I read so many contradicting numbers. Stuff like this [oberlo.com] where Apple apparently has close to 60% of market share in the US, but then reading the article in this post says new activiations are around 33%.

Well, two things may be in play here.

Yes, iPhones may be the most popular phone in the US.

But also, perhaps the phones are made such that people aren't needing to upgrade them as often as they do Androids....hence, "new" activations could be down?

I'm still on iPhone 12 Pro Max and see no reason to upgrade anytime soon....battery is still first rate, camera good enough...I always buy with largest amount of memory available...so, it isn't filling up, etc.

republicans want to gut the EPA. It puts a dent in donor profits. Yes, that woke EPA signed into power by noted left winger Richard Nixon, and only now half a century later is unconstitutional.

The lawsuits against the EPA haven't been to destroy or remove it...BUT, to curtail the overreach by the EPA and other Executive offices have been guilty of in the past couple decades especially.

I forgot the exact cases, but essentially someone bought some land that had areas on the property that during heavy rain times would have a pond...or maybe it was within spitting distance of a small body of water....and the EPA was acting like this was a major body of water needing protections from pollution, etc...and basically disallowed the new property owners from building on the property, etc.

The recent SCOTUS rulings basically slapped the EPA's hand and said "No"...this is beyond the powers that congress gave you and you are essentially making new law.

It's basically efforts to keep the EPA and other govt offices from running roughshod over the common citizen....

I mean, turning everything off before replacements are online is a bit foolish, no....?

TDS? I don't think we need to bring in belief in the former alleged president into this.

Given that most fast food stores are franchises, and that there's ~200k such stores in the USA, I would absolutely NOT put it past a fraction of them being asshole enough to attempt to do this, in order to keep their employees from quitting and seeking greener pastures elsewhere.

Somebody posted that Texas has "at will" employment, IE is "right to work", but that non-competes could be legal there. It read more like an opinion though.

https://www.texasnoncompetelaw...

"Supported by valid consideration (ie. something of value given to the employee)"

To me, that means something like, "they continue to pay you during the non-compete period."
There's also "need" - something like trade secrets. Which a fast food worker wouldn't have.

I think that age changes you. You just happened to have kids, but you are still aging. I am a totally different person than I was in my 30's who was, himself, a totally different person than the 20's version.

Your mind bends and adapts to your situation.

It isn't age that does it....at least not everyone.

I'm pretty much the same in my head as I was in my 20's-40's, etc.

The only difference is...my body is physically slowing and telling me I cannot do what I used to do...can't stay out as late, drink as much etc...

I basically still have the will/want to do such things...but my body says a resounding "NO"....so, I don't.

Age really hasn't changed who I am mentally...except I'm learning to accept things I no longer can physically do.

Having children later increases the risk of defects and complications

And besides....most of us prefer to bang younger chicks rather than older ones....

40's are pretty hard on most womens' looks.

"Economic Hardship" has jack-shit to do with most of the declining birthrate. Women have more money than ever. If being poor hurt the birthrate, the Third World would have ceased to exist centuries ago. Women choosing careers over marriage has far more to do with it. Those that are getting married are doing so much later in life, when their fertility is already declining, and having few children is a consequence of that. Why do you think IVF and egg-freezing are in such demand? Because women that waited until 30 to get married discover, often to their surprise, that their best chances of pregnancy are in the rear window.

Women were told that they could have it all, the best of both worlds: that they could live like men in their twenties, living the single sexual life and moving up their corporate ladder, and after they had their fun, then they could marry the man of their dreams and have their family. All in a neat package. Except nature doesn't work that way. The Biological Clock is a thing, women have a set number of eggs, and by thirty, they start heading downwards in terms of fertility. Late pregnancies have a greater chance of complications and birth defects. The peak year for fertility and healthy birth is, IIRC, age 24 on average for females.

That and the women in their 30's and 40's that you describe, while having their fun, are running up very high body counts....and when they are ready to "settle down"...the men that are in their 30's and 40's, largely are not interested in them...

They are interested more in the younger, more virile good looking women...either to just get laid, or if looking for marriage, to grab younger women before they get that high body count.

It also seems, that women that have high body counts, have difficulty pair boding with a mate as deeply and intimately as those that do not.

I supposed because, in general, the old standard that women almost by nature involve emotion with sex, while men can largely separate the two, and it doesn't seem to "ruin" them later down the line for marriage or pair bonding.

Do you think trans kids would have otherwise been pumping out babies, and that it would be a good thing for more kids to be having babies??!?!?

No, but instead go with the stats, that well over 95% of the kids that are "confused", grow out of it....so, let that happen as it does naturally, rather than give them irreversible drugs and surgeries that will fuck them out of sexual activity or enjoyment for life.

"Economic Hardship" has jack-shit to do with most of the declining birthrate. Women have more money than ever. If being poor hurt the birthrate, the Third World would have ceased to exist centuries ago. Women choosing careers over marriage has far more to do with it. Those that are getting married are doing so much later in life, when their fertility is already declining, and having few children is a consequence of that. Why do you think IVF and egg-freezing are in such demand? Because women that waited until 30 to get married discover, often to their surprise, that their best chances of pregnancy are in the rear window.

Women were told that they could have it all, the best of both worlds: that they could live like men in their twenties, living the single sexual life and moving up their corporate ladder, and after they had their fun, then they could marry the man of their dreams and have their family. All in a neat package. Except nature doesn't work that way. The Biological Clock is a thing, women have a set number of eggs, and by thirty, they start heading downwards in terms of fertility. Late pregnancies have a greater chance of complications and birth defects. The peak year for fertility and healthy birth is, IIRC, age 24 on average for females.

Life is a series of choices. And choices have consequences. Declining birthrates are inescapable considering the choices made.

I might now be able to get a voice that speaks clear English I can understand when I dial in for support.

OK. What about "Don't use Telnet"?

Wow, did you think of that all by yourself? How long did it take you? Anymore gems?

so there's gobs of extra capacity at night when air conditioners and electric ranges and clothes dryers are not running.

Not running the AC at night???

I dunno WTF you live, but here in the New Orleans area...my AC comes on early to mid April and really doesn't hardly shut off till mid November.

Night is when I REALLY crank the temperature down so I can sleep.

Does AOSP not support Chinese input?

BTW, Heliboard is available from Izzy and is open source and does good (non-nudge) prediction locally.