Thanks, I didn’t realize the enterprise DASs could be locked down to certain drive models. That would definitely be a non-starter.

I was recently pulling my hair out because a recent update caused a bug in the Windows recovery media creator that prevented the Windows RE from recognizing USB input devices. The few weeks between the faulty update and the fix just happened to coincide with me needing to use it.

WTF are they doing messing with something as basic as the Recovery Environment? And further, in a way that breaks its utility entirely?

*Yellow Ledbetter

Legend has it the only person to ever truly understand the lyrics to this song was David Hasselhoff, but he forgot them halfway through eating that cheeseburger.

1. It’s not just Taylor Swift concerts, it’s virtually all concerts, and literally all concerts at the medium-large venue size.

2. A monopoly of a non-essential product/service is still a monopoly, and bad for consumers.

As a pretzel M&M lover, I hate both that they are relatively rare and that the caramel ones have such a close color.

I used to get a tinge of excitement when I saw a blue bag of M&Ms, followed by disappointment at realizing it wasn’t the pretzel ones. Now I just get immediate anticipatory disappointment, and, rarely, a nice surprise.

Before expiration / best by date: eat without a second thought.

After the expiration / best by date: give it a sniff or a nibble first.

Get a library card! My local small town library has access to a surprising number of nearby libraries, and if I’m willing to wait a week or two for the item to be available and get transferred, I’ve been able to get some decently non-mainstream stuff for free. For more obscure stuff, bandcamp is pretty awesome.

The only thing to watch out for using a laptop that is plugged in 24x7 is the battery. Battery management systems are generally pretty good, but Li-ion batteries can fail catastrophically. As long as you make a point to check on it periodically it’s probably fine.

I’m using an old laptop as a local interface for my network setup, since its in my basement, and I actually pulled the battery out entirely since I have a beefy UPS powering everything. Paranoid, maybe, but a Li-ion battery sitting on top of my equipment rack could do a ton of damage if it were to fail someday.

I meant it as a self-aware jab, admitting I’m old as much as teasing “the kids”, but point taken!

https://youtu.be/tgj3nZWtOfA

Fuckin kids these days, I tell you what

Oooh, nice hiss!

Yeah, its their online-only bank.

I have no idea why some banks can offer those CD-like rates while others offer virtually zero. Capital One 360 Savings and Ally have similar rates as well.

One that earns you more than the default 0.15% or so that you earn on most savings accounts.

You have to do a bit of hunting, but for example, I have an account with Citizens Access that earns 3.50% last time I checked. It’s not much, but it’s better than earning nothing on the emergency fund that I want to keep liquid and accessible.

Easy peasy. Instead of making payments to your credit card, transfer the amount to a high yield savings account instead. Then use that savings account to pay your CC once per month. (Savings accounts typically have a limit on debits, but you can usually make as many deposits as you want.)

Enjoy the cashback AND a few bucks in interest AND having your checking account accurately reflect your “real” money at all times.

That’s why I specifically called out the phrase “free speech absolutist”.

In my experience the vast majority of people who truly do advocate for freedom of speech are willing/able to understand nuances such as the fact that your freedom of speech does not grant you immunity from the social consequences of unpopular speech. I.e., other people exercising their freedom to disagree or opt not to use their private platform to host your speech. The “absolutists” will unironically call that censorship, rather than recognize other people are not compelled to engage with their speech.

Without exception, “free speech absolutists” just want to say a specific brand of horrid shit themselves without social blowback. It never applies to free speech as a legal concept, and certainly never applies to speech they disagree with.

A good brownie with sea salt sprinkled on top is most definitely essential!

Have you had the banana cream Twinkies? Probably not as good as the OG ones, but definitely a nice treat when you come across them!

These days I pirate the music, and if I like it I go back and buy the album directly from the band (when possible). If i really like it, I buy concert tix/merch. If it doesn’t tickle my fancy, then I don’t.

In either case, I don’t think the artist is too worried about the pennies lost from my Spotify plays.

Think of it like two groups of people in separate rooms with a large open window between them. Not everyone is trying to talk one on one to the other group all the time. And sometimes just feeling like you’re in the same physical space can be nice.

It’s not perfect, but in many circumstances it’s worlds better than having tiny portable windows that mostly facilitate one on one conversation.