Opsec works both ways. They shouldn’t be publicizing this so that they can keep bombing Russians that are dumb enough to give away their positions.

Once I retire and no longer need Windows for work I am switching full time to Linux.

You’re not wrong. But my guess is that “autism predates Tylenol” is probably gonna convince more people than “large controlled study done by the Swiss”. People are generally really ignorant

In the abstract I agree with you. The problem is that this administration has implemented this with absolutely no plan, no consultation, no protocols for implementations and no way to transition. To do what you suggest requires years of deliberate planning and funding of sciences so that there is continuity as the nation builds its domestic STEM workforce. Which by the were ALL THINGS NSF was studying and implementing before the administration gutted them.

Can’t speak to IT but this will absolutely destroy the sciences. Americans are generally not interested in STEM and a large number of the scientific workforce in universities and industry are foreigners that have obtained their PhDs in the US and are staying for postdoctoral fellowships or industry positions.

Thanks!

Some more clarification - I plan to spend significant time overseas in a country to remain unnamed. This phone will be my daily driver in that country with a local number. I will likely get a prepaid US number for this phone as well. But I will also be traveling back and forth. I do not expect to have any important info on this phone but I am not looking for a bottom of the barrel true throwaway burner. Looking for a decent midrange phone. My risk tolerance tops out at $500 hence thinking about the pixel 9a but there may be better suggestions cheaper and/or used.

I can’t use US sim locked models because I will be using it internationally. So it also has to be unlockable/unlocked and support international LTE/5G bands.

Note I said semi burner. I’m not looking for a true burner phone, just one that if lost/confiscated it would not be devastating. $499 is the top end of what I am willing to risk since I deem the risk of it happening as low but nonzero.

Sure but I still need a recommendation for a model 😂

The only drawback for induction is for wok tossing. Western cooking prefers to have heat evenly distributed across a flat bottomed pan where Asian wok cooking prefers a concentrated heat source at the bottom of a round wok to have a gradient of heat. There are curved induction surfaces designed for wok cooking but they are very niche and not widely available, even in Asia.

Whatever you decide to do, do NOT skimp by buying cheap tools. Buy the best quality tools you can afford.

To an extent I agree that we should find ways to lower barriers to tech for elderly citizens. I think that in this country the sad reality is that limited finances will be directed to other priorities like food and shelter. When disaster strikes then these vulnerabilities become clearly exposed.

Old people have lots of difficulty with technology. Not all of it is because they are luddites. They lose mental faculties as they get old and have trouble remembering how to do things. Their eyesight gets bad so they can’t read tiny screens. I’ve always felt that there is a market for bonded employees to provide tech concierge services for old folks that have difficulty navigating things in the modern world.

Mice are omnivores like us. That said, just because something is bad for a mouse doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad for humans.

stuck nail houses 釘子戶 may apply in limited situations but there is no such thing as land ownership in China. When you purchase real estate in China you are buying the right to use the land for a period of time (I think it’s 80 years but don’t quote me on that number, I’m going off memory here) but the state owns the land. When the party wants to build something they are going to build it.

Look to public transit development in Taiwan as an example of how to do it right in a democratic nation. There are still loads of problems but the Taiwanese government can’t just take your land outright. Taipei especially has seen phenomenal growth in its metro development in the last 20 years.

It helps that in China you can’t own land. All the land is owned by the government. You only have “use rights” and for a limited time (something like 80 years - I forget the exact number). So when it comes time to build infrastructure the government just tells you to gtfo.

I have found that: it’s easier if you stick to one (major) distro such as Debian or its derivatives, and try to stick to that distro’s package system (in this case, apt). Yes there is a learning curve. But once you learn it, you find that Linux gets easier to use. But more importantly, it gets more POWERFUL to use. I agree with your assessment that Linux is not beginner friendly but it is USER friendly in that it empowers the user. But yes you do have to put in a little work first.

He is the goddamn president. He doesn’t get weekends.

How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man?