Right now, it is a stupid check box I have to keep clicking. Just started maybe a week ago. And it is nearly every time I click on anything Slashdot, if I have a gap of time inbetween. Sometimes even a few minutes. It is very annoying.

>"So you disable all the tracking and that's cool and all but a lot of businesses use that tracking to decide whether or not you're committing fraud or not. So you use Firefox and they can't track you but then they won't let you make purchases on their website..."

This is actually insightful. I have noticed that with UBO and lots of tracking disabled (thank you Firefox), many sites, INCLUDING SLASHDOT, are now constantly challenging me to prove I am not a "bot" through their use of Cloudflare. So far it is just annoying. But that could evolve pretty quickly into downright disaster. And the more we outsource control of our sites to Cloudflare, the more dangerous it becomes. Soon, Google will be able to define the web in whatever freaking way they want, ways that will certainly not benefit user privacy or freedom. And Cloudflare will be able to completely control who is allowed to even browse the web, and how, and using which tools, and from where. Throw in AI nonsense to remove users from all direct sources of information, power more bots, and confuse everything with fake crap, and the outlook for "the web" is looking more dreary every year.

>"No. FF is hopelessly enshittified."

Couldn't disagree with you more. If you want that type of browser, look no further than Edge/Chrome. Rigid config, lack of user control, often mysterious goings-on, etc. That is on top of Google trying to completely take over what is web standards, mostly in favor of their own products and services (and drag all the other browsers with it, since they are now all Chromium, except Firefox and those based on it).

>"The only way to fix it is to strip out all the telemetry/AI/adware"

What little telemetry/AI/adware, if you can call it that, is 100% under user control. Mozilla is completely open about what they do and where, and you can turn all of it off. Nothing is hidden. And it actually is off when you turn it off. And it stays off.

>"and preinstall good adblock."

Mozilla isn't going to put that directly into Firefox. It would be suicide. Yes, we all immediately install a VERY good adblock, which is UBO. And it is the real deal, unlike anything you can put in Chrome or Edge. But that is our doing it. If that were preinstalled, it would make Firefox an enemy of some very powerful corporations. Mozilla has enough issues without adding that.

And those can be explained in terms of other reasons. National security, protection of domestic production, immigration control, reduction of government dependency, regulation reduction to stimulate the economy, etc.

>"The current administration wanted to do that by imposing a national vehicle registration fee for EVs. Some states already do this with higher registration fees for EVs (and oddly enough, not all of the states are red ones)."

No, that is to make up for the loss of gasoline tax revenue. I think that is reasonable, as long as it is at least roughly based on mileage. In my State, they collect the odo reading during annual vehicle inspections. But for some stupid reason they don't use it and want people to put spy devices on their phones or in the vehicle.

I don't necessarily disagree with all of what you said. But that still doesn't rebuke that ending subsidies isn't "actively trying to kill EVs", which is an inaccurate, partisan trope. I believe the main thrust of the subsidies in the first place was to promote the technology to a point it could compete in the free market. Many (including myself) believe we are at that point.

What holds most buyers back now isn't some price subsidy (nor lack of different models, nor safety, nor lack of information/exposure), it is primarily the lack of being able to charge in a convenient/workable manner. A large part of the potential market is locked out because they are not as fortunate as some of us.... I charge in my own garage; not so easy for those in apartments and condos, or with only on-street parking.

>"since Trump and his puppet-masters are actively trying to kill EVs for some reason."

Ending subsidies is not "actively trying to kill EVs", it is simply removing PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT of EVs. If they slapped penalties on them, THAT would be trying to kill them. There is enough supply and demand they should be able to do fine on their own merits, like almost all other products.

LOTS of EV models lost their federal tax incentives based on sales, from 2022 and on, and others lost them due to manufacture location or battery sourcing. And there were income restrictions. But there was a leasing loophole for some models, which is why leasing them became really popular. It is all more complicated than people assert.

For the remaining models, there would, indeed, be an artificial "bubble" of sales leading up to the end of the artificial price reductions. And that will result in a slump of sales for a while after, and then prices will likely adjust back down and the sales will likely return to "normal" again.

>"Next, we need a campaign to put all punctuation that is not part of a quote outside the quotes, even if it looks funny now."

OMG, I couldn't agree more.

>"what if your list is two elements?

Then it isn't needed.

>"you can pretend there isn't a conflict but there is one"

I would write that:

"You can pretend there isn't a conflict, but there is one."

>"Seriously, make symbols for humans that are easy for humans to tell apart: lI|" :)
At least when I hand-write, I usually print (not cursive) yet I always use a cursive lowercase "L" when it is a code (like in a user ID or variable name). And capital "I"'s I always put top/bottom strokes. Pipes I write as two vertical hyphens (with a space in the middle). Oh, and slashes through zeros.

>"Now tell me your take on the Oxford comma"

I was taught in school (USA) that commas are important, lists should have commas, and there should be a comma for each element in the list (even before an "and"). I have written that way my whole life, I think it is clearer and more logical, and I am not going to stop doing it. :)

Telescreen monitoring would have required a crazy amount of manpower.

Probably the closest real-world analog was the East German Stasi, which may have accounted for nearly 1 in 6:

The ratio for the Stasi was one secret policeman per 166 East Germans. When the regular informers are added, these ratios become much higher: In the Stasi's case, there would have been at least one spy watching every 66 citizens! When one adds in the estimated numbers of part-time snoops, the result is nothing short of monstrous: one informer per 6.5 citizens. It would not have been unreasonable to assume that at least one Stasi informer was present in any party of ten or twelve dinner guests. Like a giant octopus, the Stasi's tentacles probed every aspect of life.

— John O. Koehler, German-born American journalist, quoted from Wikipedia

Except for that one time it was Lupus!

You do have a point. I guess it really depends on just how much acceleration we are talking about, and how/when the power is delivered.

Usually, the actual limit of acceleration now is simply the ability to get the power to the ground. Vehicles will have only so much traction to launch and accelerate but so quickly. So there is that. And almost all modern vehicles also have vastly improved traction control and stability control systems, as well (and those are on by default, and that is something I could agree should reset to on with every start). So tire spin and loss of control is greatly diminished. Having decent acceleration is nowhere near as dangerous as it used to be. The main concern is just being aware that others around you might not expect you to be in X location that quickly.

As for Ludicrous: The primary reason Teslas would not have the Ludicrous Mode on all the time (or by default) is that it actually takes considerable time before it can activate (it has to prep for it by conditioning the battery), and when used, it only lasts for a short time, and it seriously destroys range (very seriously).

>"If an OS vendor really cared about what was in the best interest of the user they would never place the user in a situation where they face take it or leave it demands for privileges from app vendors."

^^^ THIS, 1000%

But the reason we don't get such fine-grained controls is that the ecosystem is designed to maximize simplicity and the ability of the OS and apps to spy, advertise, and control the user.