• 2 Posts
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Joined 21 days ago
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Cake day: February 4th, 2026

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  • I wonder why that is. I mean that location-based brake must be way more expensive than those simple mechanical coin deposit slots.
    If you don’t know, the carts are chained together and you can only remove one when you put in €1 or so, and you only get that back when you chain the cart back in - it’s not perfect, but good enough. Turns out people are very much willing to walk a few metres to get that back.

    My guess is that American stores don’t want to inconvenience their customers. The fear of losing even .01% because of introducing a system like that.

    I can’t really reply to your much appreciated homelessness rant; probably because I have never seen it as bad as it seems to be in at least some places in the USA. My empathy though.














  • But I’ve long wondered how the at least somewhat more sane people following him manage it. Something like confirmation bias would only work up to a point that Trump has long since gone beyond.

    Yeah this exactly.

    Something else that might play into it: so many conspiracy nuts refer to movies as if they were history, or prophecy, or scientific research. As if they were valid in a way they clearly aren’t, because they’re fiction. Maybe they really do live in a world where these things are interchangeable.



  • Confirmation bias is about people choosing information that suits their world view. That’s not what I mean. I expanded my OP to hopefully make it clearer.

    I mean, the Trump admin lying to us is one thing, but they’re doing it so, so badly and yet people can’t let go of it.

    I guess confirmation bias could be a reason why they are driven to such extreme suspension of disbelief, but I’m talking about the How here, the development maybe.





  • a bunch of firms compete to sell you a good or service, you pick the best one for your situation and buy it, then the firm that produces the best good or service gets more resources (money) to grow, rewarding the best product maker.

    Advertising breaks this.

    TBF, the original meaning of advertising was just that: spread the word about your product. Sure, praise it, add nice pictures, but that’s about it. People need to know that your product is out there, and what it’s like.

    The systematic psychological manipulation only started in the 20th century, particularly when a relative of Sigmund Freud came to the USA (there’s an interesting documentary about it called The Century of the Self).

    I largely agree with you though; algorithmic engagement is the worst incarnation so far. To put it simple: “Angry People Click More”, see more ads, and are therefore to be targeted.