The difference is, reddit has Spez. Spez has the authority to sign contracts that allow google to send him checks in exchange for AI scraping.

Whereas google (or other corporations) would have no one to send that check to. Nobody owns the fediverse.

They could create their own instance. And you could block/defederate from them if you want.

Threads is owned by Meta. Meta is a mega corporation. Threads took steps this past summer to federate. And IMMEDIATELY anyone who didn’t want to see them defederated.

Today, I can’t say Meta has made any impact whatsoever on the fediverse. Which to me is a bad thing. It tells all profit driven companies that there is no profit to be made on the fediverse. So rather than invest in the fediverse’s future, they will instead invest in other platforms where they aren’t driven out.

Whereas if they invested in the fediverse, they would have no way to truely control the fediverse. But they can buy Spez. So now instead of growing, Lemmy is shrinking. And the alternative, reddit, IS fully controlled.

I don’t believe that’s even possible on the fediverse. But we can let them pour their resources into growing it until they figure it out.

Ranch.

No one is going to start with cool ranch and say “ok, but what if it were less cool?”

Plus, if it had happened like that, cool ranch would be ranch. And ranch would be “less cool ranch”.

I wish I had the optimistic happy vibes of Bob Ross.

Instead I have the cynical outlook of George Carlin.

Either of the two remaining Batman games, please!

He got stabbed 22 times. Two years ago!

Two questions…

1. How is it I’m first hearing about this from a cartoon raccoon of all places.

2. HOW THE FUCK DID HE SURVIVE GETTING STABBED 22 TIMES???

I mean…I’m still impressed. I’m 42 and never had a threesome.