I have a really distinct memory of finding a bunch of these in a friend’s house when I was a kid and every one was empty. After watching the TC video I think it’s more likely I just wasn’t pressing hard enough and had no way to know that. Anyway, I can see why they stopped making them.

The argument is that google uses integration between its own ad network and YouTube to outcompete any similar service. If anyone else tries to launch a video platform and sell ad space to google, which is likely given that google owns the world’s largest ad network, it’s in googles best interest to either give their own competitor an unfavorable deal or to completely lock them out of their ad marketplace.

If YouTube and google were forced to operate as independent companies it eliminates this conflict of interest.

This isn’t a new thing but I hate anytime it asks me a question. I’ll be driving through an accident scene trying to work out where the cop directing traffic wants me to go and if I’ll need to go a different way because the turn I was gonna make is blocked off and at that precise moment google maps decides it’s a great idea to cover the bottom half of the screen with a “is tHeRe sTiLl An aCcIdEnT hErE?”

If it’s illegal to use your phone while driving it should be illegal for navigation apps to suddenly require interaction in the middle of navigating.

Yeah I’ve definitely been noticing this one a lot more recently. It won’t even give me an option anymore, just switch to another route even when the turn is less than a minute away. Sometimes if I’m driving through a town it will switch multiple times in a few minutes which is infuriating

I don’t see how we can ever get to this point without solving vergence accommodation conflict, which even Apple seems not to have a plan for. I truly don’t understand the money pouring into AR tech at this point in time.

I bet you they can actually

This article doesn’t seem to support this conclusion at all 🤔

Here are games I like that are just mobile ports without ads or micro transactions:

Slay the spire

Monster train

Mindustry

Mini metro

Honorable mention to Vampire Survivors which is mostly a simple port, but it does incentivize you to watch ads for extra lives.