*visits pandora*
'this site is not available in your country yet'
*switches to US VPN server*
'discover new music! '
#fuckyeah

Pandora is awesome! I have Pandora Plus, with about 200 stations to sate my wide ranging tastes in music. Currently chilling to the George Winston station, as I slow down for bed. My only concern is that Sirius XM might screw things up, by meddling. I am not a Sirius XM fan.

There's no good VPN into China, everything is pretty much free if you can get past the Great Firewall

@billgates Would there be a reason to wanna set your vpn server in China?

@Kryptic free music (like Spotify but free and has everything),

free tv, free movies (like Netflix + YouTube + Hulu, but free and has everything),

"free" programs (P2P is mainstream)

Apps, apps, apps... free

Can't download outside China though

It's complete legal and normal, you can have it all... As long as you're​ in China

VPN, One step solution to all Geographical related Internet Problems... XD

Be careful, since about two weeks even streaming content that is "obviously illegal" (and yes circumventing geoblocks apparently makes it obvious) is explicitly illegal. So better use tor if you live in Europe.

@Godisalie I use tor with VPN about full-time :)

@Godisalie illegal where? News source?

@billgates It's been illegal in at least the Netherlands for years now!

@billgates https://ip-watch.org/2017/04/...

Now there is precedent and therefore most judges will probably rule in this direction.

@aayusharyan Except Crunchyroll for some reason.

@linuxxx oh hm.... Circumventing Geo blocks using vpn can be illegal..... Dumb politicians.... When are they going to outlaw Bitcoins?

@billgates Not. It's becoming a valid payment method in multiple chain stores over here.

@linuxxx but it'll be like
circumventing governments' right to taxation and monetary control...

I'm just saying...

@billgates Not entirely sure how they do everything but it's becoming bigger here at least

They'll find a way tax bitcoin, I can guarantee it. Let's say, theoretically, that all your income is in bitcoin, so you decide to not pay income tax, because technically bitcoin is anonymous, and there is no real way of proving you own bitcoin, unless you declare it. Because you are doing really, really well, you buy a nice, big house with pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, private gym, and racquetball court, as well as a yacht, and private plane, and you pay for all of it in bitcoin. The IRS will look at that and say, hmm, you have all this, but you don't pay income tax. Based on the cost of your lifestyle, you have to be earning x amount. You need to pay x amount in taxes, or you'll be charged with tax evasion, and go to prison. That's how they got Al Capone.

@iAmNaN but that's not me, the company based in Sweden, paid for it

@billgates it's still taxable income. I pay taxes on all my benefits, because they have a monetary value, and it's considered part of my compensation, even though the company pays for it.

@iAmNaN I didn't know that... Thought my taxes were just based on money income...

But what if... I don't own the yacht. It's the company's, but they gave me a indefinite lease on it. See here's the contract.

@billgates not sure about that scenario. That's where a high flying tax lawyer comes in.😊 So, the company is paying the taxes then.

@iAmNaN nope cuz it's a expense right? They only pay taxes on the net profit... I think

@billgates Wow that's insane! This whole time I was under the impression that the Chinese Firewalls only kept the Chinese people from accessing websites outside of China. I had no idea that they have an all access pass to media like that! I wonder what would happen if the average Joe(muggles) found out about this wizardry!

@Kryptic It's like Apple except the walled garden has more toys inside than out.

@billgates I'm sure it's taxable. I'm sure there are folks in prison who've tried things like that.