As an 8th grader hanging out at the Uni where my mom worked in 1979, i was able to play Super Star Trek. It was the gateway drug to a lifetime of computing.

Frankly, it worked out for my sons, but I honestly still have concerns. Two of my sons went to colleges, one fancy, one not. They both have jobs in high tech making that SV money. Two of my other sons (who are younger) did not. One went to a web Boot Camp and now works for a defense contractor also making that tech money. The other now designs parts for an aviation start up, a skill he learned on the job. I honestly have no advice. "It depends" is the best I can do.

I suspect this benefits Harvard in the long run. They will attract actual smart people who would have otherwise gone to less prestigious schools, and in turn those smart people will make Harvard look good and they most likely end up with even more money. Nepo babies need not apply.

Apparently VPN use has skyrocketed in Texas

Another way to view this is that Bond movies are running out of steam. For all you know, this might actually be the appropriate level for a declining franchise. I have kids in their 20's and 30's who love adventure/spy movies and are indifferent to Bond at best. Amazon certainly has access to data showing who's watching what and Bond has been playing non-stop on Amazon all Christmas. If there was money to be made, I'm sure they'd do it.

There's no agenda against straight white men. The agenda is called "capitalism" and the idea is to appeal to as many pocketbooks as possible and there are a LOT of pocketbooks that don't belong to straight white men. If you're sad because that audience segment is no longer being catered to exclusively I got bad news for you, its not going to go back. Reflect on why that bothers you, and who is telling you that it should bother you. I bet they have their hand in your pocket.

I grew up with Bond. I just watched several Bond films over the holidays and frankly, they don't hold up. They are a product of their time and are frankly more cringe-inducing than I expected. I don't need more Bond films. "The Kingsman" was better than all of the last few Bond movies. Come up with new ideas instead of trying to squeeze the last remaining drops of blood from that tired franchise.

why politicians are suddenly all excited about this issue. Seems like the shiny distracting object could be a UFO or (more likely to me) misdirection.

California uses its purchasing power to improve the environment by demanding better emissions. Texas uses their text book buying leverage to rewrite history they don't like. I'm glad I live in California.

Because it costs car makers money and is generally regarded by wealthy conservatives as "unnecessary" govt. oversight. We have learned over and over that they do need regulation if you don't want to be swimming in toxic bullshit.

And the first time you take it to Smog Inspection, which happens every other year, your car will not pass inspection and will not be renewed. Geez, you think nobody else thought of that? Side note - when I was a kid in the 70's, the smog in LA was so bad you couldn't see the mountains. After regulation and 10+ years, the air has improved significantly. Why are you against clean air? You do realize it affects your health?

Microsoft has a long history of spotting major trends, and then completely fucking it up.

âoegrandpa, we don't have CRT TVs anymore. we don't have records, cars are electric.â Lol. Vinyl has been back for awhile, a small percentage of cars are electric, but youâ(TM)re right about the CRTâ(TM)s. 1 out of 3.

Itâ(TM)s stealing. Justify if you must but it is stealing

Its good news for humans and the planet in general, but bad for the political ambitions of most of the countries on Earth. Related to this is the tech leader in India who thinks they need to work 7-day weeks so India can become powerful. People are just numbers to some other people and its not in our best interest as a species to keep accommodating the whims of jackasses.