They can’t see you, the same way you can’t see a 2D object.

Stop, you’re scaring me.

Only slightly higher chance that they actually get to market too… Fingers crossed for 2025.

It’s probably a bit of both here. We didn’t have the “disposable” lifestyle 50 years ago that we have now, and a stronger push for efficiency and features has had trade-offs in complexity and reliability.

Example: My current dryer (and my dad’s new dryer) both have a lot more plastic in them. The motors are smaller, and quieter, while making the same power (or more). They are loaded with temp, humidity, weight and wobble sensors, and my dryer has 4 dials, 5 different temperatures, and 2 different modes. The old one, had a dial to control the heat, and a timer.

As for disposable, I think older generations had an expectancy that you would buy an appliance once or twice in your life. I’ve got a 1000 dollar poket shit-posting device that I’m going to get rid of because it is pushing 4 years old. We just accept that these devices are uneconomical to repair, and we toss them out. I think the only things American’s bother to fix anymore are cars, and that’s going away because every year, they get harder and more expensive to repair.

I usually buy Asus for computers, and I go for a mid-range business model with dedicated graphics. They’re cheaper than the gaming counterparts, still have good specs, and they are much more reliable and easy to work on.

Had a secondhand Alienware, circa 2017, and that thing looked nice, but it was heavy, bulky, and you had to remove the back cover, drives, battery, WiFi antenna, and a bezel just to swap the CMOS battery. But that’s everything Dell IMHO.

Fun fact. The guy that made this was the “forensic expert” that claimed he could detect bamboo fibers in ballots in Georgia and Arizona. The GOP tried to put him in charge of their investigation.

Gotta have one from 30 years ago. My dad’s secondhand Maytag dryer survived 4 moves, and 35 years. We had it serviced twice in that time. First time was at 30 years. It stopped running because it filled up with pocket change. Some of the coins were polished almost completely flat. Second time, the heat quit working. Bought a new dryer after that. It’s going strong, but it’s got a long way to go just to be half as good.

I love hearing other languages in the US. It reminds me of the lofty ideals that were taught to me as a child. The Great Melting Pot, Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses, E Pluribus Unum and all that.

I hate that there is a significant portion of the population here that violently believes that English is the only language here.

All spiders (and tarantulas) are venomous.

Whether or not the venom is medically significant to humans… That varies by species.

All scriptures, equal space for each scripture, same font (not necessarily same size) same colors.

Also need to leave some space for new religions/scriptures. It’s only fair.

Ghoul in the streets, feral in the sheets.

Left the market a few years ago. Sorry bud. I wanted to get the Wing, but grabbed a OnePlus 9 Pro instead. No regrets.

No. That’s (almost) all Samsung devices. They make decent screens and camera sensors though…

Yep. Biggest disappointment about the 2008 crisis was that all the people who caused it were able to go back to work and start doing it all over again

I say, if you crash the global economy, you ought to be relegated to fast food service for the rest of your life.

Screw that, turn off the oxygen if it isn’t their turn.

A second password would not be 2FA, it would just be two passwords.

2 Factor refers to 2 different ways of proving your identity. Something you know (your password) and something you have (your phone). You can also get dedicated 2FA devices, they look like a little USB drive with a screen, but honestly, they are more of a pain to deal with than your phone, and most 2FA systems do not have support for all the different brands and devices.

Identity is a construct, and it absolutely can be stolen.

No 2FA on an account these days is like having a fucking bead curtain for a front door.

Kickback congress for 1% of those fees.

Personally, I’d prefer a monthly fine for unfilled housing, that is based on the rate you are charging for it. Landlord wants to jack your rent up 20%? If you leave, they pay a fine, based on that amount until they fill the unit. The fines go to subsidizing housing costs, so there is a self-balancing system. Right now, with property values increasing at insane rates, owners don’t really need to rent to break even, which leaves them free to price gouge their tenants. There is little pressure pushing rates back down, and there is all the freedom in the world to jack them up as high as you want.