In 2024, a user noticed this odd traffic on their local network, took a screenshot of the graph, and posted it to Twitter
After discussing the issue with other Twitter users, the original poster realized that this graph was actually a mistake with their router or something. This reporting software was reporting some other device’s network traffic as being the washing machine’s traffic. The washing machine was actually only using a reasonable amount of data.
Despite this past revelation, in 2026, someone put together a “meme” of sorts comparing the supposed events in that 2024 graph to what people in the past had predicted the future to be.
For whatever reason, that “meme” was put through AI post-processing of some sort. Was the attempt to “upscale” this image after it had been passed around and been automatically compressed down by various platforms? Or was it someone using some newfangled AI-assisted compression technique in an attempt to create a smaller file size than any of the more traditional compression techniques? No idea. Whatever reason was, the image was left with a bunch of nonsense text on the graph portion.
I saw this “meme” and decided to share it here without scrutinizing the text on the graph. As mentioned in my first point, this graph was originally posted years ago, so I was already familiar with it and did not feel the need to read into it in the image I was sharing. I felt safe assuming it was just the same graph that I remember seeing years back.
After users here called out the nonsense text, I just recreated the “meme” from scratch. I grabbed the original screenshot of the graph from Twitter and a stock photo of clouds, and then combined them along with some text so that this is more-or-less the same exact “meme”, just without the AI gibberish.
If they ever sell a smart hammer that measures my impact strength and sends it to some system somewhere for further analysis then I’m giving up building. Let the damn AI build. Why does the world incorporate tech even when it adds nothing to a pre-existing method and drives up the price? Oh…I get it now.
And the typical consumer has no critical thinking skills and also, is ignorant, and very often a moron, and a sucker. People aren’t smart. The appliances are lol. And the people at the top of giant companies have a greed that is insatiable.
You say that, until your hammer data is used to detect improper use, which your employer’s insurance can use to deny a claim.
Or it can be used to void a warranty. Or it could detect G-forces of your commute to work and raise your car insurance rates for hard accelerations. Or a biometric sensor in the handle can tell your boss if you can work another 30 minutes before there is a financially significant risk of heatstroke.
You get the idea, that data is useless, until some hairbrained jackass packages it and sells it’s to an even more unscrupulous asshole.
Though it would be cool to do that and then set up microphones to pick up the house settling sounds and see if there’s a correlation. If only those with the resources to set that up could be trusted to not abuse that access to data because I wouldn’t consent to some data firm having access to mics in my place.
If they ever sell a smart hammer that measures my impact strength and sends it to some system somewhere for further analysis then I’m giving up building. Let the damn AI build. Why does the world incorporate tech even when it adds nothing to a pre-existing method and drives up the price? Oh…I get it now.
Because “data is the new oil.”
Doesn’t matter what that data is, collect it first, and figure out how to sell it later.
And the typical consumer has no critical thinking skills and also, is ignorant, and very often a moron, and a sucker. People aren’t smart. The appliances are lol. And the people at the top of giant companies have a greed that is insatiable.
except this oil is like 99% useless given the current scope of data collection.
You say that, until your hammer data is used to detect improper use, which your employer’s insurance can use to deny a claim.
Or it can be used to void a warranty. Or it could detect G-forces of your commute to work and raise your car insurance rates for hard accelerations. Or a biometric sensor in the handle can tell your boss if you can work another 30 minutes before there is a financially significant risk of heatstroke.
You get the idea, that data is useless, until some hairbrained jackass packages it and sells it’s to an even more unscrupulous asshole.
i wonder why the governments haven’t close this shop given how fucked up this whole thing is… oh wait…
Psssst. They’re “in on it.”
just how fucked up it can get?
Period tracking apps are selling the data of minors to states where abortion is illegal in order to to see if they become pregnant (or un-pregnant).
Need I go on?
Though it would be cool to do that and then set up microphones to pick up the house settling sounds and see if there’s a correlation. If only those with the resources to set that up could be trusted to not abuse that access to data because I wouldn’t consent to some data firm having access to mics in my place.
The products are made to male the owners Roch not benefit the users.