OpenStars @ OpenStars @kbin.social

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2 yr. ago

Not just right now - it was probably always that way. At one point those nations needed STEM e.g. engineers to win those (cultural) wars, while now we are gearing up to use robots and AI instead.

Even so, I think the loss of antibiotics is more of a short sighted side effect. It could need a century of development to overcome, but it is more profitable to sell pain relief right now so... it's a problem for a future generation to have to deal with, so long as I get mine now, seems to be the way of thinking.

It'd be really funny if he had no idea who she was, cause she just grabbed some random stranger:-P

Fwiw, this meme is more than good enough:-)

Thanks for sharing it with us all.:-D

We may look back at these days - you know, where not all diseases kill you, and in fact were super easily handled, barely an inconvenience!:-P - and wish to have such things as "antibiotics" again, before bacteria all became immune to them.

Or maybe the world will rally together, and start funding research into alternatives quickly enough for it to matter? Just like climate change too...

It's a good thing that people aren't anti-science now, bc that surely would be a problem if we want to reach that bright shiny happy future we keep hoping for. :-|

There are MANY different kinds of devices, and each offer their own unique blend of functionality. The hardest to replace seems to be the phone part - calling emergency services or receiving a text using a laptop might be possible, but takes some setup and just is not quite the same as being able to whip out your phone and already be in a call one or two seconds later. Conversely, neither iOS nor Android are even attempting to replace actual desktop/laptop-like operating systems, and while using a tablet as a keyboard may be possible, nothing beats a true keyboard and mouse setup; although that said, a smart device (either phone or tablet) with a broadband data connection can offer a WiFi hotspot to a laptop, thus significantly enhancing its' capabilities still further. Even some places that offer you WiFi may be super slow, unreliable, and/or do things like change the access code every hour or so, making it more convenient to simply provide your own - plus that's a bit safer too (which would you rather use: a public toilet, or your own at home?).

Having a printout (even if PDF) of a bus or train schedule isn't nearly as convenient as being able to connect with an app to live updates - like "it should have been here an hour ago, what happened, do I just wait further?", plus allows quick deviations like "am I so certain that this (other) route even runs on Thursdays?". Even dumbphones with a data plan could access the Internet, but apps are much more convenient, thus useful for things you do often.

Then again, some of that you could replace with a broadband connection on a laptop. What the smartphone provides is a nice bundle of features that, while each one could be replaced individually, is thought of by most people in the developed world to be often highly useful. Though ymmv - e g. people with addictive tendencies might rather prefer the barrier of having to pull out a larger device such as a laptop or tablet than to have immediate access to everything with a smartphone readily pulled from a pocket; and people who have a desktop at both work and home may want to get by with just a dumbphone for calls and texts.

Funny story: some dentist offices refuse to take patients who do not consent to receive texts and respond with confirmation of the appointment an hour or so before - they apparently were burned so often by people who made appointments but never showed that now everyone has to jump through those additional hoops, and they get enough patients that acquiesce that they can turn away everyone who does not. But if YOUR dentist does not do that, then your need for a device capable of sending and receiving text messages is lesser compared to those who do. It still is worth noting though how common it is to have such devices - most responsible citizens have at the very least a mobile phone, though not all!:-P - and your access to services in public spaces increasingly depends on such, so especially in cities, though they have significant uses even in rural areas as well. And yet if you don't use public transportation, always drive the same roads (or have a dedicated device for GPS, if you need that), and haven't found the need yet for apps, that's fine too? You apparently don't need them while moving about, though they can offer great convenience - enough even to replace a laptop entirely, if you have quick access to desktops.

Regular v. Budget Ferengi.:-P

Interesting background reading!:-)

I think the entire concept of straight is wider than culture tends to portray.:-D

Yeah, I mean I am very straight, don't get me wrong... But if he looked at me like he does her, I would not be surprised if my heart skipped a beat too!:-P

That's a good point but I thought it was different servers, like one had "telemetry" directly in the name? Unfortunately I really don't recall bc it's been too long and I didn't have time to finish delving in the first place, nor since. I don't want to spread misinformation so let me know if you think I might be doing that. Mostly I'm saying that if Blockada chose to mark their checks home as "bad", enough to block them upon a default installation of that app, then they surely had some reason to do so, even if ultimately it turns out to be harmless.

On a scale of 1 to 10 for severity, this might be just like a 1, but that's still not 0, and some people just prefer to stay away from an app that has demonstrably chosen to ignore user consent. Even if they clearly state that they felt they had good reasons for doing so.

Chrono Trigger

The best game of all time, period.

Well, yes there's that... but also, he's cute so, what are you gonna do?!:-P

Yes, it is sad, but we do what we must. :-P

Nice to have those extra vitamins.:-)

I doubt it is just that - the sending of such info is enabled by default for one, and even after disabling it, for several years now Firefox has continued to connect to the server regardless. I have not personally delved into the source code to verify just how "friendly" such a check is, which has already been asked to be halted, but ad blocking software such as Blockada (Android) has decided to mark it as "bad".

If this feature was opt-in only, and functioned respectfully, it would be an entirely different matter, but as it is, user consent seems to be at least partly ignored. I am sure that those stats are useful to the developers... but that is not and will never be the point, for many people.

person man woman camera tv

You should have used AI - this unfortunately sounds like it was written by a human.

Kevin has altered the deal...pray he does not alter it any further.

As promised:

well dayum, now I have seen everything!

Well done! :-P

I assumed somebody would send back a picture, edited to put the Doom screen on the wrapper. And I would have to be all like "well dayum, now I have seen everything!". But um... your way works too!:-P