Out of the corner of your eye, you spot him…

something something small government… federal overreach… oppression

When people you have maligned and persecuted show you compassion and give you aid, that should be humiliating and humbling.

Unfortunately it probably won’t have that effect on the people who need it.

On May 22, 2010, now known as “Bitcoin Pizza Day,” Laszlo Hanyecz, the Florida man, agreed to pay 10,000 bitcoins for the delivery of two Papa John’s pizzas.

[…]

Nine months after the purchase, Bitcoin reached parity with the U.S. dollar, making the two pizzas worth $10,000. In 2015, the fifth anniversary of Bitcoin Pizza Day, the two pizzas were valued at $2.4 million. On May 22, 2024, Bitcoin was at just over $69,181 making the pizzas worth…you get the point.

https://www.investopedia.com/news/bitcoin-pizza-day-celebrating-20-million-pizza-order/

And… what… devolve into a dictatorship?

Julius was responsible for Nero.

The logo, the UI, or the code?

A ten-gallon hat on a one-quart head.

In terms of common consumer products?

Dryer sheets, which are typically made from polymer fibers. Use wool dryer balls instead.

Single-use water bottles - just buy a water bottle.

Ziplock bags for food storage - buy some solid, washable food containers with rubber seals. They’ll keep food better for longer.

Also stop using the plastic bags in the produce section at the grocery store - get some reusable produce bags instead. The ones I have are thin mesh that doesn’t block the barcode scanner at the checkout. The only produce I don’t recommend this for is stuff that is typically wet like lettuce.

Basically try to avoid single-use plastics, many are unrecyclable (soft plastics like bags frequently just end up in landfill) or just dump extra plastic fibers into the environment (like dryer sheets). There are good reusable options for most of them.

Now there are three of them!

Yes, but as long as there was public and political drive in that direction - even just the appearance of it - then the companies had to make some effort to look good.

Without the external pressure, then the pledge becomes worthless to the company, so they dispose of the expense.

To put it another way… the pledges become worthless if public sentiment does not force companies to maintain them.

Yes, it is part of the problem… the symptom part.

You’re saying, “There’s a monster that’s killing people.” I’m saying, “Yes, but you’re pointing at its foot. We need to aim for the head.”

You’ll never get rid of the problem by trying to address capitalism in isolation. Even if you were successful, the problem would simply return under a new label.

Capitalism is not a cause, it is an effect. It is not the disease, it is a symptom.

The root problem is selfishness. Capitalism is like a Plato’s cave shadow of selfishness - a projection of selfishness onto politics and economic policy.

There is no paradox.

Tolerance is a social contract.

If you abide by the terms of the contract (e.g. tolerance) then the contract applies to you and you are protected by it.

If you do not abide by the terms of the contract then it is broken, and you are not protected by the contract.

Arch often seems to ignore the fundamental rule:

don’t break userspace

Linus is in the right. Arch developers are frequently in the wrong.

It didn’t create a return for VCs fast enough.

Now VCs are throwing money at anybody who slaps a “now with AI!” sticker on the side of their shovelware. All aboard the money train! Who cares if it does anything useful as long as we can convince somebody to pay for it.

Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to inform you of a fire that has broken out on the premises of 123 Cavendon Road…

Ah yes, finding the rotting corpse of a long-dead rat, maggoty and moldy, bones and fur and decay… much less disturbing.

Ah yes, finding a bloody rat screaming and twitching, trapped under the wire, its spine broken… much less disturbing.

Deflation increases the value of money vs. goods and services. As a consequence, deflation concentrates economic power in the hands of people who already have money.

If you have debt, deflation increases the value of your debt making it harder to pay off.

Dirt full of water is not a negligible mass, especially as the total mass will vary and the center of mass will shift around.

But the real problem is water. One of engineering’s most important lessons is “everything leaks”. I think all of these projects are just a recipe for mold intrusion as the water leaks out of the soil box and into the rest of the building.