ryan

So, I've been mulling this over. I know Microsoft Word web version is free and I suppose that's their replacement, but it needs to be more accessible if that's the case. Like, for my very Average Mom who buys a laptop, she actually was using Wordpad for years until I got her onto my M365 family plan because it was a built in program and she knows how to navigate the Start menu and open programs.

Assuming a parallel universe where she didn't have access to desktop Word, how does she know Microsoft Word Online is available to her? Is there a shortcut on the desktop, or directly from Edge? Should there be a start menu icon which opens it up directly? Has Microsoft considered this? I would hope they have.

I moved from a Moto X many years ago and I still miss the double flick to open the camera. I also miss how compact that phone was.

When these things were originally being tested, at least the Waymo ones I'm familiar with, there was a driver who could manually override in case of issues. Honestly, if these things still have issues with emergency situations (and other unexpected situations), they absolutely still need a driver with the ability to manually override the car. That way, they can still test the self-driving function while being able to actually maneuver the car out of the way of things like this.

Hell of a world where people have to build their own open source systems for basic medical care, but I'm all for it. It'll help the technologically savvy, and then for-profit med companies will race to catch up to maintain their dominance and the less tech-savvy will also have the improvements they need.

Did you know that Reddit's newest chat function technically uses Matrix? Boom, the capacity for interoperability should the EU come down on them. That's just one example of the background ways companies are preparing for this.

To learn more, the EU has put together a helpful site at this link.

They absolutely will. The EU's Digital Markets Act requires interoperability between social messaging services. ActivityPub is an easy way to comply because they are "technically" interoperable but can still choose to only federate with instances that abide by their rules.

How about "positive carbon negativity" and "negative carbon positivity"? As a bonus, this allows us extra terms such as "negative carbon negativity" and "positive carbon positivity" which can be similarly confused for each other!

(On a more serious note, "carbon reducing" and "carbon increasing" are good.)

mm mm nothing does my body better than sleeve of saltines

Self-reply because it occurred to me... if I had to be illiterate and could never learn to read or write again, I'm absolutely choosing the no legs option. My above answer is entirely predicated on the fact that I'm very good at picking up other languages and other alphabet systems, and therefore could re-learn fairly quickly... but if that's not an option then I'm going legless and saving money on dress pants. Shorts for life 🩳

I cannot discuss on the basis that I gave up my literacy for legs. 🦵 🦵

Seriously though... I think I would rather be illiterate. I could learn how to read, and in the meantime there are assistive screen reader apps and apps that let you scan something to read it aloud.

While there are bionic legs and I would love the chance to have tall robot legs 🦿🦿, I haven't done enough research on the long term effects of walking around with two fully bionic legs, or how much leftover leg is required to attach a bionic leg, etc.

Depending on whether it's a hardcover or paperback, new books can retail anywhere from $15 to $25 generally (pre-tax). I might say $25 is a good amount for a gift card because it will generally buy one expensive book or partially cover two less expensive ones.

I totally agree with what your family member said about gift cards - if I get money, I just hoard it, but if it's a gift card it's not "real" so I can spend it with better peace of mind. That's exactly how gift cards get you. 😉

People need to feel some sort of pride in their lives. Traditionally this has been pride in their accomplishments or their contributions to the community or to society.

But in today's hyper capitalist society, what is there to be proud of? Most jobs are a single redundant cog in the wheel and one's absence either wouldn't be noticed or quickly backfilled. And we spend the weekends doing the chores we couldn't get done during the week, or just existing and recovering, so we don't have the time previous generations had to contribute as a member of society, go to our clubs or church gatherings and bring a potluck meal or whatever.

So in an absence of pride based on accomplishments, people sometimes turn to pride based on identity - there's no criteria to meet, you were simply born and you can be proud of that. And that can be twisted and mutated into a feeling of superiority over people who aren't the same identity as you.

A widely shared type of video, created by Africa-based Chinese social media influencers, portrays Africans as impoverished and dependent, while Chinese people – often the content creators themselves – are shown as wealthy saviors who provide them with jobs, housing, food, and money.

Another common type of racist content reviewed denigrates interracial relationships. Black people married to Chinese people are accused of “contaminating” and threatening the Chinese race. Perceived relationships between Black men and Chinese women are particularly vilified.

This isn't just China, it crops up everywhere in different forms, and it's distressing on all fronts because it speaks to a failure to address a critical need of society - the ability for people to meaningfully contribute and feel accomplished.