IBM is smarter than that - it probably runs on or more of their mainframes, and there's a tipping point with those, where annual maintenance on an older machine exceeds the lease on a new one.

The computers are probably relatively new, the software is demonstrably not. It's a bit of a curse with those things, they're so backwards-compatible that all you have to do is swap out the hardware for new stuff without ever having to touch the application code, so it leads to laziness.

But yes, you probably know all that.

Between pihole, and firefox extensions noscript and "redditadremover", I don't see ads on reddit, and very few ads elsewhere (distrowatch is one that server ads from its own domain). Pihole is also useful for blocking Microsoft telemetry.

Now, reddit content is another matter. You're supposed to be able to "mute" subreddits from the "all" feed, but I still keep seeing far too many cats and dogs.

It's the basis of PWM (pulse width modulated) technology. Switching the current on and off at 200MHz IIRC. Apparently it helps to break down insoluble crystals that form in lead-acid cells.

Heh. I'm currently hot-spotting off a Motorola RAZR HD that I bought in 2013. I use it for phone calls, SMS, and occasional hotspotting. The battery *still* lasts over a day, and I'm only replacing it because Telstra is closing the 3G network and claims this phone won't be able to make emergency calls. I'll keep it for taking photos or playing music something.

MPPT controllers vs. PWM controllers.

PWM works better for flooded-lead-acid batteries (FLA) - old-school, but still very capable.

PWM works better for FLA, but not so much for lithium technologies.

It doesn't even work that way.

Film concept or script manages to get approved for production.
Investors are invited to participate.
Deals are set up for production, marketing, distribution.Those are the names you see in the credits at the start. "A bigblue production" "in association with" 3, 4, or more other investors, acting through a film production company.
Cast & crew are sought/auditioned.
Cast & crew sign contracts
Production happens (pre-production, shoot, post-production)
Cast & crew are paid according to contract, through production. For example, union shoots see them paid fortnightly according to scale.
A-listers might be paid otherwise, but generally, they get their fee before the film is released, even before shooting starts.
Film is finished shooting, edited, and slated for release.
Film is passed to the marketing dept.
Film is polished, talked up, and released.

Every actor and every crew member down to the last unit assistant has *already been paid* before the film is released to cinemas.
The income from cinema screenings and subsequent streaming release is sent back to the investors, and sometimes back to the A-listers who have the clout to demand a share of earnings.

Everyone else has been paid according to union scale. If the film's a flop at the cinemas, the investors will try to minimise the loss via streaming and maybe physical release and perhaps merchandise, but if it doesn't end up making a profit, that's for the investors' accountant to deal with.

So far, not a single job has been lost if a film hits the torrents.

Now, a loss in confidence in a studio or major production company from investors might result in some scripts not getting a greenlight, but I see no shortage of all kinds of films being released.

"One billion tickets sales" is........ unrealistic.

Schwarzenegger did it, but I credit Arnie with slightly more brains than Johnson.

"except that"

"shall not be abridged"

Care to comment?

I already know that there are classes of people who for whom 2A doesn't apply, so we know that rights are not universal even within the USA, but I'm keen to see the breakdown between "shall not be abridged", and "except that".

Did John Maynard Keynes' theories envisage a future where energy (oil+gas) wasn't as plentiful as it was when he was alive?

No? Well we can drop that theory into the bin.

I have fun driving a manual transmission Subaru (Outback). I could use a smaller car but I regularly transport various stuff in the boot (trunk).

Head gasket jokes are >>>>>>> that way.

It's just fun to exercise your skills and judgement.

Same with motorcycles - they're *fun*.

I couldn't give two fucks about two points of fuel efficiency in an auto transmission - the sooner we run out of fossil fuels, the better. When it becomes uneconomic to drive an ICE car, I'll find an EV to do the job, and I'll keep riding motorcycles for fun.

Moto Guzzi produced a two-speed auto in the 1970s. It was OK but it didn't become popular.

Does that principle not apply to the methods used to generate the electricity used to charge EVs?

Most of the electricity used to charge EVs still comes from the traditional methods - fossil fuel plants - but the use of household PV to supplement that is happily making inroads.

"the need for maintenance and potential problems of a transmission"

Change the oil once every few years.

Renew the clutch every couple of years (unless you're one of those clutch abusers).

I've never done anything else, have I missed out on something?

Heh. The correct number of motorcycles is N+1.

And manual transmissions aren't going away in motorcycles.

"most people barely tolerate driving in the first place"

Citation, please.

What you have expressed is an opinion, not a fact - until you can back it up with a few peer-reviewed studies.