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# Shenanigan
I’m currently looking at period tracker apps - don’t ask why (it’s an apk downloader thing).
Brilliant business model:
- Once hooked, users slowly lock themselves in.
- Automatically tuned to the perfect target audience (young adults;female;medical problem)
- Users voluntarily disclose the perfect time to pitch them products and services.
Dear women: if you want/need/have to track this kind of thing, make sure to choose an app that a) doesn’t require an internet connection and b) allows you to export your collected data.
Looking at a VPN provider for a client. Their website informs me that my status is currently “unprotected” and my online activities can be spied upon!
checks the HTML code of that page
drum roll
Google Fucking Analytics!
PLEASE MAKE THE PAIN STOP!!!
Always amazes me, how much emphasis smartphone reviews put on the camera. Higher resolution means bigger image files. Better image quality means you are more likely to take more pictures. In other words, the better the camera, the sooner you run out of device storage space. Of course, that’s the plan in order to upsell you on cloud storage.
Congratz! Self/Drivel inflicted vendor lock-in.
I have been wondering for years why every market launch of every new smartphone model puts so much emphasis on improved cameras (I never cared much for photography, personally). Finally figured it out: The camera is what turns ordinary users into creators. The better the image quality, the larger the files, the sooner internal storage runs out of free space. Once it does, cloud storage comes to the rescue and the trap snaps shut. Uploads is easy, Downloading everything is tedious at best. Fear of loss (even for worthless selfies) is what keeps users then locked in to the service.
I feel stupid for not realizing this sooner, but hey, at least I’m not the only one. Bottom line: don’t buy a smartphone because it has a superior camera. This is not a selling, but an up-selling point.
Look up on Google Play! It's a Rip off! It's a Scam! It's a Super Shenanigan!
The Android ecosystem never fails to present new and fascinating get-rich-schemes.
Beware of Google Play Pass. This is basically SaaS aka, lock your own data away in their systems, then rent access to it. Yes, it’s mostly games for now, nothing to be held hostage, but hey, looking unsuspicious is the very definition of bait, isn’t it?