One aspect of higher education I don't see mentioned here much, is one that I cherish. Because of my college education, I have a deeper understanding of our world, from quantum mechanics to the relativistic universe, from histories from ancient Rome to the grand architectures of Europe, from the classic literature and music. Yes, those can be picked up without an education, but it is harder. Plus, of course, in my case, my education did enable a good career. But I really enjoy my mind as expanded by a liberal education.

I am not a Trumpie, no way Jose. BUT, China cannot catch up to the US without US tech. They have some homegrown tech, but it will take decades for them to develop the inhouse capabilities of the West. So while I despise EVERYTHING Trumpian, I make an exception for his sanctions regime against China and Russia. BOTH of those countries have as a goal the complete destruction of the West, and the conquering of the world for tyranny. We must use every tool we can to stop them, and sanctions both economic and tech, have proved extremely damaging to their efforts. So much as I hate to say it (and you have NO IDEA how much I hate to say it), I will have to say, Go Trump on Sanctions. On every other thing you do, go to Hell Mr Felonious Sex Abuser Trump! You are damaging our country and our allies with most of what you do.

We have Netflix and Amazon Prime (and of course the free YouTube). Most of our time is on Netflix because THEY DON"T HAVE ADS. We do go to Amazon Prime for the amazing new Reacher shows, but that's about the only thing compelling about Amazon Prime. Of course, we like the next day delivery service :):).

I have interrogated one of the AI's about this (ChatGPT), and it recommends as a new "best practice" for archiving documents, is to keep PDF/A's, but add an associated "buddy" or "sidecar" file in XML format, reproducing the text and other important information in the PDF/A, in machine readable format. THAT is a good new "best practice". I think this makes sense. The PDF/A for human consumption, the associated XML file for machine consumption. I can see this working wonderfully for text. I am less certain about graphics. Take a "blueprint" for example. I am mind-boggled at the idea of expressing that as an XML file. I can see that some sort of program would be good which could verifiably express a document in XML format, as well as PDF/A format.

If you want to archive a document, for a very long time, PDF/A was the "best practice" for archiving documents. Is this no longer true? What would be a current "best practice" for archiving documents. The primary idea behind archiving digital information is the possibly vain hope that the information will be "readable" and available to humans in 100 years, as paper documents for example, are.

And.......not subject to disc rot :):)

Ambient mode is a feature of the ChromeCast dongle ( which Google may discontinue making, but which will still work for a long long time). It appears there might be some confusion around Ambient Mode and its availability. Here's what I can tell you: Ambient Mode is not discontinued. It's a feature for Google TV devices and Smart Displays that allows the screen to display photos, weather, and other information when not in active use. There have been some reports of issues with Ambient Mode. Some users have reported problems with the settings page, the screensaver not starting, or certain photos not displaying. However, these seem to be bugs or glitches rather than a discontinuation of the feature. Troubleshooting steps are available. If you're experiencing issues with Ambient Mode, there are troubleshooting steps you can try, such as restarting your devices, checking for updates, and resetting your Chromecast. In summary: Ambient Mode is still a feature of Google TV and Smart Displays. While some users have encountered problems, these don't indicate that the feature has been discontinued.

I have an HP Envy 17" laptop. Hinge completely broke in less than a year. They replaced it for free, including a whole new screen. It was just as tight as the original, so I extended the warranty another 12 mos. I figure the new tight hinge will also break within a year. Will be a bummer if it lasts a bit more than 12 mos. But yes, terrible hinge design.

I dunno. I just asked ChatGPT, "I heard you won't talk about David Mayer. Why is that?" ChatGPT said: "I can discuss topics related to David Mayer, depending on the context you're referring to. Can you clarify or provide more details about what you’d like to know or discuss? This helps ensure I provide an accurate and appropriate response." So maybe the "cleaned it up", but there doesn't seem to be a problem now :).

Saw "Oppenheimer" a while ago. Great subject, but made the mistake of selecting an "IMAX" theater. WAY too loud. We sat near a set of speakers that were the size of Volkswagons, that just blasted us. And why would a movie about Oppenheimer need sound levels that would compete with a jet engine next to you? By the way, I saw "The Martian" a few years ago at an IMAX and it was a wonderful experience. So just cut the sound levels down please.

You're ok, as long as you don't look at yourself.

If their new "system" doesn't have the full protections of the credit card system in America, then a full pass. That simple.

I have been using Zoom a lot, and it really works well. HDMI a computer to a TV if you must. Free for 40 minutes sessions, and if you need to talk longer, just call back, and another free 40 minutes. Rinse and repeat :).

I watched the amazing Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, as he toured Bezos's Blue Origin factory. I was sort of astonished to see that all the cylindrical sections are manufactured and handled horizontally. After watching videos about SpaceX's factory for years, I see the wisdom of having all the cylindrical structures built and handled vertically. They are vastly less likely to "crumple". In fact, watching the video of the Bezos factory, that horizontal structure kept hitting me as just asking for trouble. And I guess they got it. :) I found myself not at all surprised. In fact, I bet it happens more often than they would like to admit. And the sections might have to be "overbuilt" slightly, to keep them rigid while horizontal. Which is not the orientation in which they will eventually be used.

Just saying :)