amigomac
4 HN mentions · mentioned in 4 months, 2020–2026
1:38 · 4M views · Aug 31, 2014
A scene from The Sopranos in which two old-school mobsters try to extort a Starbucks and learn that electronic payments leave an indisputable record of sales.
HN posts it jokingly in threads about payments, taxes and cash, as a funny illustration of how digital transactions make low-level shenanigans harder.
4 comments from Hacker News
I am not sure what wiring to different jurisdictions allows you to do, but I was referring to the parallel books for the purposes of underreporting revenue for tax purposes or stealing from other business partners. The card processor always has your sales amounts available so come tax time or audit time, you will not be able to hide revenue, as seen on 1099-Ks. [LINK] This is always a funny video clip about electronic payments making low level shenanigans more difficult. The game nowadays is to do it legally, and getting involved in the political machinery. this video
I don't really know what you're referring to from history, given that this level of technological development and fine-grained agile government/corporate perception/control is a pretty recent phenomenon. Our society isn't really kept in line any longer by force projection from small arms wielded by groups of humans, but rather surveillance tech, dispatchable forces with scaled-up weapons, and the economic advantages of cooperation/specialization. this video
I guess I'm just surprised they even bother trying to mask an obvious shake down under the euphemism "insurance" when it's such a trope. Obligatory Sopranos clip of old school mobsters trying to sell "protective insurance" to a Starbucks: this video
It also has the effect of forcing accurate payment of taxes due to an an indisputable record being created of sales: this video