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This Happened

This Happened - March 11: Earthquake, Tsunami, Nuclear Meltdown In Japan

One of the deadliest earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan occurred on this day in 2011. Following the natural disaster, a nuclear accident occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.


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What caused the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan?

The earthquake was caused by the movement of tectonic plates beneath the earth's surface, specifically the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. The resulting tsunami was triggered by the earthquake, which caused large waves to form and hit the coast of Japan.

How many people were killed in Japan’s earthquake and tsunami?

A total of 15,889 people were confirmed dead and over 2,500 people went missing, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in Japan's history.

What was the Fukushima nuclear disaster?

The disaster resulted in a meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant’s nuclear reactors, causing radioactive materials to be released into the surrounding environment.

How did the Fukushima nuclear disaster impact the rest of the world?

The Fukushima nuclear disaster had significant environmental, health, and economic impacts in Japan and the rest of the world. The disaster led to the displacement of thousands of people and had a major impact on the local fishing industry. It also raised concerns about the safety of nuclear power and led to a global debate about the future of nuclear energy.

How did Japan react to Fukushima?

In the aftermath of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, Japan has taken a number of measures to address the environmental, health, and economic impacts of the disaster. These include decontamination efforts, compensation for victims, and efforts to improve the safety and regulation of nuclear power plants. The Japanese government has also invested in renewable energy sources and efforts to reduce the country's reliance on nuclear power.

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Ideas

Look At This Crap! The "Enshittification" Theory Of Why The Internet Is Broken

The term was coined by journalist Cory Doctorow to explain the fatal drift of major Internet platforms: if they were ever useful and user-friendly, they will inevitably end up being odious.

A photo of hands holding onto a smartphone

A person holding their smartphone

Gilles Lambert/ZUMA
Manuel Ligero

-Analysis-

The universe tends toward chaos. Ultimately, everything degenerates. These immutable laws are even more true of the Internet.

In the case of media platforms, everything you once thought was a good service will, sooner or later, disgust you. This trend has been given a name: enshittification. The term was coined by Canadian blogger and journalist Cory Doctorow to explain the inevitable drift of technological giants toward... well.

The explanation is in line with the most basic tenets of Marxism. All digital companies have investors (essentially the bourgeoisie, people who don't perform any work and take the lion's share of the profits), and these investors want to see the percentage of their gains grow year after year. This pushes companies to make decisions that affect the service they provide to their customers. Although they don't do it unwillingly, quite the opposite.

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Annoying customers is just another part of the business plan. Look at Netflix, for example. The streaming giant has long been riddling how to monetize shared Netflix accounts. Option 1: adding a premium option to its regular price. Next, it asked for verification through text messages. After that, it considered raising the total subscription price. It also mulled adding advertising to the mix, and so on. These endless maneuvers irritated its audience, even as the company has been unable to decide which way it wants to go. So, slowly but surely, we see it drifting toward enshittification.

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