I always assumed it would be like Lord of the Rings. When evil creatures die, they get burned, and nothing ever grows there again, the landscape permanently defiled.
They did, and along with the Catholic Church, also facilitated the escape of numerous war criminals to South America for the same reasons. Not only Nazis, but their allies from other occupied countries.
Oh yes, my phone is nearly impossible to use as a camera, between the inherently awkward shape, the case, and the long processing delay. Does it work? Yes. But it's not much fun. I love the ergonomic grip(s) of my DSLR and how every button and dial is in a natural position.
That's another thing we miss, plain old tactile feedback of buttons, dials, sliders, switches.
What does Gen Z suffer from even more than the rest of us? Loneliness, isolation. So using a phone that is designed with physical comfort foremost is a way of reclaiming a sense of social connection and physical touch ("reach out and touch someone"), even when distances between callers are great. And touching the cord, again, a way of feeling the connection with the other person, which in a world of wireless devices isn't possible -- there's nothing there but empty space. It's not just about twirling the cord.
This isn't to suggest there are no benefits to smartphones, and others here suggest earbuds to improve call quality and ergonomics. But the fact is modern smartphones are designed to do many things OK-ish in compromise, but nothing so well as the other devices they replace (phones, TVs, calculators - remember those?, flashlights, keyboards, etc etc.)
How do we know that? It might well have been part of the agreement to host the awards, a direct or indirect request not to allow certain authors, books, or topics deemed offensive to the CCP.
Do you mean to suggest that linking gender-affirming care to satanism/pedophilia, eugenics and hard drug use, in one disjointed pseudo-religious rant is indicative of an agenda? I am shocked!!
I love how you basically state "here's what I believe!" and then try to deflect all criticism by saying you don't trust medical studies from the past 30 years.
If you are not receptive to new information, it seems to me that is the definition of blind belief and brainwashing.
Highly recommend Anathem and Diamond Age. Cryptonomicon and Baroque Cycle are more tours-de-force but if you are nerdy enough (I mean c'mon this applies to all his work) and very into history, I can recommend those too.
That's absolutely right and it's a good principle to live by. I have a long way to go, but my core moral is similar: if I can't try to help someone, then at least I don't have to try to harm them. This "passive" alternative is sometimes obscured by false dichotomies, that every choice must be divided between positive or negative.
Have you seen the price of boots these days? More like pull yourself up by your dirty socks (cost probably $15 to wash) and then get kicked out of any building you walk into for being in your socks then go find a hole somewhere without anti-homeless spikes to crawl into and die then your next of kin get the outrageous bill for the ambulance that was called, the cycle repeats and basically everything will be fine haha!
looks up from reading "The Conquest of Bread"
Reaally? O_o
My mom did assure me of that, 10-20 years ago.
By age 40, I trans'd my gender and now I'm ready to smash capitalism and seize the means of production. Let's gooooooo