I don't think that's the problem. This new 20.25 patch is filled with Russian malware and is failing to integrate with our legacy free market democratic systems. I suggest we roll back to version 20.21 until they manage to provide a functional upgrade.

Post Traumatic Shit Disorder, to be precise.

Expect another 2-5k trim when the EU announces its retaliation.

CA sales tax averages 10%. While it's nowhere on the scale of the tariffs, it could offset the impact significantly if reduced or eliminated for goods coming from specific countries.

Additionally, the government of CA has enormous purchasing power. Directing where that money goes could serve to be a powerful tool in mitigating the trade war.

Plus, one element that most folks don't think about is the financial weight of the CalPERS retirement fund. This organization controls a huge amount of investment money subject to state regulations as to where its invested. Opening up that revenue stream to select foreign companies could be a mighty tasty carrot.

Fair point. I've played it on and off for years now, and I still have no fucking clue where the game wants me to go (although it's a lot better now than it used to be). The storyline is... complex to say the least, and the game doesn't do much to drive you an particular direction. Progression is also lateral, not vertical, so while you have a wide variety of options and directions to explore, they can be shallow and overwhelming at the same time.

On the plus side of that, every time I come back, it's like a new game, but with the same combat / movement that got me addicted back when it was nothing but grind.

And agreed - their music production is definitely spot-on.

Warframe has some of the best movement in a game ever. Not exactly an MMORPG, not exactly Open World, but definitely space ninjas on crack.

Also, it can be played completely free. There is a paid currency model (platinum), but it's tradeable between players (so you can trade items and earn Platinum), and most non-cosmetic items are obtainable through gameplay.

It's been around since the early 2010s but keeps evolving and manages outperform AAA titles on the regular. If you like high fantasy sci-fi cosmic horror madness on drugs that won't be invented for another 100 centuries or so, give it a shot.

Your points are valid, but I look at AI as an unavoidable trend in the tech space, which is why I experiment with local models. I'd rather understand how they work (and how to protect oneself from them) as I believe avoiding them isn't really possible in my field.

Thus far, the local models I've worked with have gotten a C- on coding, but an A+ on bullshit. I think the tech still has a long way to go before it lives up to the hype, both negative and positive.

Me trying to figure out Trump's tariff math.

Ok, this part is pretty cool:

Thunderbird Assist will also be available. This experimental feature, developed in collaboration with Flower AI, offers optional artificial intelligence functionalities for users who want them while also addressing privacy concerns head-on. On devices robust enough to handle AI models locally, Thunderbird Assist processes everything on the user’s own machine.

However, for users on less powerful hardware, the development team has integrated NVIDIA’s confidential computing to keep any remote processing secure. Rest assured, those who prefer to skip AI services can continue using Thunderbird without these extras.

I've been unwilling to touch cloud based AI, much less expose my emails to it as there's no guarantee of privacy, but being able to run a local model allows you the functionality without the risk. Haven't used Thunderbird in years, but this is tempting me to give it another shot.

I don't know. I don't have a horse in this dogfight. Still working on his pilot's license.

Link to full article from the Atlantic - Raw Story's version is just a summary.

Penguins right now:

Ya know, Elon...

Fucking Methford - figures. Literally the toilet of Oregon. I'm not surprised whatsoever that the crackdown started there.

The homeless problem in Jackson county was out of control long before drug legalization. When I was doing homeless outreach there in 2020, there were over 7k people on the street who had lost their homes to the wildfires of the previous years - still unhoused, and the fires had been over for more than a year. There were almost no support services due to the rural nature of the county and a lack of public funding. My hat goes off to the folks who volunteer to support the homeless there - they do a huge amount and almost all of it is privately funded through volunteer outreach.

The drugs weren't the problem - the lack of housing, jobs and the constant police harassment were. What drug legalization meant was that they no longer had an excuse to just pick up the homeless and warehouse them in jail to keep them out of the public eye - and as a result, the public got to see up close and personal what it's like to live on the street.

Drug criminalization is almost never about the drugs or the harm they do. It's about having an excuse to put people you don't want to see in public in jail.

As an aside, it's a pretty well known fact that the Methford police are corrupt as fuck, love to bully the locals, and the ACLU started a lawsuit in August against them for illegal spying. If Oregon ever becomes a police state, it will start in Methford.

Ashland cops, on the other hand (15 miles south on the freeway), are actually a great bunch and were actively working to support their homeless citizens while I was up there.

Crypto.

Welcome weary traveler!

As lemmy's self-designated High Corvid of Progressivity, I extend to you the traditional Fediversal blessing of:

remember kids:

A place in heaven is reserved for those who speak truth to power

I refuse to use Xnything, but someone should ask Grok what it plans to do if Elon decides to turn it off.

Yes