Cybertruck is fucking ugly.

They used to do that. They were called company towns. You might want to look into how those worked out before you decide you want that.

D'oh! The headline is supposed to be "It's NOT a launch system".

It's a "Pork to my district" system.

It would have been an even bigger problem if your friend had left behind his USB-C cable. Then he couldn't charge any of his devices other than the iPhone. Why aren't you blaming the EU for that?

The title of the thread is literally "Apple cables suck". You replied with a story about a guy who forgot his cable.

he left the cable behind in a hotel or lounge or something

And, of course, that was Apple's fault.

Not very relevant as it wasn't the piloting part that failed

No, but it does suggest a lack of interest in actual competence, which could easily infect every aspect of their operation.

The lawsuits are going to be epic.

We have now (and for several years now) proven that the free market will pay what they have to pay to get qualified workers. The fact that NO ONE is paying only the legally required minimum proves that. And not just by a small amount; the current going rate is at least twice the official minimum wage.

If you can't find a job that pays better than minimum wage, you're hopeless as an employee. It took me about 1 year (when I was 16-17 years old) to make more than the then-current minimum wage ($3.25, IIRC). I continued to make, not just more, but an ever-increasing multiple of minimum wage throughout my career. By the time I retired, I was making about 10 times the minimum wage.

If I had relied on the government or unions to decide my wages I never would have been anywhere near as successful as I was.

And, FYI, the "minimum wage" is still $7.25/hr, which proves the uselessness of having a "minimum wage".

You do realize that the article you referenced is almost a decade old?

I live in a small college town in Wisconsin, and no one is paying that little. The local fast food places are all advertising $15/hr, and the local version of the Kwiky-mart is advertising the assistant manager position at $50,000/year.

Yes, and they should be fired as well.

The old Ranger lunar probes used balsa wood to protect equipment that they hoped would survive the crash landing:

https://www.drewexmachina.com/...

https://arstechnica.com/gadget...

A solar sail is also a key plot element in "The Mote in God's Eye" by Niven and Pournelle.