Breitbart: Users Sue Amazon Prime Video for Removing Media Purchases from Their Library

Users Sue Amazon Prime Video for Removing Media Purchases from Their Library
By Paul Bois 26 Aug 2025

Users have sued Amazon Prime Video for removing media from their library after being purchased, accusing the company of fraudulent advertising.

Users have been “purchasing” media on Prime Video (movies, television shows) only to realize months later that their purchases no longer exists in their media library. That’s because Amazon only sells a limited-time license to its users so that they watch the movie in perpetuity until the company loses the rights.

Per The Hollywood Reporter:

If the tech giant loses the rights to that version, the movie can be replaced with a different cut, like the one for theaters. And if Amazon loses the rights to the film altogether, it’ll completely disappear from the viewer’s library.

So should Amazon be able to say a consumer is “buying” that movie? Some people don’t think so, and they’ve turned to court.

I've been saying it for many years: all streaming services are rentals. No matter what they call that "purchase", if you can't download a copy without DRM, then you are forever at the mercy of whether it will remain hosted on its cloud server.

The content can go away for any reason whatsoever. If the company goes out of business. If they terminate their streaming service. If the server goes down. If they lose the rights to the content. Or if some employee decides Wednesday will be "no movies for you day". And I guarantee that the license agreements you agree to (which you certainly didn't read) has legalese that says the same thing.

Which is why I never "buy" streaming media content. When I buy music and movies, I either buy physical discs (preferred) or I buy from a service where I can download non-DRM tracks (e.g. Amazon's MP3 store and Apple's iTunes Music). If the content is protected or streaming-only, then I will not even consider a "purchase", and I will be very hesitant before even a "rental".

Personally, I'm really surprised Amazon's customers took this long to figure out that they've been scammed all along.

Cloning a Windows 11 system

My wife's Windows 11 computer needed a new SSD. Here's a summary of what I did, the problems I encountered, and how I solved them.

ElectroBoom: Violent iPhone Repair

This is NOT how you should try to repair the camera on your iPhone:

Talk show bumper music

I'm building a playlist for my iPod consisting of bumper music for radio and podcast talk shows. But so far the list is pretty short:

• Somewhere I Belong, by Linkin Park (The Mark Levin Show)
• America The Beautiful, by Ray Charles (Friday sign-off music for The Mark Levin Show)
• My City Was Gone, by The Pretenders (Rush Limbaugh Show)
• Independence Day, by Martina McBride (The Sean Hannity Show)
• Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi, Carl Orff, Carmina Burana (The Sean Hannity Show)
• Comin' To Your City, by Big & Rich (The Sean Hannity Show)
• The Way It Is, by Bruce Hornsby & The Range (The Sean Hannity Show)
• Master Of Puppets, by Metallica (The Savage Nation)
• Looks That Kill, by Mötley Crüe (The Savage Nation)
• The Shortest Straw, by Metallica (The Savage Nation)

Any suggestions for growing this list? Please only pick music actually used as a show's bumper music (cite the show), not songs you would like a show to use.

My sports ignorance rears its ugly head

Today, I read the following article on my RSS feed:

WATCH: Vanderbilt Hit with $100K Fine After Fans Rush Field, Tear Down Goal Posts
by Warner Todd Huston 7 Oct 2024

The SEC has fined Vanderbilt University $100,000 after fans rushed the field and tore down the goal posts following the team’s win against Alabama on Saturday.

But me, in my complete ignorance of sports, especially at the college level, read this headline and thought "why would the US Securities & Exchange Commission care about a football riot?"

Just The News: Officials investigate death of Wells Fargo worker found in cubicle 4 days after last coming to work

Officials investigate death of Wells Fargo worker found in cubicle 4 days after last coming to work
By Nicholas Ballasy. Published: August 30, 2024 10:58am. Updated: August 30, 2024 11:04am

A preliminary investigation did not reveal signs of foul play, according to police.

Someone dying in their office cubicle is sad, but not particularly newsworthy - it happens. But the fact that nobody noticed for four days is sick.

MacRumors: Apple Vision Pro Can Now Be Controlled With Brain-Computer Interface

Apple Vision Pro Can Now Be Controlled With Brain-Computer Interface
Tuesday July 30, 2024 6:54 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

Apple's Vision Pro headset can now be controlled using only thoughts, thanks to integration with neurotechnology startup Synchron's brain-computer interface (BCI).

The company today announced that Apple Vision Pro has been successfully used by a patient through direct brain control facilitated by Synchron's brain-computer interface technology. Mark, a 64-year-old man suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), demonstrated the integration.

With this technology, Mark controlled the cursor on the Vision Pro to play Solitaire, watch Apple TV, and send text messages without using his hands, which he can no longer move due to his condition. The Vision Pro's reliance on hand gestures would otherwise pose a barrier for users like Mark who have lost upper limb functionality.

Incredible. This is one of the best uses of this tech I've read about to date.

Also reported by Apple Insider

Right to repair and Tesla's insane policies

I just ran across this incredible video (from two years ago) where an independent garage fixed a Tesla (broken battery coolent line) for $700, mostly labor, whereas Tesla wanted to charge $16,000 to replace the entire battery pack.

h/t iFixit

The Forged Apple Employee Badge

The Forged Apple Employee Badge
Cabel Sasser, May 16, 2024

Wow. Someone was selling Apple Employee #10’s employee badge?! What an incredible piece of Apple history! Sure, it’s not Steve Jobs’ badge (despite the auction title), but there are only so many of these in the world — especially from one of the first ten employees.
...
Oh snap. It’s really fake?

A great story about an eBay forger who (unfortunately) has been getting away with selling all kinds of fake memorabilia. Be sure to also read the comments, which point out all kinds of mistakes the forger made, which may help you spot some fakes on other auction listings.

h/t Daring Fireball

Etak: The first automotive navitation system

12 Map Happenings that Rocked our World: Part 9: A Curious Phenomenon Called ‘Etak’
James Killick, April 11, 2024

Every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything. Or so said Steve Jobs when he announced iPhone in 2007.

But I’m talking about a different revolutionary product. A foundational product that forever changed how everyone on this planet gets to where they need to be.

Today, I’d like to tell you about the Etak Navigator, a truly revolutionary product and the world’s first practical vehicle navigation system.

The Etak system encapsulated most of what modern navigation systems use today, and it did it with 1980's technology.

h/t Daring Fireball