I was trying to figure out why anyone wanted to create the robot axis. The last time an axis was around, it didn't turn out too well.

"Campaign goal"? I'm out. I'll never buy anything that isn't an existing product instead of vaporware/scam.

Earlier this year when choosing a new laptop, having a replaceable battery was a requirement. I ended up choosing one from System76 (who sell all Linux-based machines). I am very happy so far.

Well there's your problem: claiming that any electronics gear is made in America. A 1978 Zenith TV may have been made in America, but not much after that.

I see, by "cloud" you mean the internet.

Lol. Heat pumps are the new perpetual motion machines.

And I live in a very dry area, but dusty. Your clothes will dry quickly but come off the line dirty. There is not one magic solution that works for everyone.

YES! So overpriced. I have X-10 controllers and modules that I got in the 80s. I would love to retire this outdated protocol for something modern. When I look for replacements, I am shocked at how horribly overpriced everything is (except for some of the base units that seem reasonably priced).

I priced out a replacement for the modules I use to control my Christmas lights. It would have been over $700 just to do that. Are you kidding me? When X-10 was released, it was marketed to everyone (I discovered it at Radio Shack). The new stuff seems to be aimed at the wealthy and is marked up appropriately.

I also don't want anything that requires an internet connection to work. I don't want to have my stuff stop working when some company turns off their servers. It is one thing to have extra features that are available when internet-connected, but not the basic functionality.

Where is this free transportation of which you speak? Are you referring to school buses? It probably varies by location, but in my area they are no longer free and they kept increasing the distance required to live from the school to even be eligible to pay for the service.

Yes, exactly. Tax breaks are just a race to the bottom. We need to stop it. When a municipality needs to recoup the lost tax stream, they invariably end up increasing taxes on the workers. The people end up shouldering the burden to enrich corporations.

A full-stack developer is a jack of all trades and master of none. I see job listings that have a far worse problem. For example, I saw an actual listing for a job that wanted a web programmer who could also: design for print and web, do photography and videography, create e-mail campaigns, handle social media, write content and documentation, and train users.

They need four people but only got funding for one so they are looking for a unicorn. I have seen similar job listings over and over. The person is being set up for failure. No thanks.

If you apply for a job with me, I will contact you via e-mail (or maybe phone)* — not Snapchat or whatever the cool kids are using this month. Don't have e-mail? I'll hire someone who does. While at work, you WILL check your e-mail. I have had employees who said that the reason they did not respond to my message is that they don't use e-mail. I let them know that if they wished to remain employed, they would start using e-mail.

You and your 13-year-old friends can use whatever you want, but in the adult world, e-mail is not dead.

*I have had people apply for jobs that would not answer my call ("I don't know this number"), not respond to my voicemail, and not read my e-mail. How the hell am I supposed to contact you? Their resumes went in the trash.

I would rather not say how many years it took me to notice that Android code names were in alphabetical order. Once I noticed, things made more sense. While I now know that Turnip is newer than Prune, there is still the problem that if you check the version on the device, it doesn't say what yummy dessert it is.

I, too, am sticking with my X10 controllers and modules. I would love to switch to something more reliable but two things are holding me back: (1) Requiring an internet connection to work. It is one thing to offer extra features if internet-connected, but being a requirement is ridiculous. (2) The cost of the modules. $50 to $75 for most of them is outrageous.

No, you didn't read it right. It says "no 802.11ac Wi-Fi", but it does have no 802.11n Wi-Fi.