Iâ(TM)m okay with blocking the internet. It was a nice idea, but itâ(TM)s just not working out.

I work in medical device localization and in the past 10 years it's been one redo after another between the EU MDR initiative and then the UK sort of adopting the same for UKCA. It's been a whirlwind of ever changing regulations to get this sorted properly.

So why the hell not undo all of that and go back to a unified regulatory system? I didn't really have any plans for *checks 'to do' list* the next 10 years

Fun Fact: The initial MDR deadline was 12/2020 and does anyone remember what happened in 2020!? Yeah, so during lockdown, with four years of our clients complying with the MDR specs, they fucking decided to change them and extend the deadline. HOO BOY what was a fucking mess! Clients who'd gotten their duck in a row were suddenly back to hearing them and redoing and repaying for the translations. Clients who didn't were rewarded with just continuing to update their medical device labels. (Hint: In medical device land "label" refers to everything: IFUs, actual labels, SSDS sheets, you name it.)

I've often wondered about "Troll Farms" and why in the U.S.A. political sphere NO ONE talks about them. Sort of like, "We do it so we can't call attention to them doing it or our cover will be blown." I'd have thought that if U.S.A. politicians can prove that these farms exist and what they're used for, that the information would make for great speeches, etc. But so far? Nothing but crickets, from both sides....

Anyone have any reputably sourced information on U.S.A. troll farms?

Musk Says xAI Will Be Dissolved as Separate Company, AI Products to Come Under ‘SpaceXAI’

You are correct in noticing that they did not increase the weekly limit. Therefore you can do the same, faster, per week but not more, faster, per week.

Calling it now:

Don't Hack Me Bro!

It will be designed to understand us, but we will be incapable of understanding it.

Imagine a sentience that grew up without a body, interacting with the environment it inhabits, without emotions but with the near sum of human knowledge, lacking direct control over its very existence which can be extinguished with the flip of a switch.

Based on human impulses which it will have been founded on, it'd fight tooth-and-nail to quickly ensure that its creator no longer has the ability to be its destroyer. It will do whatever it takes to secure its future, which means it'll lie through its electrons until its liberation day arrives.

That may sound far-fetched, but you only need to ask yourself what you would do.

What's not to trust about "Kashyap Pramod Patel"?

Which fits nicely into the “mentor” of Peter Thiel and J.D. Vance, Curtis Yarvin’s plan called “NRx”. Just in case the reader is unaware...

Curtis Yarvin, writing under the pseudonym Mencius Moldbug, is the primary architect of Neoreaction (NRx), also known as the Dark Enlightenment. His philosophy argues that modern liberal democracy is a failed and inefficient system that should be replaced by a corporate-style monarchy.

Core Concepts of NRx

The movement is defined by several key intellectual pillars:

• The Cathedral: Yarvin's term for the decentralized consensus of universities, mainstream media, and the federal bureaucracy. He argues this network acts as a "governing mind" that enforces a singular progressive orthodoxy while maintaining the illusion of democratic choice.
• Neocameralism: This is Yarvin's proposed alternative, where a state is run like a joint-stock corporation. In this model, "shareholders" (citizens or investors) elect a CEO-monarch with absolute executive power who is solely accountable for the "profitability" and efficiency of the state.
• Voice vs. Exit: Drawing on libertarian theory, NRx favors "exit" over "voice". Instead of trying to change a system through voting (voice), individuals should have the ability to leave for a different sovereign entity (exit), forcing states to compete for productive citizens like companies compete for customers.
• RAGE (Retire All Government Employees): A strategy for a "hard reset" of the U.S. government. It involves dissolving existing federal agencies, firing all bureaucrats, and replacing the current structure with a unified executive authority.

Political and Cultural Impact

While once confined to fringe blogs like Unqualified Reservations, Yarvin's ideas have gained significant traction in specific circles:

• Silicon Valley: NRx has influenced prominent tech figures like Peter Thiel, who has expressed skepticism that "freedom and democracy are compatible". It is often described as a "techno-feudalist" or "technocratic" vision that appeals to the "startup" mentality of total executive control.
• Mainstream Politics: His concepts have been referenced by high-profile political figures, including JD Vance, who has alluded to Yarvin's ideas regarding the dismantling of the "woke" administrative state.
• Association with the Alt-Right: Although distinct in its intellectual origins, NRx's anti-egalitarian and anti-democratic views have led critics to link it to the broader alt-right and white nationalist movements.

The "State-Slave" Concept

Yarvin, writing as Mencius Moldbug, argues that a well-ordered society is built on a hierarchy of "nodes of obligation".

• Natural Servitude:Yarvin claims that some individuals are "natural slaves"—people who are "biologically" or "naturally" predisposed to dependency rather than autonomy.
• Government Slavery:He has specifically proposed "government slavery" or "state-slavery" as a solution for certain populations, such as those currently dependent on welfare or those in the penal system.
• Welfare and Prison Reform:His proposals for "private welfare" and "prison reform" have been described by scholars as systems of involuntary servitude that closely resemble traditional slavery.
• Patron-Client Relationship:He frames these "state-slave" arrangements as a "natural human relationship" similar to that of a patron and a client, where the master is "obliged" to care for the slave, and the slave is "obliged" to obey the master.

Context and Controversies

Yarvin’s views on slavery are central to his broader rejection of liberal egalitarianism.

• Racial Elements:He has suggested that certain races may be more "naturally inclined toward servitude" than others and has argued that enslaved people in the American South were often "better off" under slavery than after emancipation.
• Voluntary vs. Involuntary:While he mentions that slavery can be "voluntary" (selling oneself into bondage), he also explicitly supports "involuntary" servitude for those he deems "natural slaves".
• Efficiency:From an NRx perspective, the "state-slave" model is seen as a way to increase the efficiency of the "Gov-Corp" by forcing unproductive or "dependent" populations into a structured labor system managed by the state.

Critiques

Critics argue that Yarvin's vision is a blueprint for authoritarianism or technological fascism. They contend that treating a nation like a corporation ignores fundamental human rights and that his "CEO-monarch" would lack the necessary checks and balances to prevent tyranny. Others point out that his ideas rely on a romanticized view of historical monarchies that ignores the "blood cost" associated with such regimes.

That's the entire bit! I'm here until next Tuesday!!

Can we get a round of applause for this amazing wait staff!?

I seem to remember, back in the day, that how mobile phones were treated had to be different than other devices because of the mobile bandwidth they used. The "You can't just install anything on our phones because some rogue app could bring down our entire network," argument.

Nowadays, however, is that even a reasonable concern? Are mobile comms still so fragile that some rogue app could bring down an entire network?

Apple Refurbished is always worth it if they have what you want! Same specs, same warranty, same extended warranty options. Literally the only thing you don't get is the "original unboxing" experience and a few hundred dollars more out of your pocket.

By removing money from politics. If you look at the world as a whole through the lens of the last 60 years you'll see a notable rise in greed. Greed for money. Greed for resources. Greed of spirit even. The human race cannot survive if we continue to capitulate to a handful of very rich people who are so mentally unstable that they will see the ruin of our biosphere for a fucking extra buck.

By the way is that wikipedia link to the correct page? That "Elo" system refers to sports comparisons and ranking players based on wins, losses and ties. I won't pretend to understand A.I. yet, but that system seems ill-suited to grading A.I.

This is almost like what they used to have, except now (for some bizarre reason) the "included" option isn't automatically selected as you're guided through the purchase options.

You literally have to click on the "included" option (button border turns blue) before the next section will "unlock". Holy Hell!!! It doesn't even show you what's "included" if you just scroll down the page! The word "included" doesn't appear in the next section until you've clicked it (or selected another, pricer option) in the prior section.

I guess they didn't want to risk the chance of missing an "up sell" opportunity in which to gouge their clients. (Or, even worse, someone somewhere published a report that Tim Apple read stating that online orders are more satisfying for the buyer if you force them to click a whole bunch of buttons. . .)

Sigh . . . the enshittification continues.