I have always run with a dual boot setup, using grub to chain to the windows loader. I mostly used Windows but kept a linux partition available as it felt like my nerdly duty.

Regardless of my hardware compatibility (I never really checked since the Windows 10 nag screen for 11 saw I had TPM turned off and told me I was not able to upgrade), the idea of needing Microsoft to sign my linux boot turned me off. "My bootloader kneels not to Redmond."

For years I really only played two games; Civ 6 and Diablo 3/4. With the DRM that came with Civ 7 on Windows, I was going to wait them out as I read that they usually drop that specific DRM after launch. Right or wrong, that DRM just irked me and I did not want it running.

But when the Win 10 EOL approached, I noticed that Civ 7 had no DRM on linux. So I spent some time getting that set up via Steam and started booting into Ubuntu to play (purchased thru steam) Civ 7, swapping back to Win 10 when needed. Fidelity Active Trader Pro became the only thing I really needed to swap back to Win10 for.

The Win 10 EOL came, and I just started staying in Ubuntu. I had run my course of Diablo 4, never really liked the 'season' model. Fidelity has a browser trader mode that comes close to the native Active Trader Pro; the only thing missing is level 2 data (lets you see the bid/ask/trade numbers in more detail.) So I gave up level 2 data. I'm not that good a trader anyways =)

So for me it was the confluence of two lock down technologies (Redmond signed boot loaders, video game DRM) that finally pushed me into Ubuntu as my primary home computer OS, and therefore Steam on Linux per the article topic.

Well copyright and privacy are dead for all but the incorporated.

And I wouldnâ(TM)t bank on a paid email account not being used for AI scraping.

There are no standards any more. Not even much of a pretense.

This is why serifs are necessary. This right here.

Itâ(TM)s all about computation per watt. Those AI data centers are sucking up electricity and water.

So yeah, it will make a big difference in the bottom line.

You may or may not be right, but people framing a narrative of âoeif you donâ(TM)t agree with me you are a pedo.â People canâ(TM)t really discuss a topic if they run a risk of being accused merely by not wanting to light the witch fire.

LOL. "great detail."

Good grief. If you have to argue about the ignorance and obfuscation on display with DJT, there's just no point.

A lot of people say "but given the choice I'd rather the extra hour after work."

It will come. The entire thing about seasons in the temperate band here is the change in day/night hours as we go around the sun. So really we're talking about getting daylight after 9-5 type work schedules during early spring and early fall. Come summer there is plenty late night light because it's finally actually summer!

Which leads me to my usual rant that DST is not really intended for your leisure, it's there to goose the economy. 'Later' sunsets leads to people going out to spend after work. Golf courses, cook-out supplies, general outings. Heck, the candy industry is responsible for the most recent extension of DST into November (this is true!) because Halloween candy sales increase as houses face longer daylight and panic buy to prepare for more trick-or-treaters.

Shit, I should go talk to the FED and tell them they have another lever to pull if they want to cool the economy next time... just scrap DST that year!

We are just too impatient to get to 'the good' part of summer with the late nights that we agree start it so early in the year and keep it going into November now. It'll get light out later, just be patient.

Sounds like someone watched Her (2013) and ran into the office freshly missing the point.

I admit I was at first intrigued by the vocal interface presented in the movie. It just doesn't match my use cases.

I recommend the film, it had a pretty prescient take on personal AI. Back in 2013.

Attempting to play devil's advocate:
From https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dmv.virginia.gov%2Fv...

It's a pay a you go method, so I guess with some hand waiving and wringing I could argue the odometer reading method:

A) Delays payment for one year, creating a one time arrears in fees (boo hoo, I know)
B) Could get dodged if you move out of state before re-registering (boo hoo again, I know. Suck it up state.)
C) Subject to odometer tampering? Unlikely I presume.

That's the best I can come up with to rationalize no odometer method, and it look pretty damned weak to me. Devil's advocate fails, IMO.

What point are you trying to make here? Your defense of Trump is he's too stupid to do the Project 2025 things. Okay, great.

So he should be impeached because he's too stupid not to hire Project 2025 people.

Seriously, how does this idiot have a job? If you can't tell malice from incompetence -- then why does he get to be in charge of anything?

So no real changes then.

You can predict by Zip code people who end up in prison. It's where the police presence is, and where they treat crime SERIOUSLY.

It's a self reinforcing statistical pipeline from grade school to juvenile detention.

Third AI walks into the bar and is strutting, all proud of itself. Upon witnessing the AI bragging about job postings, and the other job applications, the third AI ask the human bartender for a double.

"What's got you so glum?" Ask the two AI.

"My job is to scrape job listings and applications to learn about human interactions and the employment market from humans."

Then they all get on social media and comment about how everything is fake now. Also, the current troubles in the stock market and US trade are going to build character. "Buy the dip!" They all posted. So that cheered them up again.

Having spent a few years in the past applying over and over again to jobs that looked great, but never seemed to be filled -- I can say that I am very happy the fake job market is getting a taste of the fake applicant flood.

It could not happen to a more deserving bunch for wasting millions of hours of people's time for data harvesting or some twisted tax break they were scamming. They all should have been fined and the class action money going to job seekers.

I agree. I'd actually rather the Chinese military be sucking up my data than a US corporation. They'd at least see that I have no influence in government or technology and put in the "not a target" category. Would they even bother selling the data?

But I'd also like to say; "Told you so" to all those people who gave me a hard time when I said; "Don't put too much trust in VPN." They are only pretending to not know it's you doing what you do. They will let you download a movie. They will let you order drugs.

But if you ever want to change the status quo -- they'll find you faster than Luigi.

Unless your VPN is open source and backed by some country that can stand up to another nation like the USA or China, then that company likely got visited by a person with a briefcase. And just like a Latin American leader, you can deal with them, or they will deal with your successor.

There are spy tools on routers, there are spy tools in VPN software. I don't know that for a fact, but I damn well know that those who want to know everything, would make sure.

The Wall-E movie was pretty disturbing to me. It's all the "implication" of what isn't said or pointed out. You know, SOME people made it off the planet. And they were reduced to useless puddles of consumption to keep them happy and sedated.

The writers knew what they were doing, and they threaded the needle to keep it a kids show.

And Idiocracy is a brightly colored adult version, but the jokes cover what a hell hole that world would be.

And these are all better than the path I see we are on as a nation.