It was cold!

This is retarded.

1. It isn't for profit healthcare that is the problem, it's THIRD PARTY PAY.
2. I don't use third party pay, ever, for healthcare. I've been insured nonstop for over 30 years, and NEVER ONCE has my insurer paid my doctor.
3. Even when I've had emergencies, I still called around, negotiated a fair cash up front rate, paid cash up front, and billed it to my insurer. My cash up front rate was sometimes below any co-pay negotiated with my insurer, lol.

I just recently had some elective surgery that would have cost me about $2000 on my annual deductible, but I was able to cash pay a negotiated rate of $400 including a follow-up "free". I submitted the $400 to my insurer and they reimbursed me.

Third party insurance exists because YOU VOTERS demanded the HMO Act of the 1970s, which tied health care to employment, and then employers outsourced it to third parties.

Health care is remarkably cheap in the US (cash pay, negotiated) and I don't have to wait months to see a doctor when I call and say I am cash pay. They bump me up fast.

No Child Left Behind - teach test taking, rather than subject matter or how to think.

Continually being told "all you have to do is believe" - and similar fake encouragements.

If you look attractive, you'll get into hollywood - why study anything?

If you are strong, you'll be in professional sports - why study anything?

Teachers' hands being tied in how they customize their lesson plans for the students they have.

Attention spans are __gone__.

I'm probably missing half a dozen.

What do you mean "open-source"? If CUDA were open-source, you could run it on AMD GPUs or any other reasonable hardware. Instead, Nvidia provides libraries that only run on their own hardware.

Not since '22.

Price cuts make all the difference. You can' just say "old console launched for X dollars, which adjusting for inflation..." Launch prices were a premium that only enthusiasts accepted to pay. The vast majority of moms and dads held out for the price cuts. But somehow it has become acceptable to pay full price for old tech. Darn kids these days are stupid or what?!

In Finland we've just started the first phone-free school year. Apparently, some parents are getting doctor's orders to allow their child to keep their phone, for situations such as anxiety attacks (article in Finnish). It's a miracle how such kids would have survived before mobile phones.

34 was my age when I quit my day job, thanks to Linux and the floodgates of open source software it opened for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

I think a long-term rental is called "leash" for this reason.

Nah.

Iâ(TM)m 51. Iâ(TM)ve had health insurance continuously for 35 years and have used it exactly ZERO TIMES.

I am self pay. For everything but true life threatening emergencies, which Iâ(TM)ve had zero.

Even the ER is cheaper when negotiated self pay.

My urologist is stunned that I pay $85 for his visits. Self pay. Including labs. My colleague goes to the same urologist and his insurance pays $550 for the same visit and naturally it comes out of his deductible lol.

Insurance is a scam. All insurance is legal gambling and gamblers never win.

Historically, consoles' launch prices were a premium that only enthusiasts accepted to pay. Afterwards, they would get price cuts. They had to, otherwise they would simply not sell beyond that niche.

The original PlayStation launched for $300, and after just four years it was selling for $100. The Nintendo 64 went from $200 to $100 in three years. And yet, the PlayStation 5 never got a price cut in five years, nor the Switch in eight years. You can't blame Orange Man Bad's recent tariffs for that.

A pig butchering scam is a very specific type of scam. It's not remotely like this.

This is the state holding the paper and giving you a token to represent that that you can move about quickly and easily. Just like banks do with digital accounts, only faster and cheaper.

I do wonder if these angry old men on slashdot are the same bright eyed optimists from years ago, just older and jaded.

Well I was thinking about using this for the kind of amounts I now use contactless bank cards for. This is far more secure than contactless bank cards.

Beside you can choose your own wallet. Pick whatever one you feel safest with.

I've literally been buying groceries and restaurant bills with my phone for years now. So has everyone i know.

For small transactions phones are fine.

I expect prices to rise about 5% to 10% for everyone else and maybe 3% to 8% for people using this, assuming it actually takes off. At best this can reduce transaction costs, it won't offset tariffs related price increases.

Retailers will be incentivized to encourage consumers to use it so both sides will benefit.