Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

“That’s what the insurrection act is for!”

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Take your GOP plan out of the witness protection program.

I conferred with the team and they all agree – still not tired of winning!

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

As long as McCarthy is Speaker, the House will never be in order.

DeSantis transforms Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

You are here: Home / Economics / Grifters Gonna Grift / Always Be Grifting Open Thread: The Right’s New FREEEEEDUMB! Phone

Always Be Grifting Open Thread: The Right’s New FREEEEEDUMB! Phone

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Spoilsport Will Sommer, at the Daily Beast:

… Despite being lauded by some of the right-wing media’s leading figures, though, the Freedom Phone’s buyers could be getting less than they expect for its $500 price tag. That’s because the Freedom Phone appears to be merely a more expensive rebranding of a budget Chinese phone available elsewhere for a fraction of the Freedom Phone’s price…

In fact, Freedom Phone appears to be a simple rebranding of a budget phone called the “Umidigi A9 Pro,” made by the Chinese tech company Umidigi. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Finman confirmed that the Freedom Phone was manufactured by Umidigi, but couldn’t say immediately which Umidigi phone it was based on.

The Freedom Phone’s $500 price tag would represent a substantial markup on the Umidigi A9 Pro. That phone is available on Chinese retail giant AliExpress for $120 — less than one quarter of the price of a Freedom Phone.

Asked to justify the Freedom Phone’s notable price increase over the Umidigi model, Finman claimed vaguely that the Freedom Phone features customized hardware and improved memory. He committed Wednesday to publishing the phone’s technical specifications — basic details any company selling a phone should be able to provide. As of Thursday afternoon, however, no technical specifications had been provided to The Daily Beast or added to the Freedom Phone’s website…

The Freedom Phone also comes preloaded with an array of free apps for social media networks Parler and MeWe, would-be YouTube competitor Rumble, and media networks One America News and Newsmax. Popular battle royale shooter Fortnite is also preinstalled on the Freedom Phone — a fact that confused more than one conservative influencer who promoted the product.

It’s not clear why a handful of free apps, all of which are currently available in the Google Play app store for other Android devices, would justify the price increase over the Umidigi. Even if the apps were ultimately banned from Google’s store in the future, users could still install them on non-Freedom Phone Android phones through a process called “sideloading.”…

While Freedom Phone’s founder has failed to include basic details about its device, he did line up a massive ad campaign among conservative influencers. Along with Owens, Stone, D’Souza, and Alexander, the Freedom Phone has also been backed by a number of other figures popular on the right, including Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec, journalist John Solomon, and Students for Trump cofounder Ryan Fournier.

Many of the Freedom Phone’s prominent endorsers urged their followers to use a promo code to buy the phone, suggesting that the influencers will receive a cut when their fans buy the phone. Each referred sale results in a $50 payment to the influencer who endorsed the phone, according to a website explaining Freedom Phone’s “promoters” program…

Reader Interactions

112Comments

  2. 2.

    Brantl

    As long as these hucksters prey on the lower food chain morons, I only begrudge that these a-holes are getting rich by lying to people. But it may be giving them too much credit for any kind of wisdom or knowledge, they might think these phones are the greatest thing since buttered bread……

  7. 7.

    Baud

    To the extent there are any moral Republican officials left, they should create a Freedom Vaccine and charge for it. It just might work.

  9. 9.

    Jess

    I see all this as a tragic yet hilarious experiment in how long and how thoroughly people can be scammed before they wake up. We should be doing regular interviews with these folks to track this and study what finally woke them up (many, of course, never will awaken). This has been going on in an informal and haphazard way since the rise of trump, but it would be interesting to compile all the info at some point.

  10. 10.

    Brantl

    As long as these hucksters prey on the lower food chain morons, I only begrudge that these a-holes are getting rich by lying to people. But it may be giving them too much credit for any kind of wisdom or knowledge, they might think these phones are the greatest thing since buttered bread……

    @Eunicecycle: I can’t wait to see their new TV, or their smart speaker replacement, the ArgleBargle. “ArgleBargle, how do you spell freedumb? Don’t forget the B.”

  11. 11.

    Mary G

    A fool and his money are soon parted. If you don’t stand for something, you stand for nothing. There’s a new sucker born every minute.

  13. 13.

    Joe Falco

    These freedom-loving patriots will have to skip a gun purchase to buy the phone, but their sacrifice will not be in vain (yes, it will).

  14. 14.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Baud: More importantly why doesn’t Baud 2024 have it’s own phone? “Why the hell not?” is a catchy motto.

  15. 15.

    Baud

    This particular scam is based on politics, but I have come across similar scams in a non-political context, where the scammer will upcharge a totally ordinary product and sell it to gullible people.

  18. 18.

    Elizabelle

    They’re branding their stupidity.

    Some of these morons can walk around with their Freedom Phones and their Ron DeSantis “Don’t Fauci My Florida” gear and moronware.

  20. 20.

    Baud

    Very interesting. If you’re in David’s post on Dominated Defaults and you click previous post, it’ll skip this post and take you straight to the Chick FIL A post.

  22. 22.

    germy

    Three of the top GOP House fundraisers of the 2nd quarter: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert.

    It literally pays to be extreme. Being able to rely on large # of small dollar donors transforming the nature of House race fundraising.

    — Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) July 16, 2021

  23. 23.

    MisterForkbeard

    I’ve seen this get a lot of coverage on other tech and security blogs.  Basically: overpriced, underpowered hardware with lots of security holes. Like,  literally something used in the DPRK because governments can break into it easily.

    What’s interesting is that the security blogs initially aren’t against the idea – a phone with a lot of security features and apps built it  and that isn’t directly run by Apple or Google is a big things for them. Except this isn’t it, and it’s mostly a phone by a young right-wing cryptocurrency millionaire to scam lots of money from conservatives with a “freedom” branded phone while giving kickbacks to promoters.

    Estimate are that he’s basically buying these phones for $140 or so, and then reselling them  at 3x the prices with a few added apps and some new logos.

  24. 24.

    Brachiator

    I thought that phones and other devices had to have their technical specs on file with the FCC.

    In any case, it is amazing how these people want to be angry but gullible right wing stooges.

  27. 27.

    dr. bloor

    @Eunicecycle: Them Real Murkin Baby-Birthin’ Moms in the Heartland aren’t going to be able to turn out neonatal rubes fast enough for this one.

  29. 29.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Wyatt Salamanca: Huh, I was genuinely surprised to see that, and I wondered what they’re charging. Looks like they overreached, they should’ve started at $50. Still surprised he can’t sell out Orlando

    A select few tickets close to the stage at each venue are priced at $1,000, but most of the seats are being sold in the $100-$300 range.

    Loved this detail

    Tickets for Michelle Obama’s “Becoming” book tour in 2018, for example, sold quickly, with most tickets for her Chicago United Center stop selling out within minutes and the cheapest tickets for all the venues selling out in less than two days. Her average venue size was similar to Trump’s, although Trump’s four venues have a slightly higher capacity.

  30. 30.

    Martin

    @MisterForkbeard: The problem is that almost all real security requires a symmetric approach – both on the client (phone) and on the server (service, network) side, and only the big players can pull that off.

    In order for ApplePay to achieve the security it does, Apple had to help rewrite the EMV standards and then rewire the entire credit card interchange system. Only then could the client-side bits work, and even they required custom silicon.

    Proper security is a coordinated effort. Building the standards is a good place for the open folks (there’s nothing proprietary in Apple’s implementation apart from the hardware, which can be substituted), but they simply cannot do the implementation.

  32. 32.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Baud: I bought my Balloon Juice subscription and poster nym at Nordstrom. Bet I could have gotten it cheaper on Amazon!

     

    @Mike in NC: free? LOL.  Not from any of these scammers!

  33. 33.

    Martin

    @Brachiator:

    I thought that phones and other devices had to have their technical specs on file with the FCC.

    Of course you sheeple would want them to let the deep state spy on the patriots! They have a first amendment right!

  36. 36.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Craig: that’s because the Balloon Juice algorithm knew that you needed more fundamentalist churchin’ in your life

  39. 39.

    Kathleen

    @Baud: Or you could go retro with Baud Bell. Bring back the Princess Phone with the extra long cord and Lily Tomlin as Ernestine (one Ringy Dingy). The kids would love to make analog cool!

  40. 40.

    NotMax

    Pre-programmed with a choice of three – count ’em, three! – ring tones*!

    Let the Eagle Soar
    Proud to Be an American
    Horst-Wessel-Lied
    .

    *installing other ring tones voids warranty

  41. 41.

    Delk

    This is the first major pushback on the Big Tech companies that attacked us – for just thinking different.

    Hmmm… thinking different.

  44. 44.

    Alison Rose

    “If they censor a president, they will censor anyone. Imagine if Mark Zuckerberg censored MLK or Abraham Lincoln.”

    I’m sorry, I’m trying to come up with something witty in response to this but I’m fucking laughing too hard.

  45. 45.

    Martin

    Enjoying all of the attempts at Baud phone names desperately avoiding the meaning of the word ‘baud’.

  46. 46.

    Kent

    @Baud:To the extent there are any moral Republican officials left, they should create a Freedom Vaccine and charge for it. It just might work.

    They already did that.  It’s called hydroxychloroquine.  And if it doesn’t work it is because you didn’t properly combine it with zinc as per fringe advice on YouTube.

  48. 48.

    trollhattan

    That video is…something. His stage directions consisted of “Point at the camera, Erik. Lots.” Mission accomplished.

    Do you have to live in Silicon Valley to be a “Bitcoin millionaire?” Guess it puts you closer to the tech monsters you’re about to pwn.

    “We don’t ban apps, period.” = “Hello, fraudsters, we LOVE you.”

    Mark Zuckerberg censoring Abe Lincoln is a movie I demand be made.

  51. 51.

    Brachiator

    @Martin:

    Of course you sheeple would want them to let the deep state spy on the patriots! They have a first amendment right!

    Ha! So true.

    But is it also that FCC Part B or whatever compliance is to make sure that devices are built safely and will not blow up in their faces?

  52. 52.

    opiejeanne

    @Baud: Peg Bracken described trying to give away baby gerbils at a lively garage sale, and that when she put a price tag of 25 cents on the cage, they were gone in half an hour.

    People are weird. I used to double my price for my costume services when I knew a customer was going to be awful (the SF Bay Area was like a small-town gossip chain). Unfortunately that made them demand my services and turned into lambs. It made me question humanity, and whether I was really charging enough to design their kids’ dance or skating costumes

    This was not up-charging as a scam, it was a “go away, leave me alone” price, and it never worked.

  53. 53.

    Martin

    @Kent: It’s Ivermectin now. They even got a preprint up for a bit before it had to be retracted for being absolute garbage science.

  54. 54.

    hueyplong

    @Kent: Getting kind of curious about the level of hydroxy use by the anti-vaxxers.  Is anyone attempting to quantify that?

    It’s probably in the interest of Red state governments to make sure data is not compiled at all.

  55. 55.

    Martin

    @Brachiator:

    But is it also that FCC Part B or whatever compliance is to make sure that devices are built safely and will not blow up in their faces?

    Let the free market decide, you fucking marxist! If I want to store my converted auto AR-15 with a disabled safety in my kids crib, that’s my right as a parent, and if I want to use a phone powered by depleted fuel rods (radiating the warming embrace of Jesus) that too is my right.

  56. 56.

    NotMax

    @Brachiator

    “In reviewing you submission, we find “sekrit electronical stuff” falls somewhat short of our acceptance criteria.”

  59. 59.

    Just Chuck

    The history books do not mention a single tweet or FB post from Lincoln, so obviously he was not only banned from social media, they erased his accounts!

  62. 62.

    Jay

    New: An obit for a rich, evil man.

    William Regnery II, a reclusive multimillionaire who used his inherited family fortune to finance vile fascist groups in the hopes of one day forming an American whites-only ethnostate, has died.

    He was 80 yrs old. https://t.co/4rCK7X1dXk— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) July 16, 2021

  64. 64.

    Spanky

    Of course “freedom” is also a word for “nothing left to lose”, which is true if you decide to do your banking on this phone.

  65. 65.

    Nutmeg again

    hahaha. Didn’t play the ad, but “think different” is such a give-a-way.  I believe that’s “think differently” you ignorant douchenozzles.

  66. 66.

    trollhattan

    @Immanentize:

    I’m thinking the absence of an overacting Shatner is why Andrew Yang got no traction in New York.

    You.

    Need.

    Abasicminimum…wage.

  67. 67.

    M31

    @opiejeanne: ​
     

    like the story of someone unsuccessfully trying to give away an old fridge, so they put it on the curb with a sign that said “for sale $100” and someone stole it

  69. 69.

    Origuy

    @Jay: Who inherited his money? If the article said, I missed it. Probably doesn’t matter if the whole family shares his views, but we could hope for a daughter who donates to Planned Parenthood.

  71. 71.

    Citizen_X

    Imagine if Mark Zuckerberg censored MLK or Abraham Lincoln. History would have been changed forever.

    Hey dummy, MLK and Lincoln did get cancelled, by two armed racist assholes, and it did change history forever.

  72. 72.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Alison Rose: “If they censor a president, they will censor anyone. Imagine if Mark Zuckerberg censored MLK or Abraham Lincoln.”

    Both those guys were murdered for their political positions. Seriously, how can these nimrods be this out of touch with reality?

  73. 73.

    germy

    Flandre S. enjoys cosplay, shitposting on 4chan's /k/ board, and collecting kalashnikovs from foreign wars. They're a Kommando, part of a niche community whose memes and injokes are now shaping modern gun culturehttps://t.co/6IJvW5Lpbg— Tess Owen (@misstessowen) July 8, 2021

    “When all the old boomers die out, we’ll usher in a liberal paradise…”

  75. 75.

    trollhattan

    More action for more Freedom®, blowing shit up edition.

    Two Bay Area men have been indicted on charges of plotting to blow up the Democratic headquarters building in Sacramento because of their belief that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election, and authorities have seized 49 weapons — including machine guns and bombs, court records say.

    A federal grand jury in San Francisco indicted two men — Ian Benjamin Rogers of Napa and Jarrod Copeland of Vallejo — on charges of conspiracy to destroy a building, possession of destructive devices and machine guns and obstruction of justice.

    The two men allegedly began plotting attacks on Nov. 25, following Trump’s loss to President Joe Biden, court papers say.

    “By November 29, 2020, they had identified the John L. Burton Democratic Headquarters in Sacramento, California, as their first target, and made plans to attack it using incendiary devices,” according to the indictment, which was unsealed this week. “Rogers and Copeland believed that the attacks would start what they called a ‘movement.’

    “They discussed the attack in detail and on numerous occasions.”

    By December, the men were using “multiple messaging applications to plan their attack,” the indictment says.

    “In late December 2020, Copeland told Rogers that he had contacted an anti-government militia group to attempt to gather support for their ‘movement,’” the indictment says. “He also obtained material that he told Rogers was to be used in support of their plan.

    “On January 11, 2021, Rogers told Copeland, ‘I want to blow up a democrat building bad,’” the indictment says. “They then discussed their target, and Rogers said, ‘I’m thinking sac office first target,’ meaning that they would target the Democratic Headquarters in Sacramento first.”

    https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article252829818.html

    Experts agree the conspirators were ultimately stymied in finding a “democrat building” to target.

  76. 76.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @germy: Matt Gaetz is dumb as gift box of fossilized coprolites, as creepy as Episten in a Junior High shower and as vicious as group of 1930’s German right wing street thugs in the middle of a meth bing and The Base loves that. Don’t rule out Gaetz on a Full Retard ticket for 2024.

  79. 79.

    Mary G

    I’m proud to report that Matt Gaetz and MTG were unable to get a venue to host tomorrow’s “America First” rally anywhere in the home of the John Birch Society i.e. newly blue Orange County. Now they say it will be in Riverside, but refused to say where. I didn’t want to use a click on the OC Register to get more details, but this cracked me up.

    OK, found the deets on The Press-Enterprise

    Gaetz, who represents a Florida district, and Greene, a representative from Georgia, said they won’t share where the event will be held until 24 hours in advance, citing “security concerns.”

    But Greene’s spokesman Nick Dyer confirmed the move to Riverside on Thursday, July 15. Ted Weggeland, CEO of the company that runs the downtown Riverside Convention Center, said Thursday afternoon: “We believe (the rally) will be held Saturday night at the convention center.”

    and

    The city of Riverside owns the convention center. In a Thursday evening statement, the city said that Raincross’ booking of the rally “is not an endorsement by the City of Riverside of the views that may be expressed at that event.”

    The statement, provided by city spokesperson Phil Pitchford, said: “The City of Riverside is an inclusive community and has affirmed its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion through the City Council’s actions and policies.”

    Raincross, event organizers and Riverside police are working “to ensure that adequate security is provided” and that cost will be paid by event organizers, the statement said. The city will work with Raincross “to ensure that any event now or in the future that is held at the Riverside Convention Center is conducted safely and in a manner that is consistent with the management agreement between the two entities.”

    Advance staffing hasn’t been stellar:

    Don Dix, county GOP chairman, said Thursday afternoon he hadn’t heard of the Gaetz-Greene rally. “It’s a sad state of affairs in the Republican Party when a major rally comes to the county and I don’t know anything about it,” he said.

    Ali Mazarei, a local conservative activist and past GOP candidate for an Inland state Assembly seat, also wasn’t aware of the rally. “The Riverside voters need to hear from our representatives so we can put a face to the picture and also hold them accountable for their voting record,” he said.

    Hope the city gets its money in advance. Riverside has turned solidly blue and there will be protestors; as bad as this has been handled they might outnumber the MAGAts. Admission is free, but if you pay $250 you get to sit in front and have a chance to have a photo with the idiots.

  81. 81.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @NotMax: There was a conspiracy theory in the 70s that claimed Sec of War Edwin “ten times more cumegeny than Rumsfeld ever hoped to be” Stanton  had Lincoln assassinated for reasons. I suppose that conspiracy is popular with that crowd.

  83. 83.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @trollhattan: Experts agree the conspirators were ultimately stymied in finding a “democrat building” to target.

    So did they imagined there was some highrise in downtown San Francisco that had a sign on it “George Soros Democratic Party Critical Race Community Center” that if blown up, the entire state wide liberal movement would implode  instantly like The Empire did when the Death Star blew up at the end of Return of the Jedi?

  84. 84.

    trollhattan

    @Mary G: Haven’t the people of Riverside suffered enough already? (Beginning with living in Riverside.)

    The various MAGATs have consumed so much kool-ade they’re not capable of (nor interested in) recognizing how their act plays to normal people. Feature, not bug of course.

  86. 86.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @germy: I’ve heard them called Wehrbros (as in the wehrmarcht) and they have this amazingly simplitics view of the world totally based on  computer games and anime cartoons. They are an example of dangerously stupid.

  87. 87.

    trollhattan

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: ​
    Heh, at the very least, only with a hammer-and-sickle motif for added oppression.

    This one dude they arrested is a true menace. Here’s his firearm cache (in addition to the very Christmasy five pipe bombs) :
    One MG-42 belt fed, open-bolt machine gun
    One AKM-style machine gun with an under-fold stock
    One AKM-style machine gun marked “Hesse Model 47” with a side-fold stock
    One .45-caliber Aldo Uberti 1873 revolver
    One One .4570-caliber Aldo Uberti Sharps single-shot rifle
    One .223-caliber Armalite AR-10 A2 rifle
    One Benelli Urbino 12 gauge shotgun
    One Beretta 92FS Briga 9mm pistol
    One Winchester rifle
    One .40-caliber Browning Hi Power MK pistol
    One flare pistol
    One 7.62 x 51mm FN rifle
    One Gecado Luger 9mm pistol
    One Glock 17 9mm pistol
    One Glock 19 9mm pistol
    One .45-caliber Glock 21 pistol
    One .556-caliber Harrington & Richardson M16A1 rifle
    One .45-caliber HAS Streamlight TLR-1 pistol
    One .40-caliber Heckler & Koch USP 40 pistol
    One .45-caliber Heckler & Koch USP 45 pistol
    One Heckler & Koch P2000SK 9mm pistol
    One .308-caliber International M1 Garand rifle
    One Kel-Tech 12 gauge shotgun
    One .45-caliber Kimber Raptor II pistol
    One .44- or .50-caliber Magnum Research Desert Eagle pistol
    One Mauser C96 7.63mm pistol
    One Mossberg 590 pump-action 12 gauge shotgun
    One Mossberg pump action 12 gauge shotgun
    One Remington 870 Tactical 12 gauge shotgun
    One .308-caliber rifle
    One .454-caliber Ruger 871 revolver
    One Ruger 556 rifle
    One Ruger M77 7mm rifle
    One Ruger 7.62 x 39mm rifle
    One .45-caliber Sig Sauer 1911 pistol
    One .45-caliber Sig Sauer Exeter 1911 pistol
    One .45-caliber Sig Sauer P220R pistol
    One .44-caliber Smith & Wesson 629DX revolver
    One Springfield M1A 7.62 x 51 mm rifle
    One .45-caliber Springfield PX9628L pistol
    One .45-caliber Springfield PC9105LCA pistol
    One .45-caliber Springfield 1911 pistol
    One 45-caliber Springfield PC9105LCA pistol
    One .223-caliber Steyr Aug A3 rifle
    One Walther P38 9mm pistol
    One .22-caliber Walther P22 pistol
    One .357-caliber Winchester 1873 lever-action rifle
    One Anderson Manufacturing AR-15 type lower receiver
    One polymer 80 PF 940C 9mm pistol without a serial number
    One unknown caliber polymer 80 P45 pistol without a serial number
    One .45-caliber Kimber Eclipse Custom II pistol
    One Hi-Point C9 9mm pistol
    One .22-caliber Marlin 60 rifle
    .

  88. 88.

    Jay

    Texas Democrats have rejected the state Republican Speaker's offer to send a plane to D.C. to bring back the Dems:"The Speaker should save his money. We won't be needing a plane anytime soon as our work to save democracy from Trump Republicans is just getting started."— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 16, 2021

  89. 89.

    NotMax

    @Jay

    “I said we’d send a plane. Didn’t say nuthin’ about fueling it up for the return trip.”

  91. 91.

    Another Scott

    @trollhattan: I saw a fancy imported car parked at a neighborhood pool a couple of weeks ago with a bumper sticker smack dab in the center of the back bumper.

    Giant “G”, smaller “lock”.

    G-lock?  What’s that??

    Ohh…

    :-/

    I wonder how often his house has been broken into when he’s away…  :-/

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  92. 92.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @trollhattan: And more about this poor oppressed lad from the article.

    Rogers, 43, owns British Auto Repair of the Napa Valley

    I am sensing serious levels of Walter Mitty here.

  96. 96.

    Jay

    NEW: Federal prosecutors in Florida have charged 16 members of a white supremacist group called "Unforgiven" which they say is a racketeering enterprise engaged in "acts of murder, violence, kidnapping, robbery" and other offenses.— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) July 15, 2021

    "The indictment also alleges that Unforgiven used “corrupt law enforcement officers and state employees” to gather information about people, investigations, and prosecutions, and to smuggle contraband to incarcerated inmates."— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) July 15, 2021

  100. 100.

    Another Scott

    It looks like the phone has a “MediaTek” processor, at least as of a year or so ago. There was a security issue with it…

    (Of course, there are security issues with anything, but getting US support for Chinese phones is not for the faint of heart.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  102. 102.

    apocalipstick

    @opiejeanne: Larry Carlton (the great guitarist) did something similar with his studio work in the 80s. He was fielding way too many calls so, with his manager, he tripled his rates. They figured this would drive out the non-serious projects. His calendar stayed full. It led to the idea of the “triple-scale” musician: guys who were just so good in the studio that certain projects were more than willing to pay their fee.

  105. 105.

    J R in WV

    @trollhattan:

    One One .4570-caliber Aldo Uberti Sharps single-shot rifle
    …
    One .556-caliber Harrington & Richardson M16A1 rifle
    …
    One Ruger 556 rifle
    …
    One .22-caliber Walther P22 pistol
    …
    One polymer 80 PF 940C 9mm pistol without a serial number
    One unknown caliber polymer 80 P45 pistol without a serial number
    …

    A few remarks about these items on the fascist’s armory inventory.

    The .4570-caliber Sharps rifle is probably actually a .45-70 buffalo rifle, and a modern reproduction of an antique. The .45 is the calliber and the -70 is for 70 grains of black powder — or 4.56 grams. These modern copies cost in the range of $2,500 per!

    The .556-caliber H&R M16A1 is actually 5.56 mm rather than a fraction of an inch caliber, this is a NATO round nearly the same as a .223 caliber round.

    Same for the Ruger 556, should be 5.56 mm.

    The Walther P22 pistol might have been intended for close up murder, they are relatively quiet compared to larger rounds, and commonly used by mob hits.

    The weapons without serial numbers are probably especially illegal, as are the machine guns if they didn’t have the special license for those fully automatic guns.

    Goin’ up the creek, boys!  All the way up the creek, without a paddle.

  106. 106.

    Brian

    @opiejeanne: In the 1980s session bassist Will Lee was getting overworked. Not wanting to actually turn down work, he upped his rates to triple scale, which resulted in (you guessed it) more calls.

  107. 107.

    Robert Sneddon

    @Brian: A friend of mine with a deep but very narrow skillset in computer networking got a call once at the weekend to deal with a problem for a new client. It was local to where he was located but he didn’t want to do it so he quoted a thousand quid an hour, eight hour minimum. The client said yes. Oops.

    The problem was tricky and it took him several hours to sort it out (a routing screwup plus bad configurations that had propagated to remote switches which needed hunting down and killing at a distance). The client was losing, he said, over a million quid an hour while the triply-redundant financial transactions comms network was borked so paying him what he asked was actually worth it for them and then some.

    That call paid for his boat’s engine and gearbox rebuild plus he got a few more jobs out of it, less lucrative but good for career-building.​

  109. 109.

    Starfish

    The number of apps that cannot work at all without location permissions is a lot.

  110. 110.

    Another Scott

    @NotMax: Zooks!

    That video is a time sink!  (And probably explains why there’s an ongoing shortage of semiconductor electronics.  ;-)

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  112. 112.

    lowtechcyclist

    At the end of C.S. Lewis’ That Hideous Strength, the bad guys basically lose the capacity for intelligible speech.

    These bozos are damned sure working hard on heading in the same direction.

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