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https://www.iafrikan.com/2020/06/30/do-we-really-own-our-digital-possessions/
During 2019, Microsoft announced that it will close the books category of its digital store. While other software and apps will still be available via the virtual shop front, and on purchasers' consoles and devices, the closure of the eBook store takes with it customers' eBook libraries. Any digital books bought through the service – even those bought many years ago – will no longer be readable after July 2019. While the company has promised to provide a full refund for all eBook purchases, this decision raises important questions of ownership.
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We Don't Really Own the Digital Possessions That We Buy Online
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The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
It's raisins that make Post Raisin Bran so raisiny ...
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Wednesday July 01 2020, @03:12PM (12 children)
2019? is that a typo or is this just a re-post of an old article?
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Booga1 on Wednesday July 01 2020, @03:24PM (2 children)
It's not a typo. We've even had articles on here about it. This is just a resurfacing of the issue as people keep running into stuff like this. Microsoft's just an easy target, but Apple is caving to China's censorship requirements now as well. It's the new trend, same as the old trend.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday July 01 2020, @03:30PM
News get slower to IAfrika, they must've be still on dial-up. I wonder if they heard about covid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday July 01 2020, @09:09PM
Of course they are because they want access to a "market" of a billion people and they don't give a crap about how those people are treated.
They (like every other corporation) also don't give a crap about how your government treat you either, just as long as the money keeps flowing.
Apple (and all the other corporations) were well aware they would have to cave to China's policies of the day when Deng Xiaoping offered them that access more than 30 years ago.
(Score: 2, Disagree) by c0lo on Wednesday July 01 2020, @03:40PM (8 children)
They are too busy to have noticed in time, the effort to "decolonise mathematical sciences" drains their attention capacity.
No, I'm not kidding [iafrikan.com], that seems to be a real thing there [journals.co.za]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 01 2020, @03:59PM (5 children)
It's not just Africa. Shit like this [wordpress.com] is exactly why your government is defunding the humanities. I hope other Western governments follow.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by c0lo on Wednesday July 01 2020, @04:07PM (2 children)
Maybe it is not shit [maa.org].
I must admit I was taken by surprise, but from the perspective of introducing students to mathematics they may have a point; even if those that succeed in getting into math's guts will abandon the sugar coating as no longer relevant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Wednesday July 01 2020, @05:34PM (1 child)
And if that fails, there are always the incentives of trade [theonion.com] and good old monetary [youtube.com] motivation (warning, last link is gratuitously cheesecake-heavy).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 01 2020, @10:16PM
MMMMM...Cheesecake [youtube.com]!
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Wednesday July 01 2020, @05:27PM (1 child)
Nb: I know plenty of Oxford physics professors. I would say there is, rightly, concern about the representation of minorities in the university. In particular there is a thing where most of the students have been to privately funded schools; but ethnic minorities, male/female ratio are also a big deal. But no one is proposing renaming Fresnel diffraction or anything "wacky".
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 01 2020, @07:14PM
So they're racists? Most math students would be of east asian descent if we wanted accurate representation based on the only metric that matters. If universities claim there's another metric that matters, job applications from graduates can go in the bin and they can go sue their former university.
(Score: 5, Informative) by hendrikboom on Wednesday July 01 2020, @04:06PM (1 child)
Looking at the articles, they are *not* about decolonialising mathematics.
They are about using local examples instead of European and American examples when motivating applications of mathematics in locally used textbooks.
Not as silly as you suggest.
-- hendrik
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday July 01 2020, @04:30PM
I started [soylentnews.org] even without your advice.
On the other foot, the linked article [iafrikan.com] starts abruptly with "Is it possible to decolonise mathematical sciences?", so one may be forgiven for being taken by surprise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford