My household’s PHEV gets roughly 38-45 miles on electric only. Most days we use it, it doesn’t uses gas. We only fill up it’s tiny gas tank, 6 gallons, about every 6 weeks. Even on primarily gas it gets about 42 miles a gallon. That isn’t just better mileage. It electric with a gasoline backup and sometimes range extender. It is my wife’s primary commuter.

We also have a ICE SUV. That thing gets about 20 mpg with its 16 gallon tank. When we need to haul things it’s great to have, but it only gets used about 3000 miles a year theses days. Though to be fair, we also live in a walkable area with two train lines and I now work remotely. I’m eyeing all electric Rivian R2 in 3 years when I pass it down when the oldest turns 16. We are the demographics this article talks about.

With the majority of US households having 2 vehicles, I do think if when it came time to replace one of them the did so with an ice vehicle it would be wise to do so. With the way our infrastructure is in this country having an ICE or PHEV, hybrid vehicle around is probably wise. But an EV costs way less to maintain and are a pleasure to drive. Plus if you have a garage/place to charge you always have max range when you leave the house. But cars that can take gas, or diesel, are still better for long road trips and towing things. Your household having one of each gives you the best of both worlds.

I get the same things with a $500, when it is not on sale.

I tried an AVP and it was indeed better hardware just not $3000 better. For what it costs it should be able to dual boot or have a VM where you can run the latest MacOS. Yes, I have a MacBook Pro, and more Apple productions than I would like to admit. The MacBook Pro even cost more than the AVP. But it is a real computer and I shouldn't have to haul it around in addition to a $3500 computer in order to get a work environment.

The AVP is amazing hardware, that has little utility beyond a consumption device for someone with a strong preference for Apple products and money to burn.

If the AVP could run MacOS. I could see myself hauling it around in some situations with a portable keyboard and mouse instead of the laptop. For a confined yet safe space like an airplane, Amtrak, or hotel room it probably would be preferable. As a proof of concept I have used my Quest 3 with remote desktop from the MacBook, and a windows computer. It works pretty well. But not better than my dual monitor setup at my home office. And if I am away from the home office and have to bring the laptop anyway, except for back in the hotel room. The laptop by itself, or laptop and iPad, is the better option than puling out the lap and pulling out the headset. Or conversely if I am going to just consume content instead of work, the VR headset solo is the better option. But with the processing power in the AVP, Apple is making a choice for it to be a consumption device like the iPad instead of letting it be a real computer. It is a poor choice. I would wager it would highly likely increase sales if it could differentiate itself from the VR competition by marketing it as a VR workstation with a polished full OS.

“hurried” = “buried”

As in, Philly buried the sections..

Stupid autocorrect.

The streetcar, aka trolley, that runs a quarter mile from my house has dedicated track for parts of the route. It even runs through a few woods and a park with stops there as well on some of the dedicated rail sections. It also runs in the middle of a two lane road where cars have to move aside as it goes through town centers along the route, and shares a lane with single direction traffic on another section. It does have priority traffic signals. The densest population clusters are at the beginning and end of the route.

It does take longer than driving when it isn’t rush hour if you were to race it from end to end of the whole route. But the driving route is not the same route. As you can’t drive through those woods or park. Either way, it’s way faster than you could run it.

That all said, I usually take the regional rail, aka commuter rail, if I’m going all the way to the city center. It’s about twenty to twenty five minutes faster, because at the end of the trolley line you have to change to tne subway to get all the way downtown. Also for what it’s worth, Philly hurried the sections to the trolley lines in the densest part of the city too.

New shows? I mean what’s that? Do limited series count? Because that makes up a significant chunk of streaming first and HBO content. Throw in sports and you probably have 40-50% of eyeball time.

My wife was born in Japan and came here as a student. We met in school and got married, all before graduation. When when were were in the waiting from for the Permanent Resident card, we were the only ones who were not black or brown. My wife also has light color skin, though obvious Japanese features. I only say that because there are in fact darker skinned Japanese people as well.

We stuck out like a sore thumb. Going in I was nervous, I mean there was a lot ridding on the interview. I made sure to learn things like the birthdays of my in-laws. Their favorite colors. Where they went to school, etc. Thinking they would ask some mostly random question just to make sure everything was legit and it wasn't a shame marriage.

We waited about thirty minutes for our interview. There were two people ahead of us. When we were called into the office they ask maybe a half a dozen questions

Where do you live?

Where do you work?

Where did you meet?

How long have you been in the United States?

Where do you go to school?

Do you have children?

There could have been a few other softball ones. I don't remember for sure. After the questions they filled out some forms on their end while we waiting in nervous silence. They asked for our payment, or proof of payment; I don't remember which. They stamped the form and said we should expect the card in X number of days. The whole interview took about five minutes. I couldn't help but think we had it pretty easy. Though we also clearly filled all of the requirements, it it still felt like a rubber stamp. And this was 13 years ago. As far as our immigration systems goes, I am lucky I fell for foreigner from a country favored by our government. It most certainly is not an equal opportunity system. Not even before Trump. I can only imagine how much harder it is if you are black or brown now.

They are more physical store than online, but this is pretty much both Costco and Walmart's whole business strategy.

I get what you are saying. While technically they are type of subscriptions too and we won't die without trash collection, electricity, water, sewer, etc. I mean depending on how broadly we are talking; rent, mortgage, and even income and property taxes could be thought of subscriptions too. However, all those things are also widely considered the bare basics of modern life vs luxuries. Something we all have to pay as a cost of being a part of civilized modern society. But could survive without it? Sure.

At this point home internet, and even mobile internet, are a lot closer to basic utilities than luxuries as well. Especially, home internet. Which is why I included the list above with and without internet and as a basic utility. I am old enough to remember when they too were more on the luxury end of things and not really necessary for day to day life.

It all depends on ones situation. I use it to work remotely several times a work.

The plan also includes HBO Max and the cost of a new iPhone pro with a TB of storage over 3 years at zero percent interest. Take those out and it is would be more like $95/month for two lines. I am sure even cheaper exists. But the speeds and coverage are likely to be less too.

I like to go out to the middle of nowhere from time to time. The major carriers have way better coverage in remote areas. I switched to a major carrier after getting separated by my group with no way to contact them about 100 miles from any town or city. I wasn't in dire straights, I just didn't want to finish the journey solo. Or wanted them to worry, and or leave the meeting point without me If it took me a long time to get there. Fortunately, I came across someone else along a banks of the Colorado River, and they had service and I was able to get ahold of someone from my group. The next month I switched carriers. Since that experience when I am out in the backcountry as an additional backup, I make sure at least a couple of other people in the group I am with carries 16 mile rage two way radios too.

Personally, it reminds me of Fern Gully. Regardless, same story retold another way.

Well, not my my fridge....sInce it isn't a Samsung; and now apparently never will be in the future.

I still have a digital alarm clock with a built in radio I bought back in 1991. It’s only special feature is a spot for a 9 volt backup batter so it continues to work even if the power go out or trips over night. I bought it to make sure I’d wake up for my paper route. I mean, I’ve upgraded since then but it still kicking and in use in one of my kids’ rooms.

I refused to be nickel and dime for hardware I buy, that said I certainly have my subscriptions:
Cellphone (2 lines, unlimited data): $145
Home internet: $88
Streaming video: $55
Online newspapers: $45
Audio books: $12
Total: $345/$112 per month; or $4140/$1344 per year

The second figure excludes Internet. It could be argued cellphone and home internet are necessary instead of discretionary since I work from home. But those other subscriptions use them too. The internet obviously isn’t used solely just for work.

And yet if it is so well documented why wasn’t the retailer document and outed? They say they provided a receipt. I didn’t see one in their “well documented” account. It’s just their word. They could be telling the truth. They could be omitting salient details. Frankly, we don’t know because it is in fact NOT well documented in a public facing way along side his claims.

I like generally like Apple products. I also have no loyalty to any particular brand beyond a learned assumption of poor or good quality products or service derived from of decades of experience. I have no allusion any company has my best interests at heart. Particularly a large corporation. They primarily exist to make money for the owners and/or shareholders. If they also happen to make something useful it is usually just a byproduct of trying to make as much money as possible and not really the point or their driving force for existing. We should all act accordingly.

Your assumptions of guilt or innocence in this matter in facts speaks your biases. You are projecting the inverse of your biases on me. It certainly isn’t based the documented facts in this case. They say it’s a major retailer. There are many shady large businesses. Size doesn’t equate legitimacy. Name the retailer and we probably get our answer as to why the card was compromised.

Seems fishy, why not out the retailer? They say it’s a major one. Assuming that is the case, wouldn’t involving them be prudent. I feel we are not getting the full story here.