems many of those currently criticizing Visa/Mastercard are Trump supporters, and I'm curious about the FTC's stance on mergers and acquisitions between large corporations.
LGBTQ+ treats incest no differently than how everyone else treats it. It's still generally taboo, and since it's not a sexual minority suffering from unjust persecution/discrimination, it is not offered any special protections.
Incest is condemned largely because it often takes the form of rape due to power imbalances.