Latest news with #junkmail
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
4 Things That Will Vanish In 20 Years
Some goodbyes hurt more than others. I suspect some things will never die. You'll still see tree-killing junk mail in 2199. You'll still be checking your Facebook in 20 years — unless you uninstall it. The good news: some things are on the way out and we'll all be better off as a result. The war on spam calls has finally begun As usual, the US government has moved with the speed of an iceberg to react to a problem. But they are finally taking action. Mobile providers are required to implement a new anti-spam software called Shaken. It isn't a perfect or final solution. Yet it will slow down the avalanche of calls everyone gets. Yes, those annoying spammers will continue to find ways to circumvent it — but the writing is on the wall: spam calls are ending. Consumer demand has finally gotten the attention of regulators. It'll be 99% gone within 20 years, maybe even 10. You are legally entitled to $500 every time a spam caller calls you after you've asked them to stop calling. Additionally, don't listen to that 'Press x to be added to the Do Not Call list'. Spammers use that to determine if you are a human who will answer — then sell that information to other spammers. The death of Cable TV Older folks still love their cable TV but that will only sustain providers for so long. My local cable company has gone through two buyouts (and name changes) due to bankruptcy in the past 10 years. When I called to cancel my cable, my agent sounded so desperate. It was like the agent's manager was holding a gun to his head. 'S-s-s-s-ir…are…are you sure you want to cancel? H-h-how about a free month of HBO?' People are sick of watching eight minutes of ads for every three minutes of programming. They're tired of the disruptive, loud, head-trauma-inducing car commercials. Don't hold your breath if you think commercials are going away. Product placements are already infiltrating movies. Sometimes it's laughably obvious. The most blatant I've seen was in World War Z when, in the middle of running from zombies, Brad Pitt pauses to drink a Pepsi: I was waiting for Brad to smile at the camera and a Pepsi logo to flash on the screen. We'll still need to pay to escape commercials. I use YouTube Premium and it's easily my favorite add-on service (No. I wasn't paid to say this.) Every YouTube Star You follow The shelf life of an influencer is shorter than a pancake. For example, think of the YouTubers you followed a decade ago. I just thought of three and only one of them is still active — but just barely. Oddly enough, I sat in front of a famous YouTuber in a college class (I'm not naming him because I don't want to put him on blast). We even played Call of Duty together online once or twice a week. He had every opportunity to tell me he was YouTube famous but never did. I found out why when I stumbled across his already-dead channel. He had a famous channel with him and his girlfriend. It was one of those cutesy couple's vlog ('We Finally Moved in Together!!'). The channel was super feminine which is probably why he didn't tell me. As soon as they broke up, that gravy train crashed. His content mill broke and the followers all turned on him and blamed him for the breakup. Internet fame is fleeting. For all their controversy, Logan and Jake Paul made brilliant pivots into other venues. Both are making a fortune with 'professional' boxing. Logan now has a podcast that is wildly popular. And look — it isn't lost upon me that I'm in a similar predicament. I make my living by having visibility online and surviving the algorithm gauntlet. A platform is either dying or getting more competitive. To those like me, diversify and plan for your future. The tides of internet notoriety come and go without mercy. Ageism is even worse online than it is in the office. The vast majority of cryptocurrencies Crypto Bros are better at marketing their crypto than understanding its actual purpose. I know several people who have gone from crypto evangelists to complaining about losing money on those investments. These idiot collectives retweet each other's content to growth hack the algorithm. Then, millions of views later, a bunch of suckers to buy in. Crypto is a religion that spawns its insufferable zealots. The moment you say anything wrong about Poodlecoin, it summons a bunch of yappers to your comment section. Most of them aren't even in it because they believe in the product. It's all for a quick buck. Mark my words — 95% of these cryptos will be gone or flirting with zero in 20 years. There will be a trail of tears along the way. The moment regulators drop the hammer, it's going to smash half of these junk currencies. Invest in an index fund. I will continue to pound the war-drum: buy the S&P 500 Index fund. If you'd bought $8000 in 1980, it'd be worth $1,000,000 today. By the time randoms are telling you to buy something, it is already too late. Recap for memory: things going away in two decades Spam calls. If they aren't gone in 10, I'm starting a political party to end them. Most YouTubers (Content creators — diversify). Cable TV as we know it. Most cryptocurrencies, with a few survivors taking the spoils. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sound Off: May 31, 2025
Sun Herald readers weigh in on local and national topics. It costs 3.69 cents to make a penny. So it seems to be a no-brainer to stop making them, which the U.S. Mint will do next year. I figure that at some point, stores will rounding prices off to 5 cents. When that happens, more nickels dimes and quarters will likely be needed. I will let those versed in probability to calculate how many of each will be needed. If too many nickels are needed it may not be worth getting rid of the penny unless we get rid of the nickel, as well. Why do I say that? Because it costs 13.78 cents to mint a nickel. That makes a penny to look like a bargain. there no problem with the dimes and quarters because they cost 5.76 cents and 14.68 cents respectively to mint. What happened to the Gulfport Connect app where requests for city services are done? My app disappeared and attempts to Download have been unsuccessful. The liberal judicial branch of the U.S. government is setting policy for the executive branch of government. We the people voted for change in foreign trade. Same with immigration. The USPS is not funded by the U.S. taxpayer. Only Congress could change/do away with the post office. It is a 'stand alone' quasi-government entity. It is provided for in the Constitution. Read Article Article 1, Section 8, Clause 7: 'the US Constitution ... grants Congress the power to 'establish Post Offices and Post Roads.' As far as your 'so-called' junk mail complaint: Business pay for the post offices to deliver their 'advertisements,' the same as the spurious ads you see while doing a 'google search.' You can go to the post office and fill out a form to stop the delivery of Bulk Business Mail if you desire to do so. Benjamin Netanyahu is concerned that President Trump's 'deal' Iran might cause a nuclear war. We already had a treaty with Iran, but Trump ended it. Now he's making his own deal. It probably involves a golf course. After reading about TACO trades, all of President Trump's flip-flopping on tariffs is making me hungry. And making the folks on Wall Street rich, apparently. The people have spoken. Elon Musk and his DOGE team have done their work. And now Congress is sitting on its hands. How many more folks to we need to vote out to get something done? Send your Sound Offs to soundoff@
