Technically this is an aspic, you heathen. ;-)

Thankfully the price of my YT free account is still only the cost of everything I’ve ever written in email or a web browser so all good 👍

Nonces and muzzies! Terrifying!

this is what pulp fiction was made for.

These conspiracy pushers. It couldn’t possibly be THEIR fault.

I hate these, too. I decided to put a compact computer in our bedroom (already a bad plan, I know) to quickly check the security camera at night (I rolled my own, no phone app). I plugged in a mouse I had laying around. I discovered the first night when this particular mouse does not have its custom drivers installed (gimme a break, this is Raspbian not Windows!), it freaking blinks, and in the dead of night it’s as bright as a flashlight. Blink. Blink. All night long. I never noticed before because, wackily enough, I rarely compute in complete darkness.

I also have a USB desk fan I thought I might run at night and yes, it has blinky lights when charging. F that, I bought an old Caframo Dragonfly instead… best compact fan ever made, first produced in the 1950s.

fire-breathing dragons, they are!

I think I could get away with this at my office, as long as I didn’t bring a shepherd’s crook.

I really enjoyed hearing “enshittification” in the voice of Ian McKellen as Gandalf in my mind 👏👏

you live a couple blocks from me, don’t you?

I am a dull and simple lad, but I’ve held a belief ever since Musk purchased Twitter he did it to wreck the platform. I’m still undecided if he’s just looking to liquidate its assets, or drive off reasonable users so he can turn it into his personal soapbox.

Spot on. the placebo effect is powerful and very likely plays a role in both scenarios.

Often I have supposed really expensive cables improve things just because it was time to replace cables already, or the connection was janky to begin with because the budding audiophile is upgrading from bare wire connectors to banana plugs.

Hats off, that’s both an argument for the use of third party apps and for eliminating third party apps at the same time…

It’s taking some time to get over the withdrawal, but despite the fact I really liked some subreddits, staying off has become the best internet habit-related choice I’ve ever made. The low signal-to-noise ratio you mention is one big factor. The other is I needed some obstacles to ease of use to make my choices more deliberate. I have found alternatives, sure. But now I spend maybe a tenth of the time on social media that I used to when I was redditing every day.

Definitely Fall for me. It’s a great time of year if you’re a gardener- finally seeing the literal fruit of your labors. The fall festivals are fun and the weather is typically perfect for a street fest. Mosquitoes die at some point so great for get togethers with a small- or large- fire. Plus I confess I am fond of winter being a birdwatcher and loving the snow when I don’t have to drive in it. So the expectation during Fall makes me pretty psyched.

Seconding Michigan. We live in MO and loved MI so much it’s now an annual trip. We love the Crystal Lake area and it’s a great springboard for a trip to the UP and Canada.