Pulling The Plug on Premium Lite

Back in June, I blogged about the intrusive adverts that are infesting YouTube videos these days. While YouTube Premium offers ad-free viewing, it also includes the ability to watch content offline and stream music ad-free. However, it also comes at a hefty (in my view) price: €11.99 per month. I’m not prepared to pay that price.

Back in June, YouTube introduced a Premium Lite membership tier that made viewing YouTube content Ad-free. At €6.99 per month this was a proposition that was somewhat more attractive.

I decided that I would sign up for the trial, and after a month of blissfully watching content Ad-free, the experience was so pleasant that I decided that I would carry on paying for Premium Lite.

Alas, it was too good to last.

Last week I got the following email from Google:

Your Premium Lite membership will be discontinued

Hi Geoff, ‌ Thank you for being one of our first Premium Lite members. ‌ We’re writing to let you know that after 25 October 2023, we will no longer be offering your version of Premium Lite. While we understand that this may be disappointing news, we continue to work on different versions of Premium Lite as we incorporate feedback from our users, creators and partners. ‌ We will cancel your membership on 25 October 2023. Your Premium Lite benefits will expire at the end of your billing cycle and you will not be billed further. ‌ To show our appreciation, we’re offering a one-month trial of YouTube Premium (even if you’ve had a trial before). With YouTube Premium, you can watch videos ad-free, offline and in the background. Plus, stream music ad-free in the YouTube Music app. ‌ If you’d like to redeem this offer, you’ll need to cancel your Premium Lite membership or wait for it to be cancelled for you. ‌ You can find more information in the YouTube Help Centre. ‌ Kind regards, The YouTube Premium team

Sorry, Google, but €11.99 per month is not an amount I’m prepared to pay for simply wanting to watch content without your damn adverts.

I’ll go back to cursing you and your adverts as from the 25th of October.

Microsoft Copilot – Missing in Action…

On the 21st September, Microsoft announced the inclusion of Microsoft Copilot (“your everyday AI companion”) into Windows 11. In the announcement Microsoft stated that “Copilot will begin to roll out in its early form as part of our free update to Windows 11, starting Sept. 26”.

Since I am running the Release Preview versions of Windows 11, I assumed that I would be getting it pretty quickly, ahead of the general release.

Well a week has passed, and no sign of it heading towards my PCs so I went back to the release notes for the version of the Release Preview that came on the 26th September – the one that includes Copilot.

It was there that I discovered the footnote:

** Copilot in Windows will start to release in preview to select global markets as part of our latest update to Windows 11. The initial markets for the Copilot in Windows preview include North America and parts of Asia and South America. It is our intention to add additional markets over time.

Ah, I see, so screw you Europe – you’re not getting it now, and we’re not going to tell you when, or indeed whether, you’re ever going to get it…

Thanks a bunch, Microsoft.

Eldorado

Netflix has a documentary: Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate.

It is worth watching.

I’m not a fan of staged recreations of actual events, but this works because of the inclusion of actual documentary footage.

Some good talking heads and always the feeling that, really, what have we learned from that time? History is always in danger of repeating itself.

The clear message being that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

RIP, Erwin

Erwin Olaf has died at the early age of 64. He was a brilliant photographer and video maker.

I was lucky enough to be able to go to the exhibition of his work held in the Hague in 2019 and have books of his work in my library.

Here is the funeral service (it begins at 32:00 minutes in):

https://vimeo.com/event/3730332/embed

He will be missed.

Surface Duo – It’s Dead, Jim…

I predicted back in July that the end was nigh for the Surface Duo line of devices made by Microsoft. I think we can now categorically state that the plug has been pulled and it is well and truly dead.

The reason being that Panos Panay has announced that he is leaving Microsoft after 19 years at the company. Panay was the power behind the Surface line of products, and the Surface Duo was his baby.

The timing of the announcement is also interesting – coming as it does just three days before Microsoft’s annual Surface event where new products are announced. It seems almost inevitable that a Surface Duo 3 will not be in that lineup.

Panay himself will also not be at the event. Perhaps he didn’t want the embarrassment. I remember the strained performance of Steven Sinofsky, the champion of Windows 8, at its introduction event. He left the company very soon afterwards which led to the question of did he fall or was he pushed…

The Resignation of Nadine Dorries

This won’t mean much to those of you who take no interest in UK Politics, but Nadine Dorries has finally resigned and metaphorically stuck the knife into Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s back in her resignation letter.

She was an MP who manifestly failed to represent her constituents in any meaningful manner and I am not sorry to see the back of her. Michael Spicer nails it:

Hitler Stalin Mum and Dad…

… is the title of Daniel Finkelstein’s memoir about his family, and his parents’ survival of the Holocaust. It is very powerful and impressive; a real “Lest we forget” must-read.

Still, as Rohan Silva says in his Observer review:

Perhaps the more people that read this brilliant book, the less likely it will be that our liberal society ever disintegrates. But that faith in rationality was what Finkelstein’s grandfather, Alfred, believed in too, and it didn’t change a damned thing.

Bredevoort Boekenmarkt

Went to the Book Market in Bredevoort today. Rather a shadow of its former self, consisting of a huddle of less than 20 stalls in the churchyard of a former church that is now an arts centre.

When I first visited Bredevoort, almost 20 years ago, it was known as a Book Village, it had many bookshops, and held regular book markets centred around the market square and spilling out into the surrounding streets. Alas, time (and the internet) has taken its toll – only a few bookshops survive and the book market has dwindled and decamped to the churchyard.

Still, I managed to pick up two Folio Society editions: Christopher Isherwood’s Mr. Norris changes Trains and Muriel Sparks’ The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Both editions were illustrated by Beryl Cook in her inimitable style, so my trip was successful as far as I’m concerned…

Lucy in the Sky with Debussy

It brings tears to my eyes every time. She makes the piano sing.

Happy Birthday, Watson!

Watson has his 14th birthday today – a good age for a Labrador.

He spends most of the day gently snoozing (and dreaming of chasing rabbits I think), but he does go out daily on short walks or pottering around our (large) garden. And he’s still up for the game of being chased around the table in the living room every evening – I am the one who usually calls a halt to the proceedings before him.

The End is Nigh…

Once again, Microsoft appears to be stopping development on a product line. This time it’s the Surface Duo line of products.

Truth to tell, from day one Microsoft has made a series of missteps with the Surface Duo. First, they shipped the original Surface Duo in September 2020 with the software in an unfinished state – full of bugs. Unsurprisingly, the initial reviews in the Tech press were pretty damning, which put a damper on the product right from the start. Secondly, Microsoft never really advertised the device to the general consumer – it was positioned purely as a device for Business users.

The Surface Duo 2, which followed a year later, was a much improved device, with a better camera, battery life and performance.

Both models have two touchscreens and open like a book to expose them. Unlike a book, the devices can be fully folded back to put the touchscreens on the outside and assume a smartphone form factor.

I bought a Surface Duo 2 for myself, replacing my Nokia Smartphone. Because the Duo supports the Microsoft digital pens, it became my digital Moleskine notebook as well as the camera that I have with me at all times. I love the device for its flexibility and solid support for multitasking – I can be browsing the web on one screen while taking notes on the other.

When people see me using it, they are always curious about what it is – no-one has ever said “oh, you have a Surface Duo” – which speaks volumes about the results of Microsoft’s “marketing” of the device. The usual reaction on being told it is a Microsoft device is “I had no idea that Microsoft made something like that”.

And now it appears that the Surface Duo line is headed for the same scrapheap that has seen so many products from Microsoft before: Windows Phone, the Kin phone, Zune, Windows Home Server, Kinect, Microsoft Band, Microsoft Mice, Keyboards and Webcams…

Oh well, I’ll continue to use my Duo 2 for as long as it lasts – it’s a unique device with a unique experience that matches my needs. There’s nothing else quite like it.

One for the List

Our very good friend Carolien treated us to lunch yesterday by way of celebrating Martin’s 70th birthday and our 25th Wedding Anniversary. She really pushed the boat out and found a restaurant in nearby Braamt (only 20 minutes drive away): Karels.

Absolutely magnificent. They even had footstools for the ladies’ handbags! A tradition, I believe, of classy French restaurants, which I first heard about from Jay Rayner. Fortunately, if Jay ever reviews Karels, I feel sure that he won’t give the same stinker of a review as he did for Le Cinq…

Every course was a work of art – and tasted sublime as well. Service was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. A restaurant to be added to the list of places to return to.

Pulling the Plug

The Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, has pulled the plug on his Cabinet and the government has fallen.

Rutte and his VVD party want to bring down the number of asylum seekers, so they went for a proposal to prevent families of asylum seekers fleeing a war zone from coming to the Netherlands for at least two years. Absolutely insane and morally contemptible – and two of the other parties (ChristianUnie and D66) in the coalition refused to accept the proposal – quite right.

So it looks like elections in November. Naturally, Wilders’ PVV will want to limit immigration on all fronts, and it looks like the VVD are going down the same route.

There’s also a question over whether the D66 party will be led again by Sigrid Kaag. Two of her (adult) children have said that they have misgivings over her safety in public, and Kaag is taking this seriously.

She’s a very interesting and capable woman; married to a Palestinian and has (had?) a home in Jerusalem as well as the Netherlands. Her Wikipedia entry is more than impressive. I wish more of our politicians had her experience.

Instead, we have politicians like the appalling Wilders and Baudet. Then there’s the newcomer Caroline van der Plas of the populist BBB party. She has a single seat in the Tweede Kamer (herself), but her party recently swept to power in the provincial elections. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that her people are inexperienced and chaos looks likely to ensue. As far as I can see, the BBB has the standpoint that the farmers can do no wrong, and to hell with nature and the climate crisis.

We live in interesting times…

By Way of Contrast…

I see that the US Supreme Court has just struck a blow against LGBTQ+ rights.

By way of contrast, last Wednesday evening, I went along to an event organised by our Local Authority, which essentially asked its LGBTQ+ community: “What can we do better for you all?”

I heard personal stories from members of the community, songs from our local gay choir: Shansons, and was able to contribute ideas for improvement to the local authority for consideration.

I know which society I want to live in – and I’m there now.

“He lied because that is what he does”

We’re talking about Boris Johnson, of course. That quote is taken from today’s column by Rafael Behr in the Guardian. The column is headed: “Boris Johnson is gone, but his toxic Brexit myths will go on”. I’m afraid that is very true. Johnson has both damaged and trivialised British politics , perhaps irreparably.

Behr’s column is well worth reading.

Time Flies…

We can’t quite believe it, but a couple of days ago (the 12th June) marked 25 years since we were married – our Silver Wedding Anniversary. Time is passing far too fast these days.

We celebrated the fact last weekend by inviting friends to join us for dinner at the Hotel Heerlyckheid in Bredevoort. We had packed our dog, Watson, off to the local kennels for an overnight stay so that we could do the same at the hotel.

The evening was a great success, and thanks go to the staff and the chef at the hotel for making it so.

Somehow, given both our ages, I doubt that we will make it to the Golden Wedding, but we can look back on this with pride and satisfaction that a significant milestone was reached.

YouTube and Adverts

I don’t think it’s just me, but I feel sure that adverts on YouTube have become a lot more intrusive than they used to be. These days, I rarely manage to complete watching a YouTube post without adverts, both long and short formats, frequently interrupting the flow.

YouTube also keep trying to push me to subscribe to their YouTube Premium service, but since this costs €11.99 per month – well, I’m damned if I’m going to pay that much. I’ll just continue to curse YouTube and their adverts.

Today, however, I noticed something interesting: they’ve introduced a “YouTube Premium Lite” tier for €6.99 per month. This does not include the YouTube Music service or the ability to download content for offline viewing, so it seems to be aimed specifically at providing an Ad-free experience.

Apparently, Google are testing the waters here; Premium Lite is only available in a handful of European countries.

Well, it is certainly cheaper than Premium, and I am primarily interested in an Ad-free experience, so is it worth it to me?

I pay WordPress €30 per annum to keep my blog Ad-free for my readers. That, I think is acceptable, and all my readers experience this for free. To ask every consumer almost three times that amount to experience an Ad-free YouTube does seem to be pushing things a bit far. I suspect I’ll just continue cursing Google, YouTube and their intrusive adverts.

Uganda – Back to the Dark Ages

Uganda’s President has signed the anti-LGBTQ+ law, which allows the death penalty for homosexual acts and up to 20 years in prison for “recruitment, promotion and funding” of same-sex “activities”.

An appalling act from an appalling President that will damage the lives of innocent people. The witch-hunts will continue and grow in ferocity.

RIP Tina

The force of nature that was Tina Turner has left us. Not only a powerful singer and performer, but she also gave us some great screen roles – Aunty Entity in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, and (my favourite) The Acid Queen in Ken Russell’s Tommy.

I would quibble with her obituary in the Guardian which says “her performance [in Tommy] was one of its few critically acclaimed moments…” Few? What film was the writer thinking of? Ken Russell’s Tommy is a visual tour de force with Ann-Margret giving her all along with Tina…

This tribute from George Miller (the director of Mad Max) gives a better sense of who she was as a person.

The Coronation Concert

I’m in the study pottering behind the computer while Martin is in the living room watching the Coronation Concert for King Charles III on the Beeb. I can hear the sound – and so far it seems to consist of interminable voiceovers telling us how memorable the whole thing is going to be. It sounds as though it’s going to be absolutely dreadful…

Dear god – we’re 20 minutes in and it hasn’t even got under way. Where the f*ck are Charlie and Camilla?

By way of contrast, we watched the Liberation day concert a few days ago which is held each year in the presence of Willem-Alexander and Maxima on a stage by an Amsterdam canal, and many of the audience are in boats. It went like clockwork and was brilliant. Take that, you Brits!

Martin’s given up watching it. Thumbs-down from him. Oh well, it’s Eurovision this week – something to look forward to…

And I’m glancing at the Guardian’s liveblog about the concert, which proves to be much more entertaining than the real thing…

There’s a little slider on the Guardian’s liveblog page marked “Show key events only”. I fear that if I activate it, the whole page will disappear into electronic oblivion…