VLC...have yourself a VEXING LITTLE CHRISTMAS

VLC. It stands for VEXING LITTLE CHRISTMAS.

Just in case I didn't know, despite...assholes walking around in Santa hats, every store playing irritating shit like "Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," sidewalks blocked by fuckheads selling chopped-down trees...the bozos at VLC wanted to make sure I was aware it was CHRISTMAS TIME.

Here I am, trying to watch some AMUSEMENT. I click the great VLC app, but...suddenly the logo changes!

WHAT THE FUCK?

From the normal traffic cone, it's now got a fucking SANTA HAT. "Hey, here's a reminder...it's CHRISTMAS!"

You know the first reason why this is creepy. Who needs yet ANOTHER season's grating? And why is VLC assuming that everyone on the planet is a fucking Jesus freak? Aren't they afraid of enraging fanatical Islamic extremists with this shit?

Only when I quit VLC did the logo return to normal.

Now, the second reason this is so vexing is...it's done without my permission. I had no idea VLC was monitoring my computer. Most apps, you download 'em and that's that. They aren't still connected to the mother ship. What else are these evil aliens of VLC doing? Spying on me? Using some advanced, undetectable "cookie" to beam up all kinds of info on what I have on my computer and what I've been watching?

Do they pass this along to GOOGLE or some government agency?? Is there some "preferences" thing I can check or uncheck to stop this? Some app I should be using beyond "Little Snitch" to make sure fucking Internet companies are minding their own business and not mine?

What are they going to do on New Year's Eve when I go to watch something? Blow my fucking computer up entirely with a special "make the computer suck up enough electricity to produce fireworks and then an explosion" trick?

Thanks, VLC, for the little clue...that you are somehow controlling aspects of my computer from your mysterious asteroid or hemorrhoid on some spy cloud.