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I'm done with Google

deijin.bearblog.dev

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Re: I'm done with Google

#181

Post by comprev »

notpushkin wrote: post #125
usui wrote: post #16

> So I pirate the movie (please don't arrest me, it's google's fault) I really like the frank tone of the article and I wish people in general would just write unabashedly more often when it comes to stuff like this. Writers online love to dance around the idea of "pirating" their digital goods when communicating on the topic: "Ooh my 'friend' may or may not have downloaded 'xyz' movie from 'abc' website, but I don't…

> Spytify records the same quality that Spotify outputs But it's still doing bad transcoding. It's like taking a screenshot of a JPEG photo: if you save it, you end up with more artifacts. I'd just use one of the numerous Deezer downloaders – they decrypt the actual audio stream, and the input quality is just as good.

I have no issue in paying the premium Deezer subscription with access to FLAC (16/44) files to build up my DJ-friendly music archive. I never play out/stream/upload mixes so audio only leaves the house if I save a mix on my phone for a long bike ride or run. Many artists get a healthy chunk of my cash for physical media (vinyl) via Bandcamp too.

Re: I'm done with Google

#182

Post by eyelidlessness »

I’m not in the author’s position, but generally agree with the conclusion on digital products you might own. If I buy a digital thing, and it comes in a format I can’t own, I pirate it. I’m glad I paid the rightful recipients whatever pittance they got for royalties or whatever their pittance is… and then I get a version of the thing which is in a format I could give my figurative terminally ill family with no digital expiration.

Maybe sometimes that’s technically illegal, because the law is wrong. Fuck the wrong law. I’m unfortunately not done with Google, but I’m done with rentals for sale.

Re: I'm done with Google

#183

Post by Hamuko »

usui wrote: post #151
Hamuko wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> spytify automatically records mp3 files with metadata tags while you personally use Spotify I prefer pirating my music off YouTube. yt-dlp -f bestaudio https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=XXX This nets you a bunch of *.webm files with Opus data inside them. YouTube's bestaudio is usually about 130 kbs Opus, which should be close to transparent. You can then use mkvextract to turn them into more usable *.opus fi…

Isn't the second extraction unnecessary? I just tried this command and it worked, with metadata yt-dlp --output "%(upload_date)s ---- %(artist)s --- %(title)s.%(ext)s" --add-metadata --embed-thumbnail --audio-format opus --format bestaudio --remux-video opus " https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=0oAAlssVwEw "

Huh, didn't even notice that yt-dlp can do it automatically. Thanks.

Re: I'm done with Google

#184

Post by charcircuit »

kelnos wrote: post #176
charcircuit wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are buying a license to watch the movie. You are not renting it.

I don't think any average consumer, when they click a "Buy" button next to the movie they want to watch, understands that they are only buying a license to watch the movie. Most believe it's just like buying a Bluray disc, but "on the computer". And yes, I know people are restricted in what they can do with Bluray discs, but as long as you have a functioning player, you can watch the disc. I think that's all anyone h…

And as long as you have a functioning YouTube "player" you can watch the movies you've purchased from Google. It's the same thing.

Re: I'm done with Google

#185

Post by lucb1e »

charcircuit wrote: post #117
rapht wrote: post #58

There's a language issue which has not been tackled by regulators and which is actually the mere definition of what happens when I choose to "buy" or "purchase" something. This is because until recently (by the timescale of "buying things") there were no intangibles to be bought or sold. An intangible is mostly a right to something - in other words, it's paperwork. But some things are both tangible and intangible, i.…

You are buying a license to watch the movie. You are not renting it.

I would guess you're right, and that one could take Google to court over not being able to exercise said right instead of trying to reword buttons. Breach of contract on Google's side. Except the contract probably has small print saying that they're not responsible for software bugs, have no obligation to support your particular device and that any past performance does not bestow entitlement yada yada yada. Sounds like fun and just in time for christmas (referring to OP's story).

Or we agree that such a set of conditions constitutes renting rather than 'owning' as one typically does after 'buying'.

Genuinely not sure which option has more downsides.

Re: I'm done with Google

#186

Post by jjulius »

friend_and_foe wrote: post #32

I am proud to say I don't use a single google service, and haven't in years. Now, if someone sends me a YouTube link, I watch it (in an invidious instance, of course) and I use some metasearch engines which rely on google to a large degree, hut I don't have a google account, I use no google services, have no google applications installed anywhere. The same applies to Meta and Microsoft as well, and some others. I hav…

>I am proud to say I don't use a single Google service, and haven't in years.

>... I use no Google services...

>I have a general rule, if a company does something, anything at all, that translates to "fuck you what are you going to do about it you need us more than we need you" then I cease using all their services immediately, no matter how painful.

>Bye, forever.

>... stop giving your patronage to companies who treat you like this or none of this will ever get any better.

That's all well and good, except:

>Now, if someone sends me a YouTube link, I watch it (in an invidious instance, of course) and I use some metasearch engines which rely on Google to some degree...

So much for ceasing the "use of all their services immediately". All of your "I'm above the system"/holier than thou rhetoric falls flat on it's face. You still give them patronage. Great job cutting a lot of it out, I'm not trying to take that away, but maybe be a bit more humble and honest?

Re: I'm done with Google

#187

Post by sircastor »

izacus wrote: post #137
nine_k wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Refusing to be told what to do costs money. Say, Apple put its financial weight at labels with iTunes and iPod, and now we have 99¢ tracks as a norm. But to spend money on something, a company has to plan to get more in return. Apple did. What would be the plan for Google? What money-making machine of theirs would it enable?

It's telling that Apple isn't able to persuade American content corporations into DRM free videos either. They're now biggest supporters and implementors of locked down DRM across their device portfolio.

The music industry was so terrified at what internet piracy was doing that they agreed to Apples terms. The film and television industry saw what Apple had done to music, and were terrified of what it would do to them. They held onto the only playable card they had.

Re: I'm done with Google

#188

Post by comprev »

JodieBenitez wrote: post #101
yellow_lead wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even a hardcore pirate like me tried to do the right thing when it comes to music - I got Spotify. But when I moved to Taiwan, I tried to switch my payment location to get regional pricing and they refuse to accept my Taiwan debit card. Now I pirate music or use Vanced (YouTube).

> Even a hardcore pirate like me tried to do the right thing when it comes to music - I got Spotify. This is not the right thing to do. Spotify is peanuts to artists. If you want to do the right thing, buy music at Bandcamp: you get files you can keep forever and artists get a fair share of your money.

Bandcampers forget the platform is for underground artists and those not tied by contract to the heavyweight labels.

You'll never see mainstream pop artists on there.

I love to promote Bandcamp where possible but have to remember what it can offer to "Average Joe"

Re: I'm done with Google

#189

Post by leehuffman »

dmantis wrote: post #111
leehuffman wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Not the guy you ask, but for me, I just want convenient digital thing on my laptop I actually own, not rent. I live in 2022 and don't want that physical crap. I would have no problem to pay for DRM-free and location-independent stuff, but all this thing with "rights owners", "you can't hear that in this location", "you can't download it to listen offline and locally" is a total bullshit. I don't care what some lawman…

> Not the guy you ask, but for me, I just want convenient digital thing on my laptop I actually own, not rent. I live in 2022 and don't want that physical crap.

Welp I got you bruh bruh...

> I would have no problem to pay for DRM-free and location-independent stuff, but all this thing with "rights owners", "you can't hear that in this location", "you can't download it to listen offline and locally" is a total bullshit.

Give me your two favorite artists and I'll send you their latest releases in lossless ripped form after I cop their physical records. You pay me the cost of the physical medium (which I'll immediately turn around and go donate to the public library for others to enjoy) and I'll fully eat S&H etc aka any dollar amount over the cost of said physical medium. That fits your description of 'no problem to pay', yeah?

> I don't care what some lawman or government thinks. I also don't care about 5$ per month, that's nothing. But for my money, for any amount, I expect some respect and not this "money cow" attitude.

Yes all the artists I know could definitely be placed in one of your three categories; lawmen, government entities, and/or money cows. That certainly doesn't drive home my point that you're all disconnected & wildly removed from reality.

Re: I'm done with Google

#190

Post by retSava »

> Google is contributing to the destruction of the concept of ownership, as are many services of the modern age.

Imo this is the important thing here. Eroding "I buy, I own" and replacing it with "I buy, I own until seller says otherwise" is nefarious.

Giving Google, Apple, and so forth the benefit of doubt and a cop-out with "it's a language problem" is not the way. Surely they can afford linguists and user-study-groups to find a phrasing that better conveys the idea.

The thing is, pessimist as I can be, I think they already have done that and came out with the idea that "we don't want to convey that notion, we can price it higher if we call it 'buy'".

This to me is similar to planting ideas like plastic recycling, or the individuals carbon footprint, in the consumer mind. It displaces the responsibility away from companies doing the best _they_ can.

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