FuzzyRedPanda

Yep. Google treats their service like television, but it’s not television. We all watch the videos on computers and computers are owned by users and each user gets to decide what their computer does, full stop.

The ad model for youtube will always be circumvented by the fact that our computers can run whatever code we want it to (despite Microsoft’s and Apple’s efforts). If that means that youtube goes subscription only, so be it. If that means youtube can’t sustain itself as a business with ad revenue, then so be it. It would mean that decentralized alternatives gain popularity and it would most likely be to the benefit of everyone who isn’t a corporation.

Youtube has a stranglehold on creativity, open speech, and fair use. Youtube will demonetize a video for saying too many swear words. They’ll demonetize or restrict a video for talking about non-sexual lgbt content. They’ll take down legal and legitimate videos for copyright infringement even though it’s fair use.

Youtube is bad for creators and it’s bad for users.

There are dozens of us!

When the tape drive fails and eats your tape in the process, you better hope you have a second backup or you’ll be crying salty salty tears.

I worked in the service center for a tape-drive manufacturer and I would routinely see the drives we got back for repair. They were often taken apart by the customer in a frantic and desperate attempt to get their cassette out. The cassette was almost always still in there though, with multiple feet of tape snagged and wound around everything.

That’s not cool at all.

Take my angry upvote

Sorry you have to deal with this. I know it wasn’t in your list of options, but you could attend HOA meetings, bring up the internet issue and see if they’ll change the current setup, or you could get elected to an HOA board and start pulling the strings of change. That’s more of a long-term goal though.