Well, the reason datacenters use 48VDC is because that's what central offices used already, so the infrastructure was there, and they made hardware to fit.

The reason for that, though, is some combination of it being a high enough voltage to reach phones a few miles from the CO, without being so high that it would kill people. Now, why 48V instead of 50V... I guess is that it is an even number of lead acid cells (24, in this case). If you've ever been in a exchange, they've usually got the basement full of 48V batteries. (which is why the phone works when the power goes out).

Universal motors have that name for a reason, they're brushed and comfortable with AC or DC. (things like hair driers, angle grinders, food processors, etc. If it's small and noisy as shit, it's probably a universal. Generally for short intermittent uses, as efficiency and life is poor). Induction motors won't work though, as they need AC.(eg. furnace fan motors, compressor motors in your fridge, etc).

Every LED light I've ever seen has a internal SMPS, it should likely be fine with DC. So will SMPS wallwarts (phone charger) and computer power supplies (well, in 230V countries, or ones with universal input. (older, mostly?) ones with 120/240 switch won't work, as it uses voltage doubler for primary voltage... which doesn't work on DC).

I imagine he'd just install schuko sockets..? That's what I'd do anyway.

Impeccable logic.

But they are already under direct government ownership. It's going from being a direct government agency, to a (presumably somewhat less directly controlled?) state corporation. Maybe they will sell 49%.

Last I checked, Iceweasel is just Firefox without any encumbered logos. Everything else is the same. The one in testing has shit australis UI, for example.

I still use an E71 (from.. 2008?). Candybar with qwerty. Symbian so it's not as dumb as S40, but it's dumb by modern standards. I still get close to a week of battery life (on the ancient original battery).

Makes good quality calls, has reception where all of my friend's iphones and androids don't... has real buttons.

I kinda prefer the 500 (like 2500 but dial), little more classy. Not very good when calling a robot that needs you to press "1" for something, though.

Still have one, but killed the landline some years back now...

There isn't a "EU" ban, it is up to each country. Greece has a ban, but it is not really enforced.

I'm pretty sure heat death was programmed in C.

Yeah, Zenith pioneered this. "Space Command". Pretty limited, obviously, but functional.

NYC has solved this problem by trucking its garbage to neighboring states.

European rate is more around 1/100k if you don't count ex-Soviet Union (esp Russia). Which isn't the Western European Liberal gun grabbing place you love to hate.

Belarus 5.1
Bulgaria 1.9
Czech Republic 1.0
Hungary 1.3
Poland. . 1.2
Moldova 6.5
Romania 1.7
Russia 9.2
Slovakia 1.4
Ukraine 4.3
Denmark 0.8
Estonia 5.0
Finland 1.6
Greenland 19.4 (not sure what that's about).
Iceland 0.3
Ireland 1.2
Latvia 4.7
Lithuania 6.7
Norway 2.2 ( If one discounts the single anomalous terrorist attack of 2011, the homicide rate in Norway falls to 0.6)
Sweden 0.7
United Kingdom 1.0
Albania 5.0
Andorra 1.3
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.3
Croatia 1.2
Greece 1.7
Italy 0.9
Kosovo 3.6
Malta 2.8
Montenegro 2.7
Portugal 1.2
San Marino 0.7
Serbia 1.2
Slovenia 0.7
Spain 0.8
Macedonia 1.4
Austria 0.9
Belgium 1.6
France 1.0
Germany 0.8
Liechtenstein 0.0
Luxembourg 0.8
Monaco 0.0
Netherlands 0.9
Switzerland 0.6

It would be even lower if you throw out warsaw pact and yugoslavia, which again, are not really what you are talking about. Most major Western European countries are 1/5th the murder rate of US or less.

Because the militarization of police in the US.

I love Geany. There's a windows port as well, if people aren't aware of it.