Yep, it’s definitely time to move away from Google, for personal and business. I’m old enough to remember when it valued not being evil. Now it doesn’t even pretend.

Absolute banger this week in Ed Zitron’s newsletter:

The core problem lies in the fact that these platforms don’t really create anything, and their only value exists in making an internet of billions of people small enough to comprehend. Like seemingly every problem with a capitalist society, the internet has become dominated by powerful forces that don’t contribute to the product that enriches them. As a result, they have either no concept of nor interest in “quality,” just “more,” making them extremely poor arbiters of what “good” looks like. This inevitably leads to products that suck more as they become more profitable, because the machine they’ve built is a profit excavator dressed as a service. I’d argue that this makes Google, and by extension executives like Sundar Pichai and Google Search lead Prabhakar Raghavan, some of the greatest villains in business history. While one can’t forget about the damage done by Meta and Mark Zuckerberg’s failure to maintain an honest platform, allowing Google Search to decay so severely for any reason — let alone a profit-centric one — is actively damaging to society, and was an entirely intentional act perpetrated by people like Raghavan, the former head of Google’s ads division who took over search not long after his predecessor sounded a “code yellow” about Google’s advertising encroaching on search results.

I reckon we saw almost 20 kangaroos and wallabies while walking around the Botanic Gardens today. Still such a thrill.

I’m beginning to think I’m going to break up with Google. Its March core update has highlighted to me how bad the search results actually are. Combine with the (crap) generative AI push, the constant shuttering of services and the nightmare that is GA4, I think it’s time to start looking for alternatives.

I need to think about it some more, but I’m going to need alternatives for both personal and business services…

I have to admit that the inspiration for this post is anger. Pure unadulterated rage. As many would know, last year I launched my own product review site, bttr.com.au. I’ve been working hard at trying to make it great, I’ve experimented with some things (including AI content), and have … read more

Finished reading: It by Stephen King 📚

It’s been At least 20 years since I read this last. Not as good as I remember it being, but I still enjoyed it.

What the hell are the people at LinkedIn smoking?

Google’s March Core update is looking like it has hit BTTR hard. I’ll wait and see how things play out, but it’s pretty exhausting.

I know it’s self-nominated, but I’m excited to see BTTR as a finalist for Best Independent Coverage at the IT Journalism Awards this year. Also happy to be a finalist for best technology reviewer.

Both are tough categories, so I’m going in with zero expectations and all fingers crossed.

I went out to take photos of some review products today in the Botanic Gardens. The local wildlife did not seem enthusiastic.

I’ve been playing through the _Mass Effect _trilogy for the past year and a bit 🎮. I’m in the end game stages of ME3, and I’m so emotional. I love these characters.

There’s a scene after one of the last missions where Tali - an alien character who has to live in a special suit to keep herself safe from infection - decides to get drunk after a mission.

It’s great, you have a nice conversation with her as she battles her demons. You only experience it if you opt to go to her after you complete that mission.

But then, after talking to Tali, I went to visit another character on the ship - the last survivor of a long-dead alien race who was in stasis for 50000 years before I saved him - and Tali was drunkenly talking to him over the ships intercom.

It was sweet, hilarious and cute at the same time.

There are so many of these little interactions between characters (and my character of course) that I really feel like I know them. It’s not something I’ve experienced in too many games.

I’m going to be sad when I finish it, that’s for sure.

Just ripped my second pair of shorts this month. You may think it’s because I’m gaining weight, but it probably has more to do with the fact I haven’t bought new shorts for about 10 years.

Aren’t 15 minute meetings that go for an hour grand? So productive!

How does a typo like this happen on a product’s box?

Published my review of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra yesterday afternoon on BTTR. It is an exceptional device, though not because of its AI functionality.

Making Beef Jerky for the first time in the Ninja Woodfire I’m pretty excited.

I am absolutely loving Lego at the moment. While I typically get most excited for the Star Wars stuff, this looks incredible!

I guess that’s the wife’s birthday present sorted…

Driving home got funnelled into an RBT. First officer did the test, asked if I had my licence and when I reached for it, said he believed me and waved me along… to the last officer, who made me get my licence out and tested me again. 😂

I have too many products to review. That isn’t a bad thing, it just means time management is important.

I suck at time management.

Finished Boba Fett today. Really love how there are subtle construction differences for similar features across the helmets.