How companies die.

To use xbox live, you had to create a windows live account (which I think is now called a Microsoft account). I never did manage to use the one I used on my zune, which would have been a problem if I'd ever bought content from Microsoft, but then they discontinued the zune and the problem became moot.

For the last four months, they've been insisting I give them new ways to contact me. I gave them a backup e-mail address (laboriously typed with the on screen keyboard). Then they wanted a phone number. For months, I didn't give it to them. You can still sign in without it, you just have to trick it every single time you want to watch netflix.

Today, I gave in and gave them my google voice number. They texted me a code, which I entered on the xbox. But then I have to sign in to my account on my PC as well. I don't remember my password, so I have them send me a new code. On the phone number I just gave them. That resets the password-- only they won't accept my first password because I've used it before. Could companies please distinguish between "this password is stale and needs to be changed for security reasons" and "I forgot my password, reusing the old one is actually a sign of success"?

Then I sign in, and because I'm "attempting to access sensitive information", they have to send me another code, this time to my e-mail address. Which is linked to a different account than my google voice number, so I have to sign in with that.

Then I go to the app I actually want, amazon video, which won't play because it needs an update. It signs me out to update, then can't sign back in because I've changed my password.

YOU'RE A MULTIBILLION DOLLAR COMPANY WHY CAN YOU NOT DESIGN A BETTER WORKFLOW TO PROTECT A THING I MANIFESTLY DO NOT CARE ABOUT.

So no, I will not be renewing my xbox gold live subscription. I will be taking my chromecast and fucking off.

Not sure if racist...

UK anti-forced-marriage charity is recommending girls who are flying to their parents' countries of origin and believe they'll be forced to marry place spoons in their underwear, so they will trigger a private security screening, where they will be able to tell an authority figure . Not to take a pro-forced-marriage position, but I have several problems with this.


1. Then what? Is an accusation of planned forced marriage sufficient for the girls to emancipate themselves? Is there financial and support available for girls who do so?

2. Even if that exists, how much proof does it require? How sure does the girl have to be? If I suspect my parents are the kind to force me to marry, but they haven't said anything about this particular trip being The Trip, what do I do?

3. The charity is named Karma Nirvana, two things that don't really have anything to do with their stated mission of preventing forced marriages and honor-based abuse. I was going to suggest something really unkind about this being a straw charity designed to disparage Muslims, but I looked it up and the CEO has a Muslim-Punjabi name. So maybe I should just shut up now.