• 22 Posts
  • 32 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 14th, 2023

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  • Frankly, I don’t care.

    I’m going to keep using Windows 10, updates or not, until I absolutely have no other choice, hoping against hope that the cracks in the Recall/AI monolith with have spread wide enough that a future Win 12 or 13 won’t have them in it. I don’t run a business. I don’t keep sensitive information on any internet capable devices and my work uses the AS400 system.

    I know Linux is a thing, and about a dozen years ago I spent a year using Ubuntu exclusively. While appreciating the OS, I got tired of chanting magic spells at computer every time I wanted to use software I liked on it, and so went back to Windows.

    These days, despite being a reasonably tech savvy person approaching 60, I’m getting to the point where I’m just not up to learning/relearning an OS unless there is a critical need, and using Windows 10 there just isn’t. At least not for me.



  • As someone who lived during a large chunk of the Cold War, let me add some personal perspective on this. You are absolutely right in that the Soviet Union and the West were in a war from WWII on. A spy war, an economic war and several hot proxy wars.

    The US lost nearly all of those, but they did win the economic war, and in doing so broke the USSR economically and politically.

    After the USSR fell, the Cold War was over. Done. Finito. To emphasize this, capitalism came pouring into all the former SSR’s and former Soviet citizens got to taste consumerism triggering chaos that took a full generation to hammer out. And then the 2010’s came along and Russia began using it’s natural resources to become more and more integrated with Europe.

    To the point where some analysts were beginning to be worried that Russia might come to dominate the EU economically.

    In fact, if Putin had waited another 5 years Europe would likely have become so dependant on Russian natural gas that they would literally have been unable to effectively protest any move Russia made, in fear of them turning off the tap. Russia was on the road to being THE dominant power in Europe, and Putin literally threw it ALL away chasing dreams of a renewed Russian Empire.


  • Weirdly enough, actual lifespan comparisons seem to be very hard to find. Studies showing slightly higher disease (4%) rates. Higher rates of eating things their owner didn’t give them. Higher dangers from traffic, cars, etc. but I have yet to an actual study with lifespan numbers, let alone the 3-5 yrs vs 10-15 I’ve seen bandied about.

    I’m still looking for it as a lower lifespan sounds logical, but I’ve seen enough things defy apparent logic to not just accept the statement without supporting documentation.

    Let me clear. I support in principle the statement that indoor cats live longer, I just haven’t found the proof for it yet.




  • Growing up, (I’m in my 50s) we had an orange tabby that went indoors and outdoors as much as he wanted. The cat supplemented his kibble by killing and eating (confirmed by observation) birds and rodents in the area. He lived to be 23. Most cats like him that I’ve known all had lifespans into the high teens.

    I think you mean feral, as opposed to outdoor. In which case I would agree with your statement.

    I should add, that as an adult, I currently own two cats obtained from rescue services and both are exclusively indoor cats.












  • Much as I do like Trudeau compared to Harper, it’s far past time for Trudeau’s actions to stand or fall on their own merits.

    That said, the right-wing of Canadian politics is never going to beat Trudeau if they keep going with the insult and belittling route. They’ve done it in every election they’ve faced Trudeau in and lost every, single, time. The Conservatives should have won they last election, and blew it because the didn’t think Trudeau had the savvy or skill to come back from the blackface scandal. The truth is, Justin is an excellent political operator and usually one of the best there is in working social media.

    Polievere only has a solid chance now due to a combination of voter fatigue (almost no PM makes it past 10 years) and some serious missteps by Trudeau. As far as malfeasance goes, you better have some solid proof, like in a court of law level proof, and be able to make it stick, without you sounding like a raving lunatic who is best ignored.