I got a Commodore 64 in 1985. I know that’s not going to help anyone this year, but I can’t think of a gift any other year that had me more excited. My kids are getting a switch and I hope they’re as excited as I was.
Best I’ve given would be a Chromecast - it was $30 and my sister uses it daily, years later. I can’t think of a better return on dollar spent gift for usefulness.
My bookshelf is a time capsule of books until about 15 years ago when I got my first ebook reader. Everything has been digital since then.
I have a library membership of course, but I mostly make use of a digital ebook subscription service. It’s so much easier than reserving books and wait-lists for the digital catalogue of the library.
I responded to just about any request from my parents with “Compliance!” for a while. I don’t remember how long it lasted, but it probably drove my mum nuts.
I have a few codes for mobile games I won’t use and wanted to share it with anyone who is interested in using. The only requirement I ask is if you use a code please comment so other people will be aware that the code was used. Hope you enjoy....
I’ve had debates with vegans on something similar:
I’m not vegan, I’ll never be vegan. That’s a complete non-starter for me.
What I have done is reduce my meat intake from 2/sometimes 3 meals a day to 1 meal per day - occasionally (less than once per month) two. Once Lab-grown meat is a viable alternative on cost/taste/texture, I’ll be all over that. I still won’t be vegan. Even if I reach a point where no animals are harmed from my diet.
I believe it is far easier to convince 1 Million people to do this than it would be to convert 100,000 people to full veganism. A Million people doing this would save Billions more animals per year than 100,000 vegan conversions and maybe even in itself convert a few of those people to full veganism along the way.
They’re never interested. It’s all or nothing. Black or white. Vegan or Animal killer. They usually have issues with lab grown meat, as well.
It’s as though they’re a member of an elite club and membership is more important than actually saving animals.
But from a moral standpoint, simply eating less animal products really doesn’t have much value. Imagine using your argument for other moral dilemmas.
Ahh yeah about that: My reasons are not what you’re calling “moral”. We are naturally omnivores. We’ve been omnivorous since before we came down from the trees. Probably since before we left the water. I don’t have a problem eating meat. I think a vegan diet is unnatural for us, though I have no issues with anyone who chooses that lifestyle.
My reasons are from a sustainability/environmental position. Our present consumption levels already put a strain on the planet, and we sure couldn’t sustain it if everyone on the planet ate meat three meaty meals a day. This is another reason I’m all about that lab grown meat.
At that point, the OS will be 10 years old, and was a free upgrade for anyone running Windows 7 or later. It’s plausible to not have paid a cent for your OS for 15+ years by 2025.
If you’ve bought a new computer with Windows since 2021, you’ll have v11 anyway and won’t be affected.
Frankly I have to hand it to Microsoft - they’ve been generous with OS support. The pessimist/pragmatist part of me puts it down to upgrading old OS’s to combat their reputation as being the cause of worms/viruses going mental on the Internet over the past decade or so. So it isn’t like they haven’t had ulterior motives.
Assume that the future can change based on your actions, so any historical information that you bring along with you from the intervening 25 years may quickly drift out of the new realities history....
I’m back! This is a continuation of my series on platform-specific hidden gem apps that you have discovered that are the best in their class for your usecase....
Local to the Device? Google already did that to me. Then my phone died and I had the world’s worst time trying to convince some of my vendors that I really was me. Like, I had to get my ID notarized in person and sent that paperwork off by international post in one example.
I wouldn’t want to go through that drama again. I moved to Authy, they keep my tokens encrypted on a cloud service. I could potentially be convinced to move to something self hosted, but never local-only again.
I can picture a future where people don’t bother with that. Similar to how we slowly abandoned landlines to go 100% mobile, I can imagine people going to data-only plans.
I’m about to get a phone for my kid starting high school next year, and frankly, I can see already see a case for just getting him a data plan.
Dr. King was a Star Trek fan. He convinced Nichelle Nichols to stay on the show when she was toying with leaving to further her career. It’s quite possible that Dr King was the fan meeting Mr Takai.
It’s because the USA power standards are not suitable for kettle life. The 110 voltage on their power means it takes ages to come to the boil. The idea of putting a few cups of water into a kettle, pushing a button and having boiling water inside a minute does not exist.
That’s why these tabletop things are useful: yes they take ages to initially boil, then they maintain that temperature. 110 volts is fine for that task.
Maybe it’s because I used multi tools, but I can’t relate. At different points about 20 years ago, I carried a cybertool and a Leatherman (not at the same time). In both cases, I used the screwdrivers, very occasionally the pliers. I never used the blades, though. I honestly don’t know when I’d want a knife. Certainly not for a daily carry.
I went the whole hog and got the package with wife/wedding as well. Like you, It brings me joy every day, but was probably a lot more expensive than just getting a ring.
This video also proves my point. And he knows it. Nearly 5 minutes to boil a litre of water? That’s hilarious!
I just replicated his experiment, with an identical bottle of water in my kettle, and was surprised that it took 2:47 to boil. I honestly would have thought it quicker than that.
This isn’t about tea, either. In fact, I boil the kettle for coffee far more frequently than for tea. I would also boil a kettle to quickly get 2L of water for cooking pasta. But since I’ve just boiled it and it’s 10:30pm, I make peppermint tea. Ahhh.
Ok, so you’ve triggered my personal bugbear with Yoda. Time for a rant. Let me explain:
Yoda was pitched to Luke on Hoth as the Jedi master who trained Obi Wan. Luke (and us as the audience in 1980) had this expectation of a wise old man if he trained Obi Wan. When Yoda pulls Luke’s Xwing into the swamp and meets with him, he puts on a “Little Creature” persona to test Luke’s patience. Anakin was famously impatient. Yoda hammed up his speech mannerisms to 11:
“Away put your weapon, I mean you no harm”
“Help you, I can! Yes! Yes!”
Once Luke fails this test, and we get to Obi Wan, Yoda drops that whole act.
“I cannot train him. The boy has no patience.”
“Too old! Yes! Too old to complete the training.”
“A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one, a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away! to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was! What he was doing!”
Then once we get into training, we get the bombs of wisdom:
“For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force flow around you. Here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, yes, even between the land and the ship.”
You see? Yoda retained a little of that vocal mannerism - easily explained as someone speaking a different language to his native one. For the most part though, his dialogue was pretty natural.
But then people spent the next 20 years doing Yoda impressions of his little crteature act. So by the time of the prequels, it was expected that Yoda would talk all backwards. So the prequels had him doing that backwards-talk throughout. I hated it then, and I hate it now.
It’s a crying shame that people coming to Star Wars never get their expectations of Yoda subverted today as we did. Yoda is just too pervasive in our culture. Even my own kids who I tried to shield from all that instantly recognised Yoda when he came on screen.
Sometimes I will use something and realize I’ve owned it forever. It’s a nice change in our throwaway reality. I think my personal record is a bicycle multi-tool I got for one of my first bikes, ~25 years ago. Still have it, still use it. When it comes to electronic devices I have a Panasonic mini Hi-Fi from ~2005. Never...
My Kindle keyboard is still going strong also. I bought it 13 years ago. I’m positive it’s a dinosaur by today’s e-reader standards, but it holds my books and renders pages just fine. I don’t have a reason to upgrade.
I didn’t even think of the TV. I bought a (then) top of the line Hitachi Plasma TV in 2006. It has seen daily use all this time. I can easily believe I’ll get 20 years out of it.
Fun fact: the kids have actually probably watched it more than I have, and I had a 5+ year head start.
Subnautica. I didn’t really get it at first. Swam around the life pod a bit; didn’t see the point.
Was travelling some time (months?) Later and stuck at an airport with my laptop and a Power outlet but super patchy wifi. So I fired it up again and really, really got into it. Kept playing on the plane and all through that trip. By the time I got back, I had a Cyclops and a Prawn suit and was about to find the lost river.
I agree with him. If you don’t know what you are doing and just blindly install something off the Internet, it’s a security concern. I would not recommend that most users side-load apps, either. You have to remember that this crowd is not representative of the average user.
Just don’t take the option away from those of us who do know what they are doing.
It’s not really exotic here, as you just get it at the supermarket with the other meats, but people find it fascinating that Kangaroo meat is widely eaten in Australia. It’s a lovely and rich ted meat. Very lean.
So I switched to a pixel 7 from an iphone 10 xs a few months back, and I’ve absolutely loved it in comparison to the locked down nature of an iphone. So I think to look up material you on YouTube for fun, and decide to read the comments and found that people hated it. Quick googling led to me to find two reddit threads and an...
The neat thing about Android is you have a choice. If you don’t like the launcher your phone came with, there are plenty of alternatives that you can use for free from the app store.
I recommend trying alternatives and seeing whether you like any of the others better. If you don’t, you can go back.
I was getting a trade-in quote of $250 for my 128gb 7 Pro last week, now it’s up to $315. Not quite at the $500 I got for my 6 Pro this time last year though.
Why would I actually want to trade in my Pixel 7 for a Pixel 8, though? Even for a straight swap, the hardware upgrade is negligible and I’d lose Photo Spheres on the software side.
I’m unconvinced the 8 is even a superior phone at this point.
Yes and no. DSLRs can be cheaper, but there’s something to be said about the simplicity of taking a photo and sending it immediately to a prospective family, or if your site is set up nicely, uploading it straight to a website in moments.
You can get superior photos shooting with a DSLR, but then you’ll want to put the camera somewhere safe, extract the SD card, touch it up with Photoshop/Lightroom and then save the raw as jpg. Then you can send it/upload it.
Meanwhile with the phone, you’ve taken half a dozen photos and multiple chats going on the device.
I’m noticing an influx of Reddit users today, maybe revolving around their weird bug they had today. I know this question pops up semi regularly, but for those just getting their foot in the door maybe we can help show them what else is out here on the Fediverse to help them get started....
Huh. I am positive these people would say my TV is too high. But, I like it where it is.
If I’m standing in front of the screen, it is at eye-height. If I’m reclining back on the lounge, I am looking up at it without having to cram my neck downward.
So, I basically disagree with this whole community’s premise.
John Farnham - Help. This guy is a household name in Australia, but almost unknown abroad. In this clip, he’s just given a Three hour, high energy concert and is called out for an encore. He performs this.
Probably a boring answer but I know my grandmother’s credit card information. I live with and help take care of her, so she doesn’t mind sharing it with me. Not like I’m planning to do anything nefarious, but I guess technically it could ruin her financially.
My Internet help desk days are over 20 years behind me, but that’s the default user/password combination for some consumer routers. D-Links and maybe Netcomms I think?
As for who needs it: you’d be surprised at how technically inept some people are. It’s truly amazing.
That’s a bit unfair. Waze is still going and unaffected by being acquired by Google. YouTube is obviously still going and has become a core part of Alphabet’s business.
For acquisitions that have strong existing user bases, they have a history of keeping them around. I’m surprised by this move, I can’t think of another example where they’ve killed a product with a large user base they’ve spent Billions on. Not that they’re killing FitBit, just reducing the countries it will be sold in.
Funny you should say this. I have a 2012 Retina Macbook Pro, and yes it is running Windows or Linux with all the latest updates. However, Apple stopped supporting it in 2020. It’s too old for MacOS updates.
I’ve even seen a guide that will allow me to hack past the normal BIOS restrictions/allow me to put Windows 11 on it.
What is the best Christmas gift you have received or given?
What is something you'd gladly go into debt for?
An example: for me, I’d happily go into debt to travel, or make sure my son has a good education.
What's the biggest "Green Flag" that could be misinterpreted as a "Red Flag"?
What stupid thing have you done bc of a movie?
I’m expecting some child recreating superhero stunts and gerting hurt
Android updates are getting faster, but also more sporadic (9to5google.com)
Mobile Games codes I won't use | Updated: Dec/15
I have a few codes for mobile games I won’t use and wanted to share it with anyone who is interested in using. The only requirement I ask is if you use a code please comment so other people will be aware that the code was used. Hope you enjoy....
Whats your such opinion (discuss.tchncs.de)
Windows 10 gets three more years of security updates, if you can afford them (arstechnica.com)
Directed by JJ Abrams (pixelfed.social)
If you had a one-way ticket to Jan 1, 1999 that departs on Jan 1, 2024, and you are allowed to bring whatever fits into a backpack with you, what would you bring to use to take over the world, and how would you use it? (kbin.social)
Assume that the future can change based on your actions, so any historical information that you bring along with you from the intervening 25 years may quickly drift out of the new realities history....
What are your Android hidden gem apps
I’m back! This is a continuation of my series on platform-specific hidden gem apps that you have discovered that are the best in their class for your usecase....
What is the first movie you can remember ever having watched? (kbin.social)
What do you think about that movie now?
Google is bringing a great Samsung calling feature to Android (www.androidauthority.com)
George Takei's Based Voting Take [Rule} (files.catbox.moe)
Image Transcription:...
What are some of your, "If I like this, what else might I like" questions?
Thanks for all the interesting replies! Given the response, I decided to make a whole community around this, hope you’ll consider joining!...
What is a fun gadget you have purchased that has added value to your life?
Are there any good Black Friday deals this year? (kbin.social)
Feel free to share links and talk about what's good about the deal
What's the funniest true story you've read on the internet?
What item have you been using on a daily basis for the longest amount of time?
Sometimes I will use something and realize I’ve owned it forever. It’s a nice change in our throwaway reality. I think my personal record is a bicycle multi-tool I got for one of my first bikes, ~25 years ago. Still have it, still use it. When it comes to electronic devices I have a Panasonic mini Hi-Fi from ~2005. Never...
Which video game did you bounce off of at first, but then tried again later for it to become one of your favorites of all time?
What’s the most positive experience you’ve had on Lemmy / Kbin / Fediverse so far?
Google CEO Pichai advises Android users not to sideload apps (www.phonearena.com)
what are some of the best purchases you've made ?
I bought cast iron pan which I think is the best ever purchase I made.
What is the most exotic meat you've eaten? How was your experience?
why does everyone hate material you?
So I switched to a pixel 7 from an iphone 10 xs a few months back, and I’ve absolutely loved it in comparison to the locked down nature of an iphone. So I think to look up material you on YouTube for fun, and decide to read the comments and found that people hated it. Quick googling led to me to find two reddit threads and an...
Google Store Black Friday: $200 off Pixel 8 Pro. $150 off Pixel 8. $80 off Pixel Watch. Trade-ins seem somewhat boosted. (store.google.com)
I was getting a trade-in quote of $250 for my 128gb 7 Pro last week, now it’s up to $315. Not quite at the $500 I got for my 6 Pro this time last year though.
Google offering Pixel 8 Pro ‘Pawtraits Kit' to animal shelters (9to5google.com)
What Lemmy communities would you like to share that we may not know about?
I’m noticing an influx of Reddit users today, maybe revolving around their weird bug they had today. I know this question pops up semi regularly, but for those just getting their foot in the door maybe we can help show them what else is out here on the Fediverse to help them get started....
What is a product that you won’t accept a generic alternative for?
For example, if you insist on buying Advil instead of store brand ibuprofen. I mean, you’d be wasting your money in that example, but you do you
What are your favourite live musical performance video(s)?
What secret do you know that could ruin someone else's life?
Probably a boring answer but I know my grandmother’s credit card information. I live with and help take care of her, so she doesn’t mind sharing it with me. Not like I’m planning to do anything nefarious, but I guess technically it could ruin her financially.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in hospital (www.bbc.co.uk)
I hope it isn’t anything too serious. Get well soon, Woz.
Fitbit ends sales in nearly 30 countries to 'align' with Pixel (9to5google.com)
Built-in software ‘death dates’ are sending thousands of schools’ Chromebooks to the recycling bin (www.mercurynews.com)
There are few things quite as emblematic of late stage capitalism than the concept of “planned obsolescence”.