[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Cause, on 28 October 2024 - 07:51 PM, said:

Even CNN now locks behind stories behind a conscription. I prefer to consume my news for free. So it annoys me and just forces to me to find the story elsewhere. However the ability to do so gets harder every day

May have to bite the bullet one day but it's not this day.

If you haven't yet you might want to try right-clicking and selecting "open link in incognito window (Chrome) / open link in InPrivate window (Microsoft Edge)"...

Funny how the Washington Post adopted "Democracy Dies in Darkness" as their slogan and then put up a paywall (or was it already up? I don't remember).

A lot of paywalled news content is made available for free over RSS feeds and in Microsoft Start.

[BK (NTS no politics)]

Starting to get pretty pissed off that this CAT team is still trying to catch these waste of space meth dealers on quads and dirt bikes with vehicles alone…bring in quads of your own and end this shit already!

I very much want to hear/watch the video of me from the drone that tried to stealth bomb me. Shit has to be gold I’m thinking…after an unmarked unit came roaring out the camp ground a few weeks ago I listened to a 2nd start up and come roaring out so I got on the golf cart and parked lightless at the stop sign seconds before it passed and then I kept my eyes on the sky watching their drone change course towards me and go dark as it began its dive. I gave its pilot a thumbs up and a point out to the pipeline where the dirt bike was when it finally stopped 10 ft away in the air. I was staring at it entire time so I’m sure there’s some nice colorful language footage on file.

[Tsundoku]

Briar King, on 08 November 2024 - 05:54 AM, said:

Starting to get pretty pissed off that this CAT team is still trying to catch these waste of space meth dealers on quads and dirt bikes with vehicles alone…bring in quads of your own and end this shit already!

I very much want to hear/watch the video of me from the drone that tried to stealth bomb me. Shit has to be gold I’m thinking…after an unmarked unit came roaring out the camp ground a few weeks ago I listened to a 2nd start up and come roaring out so I got on the golf cart and parked lightless at the stop sign seconds before it passed and then I kept my eyes on the sky watching their drone change course towards me and go dark as it began its dive. I gave its pilot a thumbs up and a point out to the pipeline where the dirt bike was when it finally stopped 10 ft away in the air. I was staring at it entire time so I’m sure there’s some nice colorful language footage on file.

I'm sure it will be on Tiktok soon, no idea about the headline though.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Reckoning with the possible impact of the Trump tariffs on my budget. He can unilaterally enact them (without congressional approval) so they might happen relatively soon after his inauguration, making this the final Black Friday / holiday sale season before 20% tariffs on non-Chinese foreign goods and 60% tariffs on Chinese goods.

Since Apple products are made in China, economists estimate the price of an iPhone may go up by $300. And I was planning on getting an iPhone 16 Pro (16 Pro rather than cheaper models mostly for the better microphone, secondarily for the "Apple Intelligence"---what a stupid dorky name, though it's fitting for the boring crap they've demonstrated---but the AI might also have better video tracking for controlling music software with my lips, tongue, head tilt, hands moving through the air, etc.), because my old iPhone XS Max (which I've been keeping because it's the last model with 3D Touch, which is useful for music) will stop getting new updates in 2025. Seems they don't generally do much in the way of great Black Friday or holiday deals though. However, during Trump's first term he made a deal with Apple to not apply his China tariffs to them. So there's a very good chance they might be able to make a deal with him again (probably just have to pay him a big enough bribe). They could also eventually move production to India or other countries but that would take time and could raise prices during the transition. However it turns out that my XS Max will probably continue receiving security updates for 2-3 years so I can just keep using it. That should hopefully give Apple time to move production and get prices down (and do something more interesting with the AI) or amass a big enough bribe for Trump (or for the Great Orange Blob of Chaos to drop dead...).

So the more pressing concern now for me is music software and hardware. I usually concentrate most of my spending around Black Friday because prices drop by a very large amount (as in, $300 software becomes $30, $900 hardware becomes $450, etc.). Some non-US hardware manufacturers might go out of business. Like the one that produces the unique instrument I've been devoting at least 2 to 5 hours of my life to every day for the last 10 years or so, and declared bankruptcy a few years ago before bouncing back.

One near-term effect of Trump's tariff proposals will almost certainly be to cause a spike in sales of non-US products, especially from China, and a relative plummet in sales of products manufactured in the United States.

Of course I'm hoping Trump will be talked out of doing this, though he'll probably feel obliged to enact some new or harsher tariffs, just because he was going on about them so much---at least unless he manages to extort a trade deal he can claim makes them unnecessary... then again he can claim that without actually doing it and most of his supporters will believe Him.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Emboldened by Trump's triumphant return to power, Republicans in Pennsylvania are already implementing austerity for the greater Philadelphia area by defunding public transit:

Quote

SEPTA will raise fares nearly 30% by January and prepare to shut down dozens of routes after the state legislature declined to approve a funding boost [...]

The measures are expected to cause a 23% drop in ridership and revenues, and lead to a "death spiral" of further fare increases and service cuts that will make public transit "no longer relevant" in Philadelphia and the region

Spoiler

[...] "Dozens of routes will be eliminated, and those that remain would operate with significantly less frequency[...] I'm not just talking about bus routes or even just rail routes. It's everywhere. It's the whole system, every mode, every county we serve, will see cuts."

"We will continue some version of every mode, but … depending on the severity of the cut, some customers just won't be able to use it. And the service that's left behind could be so crowded that there wouldn't be room for everyone. So there's that effect as well, that whatever we put out there would be in such high demand that we would leave people behind," [...]

"My constituents in West and Southwest Philadelphia rely on SEPTA to get to work, school, healthcare, and other essentials. Reliable public transportation is absolutely essential to the economic success of both my constituents and the Commonwealth. I shudder to think about the catastrophic damage that will be done if SEPTA's proposed fare increases and service cuts go into effect," [...]

As a stopgap measure, the Transit Forward Philadelphia advocacy coalition says Shapiro should use his executive authority to shift some federal highway funding to transit[... those interviewed] had not heard about any such plans

SEPTA says it'll raise fares additional 21.5%, shut down some routes

Because real Americans drive cars. Or take Tesla (or Trump?) brand robo-taxis....

Or as rural elected representatives basically put it: why should we give money to those city and suburban folks? (Not explicitly stated (in public), usually: especially all those Black people in down in Philadelphia.)

As someone who hasn't driven a car in years and never learned to ride a bike, I'll be stuck with either walking, taking rare and overcrowded public transit (and then walking), or shelling out for an Uber or other private car service. Granted, I used to take taxis all the time, back when I was blowing through my inheritance and not planning to live past 30, and these online car ordering services seem a bit more convenient. Will be expensive to travel out to the suburbs to visit my elderly parents, who need my help....

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 13 November 2024 - 03:55 PM

[Abyss]

Briar King, on 08 November 2024 - 05:54 AM, said:

Starting to get pretty pissed off that this CAT team is still trying to catch these waste of space meth dealers on quads and dirt bikes with vehicles alone…bring in quads of your own and end this shit already!

I very much want to hear/watch the video of me from the drone that tried to stealth bomb me. Shit has to be gold I'm thinking…after an unmarked unit came roaring out the camp ground a few weeks ago I listened to a 2nd start up and come roaring out so I got on the golf cart and parked lightless at the stop sign seconds before it passed and then I kept my eyes on the sky watching their drone change course towards me and go dark as it began its dive. I gave its pilot a thumbs up and a point out to the pipeline where the dirt bike was when it finally stopped 10 ft away in the air. I was staring at it entire time so I'm sure there's some nice colorful language footage on file.

MOON THE DRONE

you know you want to.

[BK (NTS no politics)]

I actually watch the sky’s now before pulling BK jr out to take a leak while I’m out there at the end of the road watching the show each night..

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 13 November 2024 - 04:04 PM, said:

Briar King, on 08 November 2024 - 05:54 AM, said:

Starting to get pretty pissed off that this CAT team is still trying to catch these waste of space meth dealers on quads and dirt bikes with vehicles alone…bring in quads of your own and end this shit already!

I very much want to hear/watch the video of me from the drone that tried to stealth bomb me. Shit has to be gold I'm thinking…after an unmarked unit came roaring out the camp ground a few weeks ago I listened to a 2nd start up and come roaring out so I got on the golf cart and parked lightless at the stop sign seconds before it passed and then I kept my eyes on the sky watching their drone change course towards me and go dark as it began its dive. I gave its pilot a thumbs up and a point out to the pipeline where the dirt bike was when it finally stopped 10 ft away in the air. I was staring at it entire time so I'm sure there's some nice colorful language footage on file.

MOON THE DRONE

you know you want to.

Briar King, on 14 November 2024 - 01:21 AM, said:

I actually watch the sky's now before pulling BK jr out to take a leak while I'm out there at the end of the road watching the show each night..

FLASH THE DRONE

[BK (NTS no politics)]

https://yarn.co/yarn...ea-97646318eb7e

[Maark Abbott]

Wife lost her job. Her work decided a couple of minor data breaches constituted gross misconduct and they binned her off for it.

I have a feeling they never intended to pass her probation and only made a show of doing it because this way they could make the dismissal legal.

We're fine moneywise for a bit so she's looking for something else, but we've had to put all the house stuff on hold which is causing a lot of stress for me.

[Tsundoku]

Maark Abbott, on 14 November 2024 - 07:43 AM, said:

Wife lost her job. Her work decided a couple of minor data breaches constituted gross misconduct and they binned her off for it.

I have a feeling they never intended to pass her probation and only made a show of doing it because this way they could make the dismissal legal.

We're fine moneywise for a bit so she's looking for something else, but we've had to put all the house stuff on hold which is causing a lot of stress for me.

Sorry to hear that dude, that sucks.

Are you able to elaborate any on what sort of "data breaches" they were?

[amphibian]

If it's in nursing, data breaches are a big deal.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Scrolling through my social media feed... I saw a video that at first I thought was an amusing AI parody of MMA, which turned irritating when it veered into glorifying Trump... then I realized it wasn't AI. It was the real UFC heavyweight championship broadcast.

I hadn't realized just how thoroughly the UFC has become a propaganda engine for Donald Trump. And RFK Jr, and Elon Musk...

Right after Jon Jones lands a beautiful spinning back kick to the ribs to crumple Stipe Miocic---finishing him with a few punches on the ground to win the heavyweight championship, and doing a lewd lackadaisacal little victory dance, pumping his fists by his hips in a way that UFC commentator Joe Rogan interpets as "oh, he did the Trump dance" (but Trump pumps his fists from much higher up, so WTF?)---the camera cuts to a close-up of Trump beaming and clapping. And then behind him in the crowd RFK Jr stands up to give a standing ovation---and bask in the psychological association with the joy and wonder of the moment.

It's tragic to see the one sport I used to love to watch corrupted by Trumpism.

Now that it's become popular and mainstream, it's being used to get young men to vote for Trump. 56% of men between the ages of 18 and 29 who voted voted for Trump.

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 17 November 2024 - 02:45 PM

[amphibian]

The thousands of years of known history of combat sports often hews close to the right wing/fascist sides of governments and people. It's been a rising thing for the last 30 years in this American and global brand of MMA.

Look at Kadyrov and Putin with MMA over there. KSW in Poland. The Brazilian fight promotions with Bolsonaro. Pro wrestling almost everywhere except Japan. These things have been happening for a long time and Trump finds it to be an easy mark to go be "friends" with Vince McMahon and Dana White, scoop up votes, appear "strong" by association, and then continue to screw over workers via shrinking labor protections.

It's an old playbook that looks grimmer and dumber every time it's used, yet lots of people respond to it with singing approaching a visceral level of fanaticism.

It was tough to watch last night -and I did so by illegal stream because putting money into those specific pockets is no longer what I want to do.

[Maark Abbott]

Tsundoku, on 14 November 2024 - 08:20 AM, said:

Maark Abbott, on 14 November 2024 - 07:43 AM, said:

Wife lost her job. Her work decided a couple of minor data breaches constituted gross misconduct and they binned her off for it.

I have a feeling they never intended to pass her probation and only made a show of doing it because this way they could make the dismissal legal.

We're fine moneywise for a bit so she's looking for something else, but we've had to put all the house stuff on hold which is causing a lot of stress for me.

Sorry to hear that dude, that sucks.

Are you able to elaborate any on what sort of "data breaches" they were?

Basically, a couple of emails went to the wrong recipients. She was working customer service complaints; the response was so heavy handed we have to assume they never intended to pass her probation in the first place and did so only because the prior team leader hadn't followed company policy, and they'd left themselves open to legal action. This was it's all 'above board'. In my job, or basically any other, what she'd done would be a written warning at worst for the first instance.

That said she'd not taken it all that badly and she's bounced back quite quickly, so take the positives I guess.

[Mezla PigDog]

0 degrees C outside (I put the C in for the heathens) so obviously the bloody boiler has packed in.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Mezla PigDog, on 21 November 2024 - 10:01 PM, said:

0 degrees C outside (I put the C in for the heathens) so obviously the bloody boiler has packed in.

You heat your homes by boiling blood?

That does sound like a fun newfangled religion... now if only its magical sacrifice (sympathetic to austerity, and other related blood magics?) can control the climate too...

[Mezla PigDog]

The peasants give gladly.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Black water flooding down through my bedroom closet ceiling yet again.

About the same time every month. Probably the same new neighbor dying their hair once a month, and clogging the damn drain every time. Or just letting it overflow onto the floor. (Each time maintenance has claimed they unclogged a drain overhead, but IDK if they really did anything.)

I've lived in this apartment for many years and never had this happen every month.

And I've never before been able to hear the neighbor overhead just walking around above my bedroom. Thumping around. Of course I'd be delighted if it turned out they were a robot. Slowly learning how to dye their hair without causing destruction.

But hey, if there's a gigantic person living over my head, at least their shit isn't flooding down through my bedroom ceiling in the middle of my nightmares... yet.

The worst part of course is waiting for maintenance to come---or not come---at whichever unannounced random time, and random day, they choose---and then breathe and spread their shoe-germs across my apartment. And like as not not tell me when or whether they'll back (or do what they did last month and say they'll be back soon then never return). With the Thanksgiving holiday week on tap who TF knows...

[Garak]

Presidential elections going on. First round is over and it's looking ugly. There's a good chance a anti-EU, pro-Russian fucker might be the next president. Ugh, the future is starting to look more and more grim.