I swear, California has so many laws and controls, it's a wonder why anyone does business there, let alone lives there.

The generation that was enslaved to a Broadcast over-the-air TV turned to Cable for "edgier", less FCC-moderated content and hundreds more channels.

Then that generation got enslaved by greedy cable prices, especially as things went exclusive like NFL Football on select days and adding 1 channel to watch a hit series was about a quarter of the cost of cable.

People turned to streaming because it was cheaper and in many cases, free. People also rediscovered broadcast over-the-air TV. The pandemic helped with this.

Now that people are already moving on from rising streaming prices and looking for alternatives, Cable is now a relic of the 00's. The generation that loved it has either moved on or died off. I hope the suits that raised prices have their Golden Parachutes ready if they haven't used them already..

Longtime Windows users have enjoyed the simplicity of built-in apps like Notepad and Paintbrush.

Stuffing new things into them to make them something else (such as a Wordpad replacement) makes them lose their charm and introduces new headaches.

You would think at this point, Microsoft could just offer MS Word for free with every Windows activation.

College Is Expensive
College is more expensive than ever, leaving graduates living a life of virtual indentured servitude until their 30s or 40s when they might be trying to raise families.

Degrees with no Jobs
There are plenty of degrees being offered that have no actual real job market, some students spend all that money on a degree and don't even have that "high paying" job to go to, because they wasted their time.

Many people are starting to see the value in learning a practical trade and being able to go out in the world and make money sooner and with much less student debt, if any. The world needs electricians, plumbers, and welders, not Gender Studies, Philosophers, and "University Studies" graduates.

Falling Birthrate
Lastly, there is a lot of infertility happening causing the birth rate to drop, as well as people not being able to afford kids (student loans ironically being possibly part of that problem), or have beliefs that they should sterilize themselves.

I still hope NASA can send some version of the "Europa Clipper" that one congressman keeps pushing for.

Apart from the Voyagers, Cassini, and New Horizons, we should explore the moons of the Gas Giant planets and see what's on them.

We already have microplastics in our bodies, please don't sully the air, so some corporate scumbags can retire with golden parachutes.

That's all I can think about when it comes to the explosion of celestial bodies.

Well, Star Trek may not be humanity's future, but the science fiction writers sure make good guesses at times.

...Is your knowledge and sensory access is limited to the definitions of the simulation. If you live in a box, you only know the box, and nothing of how the box was created and what exists beyond the box.

China is an industrial smokestack of fumes. The Amazon rainforest is being deforested by several acres daily. Celebrities and politicians scurry about the globe in private jets.

So much pollution (and deforestation) being caused by so many.

I do my part and recycle and drive an electric car, but, in reality, Taylor Swift generates more carbon in a few months than I will for my entire life.

Instead of bullying individual normal people, let's call out the celebs, politicians, and bad-actor nations that are really causing the problem.

It's incredible that Windows of the modern era can still have such a chokehold on homes that you are "forced" to upgrade.

It's been 22 years since I ran Windows as my home PC OS. I don't game on PCs and all the business I conduct on a computer absolutely has not required Windows.

Anyone "forced" in this way should seriously evaluate their relationship with computers as tools and entertainment.

RIP to all the hobby machines running 32-bit Windows for old games. Download your archival copies now.

The trend of posting videos of taking naps, running errands, attending ball games, and other things on company time may have been in jest, but people in higher position at companies took these as truth (or at least saw the potential truth in them).

Even if you can get all your work done, and then some, and then still be able to run your errands, these companies want you locked in the company mind-state all day long. They may claim they care about your work-life-balance, as long as your life doesn't affect the solid 8-9 hours they want you in the office.

So thanks to all the TikTok videos, reels, and shorts depicting all the goofing off. I hope the likes, subscribes, and Internet Points were worth it.

Transunion is a bureau that also offers credit monitoring when your info is leaked in a breach. I wonder if this leak affects those using the monitoring services, effective being leaked twice.

I also wonder if they will ironically offer those affected by the break a free year of credit monitoring through Transunion.

I've had an EV for 6 years. Part of the lifestyle is having home charging. You always leave your home with the car at your desired State of Charge (SoC), and that includes charging it up to a higher threshold before going on a roadtrip.

Using public DC Fast Chargers is great for roadtrips, but using them as the sole means of charging is counter productive to the "savings" of not having to pay for gas. Charging at home tends to be much cheaper!

Also, where I live, you really need to garage your car. With summertime hail, winter time subzero temps and blizzards, you should protect the car from these conditions to maximize its battery life and, for the case of hail, its appearance.