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Traffic / Re: DuckDuckGo Switches to Apple Maps
« on: January 18, 2019, 11:16:22 AM »
So now I'm wondering if Apple paid DDG to use their maps? I think DDG is the first search engine to use Apple maps.
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2
Traffic / Re: DuckDuckGo Switches to Apple Maps
« on: January 17, 2019, 10:09:46 PM »
Okay, does anyone have any recent experience, in the last 6 months, with Apple maps?
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Traffic / Re: DuckDuckGo Switches to Apple Maps
« on: January 17, 2019, 11:17:34 AM »
I can't say I have ever used Apple maps, are they any good? How do they compare to Google and Bing Maps?
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Traffic / Re: DuckDuckGo Switches to Apple Maps
« on: January 17, 2019, 01:39:21 AM »
I actually get quite a bit of traffic from DDG.
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Water Cooler / Re: Longest Shutdown Ever
« on: January 16, 2019, 07:20:35 PM »
I heard on the news this morning, half the IRS employees have been called back to work on income tax refunds without pay. Their union has filed suit saying requiring work on just an IOU is illegal.
We live in interesting times.
We live in interesting times.
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Traffic / DuckDuckGo Switches to Apple Maps
« on: January 16, 2019, 01:59:33 PM »
DDG has switched to Apple Maps in their search results.
https://spreadprivacy.com/duckduckgo-apple-mapkit-js/
I assume they were using Bing maps before.
Long term this is a wise strategic move.
1. At some point Google's privacy issues are going to make it hard for Apple to use Google as a default search engine. It's just a matter of time.
2. While Apple may not dump Google overnight, they can do things like offer choice of default search engine to users upon setup of new devices.
3. By using Apple maps, DDG makes itself an easier choice for Apple to include as a potential default.
4. By moving away from Bing maps it strengthens DDG's privacy chops.
5. With poor iPhone sales, Apple is going to be looking at strengthening marketing advantages over Android. Increasing emphasis on privacy is a hook Apple can use.
6. Long Longshot: Apple may go shopping for a search engine of it's own. They certainly have the cash to buy DDG.
https://spreadprivacy.com/duckduckgo-apple-mapkit-js/
I assume they were using Bing maps before.
Long term this is a wise strategic move.
1. At some point Google's privacy issues are going to make it hard for Apple to use Google as a default search engine. It's just a matter of time.
2. While Apple may not dump Google overnight, they can do things like offer choice of default search engine to users upon setup of new devices.
3. By using Apple maps, DDG makes itself an easier choice for Apple to include as a potential default.
4. By moving away from Bing maps it strengthens DDG's privacy chops.
5. With poor iPhone sales, Apple is going to be looking at strengthening marketing advantages over Android. Increasing emphasis on privacy is a hook Apple can use.
6. Long Longshot: Apple may go shopping for a search engine of it's own. They certainly have the cash to buy DDG.
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Hardware & Technology / Re: Reporting in from Ground Zero
« on: January 11, 2019, 10:19:39 PM »
HAL open the door!
I can't do that RC.
I can't do that RC.
8
Water Cooler / Re: Terminator Scenario
« on: January 09, 2019, 12:14:46 AM »Ground based delivery dogs make more sense than delivery drones.
We have squirrels here. Just saying.
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Traffic / Re: DuckDuckGo now fingerprinting visitors
« on: January 07, 2019, 04:04:29 PM »
I see somebody from DDG denies it in that thread. As it stands DDG has built a lot more trust with me than most other search engines so I'm not willing to take the claim from one browser plugin as Holy Writ.
It does pay to keep one's eye out for repeated patterns of dubious behavior so we'll see.
It does pay to keep one's eye out for repeated patterns of dubious behavior so we'll see.
10
Water Cooler / Re: Plant-based Beyond Burger comes to Carl's Jr. restaurants
« on: January 04, 2019, 06:02:48 PM »
I've never seen a Carl's so I don't know their marketing.
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Water Cooler / Re: Plant-based Beyond Burger comes to Carl's Jr. restaurants
« on: January 04, 2019, 10:40:32 AM »
>men
Hubby wants giant burger, wife wants something vegetarian, now they can go to Carl's.
Hubby wants giant burger, wife wants something vegetarian, now they can go to Carl's.
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Water Cooler / Re: I quit watching TV 20+ years ago,
« on: January 03, 2019, 08:15:57 PM »
I have an antenna but I never use it. Local newspaper, reading some news on the internets are it for news over the last year or two. Broadcast TV is worthless to me. I do stream some shows via Mhz Choice and Acorn but that's about it.
I do get radio/jabbernet news: Alexa plays my news briefing at meals and I listen to some news in the cars when driving.
I do get radio/jabbernet news: Alexa plays my news briefing at meals and I listen to some news in the cars when driving.
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Traffic / Re: Over 40 percent of activity on the internet is fake
« on: December 28, 2018, 08:59:01 PM »
There are a heck of a lot of bots and spammers out there and those are just the "marketing purposes" bots that at least respect robots.txt.
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Traffic / Re: I Felt a Disturbance in the Google
« on: December 21, 2018, 11:18:01 AM »
I'm a pretty simplistic searcher: start broad and then narrow.
>quality
I was really just paraphrasing something Bob Massa observed about Google nearly 20 years ago. Still true, the profit part more than ever.
>WMW
That's an interesting thread, ergo. I was recently searching for something like "how to use a vacuum cleaner" or "vacuum cleaning tips" some variant of that. DDG (Bing) all the sites looked slick, many were so loaded with crap sneaking up from the bottom and in from the sides you could hardly read them, all were basically rehashing the same points some almost word for word. I went to StartingPoint (Google) same thing, many of the same sites. I understand there is only so much you can say about vacuum cleaning but that little search niche felt pretty made for Adsense spammy and it's all duplicate content. Funny thing was one site was from a real company, Bosch I think, it had the same tips as all the rest.
That whole home appliance sector - large and small - is pretty spammed out. If you ever want to find spun content made for Adsense blogs just research hot water heaters.
>engagement
Yes. I think engagement helps ranking even if the links are nofollow. Google picks up on that. aaron alluded to that in re. directories and wikis getting no love because there is no engagement. That's one reason I combined a blog and a directory together. It's why I'm starting to encourage directory users to post comments about listings.
>quality
I was really just paraphrasing something Bob Massa observed about Google nearly 20 years ago. Still true, the profit part more than ever.
>WMW
That's an interesting thread, ergo. I was recently searching for something like "how to use a vacuum cleaner" or "vacuum cleaning tips" some variant of that. DDG (Bing) all the sites looked slick, many were so loaded with crap sneaking up from the bottom and in from the sides you could hardly read them, all were basically rehashing the same points some almost word for word. I went to StartingPoint (Google) same thing, many of the same sites. I understand there is only so much you can say about vacuum cleaning but that little search niche felt pretty made for Adsense spammy and it's all duplicate content. Funny thing was one site was from a real company, Bosch I think, it had the same tips as all the rest.
That whole home appliance sector - large and small - is pretty spammed out. If you ever want to find spun content made for Adsense blogs just research hot water heaters.
>engagement
Yes. I think engagement helps ranking even if the links are nofollow. Google picks up on that. aaron alluded to that in re. directories and wikis getting no love because there is no engagement. That's one reason I combined a blog and a directory together. It's why I'm starting to encourage directory users to post comments about listings.
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Traffic / Re: I Felt a Disturbance in the Google
« on: December 20, 2018, 11:48:47 PM »
This was noticed back in January 2018:
https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/201x/2018/01/15/Google-is-losing-its-memory
https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/201x/2018/01/15/Google-is-losing-its-memory