The tech was headed in a different direction. Early Android was nothing like iPhoneOS, it had to play catch-up and adapt to the new form factor (boring rectangle with a touchscreen). Apple created a demand for their cool shiny toy in a way that Android couldn’t have done. Think about it, by the time the first iPhone was announced, we already had Windows, Symbian and Blackberry phones. Regular people were not buying them, they were a niche product. Android was just heading to join their ranks.

Facebook groups, echo chambers, leniency on hate speech, propaganda, Cambridge Analytica, people ushering in right wing extremism by their own volition, Brexit, Green Deal opposition, war in Ukraine, lunatic in the White House, there’s a lot of stuff that happened because the smartphone was used as a channel for manipulation. At least the pandemic would have happened anyway, but vaccination rates would have probably been higher without everyone having easy, unrestricted access to the internet.

Ride gravel every day 🤘

As i get older and take care of myself, its easier to love myself, and thus, its easier to love other people and receive their love too.

Really well said.

I too started to face the consequences of my lifestyle in my late 20’s. I was fat, sedentary, ate junk, smoked, drank and my back started to hurt. I can’t really tell what motivated me to turn my life around. Could be I wanted to live a long and healthy life out of spite. Anyway, I’m way healthier now than I was 10 or 15 years ago. The effort is worth it.

I see your Mezzanine and I raise you Air’s Moon Safari.

Snapped a picture of my bike.

They’re nowhere near bankruptcy. They’re raking in big cash, but the stock is still severely overvalued. NVDA can go way down with ni significant consequences for anyone other than speculative “investors”.

Don’t search for “sqrt girls”, you’ll be gravely disappointed.

This is why I like KDE Plasma. Just shake the mouse and watch the cursor get bigger.

Off the top of my head, I can think of Sibiu, Sadu and Cibin. These are the main local artisanal lagers. They’re good, but nothing to write home about. Consumer-grade beer is pretty shit in Romania, but there are a few good ones like Silva Dark and Csíki Sör (this one is manufactured in Székely Land, hence the Hungarian name).

It’s a 2-3 hour drive from Bran Castle. And just to be the insufferable pedant that I am, I’ll have to inform you that while Bran Castle is the castle that Bram Stoker described in his novel “Dracula”, the real Vlad the Impaler never resided there. Vlad ruled over Wallachia, not Transylvania. He may have been imprisoned there for a short time, though.

Right. A vampire would have known that, which is to show that I am definitely not one.

Horses? In this economy?

This is just a stereotype and frankly, it’s hurtful. I’ve been living here for the last 200 years and not once have I seen a vampire.

But seriously now, AB+ is good but AB- is something everyone can enjoy!

I don’t think that getting rid of bot accounts would be a good choice. It feels like half of all reddit activity is from bot reposters and comments.

Not funny. A neurosurgeon did that to me and now I have to take pills for my kernel panic attacks.

It’s never too late. As long as you have bootstraps, you can use them to pull yourself up.

If you actually read Revelations you’ll be surprised that the word antichrist is nowhere to be found.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the Sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you…

Oh, not these values.

Right wing American politics has made a mockery out of Christianity.

Well of course! My camera is a 2010 model (and a cheap one at that!) and the place where I took the picture probably looks the same since the early '80s. Photos snapped with with 00’s tech look like they belong in that era. I can’t put my finger on it, but I think it’s the colour palette. Pics taken with high-end smartphones these days have this weird, plasticky, instagrammy, fake looking aesthetic to them. 10 years from now, you’ll be able to look at them and say “That somehow looks like the 2020’s”.