Yeah check out our site: https://invalidinventions.com/
What product are you most interested in?

Once "think of the children and/or sexual predators" are invoked the protest is always suspect. (Not that you did dmb, but the headline warned us).

Flock Safety actively tracks vehicles by license plates using cameras.
To me this is much worse than facial recognition, because I must present a valid license plate to the world to legally drive down the road.

I was warned 10 years ago that retailers like Best Buy were identifying you when you walked into their stores using data provided by Facebook.
The warning for me came at a tech dinner from a senior executive.
As for confirmation the ACLU was the best I could do: https://www.aclu.org/news/priv...
Not surprisingly those doing the surveillance are not announcing it.

This cat is long out of the bag even for every day people, as demoed by two Harvard students as recent as 2024: https://www.theverge.com/2024/...

Not asserting that every camera, or a huge percentage, are doing real time identification and surveillance; but it has been far past the tipping point and a well established norm for some time.

I am not thrilled with being identified everywhere I go by cameras or anything.
But fighting this by legal means is worthless.
Instead you should just buy my "Privacy Glasses" with LED rings around the lenses.
There are very bright infrared LEDs and visible LEDs that an be toggled on to blind cameras and deter facial recognition.

In addition I have "Rolling-Code Privacy Plates".
These eInk license plates use the 12V light supply by your license plate holder for power.
They use a cryptographic seed and timestamp to generate a new, valid alphanumeric sequence every 24 hours.
The database is secured requiring a specific person take responsibility for translating a timestamp and alphanumeric sequence back into a vehicle identification.
In addition the vehicle owner is notified via text, email, and app notification immediately when their vehicle has been identified and by whom it was accessed.
We are able to completely compile with the intent of license plates for public safety while protecting individuals from easy private tracking.

Then finally you will want our GaitJammer sneakers.
Sure you ride your bike, use public transportation, and wear sunglasses with your burqa and think you are safe from surveillance today.
But you would be wrong, "they" know who you are by the way you walk!
Yes gait analysis is a thing, and while your Meta glasses will not have it in the next release; "they" are already using it.
GaitJammers use a passive construction to actively change how you walk; no two steps the same.
In addition the bottom of the sole never hits the ground the same way, masking even your footprints.
It is not a perfect solution, and yes you will be a bit sore the first week or so of wearing them; but you get used to it.

Really it is all just about not being the easiest target for "them"; our tech helps make you "not worth it".

I am really curious what set your expectations so high?
I did not know who Andy Weir was, or that he wrote the Martian until just now; but I would say that lines up and Ryan beat Matt for me.
I enjoyed Martian, but did not realize it was consider a smash hit?

From the Hail Mary trailer, it looked like a pretty simple boring story that would need Ryan Gosling to carry it; so I was not expecting much and had not planned on watching the movie.
It was an interview on NPR about Rocky being a puppet that intrigued me enough to check it out.
As a result my expectations were met, if not exceeded; I enjoyed the movie for what it was.
However the funniest part was 30 minutes in when my wife asked me: "you like this movie?" then proceeded to fall asleep; I am not sure if she saw or enjoyed the Martian.

Hail Mary does seem to be a family friendly movie as you asserted; a bit light hearted compared to the more dramatic Martian.

You, rsilvergun, and others like you are obviously infected with Declinism, projecting your own decaying reflection you see in the mirror out into the world.

There is no enshitification, it is a combination of rosy retrospection, and a low barrier of entry.
For instance the quality of videos on Youtube has not declined, in fact there are way more high quality videos than when it debuted in 2007.
It takes a lot less effort today to post something on Youtube then to get in a movie theater or syndicated on television, and that means there is a bit of lower quality content to wade through before finding a gem.
Its like longing for the good old days of Slashdot...then I remember it was a lot of goatse, tub girl, empty first posts, and not being able to read the article because the web site was slashdotted. But today Natalie Portman still looks good with some hot grits, I can now use RDMA over Thudnerbolt 5 for my Beowulf cluster, and I know the article will load right after I convince Cloudflare I am not a robot.

Amazon has not bought Walmart. Target, Costco, Shopify, Alibaba, eBay, and Temu are ready to eat Amazon's lunch in online retail if they slip.
In the cloud Google and Microsoft plus plenty of other players are ready to challenge AWS.
Amazon has executed better, made a superior service, and will remain in their #1 position for only as long as they continue to deliver.

Facebook does not own Reddit, Twitter, or TikTok.
Google failed to get a hold in so call social media in spite of their buying power.
Meta and the like will follow if they fail to innovate, they can only buy themselves the number one spot for so long if that is in fact how they got to be #1.
But Zuck, like him or not, does seem to at least have a good eye for what will succeed and can execute.

Antitrust law only destroys. Bell Labs was amazing giving us the transistor, laser, C, UNIX, Solar cells, Fiber Optic communicate...what other tech would we have today? We do not need Antitrust, Microsoft has declined without splitting it up, so will Google and the like; stop wasting my tax dollars to give the government more power.

AOL went from king of online to nothing in a decade, in good company with Kodak, Sears, Blockbuster, RadioShack, Borders, and Yahoo.
They were defeated by superior products from better companies run by better people, and in very short time.
Modern AI was invented at Google with Transformers, yet OpenAI, Anthropic, and a dozen others that did not exist yesterday are thriving with a battle for talent being a major part of the war.

Competition is alive and well, capitalism is innate, just held back a bit by things like taxes, regulation, and welfare.

Sabotaging your replacement is just evil. If you can be replaced that easily and that cheaply, the problem is not the replacement, it is that your role was never as secure or valuable as you thought.

What I have seen with offshoring is that clients often come crawling back, because in the end they get exactly what they paid for.

In medicine, deliberately entering malicious responses into a medical system would leave a beautifully documented record of your own misconduct. It would violate basic ethics, likely your professional oath, and accomplish nothing except your own ruin. There will be plenty of other doctors willing to do the job properly, and any halfway competent system should be able to flag obvious sabotage anyway.

In IT, the stories I usually hear go one of two ways. Either the angry ex-employee sabotages the employer, gets caught, and ends up in legal trouble, or the ex-employee turns the setback into an opportunity, builds their own company, and later says getting fired was the best thing that ever happened to them.

I am still waiting for more than empty claims from you.
But all you can muster is to say I am dumb two days later?
You called the article a lie multiple times, very emotionally, yet provide nothing but "you are to dumb to understand".

Here I will help you:
1. A Misleading Definition of "Upper Middle Class"
The most glaring vulnerability in the article is its baseline: categorizing a household income of $133,000 for a family of three as "upper middle class."

Failure to Account for Geography: A flat $133,000 national benchmark ignores the drastic disparities in the Cost of Living (COL). While that salary might afford a comfortable, upper-middle-class lifestyle in rural areas or parts of the Midwest, it does not stretch nearly as far in major metropolitan areas (where the majority of these high-earning jobs are actually located).

The Squeeze on $133k: Many families earning near the $130,000–$150,000 threshold today report feeling distinctly "working class" or standard middle class. They are often renting, driving older vehicles, and struggling to afford child care. Lumping them into the same bracket as households making $400,000 distorts the reality of their financial security.

2. Confusing Income with Wealth
The WSJ article focuses heavily on income, but high income does not automatically translate into wealth or class security.

The Timing of Assets: A family making $130,000 who bought a home prior to the 2020s and locked in a 3% mortgage rate is in a vastly different financial position than a younger family making the exact same income trying to buy their first home today.

The Reality of Debt: The article downplays how much of this new "upper middle class" income is immediately swallowed by structural debts, particularly student loans required to get the credentials for these higher-paying jobs.

3. Flawed Benchmarks and the "Cheap Goods" Illusion
The article points out that modern families can easily absorb costs that used to be catastrophic (e.g., a $1,000 car repair) and can afford more luxuries. However, this relies on a flawed historical comparison.

The Changing Poverty Line: Calculations that place these families "far above the poverty line" rely on a federal poverty metric established in the 1960s, which was heavily weighted on the cost of food. Today, food takes up a much smaller percentage of a family's budget (dropping from ~30% to ~6%), while housing, healthcare, and education have skyrocketed.

Material vs. Positional Goods: It is true that material goods (televisions, smartphones, clothing, cheap travel) are far more accessible today due to globalization and automation. However, positional goods—the true markers of the upper middle class, such as desirable real estate, good school districts, and high-quality healthcare—have become exponentially more expensive. Affording a flat-screen TV is not a valid indicator of upper-middle-class status if the family cannot afford a down payment on a home.

4. The "Hollowing Out" of the Middle Class is Not Purely Positive
The WSJ spins the shrinking of the traditional middle class as a triumph of upward mobility. However, economists and sociologists warn of the negative consequences of this "hollowing out."

Opportunity Hoarding: As outlined by scholars like Richard Reeves in Dream Hoarders, a swelling upper middle class can actually stall broader societal mobility. This demographic has the capital to dominate the most desirable housing markets and school districts, effectively locking out those in the lower rungs.

A Widening Gap: While some Americans are moving up, the distance between the remaining working/lower-middle class and the upper-middle class is widening. This creates a deeply polarized, two-tiered economy rather than a cohesive society where upward mobility feels attainable to the average worker.

Summary: The WSJ article correctly identifies that more Americans are earning higher nominal salaries. However, by using an artificially low income threshold and ignoring the explosive costs of housing and education, the article paints a rosy picture of "upper-middle-class" prosperity that simply does not align with the material reality or purchasing power of millions of American families.

It is is interesting it is actually not a shelter, but the facility specifically works to get people off the street: provide a meal and clothing, wash clothes and get a shower, but most importantly get help getting off the street. The facility works with shelters, but is not specifically letting people spend the night. The people I see who fail to get off the street have obvious mental issues or drug problems. Many of the staff used to be on the street, and their testimonials are usually about finally giving up the drugs.

I have not talked to everyone coming through of course, nor am I in the counseling side, but I have yet to have someone tell me a story about ending up on the streets because of a medical expense. I am sure they exist, it makes sense, they just have not ended up in front of me. I have seen the losing a job and having no support cascades into ending up living out of your car and a warm meal and a shower helps until they can find work. People out of prison have a tough time getting on their feet sometimes as well, but it does seem medical care is easier to come by than housing. It does not hurt when you have nothing to your name and the emergency room by law must see you.

$42,000 a month in prescriptions is insane; glad you have it down to $5 a month in the end.
Only people I know personally with serious prescriptions are over 70, and Medicare is helping there.
Your situation is just not one I have first or second hand experience with.
I worked for medical offices most of my life, but obstetrics and gynecology, so they tend to be a lot more positive outcomes from the area.
In addition the state is very happy to pay to make sure you do not get pregnant, and more inclined to help cover the bills if you do.
The game with medical billing makes things look insane as well, one insurer will pay $5k for a procedure, while another will only cover $500 for the same procedure. So the procedure gets priced at $5k, no one pays that, but the invoice says this cost $5k, and the actually cost $250.
I had a boss in consulting who used the same trick, he never gave anything away for free exactly, it was line up $10k, and discount $10k; so the client did not get in their mind the works was worth nothing and he could ask for more handouts.
But for sure do not let anyone ever make you pay $42k for those prescriptions, nor got without them if you do not want to.

I am sure this is key to what we see out our front doors personally. Where I live has no state income tax and is very business friendly, so the story is that it attracts growth. But I am sure that will get flagged as MAGA propaganda.

When all the headlines are doom and gloom and I just see sunshine outside it really starts to make you wonder if I am being lied to.
Of course the "Good News" newspaper went broke, not because they had nothing to publish; but because it was a boring read.
You know 59 active state based conflicts today, wars, they get the headlines; not 136 nations at peace today.

Focusing specifically on the two cherry picked data points:
In 2018 two thirds of the nation cannot afford a $500 emergency expense.
I have watched too much Dave Ramsey to know this is a lie in 2018 and in 2026, it is not a number problem, it is a people problem.
They can afford $500 emergency expense if they fixed their spending, not because of some economics class issue.
But no I suspect just as many people if not more would get devastated by a $500 emergency expense.
However I am happy to believe more people have been responsible and moved into the upper middle class; however you want to define it.

In 2023 two thirds of the nation are one hospital visit away from the streets.
The hospital to the streets is hard to believe, it take a lost to end up on the street.
From what I have seen you have to pretty much have zero support and be on drugs to end up in the streets.
Medical expenses do suck though, our legal system screwed us there with malpractice insurance being insane.

So I am fine with saying those two things have not changed nor that they discredit any improvement.
But hey, still would be nice to see numbers from today to cite if I am going to try and attack an article that came out today.

Yes, if I do not look past my own nose I see I have a newer car than in 2018 or 2023, and provide for more people than in 2018 or 2023 on a modest pay increase.
I live downtown in a major US city, and things have improved from downtown to at least a 30 to 40 mile radius out.
Locally the place where I volunteer has decreased the number of unsheltered on the street.
Not just put them in a shelter, got them off drugs, go them clothes, got them an id, got them a job, got them stable.
This is important to me selfishly because that means fewer people to steal my amazon packages off my front porch, and it is sad to see them walking around like zombies on drugs; plus I can say look at me I helped the poorest people and sleep better at night pretending I am such a good person.

I have never heard the story: "I had so many medical bills that I lost my house and now me an my family our on the street".
In fact just the opposite, I was putting up a young man in my spare room who spent 10 years in prison and was headed back without a place to stay.
We both were feeling pretty sick one day so I drove us down to the urgent care.
His charge was $5 thanks to his state provided healthcare he pays nothing for, and my awesome insurance left me with a $250 bill for the same treatment.
I walked out of there with my wallet $255 lighter wondering how I get me one of those state healthcare cards.
I took that poor young man to the hospital more times than I had been in 20 years while he stayed with me, bad liver, but his little state healthcare card kept covering everything.
I am skeptical anyone can go homeless when even an ex-con can "afford" health care.

I have not driven to every corner of the metroplex, but there is massive growth everywhere I have been; new houses, new businesses; not a place that would have been a bad investment in 2018 or 2023.
Driving to the neighboring cities three or four hours away is about as far as I have ventured, and growth growth growth there and along the way.

I am sure my little corner of the country could be an exception; but it dose make me raise an eye brow when all I hear is doom and gloom from the news and see sun shine outside.

Friends from college I keep up with across the country are doing well, but hey they got good degrees in engineering and work hard and are responsible.

But I still have nothing to refute the article, but at best an ad hominem attack inferring that it was written by MAGA.

I might be dumb. Not sure I could claim to be part of the red hat wearing MAGA people, I did not vote for Trump or Republicans.
The "Again" part in the MAGA is what I do not much care for, plus "Great" is a bit to ambiguous for me as well.

Maybe I do not have the working braincells required; but it you provide anything I am sure someone here could confirm or dispute it and I would have something to point to and claim the Wall Street Journal lied. But pointing to you saying so on Slashdot is pretty weak.

It just seems to me you have a leftist agenda, and only name calling to back it up.

The grandfather asserted that the article sounds like good news, which is a bit rhetorical, but kind of the same question I asked myself when I read the headline.
Even more more surprising is that the first poster actually state the same question that ran through my mind; instead of immediately casting shade.
But then of course the first reply tries to set us back to Slashdot commie doom and gloom; why?

No I am claiming the citations are from 2018 and 2023 and this article is from 2026; therefore it is hard to back the claim with data that is three to eight years older.
Somehow this reply gets marked 5 informative.
If those two articles were on the front page of Slashdot I would expect everyone to say what the fuck are they doing here!
But hey cite them to counter some seemingly positive news and +5 informative?
Sorry all screams commie trolls to me.

Also your framing of the last few years is interesting.
The summary cites 1979 as the comparison to 2024, so it is really not about the last few years it seems.

Judging the economy accurately would be a valuable thing, however its seems accurate or inaccurate that the news can drive the economy.
Say the economy is good and people invest and spend, actually causing the economy to improve.
Say the economy is bad and people bury their money in the back yard and the economy stalls and becomes worse.
Self fulfilling prophecy.

However, I find mostly there is a lot of noise, and the only reliable thing to be judged is the sources agenda.
When a leftist is in power then the right screams the economy sucks, and when a right-winger is in power the left screams the economy sucks.
Generally the economy swings down, the other party gains power in response, and the cycle continues.

So you and korgitser are leftist commies, and WSJ is a right wing rag in my book today.

As for my perspective on the economy, I am glad I bought half a terabyte of RAM last summer; that is about all I know.

Shh commie troll account gwehir needs to stir up fear to get his people in power.

Waiting for some substance commie troll account.

Still no citations from the commie troll account.

Cite some reality then.