I’m still rockin an S9+! The only issue is that my headphone jack is now gaped and will no longer retain any headphones. I’m currently using a USB-to-3.5mm adapter, but it was nice to be able to distribute the load when they were both available. I’m not sure a single USB-C port would have held up for 7 years if it was doing both jobs full-time.

I’d have to travel to Turkey and get a hair transplant first ☹️.

Libertarianism and authoritarianism are opposite ends of the same spectrum. If two hypothetical societies are heavily authoritarian and equally so, then they are both authoritarian. Libertarianism emphasizes personal autonomy and individual freedom. It is by definition non-authoritarian. Libertarian concepts extend from the left to the right.

I’d personally rather align more with libertarianism than authoritarianism. But hey, different strokes for different folks.

I don’t understand why you think that is a contradiction. You both agree there’s a spectrum between the two. Technically, if you’re not 100% authoritarian you have a greater-than-zero alignment with libertarianism.

Now, if you’re trying to say landing somewhere in the middle of the spectrum means you’re neither, then I tend to agree with you (labels suck). However, I’d take it a step further and say that nobody is going to be the 100% perfect embodiment of either end of the spectrum, and therefore, no true authoritarian or libertarian exists. I think, to say either one of you is wrong is just arguing semantics.

I’m not sure how your theoretical post serves any purpose beside setting up a strawman. This hasn’t been about inventing fake stories, but instead, about dangling a very real carrot in front of the new US president.

It’s not a Jedi mind trick to suggest that if Trump can be easily manipulated, those who care should try to influence him towards good. It doesn’t matter if “being good” is Trump’s desire or not. I absolutely agree with Maggoty that Trump would love being credited as a peacemaker, and I think his ego can drive him to want to fulfill that role.

That’s why I didn’t want Trump, and why I am attempting to talk sense into people…

That’s neat, but professing how much you didn’t and still don’t want him isn’t going to do anyone any good at this point. Trump is going to be sworn in next week regardless. Articles like this one from The Guardian are significantly more helpful at influencing a better path forward than constant doomerism. I would absolutely love it if Trump can find any success in the peacemaking process.

So no, you’re saying he can’t be influenced through this kind of flattery. I think you’re giving him too much credit. This guy flip-flopped on a Tik Tok ban just because he started getting followers. He’ll flip on anything if he thinks it will make him popular.

Speaking of popularity, pro-Palestinian viewpoints are extremely popular amongst US youth. I don’t agree with you that this is the unpopular viewpoint. Many news outlets are even claiming a Tik Tok ban is being used to silence majority pro-Palestinian opinions. Like others here, I think it’s crazy to believe he won’t be influenced through this kind of coverage. Furthermore, it would be a shame if Trump’s fragile ego wasn’t taken advantage of in this instance to help bring an end to the genocide. Unfortunately, it seems like some people would rather have the killing continue than manipulate Trump through the mere suggestion that he can bring peace.

To be clear, you don’t believe that Trump, the guy famous for being easy to manipulate by stroking his ego, would be influenced by grandiose titles like “peacemaker”?

I wouldn’t pay this guy too much attention. It seems like an obvious troll account. It’s 11 days old and spewing out comments at nearly one a minute. They talk down to anyone mentioning the CEO shooting while claiming “nothing will improve until the rich fear for their lives” in other posts. It’s clear they’re just trying to stir up shit.

Are you serious? I’m celebrating the actions of protesters in all my comments in this thread. People throw paint on Taylor Swift’s plane and I tell them good job. People spray contaminants into the facilities of those supporting war crimes and I cheer.

Meanwhile, you warn against organizing while blaming others for being anti-protester. Once again I’m going to accuse you of projection. You’re an 11-day old account posting every few minutes and blaming others for exactly what you’re doing. I’m tagging you as a troll account because it’s obvious that’s what you are.

What are you even talking about? What I’m saying is, if you’re committed to vandalizing something, you can target those working against your cause. It’s baffling that you made this jump to murdering CEOs in a discussion about vandalism.

E: Lol, I clicked on your profile and your latest comments are calling for CEOs to fear for their lives. It’s obvious now you’re doing some projecting.

Sure, I expect a non-zero number of people whined about it. However, that article doesn’t mention any. Good on those protesters.

They could attack the actual guilty parties. I remember a group recently getting on a roof of a manufacturing building, for a company who sold weapons to Israel, and sprayed stuff inside to contaminate their cleanrooms and production areas. That’s pretty rad.

Edit: I had trouble finding an article with video of the roof breach, but I did find a longer video than what was previously posted, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqjdfT5IaOE

I’ve been very happy with GPT4All. It’s open source and privacy-focused by running on your own hardware. It provides a clean GUI for downloading various LLMs to chat with.

I think they were making a pitch for piracy.

Businesses who have a Raspberry Pi built into the BOM of an existing system design will continue to pay.

I wasn’t sure at first either, but:

THE INFORMATION ON THE WEBSITE IS FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTED PARODY, REPRESENTS PERFORMANCE ART, AND IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.

https://enron.com/pages/terms-of-use

Me too buddy

For sure, I recognize I have some privileges. This includes the paid-time-off allotted to me by my US employer. However, just like the majority of people, the level of privilege is a mixed bag. With heart complications this year, I managed to max out my health insurance deductible a few months before the end of the year. Unfortunately, instead of covering the full cost of the remaining procedures my doctor requested, the insurance provider decided to reject all of my claims after the deductible. Surely, this is not privilege.

As you said, we should have real conversations about the issues we face. My original comment was to reject the unfair premise of the OP, which purposely chose an above-average vacation paid for by a European company and compared it to a significantly below average US vacation, that coincidentally needed to be fully spent on medical recovery. By providing an opposite and personal US-based example, instead of a biased generalization, I hoped these flaws will be more evident.

Furthermore, I do appreciate your willingness to engage in honest conversation. Your responses did lead me to do some research on actual attempts to make progress with paid-time-off minimums. For the lurkers, the most recent attempt is The Protected Time Off Act, introduced to congress in March of 2024. This would provide a two-week minimum paid leave, accruing after 60 days of employment. Please write to your representatives if you want to see this become law.

Also, for those looking for a solid career without an overpriced college degree, look in into local manufacturing. Stuff is made everywhere, and smaller manufacturers are more likely to value internal experience and, in my opinion, treat their employees well. At my employer it’s not unusual for machine operators to get promotions into technician positions (because they know the machines and processes). For the same reason, it’s not unusual for technicians to enter engineering roles (we design most of our machines in-house).