Can I post more than one image at a time? Share your wisdom!!! SHARRRREEEEE

Always welcome!

Happy to help! I’ve been through the process several times for myself, and family members, and it’s never been very clear or easy to navigate the process. For example, the initial issuance of a passport does start with an in-person visit, but you basically need a federal employee to say, “yes, this is the right packet of information,” then it’s shipped off to central processing. Subsequent issuance can be done with out the in-person visit, but requires you to send in the old passport, along with any supporting forms/documents.

Exactly. “This sux,” is not the same as “it’s a TRAP,” hence the accusation of trolling.

It’s a small step from “robotic guard dogs,” to “armed robotic guard dogs.”

https://fortune.com/2026/03/17/robot-dog-patrols-data-centers-ai-infrastructure-buildout/

Saying “it feels like a trap” is what prompts the comments about trolling. “This is dumb,” or “this is regressive and adds a tax on poor people who want to get a passport, requiring them to spend money to get copies,” are legit complaints. Some kind of nefarious plot? Unlikely in the extreme.

Yes. You need to send in a packet of information. The issuance of a passport isn’t done locally.

I mean, I like that you’re attempting to troll, but it kind of falls apart with a simple internet search for “state certified birth certificate copy,” if that’s the “physical document to prove your citizenship,” you’re talking about.

While I agree with the general sentiment that civil servants shouldn’t be political, getting selected as the head of a department, or the leader of an organization has significant political overtones. Mind you, my understanding of the role is directly related to the TV series “Yes, Minister,” so there’s likely to be a few gaps.

I see headlines like this and think, “oh, haha. The onion has done it again.” Then I read the actual source, and get sad.

I didn’t think about the topic of storing them well. Like so many things, they just exist in the same space that I do (in the house), and that’s probably better than a shed or the garage.

I had a conversation, recently, about how some of the practical skills makers (like knitting and crochet) are offering more lessons on DVD, so that they can actually monetize their work, rather than letting YouTube feed them a drip. At one point, the per-publication video delivery platforms were fantastic, but I find myself wanting to get those lessons on DVD, and then rip them to my own media server. As people point out DVD’s aren’t “forever,” but honestly, nothing is. At least with the content on DVD, I have a chance of keeping the media.

Well, almost all “new” media is just repackaging the “old” media to make a buck off of a combination of nostalgia and a pivot to a different platform. No one will care because no one will feel compelled to watch the fourth or fifth reboot of Harry Potter.

Heck, even death is hella expensive.

All the while claiming that they’re doing what they should and satisfying the letter of their remit.

“Investigation” should be “looks left, looks right, sees obvious conclusion.”

Less “reduce the number,” and more “make the poor more tractable.” The rich still need human carpet to walk on, they just need it to be uneducated, fecund, and desperate to get under their feet.

Are there any online spaces that aren’t filled with bots and clankers?

I guess that’s one way to get taller.