I’ve worked the video game industry and I’ll point out a few things.

Trump was president before, and imposed this tariff before. Console and peripheral prices did not go up. There were specific meetings discussing this, and nobody raised prices.

Not that it necessarily will be the same thing this time around, but look at the current prices of things like PS+ and the PS Pro - before tariff increases - and realize if they want to increase prices on you they just will. They aren’t looking for an excuse.

Additiinally, the amount of shenanigans that transpires with the video game industry is crazy. The amount of PS4 consoles sold in Canada would mean every single household would have 3.5 consoles in it. Spoiler, they don’t, all the consoles were sold into the US at cheaper prices because of the dollar conversion rate. They Gray market is the step child nobody wants to talk about, but they love the added sales numbers. It will continue to exist and balance out the market.

There was a woman who was a retail store manager who just upped and left for the Congo. (Yes, really) Corporate didn’t fire her for a year. (Yes, really)

This sounds like something I would do. So don’t be too scared of losing it, there are others like you out there that would carry on just like you.

I must say though, the romantic in me sees this as a movie or book. Story of your life’s struggles and ups and downs, but the wallet keeps you grounded. You finally make it to visit his grave and a woman walks up, daughter of Arnold. Ends up being the love of your life.

The original zune. The one that could compress all the music of the universe to fit on it’s 30GB drive.

I still have mine in a drawer. I replaced the battery (which is probably dead again) and it lived through my entire family using it.

It’ll start as a feature. When you need gas we’ll automatically show you the cheapest gas stations around you. People will gobble it up.

My hybrid dash is anything but minimal. I have a zillion selections to show me a slew of random things. None of them are an engine temperature reading. So frustrating.

Print out and laminate this entire post.

Plus references that it leads to the answer to the super secret nobody would believe, and untraceable riches to boot.

I agree that there is survivorship bias, but I disagree that its “just” that.

Things are made cheaper today, regardless. There are $400 toasters, but I guarantee that one wouldn’t last as long as a 1950s toaster.

Plumbing fixtures are a better example, as essentially you can’t find one that is equivalent of a 50 year old faucet, no matter the price. They just don’t make them like that.

Electronic components are another factor. First off, we stopped using lead in solder which results in weaker, more brittle connections. They just don’t last as long. True, we have advancements that make components run hotter in certain scenarios (so those connections get more stress) but even disregarding that the fact still stands it’s not as good.

Then we added those electronics into everything to make them “better”. Old washing machines were essentially all mechanical so they would run forever, and be easy to maintain or fix. Now they have computers running them that are designed to not be fixed.

Its hard to find a company today that wants to make a good product. They just want to make one that is good enough. Our culture has shifted to that mindset. Things don’t last as long, so we switched to a disposable mindset.

I remember when the EGAs came about. Damn, it was like stepping into the future. But I didn’t have a color monitor so it didn’t matter. I was probably more envious than your friend.

“Most” is optimistic. I don’t have statistical information proving otherwise, but anecdotally I am not so sure. A big company like Disney with their own team of IT and official policies and this still happened is exhibit A.

Prefect. It can click buttons and complete tasks.

No sir, I did not accept your terms and conditions, my browser did.

I’m with you on the philosophy of tech freedom, which is why I’m back to trying Linux again. So yeah, we’ll take that journey together.

I just think its over simplified by most, and I guess I got the wrong impression of you by your 15 minute comment.

I’ve seen multiple people recently post something like, I’ve switched to Linux and can never go back…but I hated it for a year. That makes so much sense to me, and I just feel that most Linux users leave off the learning curve part, and just gloss over to fully knowledgeable use.

So many people just don’t have the time or energy to just jump into something new. I’ve been using windows for 30 years, and learned a lot along the way. Its going to be tough to learn Linux without daily usage and experimentation (and totally screwing stuff up). That’s a tough pill for most people to swallow.

Worrying about learning an new OS isn’t as simple as you make it. It takes time, dedication, and will power to work through the pain points.

Most Linux users give answers like “just use Linux” but it’s not that simple. Yes, it’s easier to switch these days because more and more apps are browser/cloud based. But technically a chrome book would be an easier switch if that’s the mentality.

I “use” my PC. I don’t simply check email and go on Facebook. I’m currently trying Linux for probably the 4th or 5th time. It’s easier to get into these days, but it still functions completely differently than Windows, as it should.

For example, It took me at least an hour to figure out how to partition and mount a drive. There’s some not so clear information out there so finding the right info wasn’t as easy as it should be. OK no big deal, now I know, but I don’t necessarily want to chase answers like that every time I use my computer.

Lastly, I’ve never accepted using Wine as a work around for unsupported programs. OK, maybe if you have 1, but not if you have 6. That’s not an acceptable solution when your needs scale up like that. And I have many. I’m not going to 100% get away from Windows. It sucks, but it’s reality.

I don’t think anything is un-addictable (making up words here). I do agree that the social media mindset and fedi are not compatible though, basically because of the algorithm concept.

At the end of the day I hate all social media because they feed me what they think I want to eat. Regardless of how well they do that I hate the concept because I want to decide for myself what I want to partake in. Fedi allows that without getting in my way.

I’m interested to see how they handle customer service. The article points out shipping as a big part of Amazon’s success but customer service and return have been too. Point being, I’d rather order some random no name brand shirt from amazon because I know I can easily return it if the fit isn’t right. Will amazon push this service on the vendor? Sort of like the eBay model.

None. I don’t engage enough for it to be an issue. I also know how to move on with real life if things get spicy (which happened on Reddit a lot).

I tried a handful, and the one I liked best is Thunder. There were aspects I liked about Voyager too, but Thunder was set up better in my opinion.

They already grabbed the data when you gave them access to your contacts with their current model.

That’s what confuses me, I’m not seeing what their benefit is in this. They have one, and I’m sure it’s nefarious, but I don’t see it.

Sow doubt. As in spreading it like seeds to take root and grow. 100% in agreement with you, just being a grammar Nazi. Carry on.