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Comment Re:Great! (Score 1) 153

Yet deaths as a result of climate/weather events are the lowest they've been in recorded history

True, but this doesn't mean the planet isn't warming. The reduction in deaths is pretty easily explained -

Improved Early Warning Systems: Better forecasting and communication of impending weather hazards compared to even 25 years ago have allowed for better evacuations and more preparedness, saving lives.

Enhanced Disaster Management: More effective response mechanisms, infrastructure improvements, and coordinated relief efforts have reduced deaths. Of course, the Republican's gutting of FEMA that is underway may turn this one around.

Technological Advancements: Better housing & infrastructure, and access to data and messaging have reduced deaths.

But despite all that, economic losses have increased dramatically.

Comment Re:Meanwhile (Score 4, Interesting) 56

aggressively label anything contrary to DNC planks disinformation and censor anyone asking quest

I was curious, so I asked the "non-woke" AI LLM (MAGA Elon Musk's Grok) "Did the Democrats used CISA to censor Republicans?"

Here's what it said -

There is no definitive evidence that Democrats used the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to systematically censor Republicans. Claims of this nature primarily stem from Republican allegations, particularly following the 2020 election, asserting that CISA's efforts to combat election misinformation disproportionately targeted conservative voices. These allegations are largely based on CISA's coordination with social media platforms to flag potential disinformation, which some Republicans argue suppressed their speech. For instance, a 2023 House Judiciary Committee report, led by Rep. Jim Jordan, labeled CISA as a central player in alleged federal censorship efforts, pointing to its role in sharing information with tech companies about election-related content.

However, CISA and its defenders, including former officials like Brandon Wales, have consistently denied these claims, stating that the agency's disinformation work was minimal (less than 1% of its budget) and focused on foreign threats, not domestic political speech. CISA's mission includes protecting critical infrastructure and elections from cyber threats, and its collaboration with platforms was intended to counter foreign interference, not to censor Americans. Democrats, such as Rep. Bennie Thompson, have argued that CISA's work is vital for national security and should not be politicized.

Posts on X and some conservative sources, like the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, amplify these accusations, suggesting CISA overstepped its mandate by engaging with social media companies. Yet, these claims lack concrete evidence of direct censorship orders from Democrats targeting Republicans specifically. A 2024 Supreme Court ruling clarified that federal agencies' interactions with tech companies did not violate free speech, as they did not coerce content removal.

On the other side, CISA's actions, such as issuing advisories about foreign disinformation or coordinating with election officials, have been praised by some Republicans and Democrats for strengthening election security. The partisan divide appears to hinge on differing interpretations of CISA's role in monitoring online content, with no conclusive proof of targeted censorship against Republicans. Always approach such claims critically, as they often reflect broader political narratives rather than verified facts.

Comment Re:LOL and they believed him (Score 1) 124

They're used to getting by with less

Yes and no. A not-insignificant portion of them drive $90,000 pickup trucks with another $5000 on the lift kit and new wheels.

Lots of them also have a fishing boat and all that gear.

They have gun collections that run into the tens-of-thousands.

They have huge 4K TVs and spend $200 a week at Chili's and TGI Fridays.

Comment Re:"AI" is not a feature (Score 1) 73

I am now stepping farther back from Windows because of "Recall"

I am not a Microsoft fanboy by any stretch, but I'm also not one to overreact.

Isn't this reaction to "Recall" overblown? Two mouse clicks and a restart and its turned off. For the people who don't want it, it seems pretty straightforward to me.

Comment Re: Good. (Score 1) 323

The fact that I rent the truck for $50 is not the same as adding $1400 onto a 1 week vacation.

I'd have to look at the math. If you're paying tens-of-thousands more for that vacation-vehicle plus thousands more for gas over an EV, then you might still be ahead on that $1400.

But like I said, I'd need to be able to work the numbers.

Comment Re: Good. (Score 1) 323

without an enormous added hassle such as renting a vehicle

If I need to bring home sheets of plywood then Home Depot will rent me a truck. Or, for $25, will deliver me the plywood.

Sure, if you tow a boat every weekend you need a truck. If you're in the trades you need a van. But for most people, getting a vehicle now and again for an edge use case is far from being an "enormous added hassle."

Comment Re:Technoluddites. (Score 1) 323

I agree the apps can be annoying, but they come with some real benefits too.

They can alert me when my charging is complete, or charging is moving from "free" to paid so I can move my car so someone else can use the charger.

They can let me know the charge rate so I can easily know when I'll be at 60% or whatever it is I want to charge to. They can quickly and easily tell me if a charger is out of order before I get there.

Comment Re:Technoluddites. (Score 1) 323

I don't have a drive or any guaranteed parking on the street outside my house

I certainly don't object to you raising this point.

What *does* irritate me is when people say "I can't buy an EV because of Reason X and therefore they are unsuitable for EVERYONE."

...which is clearly not the case.

Comment Re:Profit (Score 3, Insightful) 33

So Spotify will be cheaper now, right? Right?!

As a GenXer, I chuckle at people complaining about the cost of Spotify.

Back in 1985 you'd pay the 2025-equivalent of $27 - $30 for *one* album, only to discover it had one good song. Two if you were lucky. $400+ dollars per year to buy fifteen albums.

Or you'd wait hours to record a song off the radio, cursing as a DJ from "The Morning Zoo" talked all over it.

Contrast that with my kids with Spotify who basically have access to practically every song & album ever released over the past century, both streaming at offline for less than we paid for one album.

Comment Re:Deprioritize driving everywhere (Score 2) 117

As always, it depends on your driving patterns.

If you live on a farm and "drive into town" to go to Walmart, the dentist, the schoolbus stop etc. then an EV with 250 miles of range is not an issue, because you just charge it at home.

Every morning you wake up to a "full tank" and the ability to drive 125 miles out and 125 miles back.

Does that work for everybody? No, of course not. Invariably there will be the "I drive one thousand miles every day!" replies, but those are the edge case.

Comment Re: Destroying your country (Score 5, Insightful) 566

If it was actually true there might be something to the US *asking* Canada to tighten boarder security up some in the interest of keeping our shared boarder fairly open as it is now.

Here in Canada we have a huge problem with illegal smuggled American guns flowing into our country.

At no point do Canadian officials think it is America's job to prevent that. It is Canada's job to defend our border.

Yet bizarrely somehow Americans think Canadians should prevent things flowing into the USA?

When I drive up to the US border the first and only checkpoint I go through is an AMERICAN checkpoint. If I were to illegally cross the border the people who would interdict me would be American border enforcement.

(Not that I'm gonna travel to the USA at all any more, but the point stands.)

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