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What's up with The Guardian and all these hit pieces against Google? Did they get screwed on a bill or something? Am I the only one who feels like there's a sh

What's up with The Guardian and all these hit pieces against Google? Did they get screwed on a bill or something? Am I the only one who feels like there's a shady, coordinated media attack on silicon valley right now? Somebody wants these companies dead.

ocdtrekkie 9y ago
Or, you know, there's a lot of really valid concerns about the way Silicon Valley companies are behaving right now and a lot of people are increasingly upset about it. Insinuating articles that criticize your employer have ulterior motives while conveniently forgetting to mention you're being paid by the company being criticized is significantly more concerning behavior than The Guardian's.
- cromwellian 9y ago
  Well, the Guardians behavior is concerning when they are making hyperbolic, distorted, or wrong claims. For example: https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/20/security-researchers-call-for-guardian-to-retract-false-whatsapp-backdoor-story/ https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/20/security-researchers-call-... This article on Sidewalk labs leaves out a lot of details and for "journalism" didn't even bother to ask the local authorities if Sidewalk had the authority to build or execute any plans without approval by the government. The reality is that this appears more like every other property developer master-planned community. Localities find a bit of land they want to develop or re-develop, they solicit architects and builders to submit proposals. Typically those proposals are master-planned, including commercial, residential, and public spaces. The city signs off on the plan, and then it is built. And like most such areas, there is a property management organization responsible for up keap, landscaping, repairs, maintenence, etc. This is not the same as the company becoming the "government", they don't run the police, fire departments, schools, etc. The only difference it seems between what Sidewalk is doing, and what Centex, or Shea Homes, or other master-plan community builders, is that the latter are real estate companies, and Sidewalk is a tech company. Oooh, scary. It's Omni Computer Products, better watch out for those ED-209's on the corners.
  - ocdtrekkie 9y ago
    Your sarcasm would have a lot more punch if the similarities between Alphabet and Omni wasn't so blatant. Good call on torching the military robotics division though.

ocdtrekkie 9y ago

Or, you know, there's a lot of really valid concerns about the way Silicon Valley companies are behaving right now and a lot of people are increasingly upset about it. Insinuating articles that criticize your employer have ulterior motives while conveniently forgetting to mention you're being paid by the company being criticized is significantly more concerning behavior than The Guardian's.

cromwellian 9y ago
Well, the Guardians behavior is concerning when they are making hyperbolic, distorted, or wrong claims. For example: https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/20/security-researchers-call-for-guardian-to-retract-false-whatsapp-backdoor-story/ https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/20/security-researchers-call-... This article on Sidewalk labs leaves out a lot of details and for "journalism" didn't even bother to ask the local authorities if Sidewalk had the authority to build or execute any plans without approval by the government. The reality is that this appears more like every other property developer master-planned community. Localities find a bit of land they want to develop or re-develop, they solicit architects and builders to submit proposals. Typically those proposals are master-planned, including commercial, residential, and public spaces. The city signs off on the plan, and then it is built. And like most such areas, there is a property management organization responsible for up keap, landscaping, repairs, maintenence, etc. This is not the same as the company becoming the "government", they don't run the police, fire departments, schools, etc. The only difference it seems between what Sidewalk is doing, and what Centex, or Shea Homes, or other master-plan community builders, is that the latter are real estate companies, and Sidewalk is a tech company. Oooh, scary. It's Omni Computer Products, better watch out for those ED-209's on the corners.
- ocdtrekkie 9y ago
  Your sarcasm would have a lot more punch if the similarities between Alphabet and Omni wasn't so blatant. Good call on torching the military robotics division though.