I used to be a grocery checker, so in most cases I'm ok with doing the work myself. The problem enters when I need the one clerk on duty for the four rows of kiosks to do something that requires an authority I do not have, like verifying ID for alcohol. There have been times when I got tired of waiting (10 or 15 minutes) abandoned the kiosk, and switched to a line with a live checker. And yes, I realize I'm leaving a kiosk in an unworking state, but what other choice is there?

There are stores where I don't buy beer or wine because the wait for verification is so long.

And finally, I've noticed recently at least two grocery stores who have shut down the self serve lines and added more checkers. Apparently, in at least some environments, it's not a good idea.

He's not the only one by far, who's trading in the "rectangle of knowledge" for a low tech communication device. I've read that this is a thing with Gen Z and some Hipsters. I find myself approving of the move.

I'm currently reassessing what I actually use my smartphone for. Mine is old -- released in 2014 and I am in no hurry to upgrade it. Maybe it's time for a downgrade? The first very positive thing is that I would not have to charge it every night. Old style flips would go over a week between charges.

I have Garmin in the truck. I have a laptop for social media when necessary. And as pointed out, a flip phone will still text. Maybe it's time to switch.

I was being facetious. Bake sales work to reduce the cost of cheer uniforms and football equipment, but not electronics.

I wonder what they thought would happen if they gave a whole slew of laptops to kids to take home. I wonder what percentage immediately went to pawn shops.

The problem I see with going back to paper and pen is that I think (not certain) that most classes are remote.

"The underlying concern is that taxpayer dollars will be used to replace them."

Well, yeah. What else are they gonna do, have a bake sale?

I see where companies want to do this. Flip phones are making a comeback, and foldables are seen as a way to continue the smartphone market while taking advantage of this trend

The problem appears to be that manufacturers don't understand WHY flip phones are making a comeback.

"Bunch of morons and shame on Artemis for calling this shot."

Bunch of morons agreed, but I don't think Artemis the, um,,, artist? called this shot. DMCA Piracy Prevention, Inc is this century's version of patent trolls.

...to see her as nose art on the capsule. Don't disappoint me, NASA.

Not at all, as you well know. Hardware vendors will sell you more than you need if you let them. On-prem has advantages in certain areas. For instance, having your dev environment on preowned equipment, providing you have the expertise to make that work. It's the hardware vendor's job to sell you as much as you can be convinced to buy. It's your job to buy only what you actually need.

Glad to have you.

The cloud has definite uses. I love AWS for prototyping, for instance, and it's very easy to dynamically scale up and down. But they're right, the intention is to rope you into services you might not have needed on-prem, and to lock you into using their products. This isn't evil, it's just part of doing business.

All this really means is to use the right tool for the job. The cloud is indispensable for some applications, a money sink for others, and it's important to know the difference.

Perhaps, but you know that most non-geeks are going to just keep using Windows 10 past its prime. Because not everyone can or will buy a new computer just 'cause Microsoft said to. These same people would not have the expertise to switch to a supported OS like Ubuntu or Mint.

"no updates, who care? It still works"

It seems to be a primary part of marketing these days.

Acknowledge you hate us.

Change something unrelated to the problem.

Claim that the matter is fixed.

Be surprised that the hatred continues.

Blame the customer.

In this case, as you pointed out, installation is not the problem. The business model is the problem.

Just hated less.

I vaguely remember those feelings, but since I bought a color laser printer five years ago, they've all gone away.

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Just have two or three of the speakers identify as female.