I can only speak for myself, but I have always had bad luck with Linux on desktop. Something always breaks, isn’t compatible, or requires a lengthy installation process involving compiling multiple libraries because no .deb or .rpm is available.

On servers, it’s fantastic. If you count VMs, I have far more Linux installations than Windows. In general, I use Win10 LTSC for anything that requires a GUI and Ubuntu Server for anything that only needs CLI or hosts a web interface.

Win10 LTSC still has quite a few years left.

I was born in the 1980s. I remember growing up, I always had the impression that by this time in the 21st century, we’d have figured out some way to break the established laws of physics. Maybe it was because of watching so much sci-fi, but I feel like I’m not alone in this. The media seemed to reflect the same line of thinking. “Back to the Future 2” with its hoverboards and flying cars is now set several years in the past.

Be it anti-gravity, interstellar travel, teleportation, whatever, I always kind of assumed that by now, we’d at least have a working theory of how we might implement it in the next few decades. I think a lot of that has to do with the start of the “information age.” Computers and the way they could connect us were so revolutionary, it seemed like “magic” to the layperson. More “magic” would only be a few years away, right? If we could fit all this power into a box that sits on your desk, then it wasn’t beyond the scope of reason to think that anything was possible; it’d just take a few more years for us to figure it out, then we’d be planning the first NASA mission to another solar system.

What I never would have predicted is just how rapidly computer technology would advance. We now have supercomputers in our pockets, powered by CPUs that are well into the realm of nanotechnology and are now starting to run into limitations imposed by quantum physics. As a technological society, we’ve probably progressed farther than I would have ever imagined, just not in the way I expected.

If I want to connect my laptop to a code reader for my car, I just plug my OBD2 reader into one of the USB type A ports. If I want to connect it to a monitor, I have USB-C, DP, and HDMI ports available, depending on what the monitor supports. I want to transfer some movies from my NAS, I can plug the ethernet port right into a switch or a wall jack.

I use every single port on my laptop, and I don’t have to buy an adapter to connect to anything.

I hate Trump almost as much as Putin, but in the midst of a global pandemic, should we be providing testing devices, vaccines, etc to whoever needs them as long as we have some to spare? Trump has a whole list of crimes that he should be locked away for. This isn’t one of them.

Do you really? If you have permissions set up properly, it really seems like an API over a read-only SQL server is just an unnecessary layer of abstraction.

You’ve got to wrap the already basically-just-English SQL database in a layer of abstraction, then serve that as a proprietary API that’s impossible to access without a precompiled library that targets a programming language you’re not using and exposes methods that are 10x more difficult to use than a SELECT statement.

Plenty of “normal” people (maybe all of them) still struggle with their own issues. I’m well-regarded as an expert in my field, I’d be considered successful by most standards, and I don’t outwardly show any red flags around my colleagues. They probably assume I don’t take any medication, because I don’t exactly wear a list of my prescriptions printed on my shirt. They probably don’t assume I work out, because they’re not blind, but whatever. Little do they know that the only thing keeping me sane are a few tiny pills and probably way too much beer.

My point is, it’s normal to be flawed. Everyone is flawed, and it’s part of being a human. By comparing yourself to others, you’re comparing yourself to the image that others portray, not to other people as they truly are. Compare yourself to version of yourself that’s happy, and strive to become that person.

Half of Americans are barely literate at all, forget media-literate.

Where are you finding a livable home for 300k? I live in a rural area, and I love it here, but you’re never going to find a house for 300k unless you’re willing to put another 150k into stripping it down to the studs and renovating it.

Most people who have a concealed carry permit are generally law-abiding. I would certainly leave immediately if asked.

I don’t know the statutes offhand; I’m basing this on what I was taught in my CCW class years ago.

The general idea is that the state sets limited laws on where you can’t carry concealed. Government buildings, etc. These restrictions hold the force of law. For a private property owner, they can certainly say “no guns,” but it has the same legal weight as if they said “no hats.” They can set rules for their property, but those rules don’t magically become law. That’s where trespassing laws come in; if you’re asked to leave, they have the right to ask you to do so.

Some states do have laws in place stating that “no guns” signs are legally binding, but the signs must meet certain legal criteria as far as wording. Surprisingly, I think Texas is one of these states, but I could be wrong.

My state is solidly blue, so it does seem strange to me that the laws are written as they are.

Goodbye

S

Going out in public in your pajamas.

I have seen this on very few occasions, and each time, the pajama-wearing individual is very obviously only out in public so they can either stock up at the liquor store or meet their meth dealer. I don’t think this is common.

In some states, these signs don’t even mean that a person can’t carry a concealed weapon into the shopping center. In my state, for instance, assuming you are otherwise able to legally carry a gun (meaning you took a class and aren’t a felon), the list of areas where you can’t legally carry a gun is very limited: Federal buildings, courthouses, etc. If a business has a sign posted stating “no guns allowed,” you can still legally carry your weapon in that business. If an employee sees that you’re armed, they can ask you to leave, and you’re trespassing if you refuse, but nothing legally stops you from carrying a gun into the establishment in the first place.

As a disclaimer, I’m not arguing this one way or another. I have a license to carry a concealed handgun, in fact. Just sharing information.

Meanwhile, “~x” is drooling on itself over in the corner.

I like to leave un-commented lines of vulgar text in my code when it’s time to call it a day but I’m still working on solving a problem.

Then the next day, when I try to compile, I get an error for “This fucking shit-ass function should be returning 64 instead of 128, but I’m a dumbass and write shit code” not being valid syntax.

It’s a great way to leave a reminder.

Aren’t there a few VPN providers that don’t even install writable storage in their servers? I can’t remember which, but I’m sure there’s at least one that boots their machines off of read-only media and only installation hard drives in the servers used for storing login credentials.

Isn’t it fair to say that most people are not single-issue voters? This article is hardly surprising.