Author Topic: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political  (Read 20221 times)

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Offline reagleTopic starter

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Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« on: September 23, 2013, 01:06:53 am »
It appears the last island of sanity- watching EEVBLOG is now being squished  by political ads pushed by Youtube :(
Is there any way  Dave you could set preferences to not allow that type of ads? Agilent flogging the latest gear- sure, other related stuff- fine. But not loud and obnoxious political stuff, (unless it's Dave talking ;))

Offline Rory

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2013, 01:58:00 am »
Adblock+ in Firefox. Never see ads on Youtube.
 

Offline nilium

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2013, 02:03:16 am »
Adblock+ in Firefox. Never see ads on Youtube.

Adblock and Adblock Plus available for Chrome as well! "Works a treat!"  :)
 

Offline reagleTopic starter

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #3 on: September 23, 2013, 02:05:13 am »
Doesn't help with native Youtube app on an Android phone though

Offline peter.mitchell

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2013, 07:30:05 am »
I deal with the ads, it's the ad views that give the content producer some revenue, use adblock for all I care, just don't encourage others to, please.
 

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #5 on: September 23, 2013, 07:42:24 am »
I don't have a say in it.
Google tracks everything you do and display the ads it thinks you like, it's not putting the same ad for everyone on my channel.
That is the magic of google and why they are rich.
For example, if I search for baby clothes tonight, I'll get baby clothes ads on my own videos and website tomorrow.
 

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #6 on: September 23, 2013, 07:45:59 am »
I think the recent political rants have told Google's Ad serving algorithms that politics is a fruitful topic.

Nope, nothing to do with it, as mentioned above. It's either your own fault, or some political party is paying huge $$$$$$$ to plaster every channel with forced non-context sensitive ads.

There is a method I can block ads from certain companies I think, which is useful for content producer that say have a paid ad from one company, and don't want the competition to display their ads. But I have never tried it, and I would only ever be chasing my tail. So basically impossible to stop from my end, except remove ALL ads from all videos.
 

Online amyk

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #7 on: September 23, 2013, 09:47:21 am »
I don't have a say in it.
Google tracks everything you do and display the ads it thinks you like, it's not putting the same ad for everyone on my channel.
That is the magic of google and why they are rich.
For example, if I search for baby clothes tonight, I'll get baby clothes ads on my own videos and website tomorrow.
You can clear your cookies (or just set them to blocked) if you don't like this tracking.
 

Offline reagleTopic starter

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #8 on: September 23, 2013, 11:55:27 am »
I don't have a say in it.
Google tracks everything you do and display the ads it thinks you like, it's not putting the same ad for everyone on my channel.
That is the magic of google and why they are rich.
For example, if I search for baby clothes tonight, I'll get baby clothes ads on my own videos and website tomorrow.
I dunno about that- the ads are the exact opposite of what my political views would be. So it's either Google's bug, or it's on purpose, to try to change them.
Anyways, I know they pay Dave's bills, so oh well ;)

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #9 on: September 23, 2013, 01:01:39 pm »
You can clear your cookies (or just set them to blocked) if you don't like this tracking.
[/quote]

Fraid not. Google can track you without that.
 

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #10 on: September 23, 2013, 01:04:32 pm »
I dunno about that- the ads are the exact opposite of what my political views would be. So it's either Google's bug, or it's on purpose, to try to change them.

There are two types of ads advertisers can pay for. Adsense, which is targeted to your search history, and traditional mass blanket advertising to everyone. Political parties definitely pay for the latter.
 

Offline grego

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #11 on: September 23, 2013, 01:07:07 pm »
You can clear your cookies (or just set them to blocked) if you don't like this tracking.

Fraid not. Google can track you without that.
[/quote]

They can't as long as you block the cookies and are not logged into Google in any way.  If you're logged in in some way (mail, blogspot, whatever) it doesn't matter if you block cookies since they track you on your session.

But you have to block cookies, you have to tell Flash to not to accept cookies, you have to not be logged in, etc, etc, etc.  It's kind of a pain but doable.
 

Offline rsjsouza

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #12 on: September 23, 2013, 01:13:19 pm »
I am almost 100% sure that, if you launch a private browsing page (and do not log in) the tracking will happen only during that active session. I use that to search for dummy things at amazon.com (similarly as Dave, I also search for baby stuff) without having an invasion of adsense related content.
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Online HKJ

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #13 on: September 23, 2013, 01:33:34 pm »

They can't as long as you block the cookies and are not logged into Google in any way. 

It is not that difficult to track a browser: https://panopticlick.eff.org/
Looking at your IP address will make it even easier.
 

Online EEVblog

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #14 on: September 23, 2013, 01:46:00 pm »
They can't as long as you block the cookies and are not logged into Google in any way.

Tracking by IP is trivial, and google does that too of course.
 

Offline Tepe

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #15 on: September 23, 2013, 02:46:35 pm »
I dunno about that- the ads are the exact opposite of what my political views would be.
It would be a waste to push an agenda you already support.
 

Offline jancumps

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #16 on: September 23, 2013, 03:36:43 pm »
Quote
...
Google tracks everything you do and display the ads it thinks you like
...
I wish that wasn't the case. Google's algorithm categorizes me as a boring person.
Based on the ads I get, I have no life. Or at least not the life I want to live.
 :(
 

Offline wblackledg

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #17 on: September 23, 2013, 04:10:22 pm »

I dunno about that- the ads are the exact opposite of what my political views would be.

that makes sense. no sense preaching to the choir.  ;)

I haven't noticed any political ads lately.
 

Offline hikariuk

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #18 on: September 23, 2013, 05:22:24 pm »

I dunno about that- the ads are the exact opposite of what my political views would be.

that makes sense. no sense preaching to the choir.  ;)

I haven't noticed any political ads lately.

If they could they'd just target the swing voters with adverts, they're the people who decide the outcomes of elections.  People who support you will vote for you anyway, people who support your opposition won't vote for you no matter what you say.  Although most of election day is spent chasing known supporters and making sure they've actually gone out and voted.
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Offline jancumps

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #19 on: September 23, 2013, 05:33:37 pm »
...Although most of election day is spent chasing known supporters and making sure they've actually gone out and voted.
In my country voting is a must, so that part can be skipped.
 

Offline FrankBuss

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #20 on: September 23, 2013, 05:43:12 pm »
I deal with the ads, it's the ad views that give the content producer some revenue, use adblock for all I care, just don't encourage others to, please.
I don't like ads, so I use AdBlock, too. But if you like the content, then it is fair to donate a bit. Lots of possibilities for EEVblog, e.g. PayPal, Bitcoin or each time you buy something on Amazon:

http://www.eevblog.com/donations/
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Offline nitro2k01

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #21 on: September 23, 2013, 06:39:09 pm »
It is not that difficult to track a browser: https://panopticlick.eff.org/
Looking at your IP address will make it even easier.
There's a difference between could and would. Sure, Google (or Amazon etc) could track anyone using browser fingerprinting so that even if you clear your cookies and connect from a new IP address. But would they?  Google is targeting the majority with their ads, which means the low hanging fruit. Ie, regular cookies and IP address tracking. It simply doesn't make economical sense to keep such a database to keep track of the last 1% who are trying to avoid the ads.
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Offline Orpheus

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #22 on: September 23, 2013, 08:31:23 pm »
Also consider adjusting your http://www.google.com/settings/ads settings
 

Offline mikeselectricstuff

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #23 on: September 23, 2013, 09:12:29 pm »
I dunno about that- the ads are the exact opposite of what my political views would be.
..surely that's the point - no point in advertising to their own side!
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Offline smashedProton

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Re: Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #24 on: September 23, 2013, 09:43:01 pm »
I dunno about that- the ads are the exact opposite of what my political views would be. So it's either Google's bug, or it's on purpose, to try to change them.

There are two types of ads advertisers can pay for. Adsense, which is targeted to your search history, and traditional mass blanket advertising to everyone. Political parties definitely pay for the latter.

Why?  Political ads are target the social classes that would have the strongest opposition.  They also have very different ads to convince people with similar convictions to go and vote.  They are structured differently and lose their meaning if the wrong audience is targeted. 
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Offline grego

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #25 on: September 24, 2013, 03:10:39 am »

They can't as long as you block the cookies and are not logged into Google in any way. 

It is not that difficult to track a browser: https://panopticlick.eff.org/
Looking at your IP address will make it even easier.

Most of us don't have dedicated IPs so tracking by IP is pretty much useless today.  That, along with NAT, makes it the least likely method.
 

Offline vk6zgo

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #26 on: September 24, 2013, 04:36:17 am »
They must think I'm a middle aged perv, rather than an OF,as I get this ad about "dating mature women".
Why the hell would I want to do that!
I'm  married to a mature woman!!
 

Offline nitro2k01

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #27 on: September 24, 2013, 05:02:01 am »
I dunno about that- the ads are the exact opposite of what my political views would be.
..surely that's the point - no point in advertising to their own side!
Sure there would be. Half the battle is to get the lazy people to vote at all. And depending on which election we're talking about, individual campaigns may want to run their own campaigns, obviously working best if matched to your views.
But the truth is probably that the targeting is a pretty blunt weapon. My guess i that they at best can determine (with some certainty) whether you are interested in politics or not.
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Online HKJ

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #28 on: September 24, 2013, 06:21:43 am »
It is not that difficult to track a browser: https://panopticlick.eff.org/
Looking at your IP address will make it even easier.

Most of us don't have dedicated IPs so tracking by IP is pretty much useless today.  That, along with NAT, makes it the least likely method.

But you will probably only use a few different IP addresses, making a browser signature very efficient to track you.
 

Offline grego

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #29 on: September 24, 2013, 12:02:37 pm »
It is not that difficult to track a browser: https://panopticlick.eff.org/
Looking at your IP address will make it even easier.

Most of us don't have dedicated IPs so tracking by IP is pretty much useless today.  That, along with NAT, makes it the least likely method.

But you will probably only use a few different IP addresses, making a browser signature very efficient to track you.

Also incorrect - subnets on US internet providers tend to be in the /23 range for DHCP ranges (Comcast for example) or even /22's .. Believe me, you can pretty handily stop tracking if you make a bit of effort.

Now if you're in Kansas City for example and using Google as your service provider you're screwed - no way can you avoid it then!
 

Online HKJ

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #30 on: September 24, 2013, 12:40:16 pm »
It is not that difficult to track a browser: https://panopticlick.eff.org/
Looking at your IP address will make it even easier.

Most of us don't have dedicated IPs so tracking by IP is pretty much useless today.  That, along with NAT, makes it the least likely method.

But you will probably only use a few different IP addresses, making a browser signature very efficient to track you.

Also incorrect - subnets on US internet providers tend to be in the /23 range for DHCP ranges (Comcast for example) or even /22's .. Believe me, you can pretty handily stop tracking if you make a bit of effort.

Now if you're in Kansas City for example and using Google as your service provider you're screwed - no way can you avoid it then!

Even with a 255.255.0.0 mask, you only need to do a limited browser signature for tracking.
 

Offline gxti

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #31 on: September 25, 2013, 03:07:53 pm »
For the past week or two nearly every ad I get (for any video, not just EEVblog) is for a kids' iPad game. I don't have kids, or an iPad. The worst part is the music is catchy enough that I keep watching it :(
 

Offline reagleTopic starter

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #32 on: September 25, 2013, 03:34:44 pm »
I just get the healthcare reform ones :)

Offline hikariuk

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #33 on: September 25, 2013, 05:06:33 pm »
...Although most of election day is spent chasing known supporters and making sure they've actually gone out and voted.
In my country voting is a must, so that part can be skipped.

I wish they'd do that here.
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Offline Stonent

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #34 on: September 25, 2013, 06:43:06 pm »
...Although most of election day is spent chasing known supporters and making sure they've actually gone out and voted.
In my country voting is a must, so that part can be skipped.

I wish they'd do that here.

I wish they'd just figure out how to make sure every vote was legal in the US.

This person voted 6 times and got caught:

http://reason.com/blog/2013/07/18/ohio-poll-worker-sentenced

Dead voters:

http://pjmedia.com/jchristianadams/2012/05/16/53000-dead-voters-found-in-florida/

Non-Citizen voters:

http://www.denverpost.com/popular/ci_23580341/gessler-asks-colorado-das-investigate-suspected-non-citizen?source=pkg

And the people who have houses in more than one state have been caught sometimes voting for local officials in each area.

In the US the law is currently where you don't have to identify yourself in order to vote. In fact one time I voted I just walked in and handed the lady my license (I do that a lot because I have a long last name and I get tired of repeating the spelling half a dozen times) and the lady shoved it back at me saying "I don't need to see that! What's your name?"

I could have said John Smith on Main Street and surely gotten a match.

Maybe mandatory voting could fix that? Who knows.
« Last Edit: September 25, 2013, 06:45:19 pm by Stonent »
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Offline hikariuk

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #35 on: September 25, 2013, 08:35:12 pm »
I wish they'd just figure out how to make sure every vote was legal in the US.

This person voted 6 times and got caught:

http://reason.com/blog/2013/07/18/ohio-poll-worker-sentenced

Dead voters:

http://pjmedia.com/jchristianadams/2012/05/16/53000-dead-voters-found-in-florida/

Non-Citizen voters:

http://www.denverpost.com/popular/ci_23580341/gessler-asks-colorado-das-investigate-suspected-non-citizen?source=pkg

And the people who have houses in more than one state have been caught sometimes voting for local officials in each area.

In the US the law is currently where you don't have to identify yourself in order to vote. In fact one time I voted I just walked in and handed the lady my license (I do that a lot because I have a long last name and I get tired of repeating the spelling half a dozen times) and the lady shoved it back at me saying "I don't need to see that! What's your name?"

I could have said John Smith on Main Street and surely gotten a match.

Maybe mandatory voting could fix that? Who knows.

You potentially get the same problem in the UK; all you need to cast your vote is to know your name and where you live, you.  You don't even have to bring your voter registration card.  The best bit is if you're a candidate that's actually published information (my full name and address were published when I stood in the county council elections a few years ago).

We semi-regularly get cases of electoral fraud; they tend to target postal and proxy voting.
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Offline Stonent

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #36 on: September 25, 2013, 11:35:45 pm »
I've heard of some cases where the person will mail in a ballot and then go vote at the polling station. When they get caught they just say "I didn't realize I mailed it"
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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #37 on: September 26, 2013, 12:13:52 am »
In the US the law is currently where you don't have to identify yourself in order to vote. In fact one time I voted I just walked in and handed the lady my license (I do that a lot because I have a long last name and I get tired of repeating the spelling half a dozen times) and the lady shoved it back at me saying "I don't need to see that! What's your name?"
I could have said John Smith on Main Street and surely gotten a match.
Maybe mandatory voting could fix that? Who knows.

We have mandatory voting in oz. I think it's essential for a proper democracy. Democracy doesn't come free.
Here you don't have to show ID, but you have to tell them your name and address and they tick it off in the huge electoral role books.
It wouldn't be hard to simply say a common name and then lean over and read the book and say the street name. But when the real Dave Jones comes along presumably they wouldn't let you vote, so it kinda evens out. Never heard reports of people trying to rort the system here, but it probably happens on some insignificant scale.
 

Online David_AVD

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #38 on: September 26, 2013, 12:26:41 am »
Here you don't have to show ID, but you have to tell them your name and address and they tick it off in the huge electoral role books.
It wouldn't be hard to simply say a common name and then lean over and read the book and say the street name. But when the real Dave Jones comes along presumably they wouldn't let you vote, so it kinda evens out.

The chances of you picking the same polling station and the same polling official (with their own book) would be pretty low.  Of course the duplicate would get picked up when the returns are processed.

I've wondered what would happen if someone did that to you (voted using your name).  How would you prove it wasn't you the other time?  Since the voting forms are not tied to the person, they couldn't even remove the multiple offending votes.
 

Offline xrunner

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #39 on: September 26, 2013, 12:31:05 am »
The ad I usually get on the EEVBlog channel is for a PBX telephone system. It's actually kinda funny because the poor customer is shown handing over wads of cash to the legacy telephone Co.  :o

Anyway, you can skip the ads in only 5s. It ain't that big of a deal.  :-//
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Offline Stonent

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #40 on: September 26, 2013, 12:54:39 am »
In the US the law is currently where you don't have to identify yourself in order to vote. In fact one time I voted I just walked in and handed the lady my license (I do that a lot because I have a long last name and I get tired of repeating the spelling half a dozen times) and the lady shoved it back at me saying "I don't need to see that! What's your name?"
I could have said John Smith on Main Street and surely gotten a match.
Maybe mandatory voting could fix that? Who knows.

We have mandatory voting in oz. I think it's essential for a proper democracy. Democracy doesn't come free.
Here you don't have to show ID, but you have to tell them your name and address and they tick it off in the huge electoral role books.
It wouldn't be hard to simply say a common name and then lean over and read the book and say the street name. But when the real Dave Jones comes along presumably they wouldn't let you vote, so it kinda evens out. Never heard reports of people trying to rort the system here, but it probably happens on some insignificant scale.

Yes, however the US is not technically democracy , which I think was in part of the separate colonies wanting unification under a national government but also a certain level of autonomy. A populous state like New York couldn't repeatedly throw its weight around and infringe on the rights of the smaller states. So we became a republic.  Mexico, Russia, Germany, Austria, Brazil, and India are some other examples.

And yes there are some people in the US which strongly believe the right to "not vote" is an essential form of free speech.

Quote from: Daneen G. Peterson, Ph.D.
Many people are under the false impression our form of government is a democracy, or representative democracy. This is of course completely untrue. The Founders were extremely knowledgeable about the issue of democracy and feared a democracy as much as a monarchy.  They understood that the only entity that can take away the people's freedom is their own government, either by being too weak to protect them from external threats or by becoming too powerful and taking over every aspect of life.

They knew very well the meaning of the word "democracy", and the history of democracies; and they were deliberately doing everything in their power to prevent having a democracy.

In a Republic, the sovereignty resides with the people themselves.  In a Republic, one may act on his own or through his representatives when he chooses to solve a problem. The people have no obligation to the government; instead, the government is a servant of the people, and obliged to its owner, We the People.  Many politicians have lost sight of that fact.

A Constitutional Republic has some similarities to democracy in that it uses democratic processes to elect representatives and pass new laws, etc.  The critical difference lies in the fact that a Constitutional Republic has a Constitution that limits the powers of the government.  It also spells out how the government is structured, creating checks on its power and balancing power between the different branches.

Like they say, a democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what's for dinner.
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Offline grego

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #41 on: September 26, 2013, 03:41:16 am »
I'm one of the people who think as an individual you have a right to not vote - an uninformed electorate also is one of the worst things that can happen to a democracy (not saying that all the people that do vote in the US are informed mind you).

I'm actually fine with the way the US system works - electoral fraud happens of course but it's pretty insignificant overall.  I can't speak to local elections but at the state and federal level the estimates I've seen are so small as to be insignificant.  Certainly not enough to tilt an election.  Again - it does happen and the people who do it should be punished to the fullest extent of the law - my point is just that it doesn't actually impact the end result of a vote.

I'm more of a person who believes that similar to the presumption of innocence that all votes should be accepted and counted unless there is clear proof that the person is casting an illegal vote.  The burden should be on the state, not the individual.

Call me crazy but I think the right NOT to be heard is just as important as the right TO be heard without interference.
 

Offline Stonent

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #42 on: September 26, 2013, 08:35:12 am »
Call me crazy but I think the right NOT to be heard is just as important as the right TO be heard without interference.

If you vote, the government will always know where you are.
The larger the government, the smaller the citizen.
 

Offline hikariuk

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #43 on: September 26, 2013, 09:01:27 am »
Call me crazy but I think the right NOT to be heard is just as important as the right TO be heard without interference.

People in Australia will just spoil their ballot paper or not bother to fill it in, iirc.  The only bit of the law they can actually verify is that you turn up, have your name marked off, and collect your ballot, and go into the voting booth with it.  Being a secret ballot they have no way of knowing what you actually do with the paper once you're in there.  In the UK people just do the same thing when they want to make a statement.

Reading spoiled ballots is some of the most fun you get when you attend counts as a party agent (you're not allowed to handle them, but the returning officer will often hold them up and go "I intend to count this as a spoiled paper - any objections?" or "I intend to count this as a vote for..." to the agents).
I write software.  I'd far rather be doing something else.
 

Offline vk6zgo

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #44 on: September 26, 2013, 09:32:54 am »
In the US the law is currently where you don't have to identify yourself in order to vote. In fact one time I voted I just walked in and handed the lady my license (I do that a lot because I have a long last name and I get tired of repeating the spelling half a dozen times) and the lady shoved it back at me saying "I don't need to see that! What's your name?"
I could have said John Smith on Main Street and surely gotten a match.
Maybe mandatory voting could fix that? Who knows.

We have mandatory voting in oz. I think it's essential for a proper democracy. Democracy doesn't come free.
Here you don't have to show ID, but you have to tell them your name and address and they tick it off in the huge electoral role books.
It wouldn't be hard to simply say a common name and then lean over and read the book and say the street name. But when the real Dave Jones comes along presumably they wouldn't let you vote, so it kinda evens out. Never heard reports of people trying to rort the system here, but it probably happens on some insignificant scale.

Yes, however the US is not technically democracy , which I think was in part of the separate colonies wanting unification under a national government but also a certain level of autonomy. A populous state like New York couldn't repeatedly throw its weight around and infringe on the rights of the smaller states. So we became a republic.  Mexico, Russia, Germany, Austria, Brazil, and India are some other examples.

And yes there are some people in the US which strongly believe the right to "not vote" is an essential form of free speech.

Quote from: Daneen G. Peterson, Ph.D.
Many people are under the false impression our form of government is a democracy, or representative democracy. This is of course completely untrue. The Founders were extremely knowledgeable about the issue of democracy and feared a democracy as much as a monarchy.  They understood that the only entity that can take away the people's freedom is their own government, either by being too weak to protect them from external threats or by becoming too powerful and taking over every aspect of life.

They knew very well the meaning of the word "democracy", and the history of democracies; and they were deliberately doing everything in their power to prevent having a democracy.

In a Republic, the sovereignty resides with the people themselves.  In a Republic, one may act on his own or through his representatives when he chooses to solve a problem. The people have no obligation to the government; instead, the government is a servant of the people, and obliged to its owner, We the People.  Many politicians have lost sight of that fact.

A Constitutional Republic has some similarities to democracy in that it uses democratic processes to elect representatives and pass new laws, etc.  The critical difference lies in the fact that a Constitutional Republic has a Constitution that limits the powers of the government.  It also spells out how the government is structured, creating checks on its power and balancing power between the different branches.

Like they say, a democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what's for dinner.

For a PhD ,he draws rather a long bow!

Democracy & Republic are simply the Greek & Latin words for the same thing!

The Ancient Greek Democracy & the Roman Republic would not be regarded as "democracies" in the modern sense,as they allowed such things as limited franchise,slavery,etc.

True democracy,of the "Village Council" variety,is obviously too unwieldy for use in a Country with millions of inhabitants,so all so-called"Democracies" are of the Representational kind.
(except of course for those Dictatorships who call themselves "Democratic Republics",but we aren't speaking about liars here!)

Inherent in this,is the recognition of possible threats to minority (& majority) freedoms by such  "disconnection " between the people & the business of Government.
The answer to this is in written Constitutions,such as in the USA,& Australia,& "implied" Constitutions from the body of Common Law in others,.
Actually,Australia has both!

I can simply copy his last paragraph changing a few words ,thus:

A Constitutional Monarchy,such as Australia uses democratic processes to elect representatives and pass new laws, etc.
A Constitutional Monarchy usually  has both a Constitution & a body of Common Law which limit the powers of the government.  It also spells out how the government is structured, creating checks on its power and balancing power between the different branches."

Sound very different,now?

« Last Edit: September 26, 2013, 09:36:16 am by vk6zgo »
 

Offline ampdoctor

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #45 on: September 26, 2013, 12:14:58 pm »
I'm one of the people who think as an individual you have a right to not vote - an uninformed electorate also is one of the worst things that can happen to a democracy (not saying that all the people that do vote in the US are informed mind you).
The more informed I get, the less inclined I am to vote...not even kidding! It takes roughly 3/4 of a billion dollars to mount a successful bid for the presidency over here.  Then look at the campaign contributors and you see the same big companies and financial institutions are at the top of the list on both sides. Same game on a smaller scale for senators and representatives. Doesn't matter who you vote for, both sides are bought and paid for by the same people. The harder you look at it the more it appears to be an exercise in futility.

The really frightening thing is that the vast majority of people vote along party lines or by name recognition alone and have no real understanding of what the various platforms actually are let alone where the people they vote for stand on that platform. 
 

Offline Clear as mud

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #46 on: September 26, 2013, 03:35:59 pm »
Back to this issue:

You can clear your cookies (or just set them to blocked) if you don't like this tracking.

Fraid not. Google can track you without that.

Most people aren't aware of it, but another way Google can track you is through browser settings in Firefox.  If you have  "Block reported attack sites" and "Block reported web forgeries" checked (and they are checked by default), then every address you browse will be sent to Google to check against their databases of attack and forgery sites.
 

Offline nitro2k01

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #47 on: September 26, 2013, 03:45:31 pm »
Most people aren't aware of it, but another way Google can track you is through browser settings in Firefox.  If you have  "Block reported attack sites" and "Block reported web forgeries" checked (and they are checked by default), then every address you browse will be sent to Google to check against their databases of attack and forgery sites.
Not true, unless you believe in conspiracies. The list is periodically downloaded to your computer and checked locally. Only if there's a match against the list, will the address be double checked. Checking every single request remotely is not only unthinkable from the privacy point of view, but also from a performance point of view. Both for the user, for whom each request would take more time to complete, and for Google, who would get an enormous amount of traffic.

http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/phishing-protection/
Whoa! How the hell did Dave know that Bob is my uncle? Amazing!
 

Offline Mikey

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #48 on: September 26, 2013, 06:58:07 pm »
Google tracks everything you do and display the ads it thinks you like, it's not putting the same ad for everyone on my channel.
Guess it's best I don't complain about the porn ad's I get then...
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Offline Clear as mud

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Re: Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political
« Reply #49 on: September 27, 2013, 06:19:57 pm »
Thank you for the clarification about the attack site lists.  I read that misinformation on a site that I thought was reliable.  I don't remember which site now, but I guess I need to be a little more skeptical, and circumspect about checking out sources.
 


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