RAM and SSD prices will become so high that replacement consumer devices will become unaffordable for people with low to middle incomes.

Consumer electronics has a very limited design life of 3-7 years. Most of it is not easy to repair. A lot of equipment is also designed to prematurely fail due to thermal stress. (Designed to fail, so they have to have a way to make sure you buy a new one on a periodic basis) There are no "Sams Photofacts" for modern electronics. The schematics and theory of operation are company trade secrets now. Besides, who has the equipment to rework QFN's and BGA's at home? SOIC's and TSSOP's are about the ultimate limit for most electronics hobbyists.

There will be more people disconnected from the Internet unless they visit a Library, and even then the Library might not be able to afford a lot of PC hardware so use times could be short.

I suppose there's that old hobby "Amateur Radio" it could make a comeback if people are forced off the Internet. Buy maybe only for those who know how to build their own radios, and are sitting on a pile of electronic components suitable for the job.

Its the fact that consumers won't be able to afford embedded devices which use DRAM and SSD. There's a design lifetime of 3-7 years on most electronics items which use embedded processors. Once these devices fail, and consumers look at the replacement cost, they might not buy a replacement because it costs too much, and may be forced to go without. Think Phones, Tablets, Routers, Ethernet Switches, and Personal Computers.

This RAM/SSD shortage needs to end soon or we could be in real trouble.

  If it continues, we might see "Unconnected Masses" in this case where a large segment of society can no longer afford to remain connected to the Internet, and may be forced to use Library internet access provided the Library can afford the additional expense.

Obligatory political statement:

Of course this plays right into what the current Republican administration is trying to do in the United States, cleave society into 2 classes, the haves and have-nots.
i.e. Business owners == Capital, Labor == The rest of us. Capital will be able to afford an Internet connection, I'm not so sure about the rest of us.

End of political statement.

Given what they did to Arduino, I view them more like the "Mr. Little" advertising character from Western Exterminator in California where the open source community is the rat with the knife and fork, and Mr. Little is the guy trying to have a heart to heart talk but has a sledgehammer behind his back.

https://www.westernexterminator.com/blog/company/do-you-know-mr-little

Hopefully this time might be different, and maybe Qualcomm learned something from the Arduino fiasco, but I'd be wary in the meantime.

1. As stated in the article, morale improves.
2. To instill "fear of this battle station" in the citizenry.
3. To please la presidenta.
4. To ensure that the citizens see the "all-powerful" military on parade.

So it seems we are sliding towards a Russian model of:" the almighty US government uber alles" Oh, and don't disrespect us because if you do we will punish you in a myriad of ways.

#1 is your best option, but you have to have the financial means to do so. In the united states most of the working population lives paycheck to paycheck, and even though they'd like to have an emergency "Fuck you" money fund, they can't. They're too burdened with rent, car payments, credit card debt, and medical debt to break free. The only way they can escape an abusive employer is to quit after they get an offer letter for another position.

If only more people heeded the advice of the loan shark character in the movie "The Gambler" 2014, the country would be a much better place.
Here is the link to the clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XamC7-Pt8N0

#2 forming a union requires much more energy and commitment then #1.

Not a lawyer.

Especially creepy is how the TV it searches for open wifi networks.

Using an open network to download ads or upload usage info is a legal minefield.

Everything is encrypted and sent with randomized padding to thwart traffic analysis, and help exceed your data cap.

Oh, and if you don't connect the TV to the internet, it won't work, and you can't return it for this reason. And we won't tell you that this will happen in advance.

And don't go crying to your Federal Government representatives and senators to regulate us. We altered the deal. Pray we don't alter it further. Those reps and senators our our buddies, and they'll do anything to protect us. After all we pay their salaries.

after the election, the tech companies will whine to he federal government to preempt the California law under the pretext of an "inconsistent patchwork of state laws are not efficient nor profitable for business". This is the classic "Preempt and gut" strategy that lobbyists use to eliminate state legislation harmful to their keepers.

There is a long and short window here.

If the R's lose control of congress, expect a full court press during the lame duck session between election day and the end of the year. The legislation will be haphazardly concocted and the R's might try to use reconciliation to pass it by adding budget elements to it. In any case there's a high risk that the court system might find sloppy work and toss the portions of bill out if it passes congress and is signed by the President.

If the R's keep control of congress after the election, then a more airtight bill will be written, and attached to a reconciliation bill if the R's can't get cloture on a filibuster by the D's. This bill would be in a better position to survive court challenges.

If the CEO decides she doesn't like someone, she won't be able to "Musk" employees as easily as in the United States.

Musk is known for "On the spot" firings:

Elon Musk has a well-documented history of on-the-spot terminations, a practice often referred to internally by employees as "rage firings." While Musk has publicly denied firing people in a blind rage, multiple investigative reports, biographies, and high-profile public interactions outline definitive examples of him terminating employees instantly.

Reported in a deep-dive investigation by Wired, this is considered the quintessential example of an Elon Musk "rage firing":

  During a stressful production ramp-up for the Model 3 at the Tesla Gigafactory, a young, enthusiastic engineer was asked by a red-faced Musk why a conveyor belt had stopped moving. The engineer explained that a safety sensor was triggering and blocking the line. Musk reportedly shouted, “You’re a fucking idiot! Get the fuck out and don’t come back!”. The Result: The bewildered engineer was told by his manager minutes later that he was officially fired on Musk's direct orders. The culture became so tense during this era that managers reportedly told subordinates not to walk past Musk’s desk out of fear that a wrong look or a word out of place would get them fired on the spot.

The board should remove itself and have the shareholders elect a new slate of board members, but you know that will never happen. Human nature always gets in the way.

Not a lawyer.

They can scan for neighbors wifi connections, but as soon as they try to use it, they're entering a potential legal minefield (If they are caught)

It boils down to the fact that they technically need permission to use an open wifi network.

Some laws which come to mind:

1. The Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)
2. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act (Section 5)
3. The Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA)
4. Trespass to Chattels
5. California Penal Code Section 502

after the election is over. This is a soothing ploy by the red states.

The problem is that there is only a tiny window where the voters have all the power, and that is at an election. The rest of the time, they have to put up with who they elected. Short of recall (And in some states recall can't be done) there is not much the voters can do about a "loose cannon" they elected. The have to suck it up. Politicians know this and some of them take advantage of it. The flock camera issue is just one of a myriad of examples.

These plug in solar panels will not operate if the grid is down, so you can't use them in an emergency. They are used to offset your electric bill. For bill offsetting it doesn't matter what phase/leg you are connected to. Power will either be consumed locally, or if there aren't enough loads on the phase/leg it is attached to it will offset the load on the other leg or be exported to the grid where you will get a credit (although the credit may be small).

The easy copper has been mined.

https://edconway.substack.com/p/the-race-for-copper-hots-up
https://www.mining.com/web/an-american-mine-still-has-millions-of-tons-of-copper-if-companies-can-get-to-it/

with open arms.... After the election.

When something gestinks politically near a midterm election (what's that you say... no election is to be held regardless of what the constitution says) , you can count on it coming back after the politicians who would have voted for it get a new lease on life.