I really have it the old college try. My liver - and all of my other organs - ultimately forgave my transgressions. We'll see what my brain says when I'm in my 60s, but... cross that bridge.

The older I get the more I think we've forgotten how to make products that do their jobs well.

I fired my smart bulbs for being too clever at stupid tricks and bad at being lightbulbs.

For my birthday his year my mother bought me hands free soap dispensers that charge with USB and do the "will it or won't it" hand dance, and now I have to bring them out and hide my trusty unpowered pumps when she comes over. I could be mean, but she's coming up on 80. I'll play the game to make her happy.

My washer, dryer, and stove have apps. I've never installed or used them, so at least they are not mandatory. But now these same companies can't make a compressor worth a shit. They'd rather spend the money figuring out how to make a fridge advertise at you.

Throw Sonos on that dumpster fire. Too clever by a wide margin, and just shitty at making speakers.

Seems like the phrase "the greatest country on earth" has largely been retired. The only people using it are folks distasteful enough that the rest of the populace feels shame when they hear it.

I maintain this state of being is what happens when you spend a century shouting at every child that exceptionalism and toxic individuality is their birthright.

I agree with you... in the abstract. But this is emergency services 911. The definition of "adequately" should not be the common baseline.

Get a month at a time, don't overlap services. $20-ish a month for vast content. Good deal no matter how you look at it. TV has never been cheaper, except for OTA, and then it's ad-supported.

"The city is still investigating whether the update was adequately tested..."

"No."

Hopefully I just saved the city a bunch of money.

I generally use Spotify, but I do have VLC for simple streaming. But yes, it's a gap. My music library is extensive and eclectic. So for those rare occasions where Spotify comes up empty or I do need to play a curated playlist, my XBox Series X with Kodi is on standby.

I have fought the good fight for media devices forover a quarter century, ever since my actual XBMC install on the original XBox. I've built home theatre PCs and fought with getting remotes to work. I've got two NVidia Shields, a couple of Kodi boxes, a Fire Stick, and at least two Roku's sitting in my electronics graveyard.

Now? I've got two Apple TVs in use. And they work brilliantly. Except for a banner for current shows on their TV service (I don't subscribe), it never tries to sell me anything. I use Infuse for my media from my NAS. No lags, no stutter... everything just worked. Immediately. in Full 4K, HDR, Dolby Atmos/TrueHd/etc..

They're so good, I'll look at the next gen when it comes out. But there'd have to be a pretty compelling reason to upgrade.

Are you expecting it to go negative, and for Apple to send you a cheque? Near as I can tell there's no paid option for Apple Maps.

In a world of increasingly irrational leadership, China has that going for it. They're a rational actor. Even when you do not like what they are doing, you understand it. It makes sense.

They also do not let bluster and performative outrage get in the way of doing business. They can trade PR blows in the international press with countries while quietly facilitating billions of dollars in unimpeded trade.

Are they problematic? Sure. As is everybody. But it sure seems increasingly more attractive for the world to pivot in that direction. The devil we know is no longer acceptable.

My false dichotomy was tongue in cheek. Of course you're right.

Politics. Sadly, there's no cure, save for complete disconnection. Unfortunately that leads to a fork in the road. You become an insufferable, annoying jackass that wants the world to know how great it is to opt out... or you reveal it after the fact when your manifesto is found in the cabin during the manhunt.

So most of us manage our symptoms rather than seek a cure.

First it was fentanyl, and it's been downhill ever since. If you assume that everything this administration says is a lie, you will be almost always correct.

Like a lot of Canadians I made my decisions with my wallet rather than my voice. I've cancelled motorcycle trips through the US across two seasons. I cancelled a trip to Louisiana and went to Portugal instead. I avoid US produce when I've never looked at country of origin before.

And now there are new products released by companies I adore that I am foregoing simply because they are American. I'm looking at you, ThermoWorks. I will miss you.

Even our canes were better.

Incorrect comparison. You'd need to compare to a robot also on wheels. But if we're mismatching transport modes, we could compare the out of shape cyclist to the fastest self-guided drone.