
Three algorithm-less streaming sites revive the wacky Web from days of yore - furcyd
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/08/diy-site-builders-battle-algorithmic-feeds-with-sheep-filled-wackiness/
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judge2020
> [http://www.internettemple.org/](http://www.internettemple.org/)

Yes, the days of yore where there was no HTTPS - and, unsurprisingly, Comcast
still is able to inject code into the page letting me know that i'm at 90% of
my 1TB data cap.

To clarify, they have Heroku set up with no HTTPS but only because they aren't
paying them $20/month (!!)

[https://elements.heroku.com/addons/ssl](https://elements.heroku.com/addons/ssl)

~~~
joefourier
Having data caps qualifies solidly as the days of yore for me, as much as not
having HTTPS. Are there really areas in the United States that still have
them? The only capped plans I'm aware of are satellite or mobile broadband,
and that's for folks who live in rural areas.

~~~
dylan604
They have switched from hard caps to soft caps. Your unlimited plan isn't
really unlimited. It's all in the microprint, but after enough bandwidth is
used, there will be repercussions (varies depending on provider).

~~~
joefourier
You're right that the terms and conditions say there is a "fair usage" limit
that may result in warnings from my ISP, which seems to be around 1 TB.
However it looks to be largely unenforced, which is fortunate as with a
gigabit connection you'd blow through it in about two hours.

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klyrs
Ugh, "algorithm-less" is the new "chemical-free." There's an algorithm,
actually, many algorithms, used to serve that content up. Just as all things
are made of chemicals.

~~~
xook
As with the chemical-free movement, there is needed context; It's not built
specifically to grab eyeballs or profit off others. There are algorithms for
decisions, but it's to choose what next to play from a given set rather than
to motivate and pressure.

~~~
klyrs
My fear is that we're approaching an "algorithm-free" movement: the word
"algorithm" being turned into a taboo which will be more fuel for the growing
anti-intellectual movements.

That said, there are some bad algorithmics being applied in our world. I
_like_ the things mentioned in this article. The ones boosting unpopular /
unseen content seem cool. These aren't algorithm-free; they're algorithms to
discourage bubbles.

The one that simply refuses to crosslink content is curious -- it's the only
one that might be described as algorithm-free, as it's simply not providing
the next thing to watch. This is the opposite of the others, it requires you
to find content through your bubble and might simply piggyback other social
sites.

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praelud
The internet was wacky when I didn't see the business behind them. I thought
sites like youtube were just places for fun videos, not content creators
trying to go viral, or students making a product to be sold to google.

------
Igelau
YouHole made me think of [https://forgotify.com](https://forgotify.com)

It serves up songs from Spotify that have had 0 listens.

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purple-again
"Collins' platform Saladbowl, where he hosts and streams videos directly from
his computer to bypass copyright strikes"

oh man. I hope he understands why services like youtube are so heavy handed in
taking down potential copyrighted material. False copyright strikes are
annoying but copyright lawyers are ruthless...double so when the law is
actually on their side in a case and its not them just harassing.

