The companies - and the patent-holders - should absolutely be held accountable. If it’s a tax, it’s legal to hurt people for a fee. There should absolutely be accountability for destroying lives, not fixed costs of doing business. The VICP is an evasion of justice for the benefit of corporations. It needed to be eliminated from day 1.

If this is Edison, NJ, there’s far worse than a little invasiven fruit in that river.

I get that completely.

I mean, that sucks, but that’s not the end of the world. You can still communicate with her, and either of you can emigrate.

I use Mint, with Cinnamon. It looks like Windows, and 99% of the time works like it too. The only issue I have is the lack of good small accessibility tools, and the difficulty of using arbitrary executables. It’s easy to use, and it works reliably.

The more Windows-like an OS is, the happier I am to use it. Note that Win11 is not very Windows-like in my view. It cuts out power user functions and adds so much useless bloat and tracking that I don’t want to ever touch it. If I ever have to, outside of work, the first day or six will be spent with the thing offline, basically deleting out half of the OS and remodeling the half that’s left.

That was my life. Then I found a woman who loves me. I have a lot to rebuild, sure. I was badly affected by the lockdowns and the depression they caused. I don’t think it’s hopeless, but I realize that the chapters of my life ahead will be far simpler and more isolated than those behind.

You’re right, it’s like WWE, “sports entrainment” - after all, it’s all scripted and they have to sell taking a dive while getting paid.

In functional reality, I’ve lived in the same place all my life. In technical terms I’m less than 5 miles from the hospital where I was born.

I’m determined to be the short side of the 50 mile average.

I wish this didn’t hit so close to home.

Well, it’s not like I’m hiring a PI or anything. The only difference is whether or not I’ll read his books. And since I believe strongly in the death of the author, and also in public libraries, he’s not making any money off me either way.

I just think his post and the way he said it puts him in a very bad light. As an author, he should be better able to convey his tone.

Honestly, it’s not like I’m ever planning to vote Democrat again either. After the devastating impact that Murphy, Cuomo, Baraka, and de Blasio had on my life, I’m not going to support their team. I’ll vote third party, or choose not to cast a ballot.

Here’s hoping that everyone who had the sense to walk away stays away until at least the midterms, and preferably 2028 (assuming there are any elections, and “You don’t have to vote anymore” gets delayed).

There are two approaches: Pink Mohawk and Black Trenchcoat.

Black Trenchcoat says no one should know you were there.

Pink Mohawk says that if there are no survivors, no one can know you were there.

Both are considered stealth.

Given that Elmo’s original voice actor was Kevin Clash (yes, Elmo & Splinter have the same VA), I think he’d have a thing or two to say - just like Kevin Spacey.

I get where you’re at; but I need to have hope. And notice I’m not saying, “against conservatives”, or “against Republicans”. It’s specifically the Trump cult of personality - which will splinter the MAGA movement as wedge issues split the Tea Party. I think they just might, since they have before.

Possible, but this is a time when it would have been better to mock the action rather than the existence.

The only thing that will matter is if these people will vote against Trumpublicans.

Embrace the power of “and”.

In a sense, I’m reminded of another line from 1984 - if there is hope, it lies in the proles.

If these people actually wake up and realize what went wrong, do you think they can generate enough oomph to unseat a bunch of Republicans in the midterms?

Nice idea, but it doesn’t work.