Same, I had been on android since the OG Droid and switched around the same time for similar reasons.

If Apple is going to charge premium prices just to splash ads on their products I’m moving on again.

I’ve only owned windows machines… well since my first DOS machine in the 90s. I made the switch to Mac after hearing about the embedded Ads in 11.

I’m sure there are many more going to Linux.

It depends upon the setting and what you want. Showing up to a McDonalds shift in a suite and tie trying to get the CEO job. Not so much.

Showing up to your first office job and meeting with your bosses in a nice polo or button down shirt and slacks looking professional, yes. It signals you are eager and want to succeed. Which will go a long way.

Of course you still have to put the work in. But your boss will be more likely to give you more training/work/promotions if they know you want to learn and work over someone who doesn’t give a shit.

No, no… just hear me out… at this point as an American. Perhaps we merge America with Canada instead of Canada with America.

Free healthcare, poutine, learning French in school, the Metric system. I can sign on to that.

This is a MASSIVE money grab. Instead of paying up front and outright owning the equipment. Governments will now rent equipment and Infinitum. They will pay for that tank, ship, fighter etc multiple times over the lifetime of that equipment.

You also won’t have old equipment that can be just given away or sold at a discounted rate to allies or friends like Ukraine when an emergency occurs.

I’ve had Windows machines since Windows 3.1, when it was time to start looking at buying a new machine to run Windows 11 I noped once I saw the Ads etc. etc.

This year I bought a Mac for the first time.

AI hype is papering over the bullshit economy that exists underneath it all. Only a handful of companies make up most of the gains in the past few years of the stock market. If you take that away the market has been pretty flat. Which reflects the reality for most people.

I don’t buy civ games until they release all the DLC. Since CIV 5 it seems like they have released unfinished games that lack major game mechanics on launch and the game only gets finished through DLC.

Poor adoption and sales with CIV 7 is their own fault. They have conditioned the market to wait for the DLC.

40+ years of Right wing propaganda and a hollowing out of our education system?

It’s simultaneously a grift and a way to impose a flat sales tax all in one package.

1. Republicans have been creaming their pants for years at the thought of imposing a regressive flat tax on all sales while doing away with income based taxation. This would forever shift the majority of the tax burden to the poor and middle class. Which is why we see Trump cutting taxes on the wealthy with his Big Ugly Bill and imposing a tariff as a way to tax the unwashed masses while simultaneously claiming he isn’t. Hopefully the courts strike down his power grab and force Congress to vote on Tariffs. The weasels will probably give it to them but at least we get to see Republicans go on record as voting for a tax increase.

2. Trump has announced or will announce tariff exemptions that benefit large companies that have donated to him. Sometime later if he feels he needs more money he will announce a higher random tariff on the exempted goods and shake these corps down for more money/favors. All the while he can claim he is doing our industry a favor.

Never forget Trump is a grifting piece of shit who will always stick it to the little guy.

The only justice you can find in America is the justice you can create with your own hands.

No argument here, a corrupt asshole is still a corrupt asshole no matter what they make think of themselves.

But because they can genuinely believe whatever bullshit comes out of their mouth others have no problem buying into it as well.

Trump cheats, lies, rapes and steals. But I don’t think HE consciously thinks of anything he does as cheating, lying, raping and stealing.

People don’t tend to want to think of themselves as the bad guy. So they make up excuses to justify their behavior.

I worked for a small company and traveled with the owner frequently. Somehow we got on the subject of bonuses for the sales staff and he told me he often finds ways of reducing their bonus if they ever got a massive deal because they are salespeople and they would just waste the money and hurt themselves… In his mind he was responsible enough to handle the money rather than waste it. I’ve encountered similar altitudes and behaviors with more than a few business owners and wealthy people I’ve encountered. They hide behind many excuses for bad behavior.

The only reason Trump is scared is he knows how his base will see this.

Reicht Wingers: Hey birthday rates in the US are plummeting!?!?

Tech Bros: Let’s make 20 and 30 somethings work 72 hours a week!

Reicht Wingers: Genius!

Intel is at deaths door. You just need a gentle push…

Look up ASTS. They do satellite communications with better technology. Only 5 satellites to cover North America instead of the massive constellation Starlink requires.

They have contracts with the major NA cell services and contracts in place for other regions once they launch more satellites.

The Big Beautiful Bill isn’t really a tax cut. It is mostly comprised of deferred taxes. They only slashed a trillion from the budget. The rest is financed through increased debt.

The BBB will add over 3 trillion to the deficit which the public will pay one way or another.

Either higher taxes down the road, increased inflation or through higher interest rates… Most likely a combination of all three. But it will be paid.

You’re looking at it completely wrong.

Fundamentally it doesn’t matter if you are a good person. Even the nicest most moral of us are sinners in the eyes of Christians.

What matters is that you are forgiven by god for your sins. Even if you lie, cheat, steal, murder, commit adultery etc. Going to church and being absolved of your sins makes you a good person and welcome by god.

The worst people I have met are Christians for this very reason. They believe they have been absolved of their wrongs in the eyes of god and you have not.

Why wait?

Some people exist to serve as an example to others…