GenX Illusion Uncensored

Better World Books: An Experience and a Dabble

Bowing to the ubiquitous presence of corporate, surveillance capitalism-based fiends of the business world can seem like an inevitable future that some see no alternative to. There is a light in the dark, actually a whole bunch of them, actually. I hvae been migrating my digital world away from places like Facebook, Google (yep, Android can be run with minimal data going to them and Google Play Services denied all permissions) and Twitter. The latest victim of my corporate purge: Amazon.

Amazon are well-known for treating their workers like utter crap (the strike on Prime Day was a good thing [https://anon.to/oU8SOj]). They have also contributed to the demise of a number of independent and local sellers, along with buying up just about any online book resource they can get their filthy hands on (Goodreads was a good place...not now, along with shares in Book Depository and LibraryThing). All in all, one might be forgiven for thinking Amazon is something akin to a virulent anal infection.

I have just made my first order from Better World Books (https://www.betterworldbooks.com/), a company whose very business model is making a difference in the lives of under-privileged and poorer groups. For each book purchased, Better World Books donates a book to aid organisations and more. With free shipping globally, used and new books are sold with very clear descriptions of the conditions that you can expect them to be in.

While the website might not have the polish of Amazon's, it is a hell of a lot better than Book Depository's and that without the nausea of knowing that you have just added a bit of profit to those A-Level pricks. The website is well designed and is easily used. From the relative simplicity of it, the website offers a very smooth on-boarding and shopping experience.

The more observant might see that the reviews are sourced from Goodreads and Better World does sell via Amazon. However, they are not part of Amazon and no profit goes to that company from your purchases. This was a huge plus on my part, as I am loathe to even have Amazon track me across the web.

For a shopping experience, Better World Books is awesome and they are very responsive to enquiries. I was definitely impressed with their level of service. Now, I am just waiting for the delivery time and the books themselves. I may actually remember to post an update when the books arrive.

The European Parliament is Determined

I'll give them that. Soon they are going to be voting again on Articles 13 and 11 of the EU Copyright Directive. I have long said that as soon as governments and corporations get their filthy claws into the Internet, they will fubar it completely. I have not seen anything that dispels that opinion. This latest round of voting in the next week confirms that the European MEP's have absolutely no concept of what they are doing. If they do, then any estimation of them swings to the scarily vile. Gizmodo gave a good run-down on it all (check it at https://anon.to/SJ20qe while you can still link to it for free).

The internet and anything that affects it is a global issue that is not for only the likes of Ajit “Corpo-Whore” Pai and the EU Parliament to decide. Therefore, citizens from around the globe need to be discussing this and acting on it. That is, start emailing these decision makers from where you are. In the EU, email those who speak your first language or the language that you are most comfortable in. If these manic power sluts get these laws through, then the Internet as a free and open space will eventually come to an end. Well, perhaps not even eventually. Tutanota (a really cool email service in Germany – check them out and get Gmail-free!) reported that Comcast or someone was already choking internet speeds for some video content that they did not approve. That was mere weeks after Net Neutrality was repealed. The email service itself was blocked by Comcast so that Tutanota users who were customers of Comcast could not access their emails.

Google could well afford to pay ISP's an “Access Fee”, but your average start up may not be in such a position. Hence, your options as a Netizen are severely limited. Similar to Henry Ford's concept: “You can have any social network you want, as long as it is Facebook”.

Similarly, Article 13 would protect only the big companies like Google who are reportedly already complying with the law, and paying millions to do it. By removing a service provider's protection from copyright litigation under certain conditions, the EU Parliament will be opening the way for douche-canoes like The Rollingstones to go after someone painting their logo on a drunk mate's face in red lipstick and posting it in Mastodon for a laugh. And that is just the crap I can think of, inspired by Gizmodo's examples. If you have your car's logo tattooed on your arm and you have a few beach photos...

And those Grumpy Cat memes....the biggest loss of all.

Get emailing, global citizens!