Dude seems to think we don't have every other form of payment as well. Yeah, literacy and logic do appear to be missing from his competencies. But he obviously hates 'Murrica, so he is golden on present day Slashdot.

I know there have always been kooks on Slashdot, but they seem to be taking over at this point.

Feel that hatred. Let it consume you! It is your destiny.

Oh summer child. I used the colloquialism "Check" because it is understood by people as a payment method. perhaps not by you.

Here in the US, we might get a "check" via the paper that triggered you to spittle flecked rage, or a debit card, or direct deposit. Or PayPal, or Venmo or any of the other payment services. We here can even request the method.

Since I angered you to spout actual lies, and two rage comments forgive me, but I must ask.......

What is wrong with you?

Well, the biggest reason is a philosophical difference between Europe and the USA. As noted in the article, after a suit in 2017, (2.4 B Euro) there were a lot of follow on suits. Sweden's is one.

Europe appears to want to limit competition to the point - IMO - where dominance is considered bad and must be punished. There are other search engines out there. There is DDG, Bing, Yahoo, Yandex if you dare. I use Google about once a year - I don't even find it to be the best. But there is something a little odd about the whole thing - I don't think the good citizens of Sweden or other countries are forced to use Google, so it is stretching the concept of a monopoly to a breaking point for me.

I also do not buy the idea that pecuniary extraction is anything other than a cash grab, and despite what some think, there can be a point reached where whoever is supposed to give money to European nations, be it Google, Apple, Microsoft, or whatever company commits the offense du jour - the company might decide there is no longer a profit. Considering that Sweden is not a lot larger in population (around 10 million) than New York City, (8.3 million) you can bet that there are accountants weighing the alternatives. Geoblocking could become a thing. Although from some reading I've done, the EU wants to geoblock, but doesn't want anyone geoblocking them.

Of course many in the EU fully support the fines. Of course they would, it's like a government approved mugging, and might even help with taxes, perhaps social programs.

A personal type situation mi.ght be with my cable service. After the umpteenth price increase from Xfinity, and the latest bill being nearly 300 dollars a month, I decided to move to AT&T streaming service plus internet. More channels, better image quality, and less than half the price each month.

Point is I decided that Xfinity was over priced, and rather than engage in some class action lawsuit (there have been a number of them, I switched to AT&T. I had the choice, just like the good citizens of Sweden and the rest of Europe can do. But Google is dominant, and Europe demands tribute, and demands to limit competition as much as possible. I think this page notes it best: https://thelens.slaughterandma...

"Ensuring a well-functioning internal market is a key priority for the European Commission. This evaluation will help determine whether further measures are needed to address remaining barriers and strengthen cross-border trade in the EU.”

Pretty language to say anti-competitive, and protectionism, where a dominant company is considered a barrier.

You know, are you paid for your hatred? A person draws a comparison between the Class action suits in America, and fining a company, and you cannot avoid making it an anti American thing. Apparently defending Sweden's action. Here's the part you don't think about. Sweden will do something with the money. They want the money. But with 110,605,500 population, There will eventually be a decision made. Does constant fining cause it to be unprofitable to have a presence there?

That's the part I don't get. Why don't you good people simply ban anything American from your countries. No US Citizens visiting, no Businesses registered in America. Refusing to import anything into or out of that has anything to do with America.

Nothing. Erase us completely. You do not need the USA for anything, and enough of you cannot write a sentence without expressing your hatred, seems like time to go to your politicians and let them know whet they must do. Then you won't have to deal with the constant fines. and you can be as anti-competitive as you like. Maybe install a new Europe where from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs.

I've heard an engineer note that the batteries of a Prius are the most pampered and un-abused on the planet.

I don't know what the deal is with manufacturers recommending those crazy oil change intervals. Mess your engine as a form of planned obsolescence?

On my Jeep, the computer does all manner of calculations, and decides when to nag you about changing the oil - not using miles, but driving styles, speeds, and I'm pretty certain time in FWD. Seems to work, no issues with my vehicles.

These countries appear to have the pecuniary extraction model. Go after the deepest pockets, and come up with some way to take some of their money, because reasons.

Here in the US, we see something like that in the class action suits, where a million or two who "suffered" from some indignity might sign up for a class action suit.

The lawyers get almost all the awards, and upon winning, the people "wronged" get checks for 5 dollars.

I suppose the difference is that in Sweden, the 2 billion will go elsewhere. Or will the Swedish citizens get checks?

Fortunately, you and I are not forced to drink the swill that some might identify with all things American and the representative beer of the country. Is it perhaps you do not identify, perhaps loathe those who drink that swill? I mean I dunno, I don't claim to be a latter day Michael Jackson (famous beer critic not the musician) but I've had many different brands of beer, both Domestic and European - and Russian and Japanese, since we're on the topic. There are American brews that are among the best, and European Brews that are among the worst. And Vice versa of course. I won't besmirch Eurobeers based on their worst offerings.

Worst beer I ever had? A Russian brew that appears to have a bit of formaldehyde in it.

Fascinating, perhaps my experience of Microbreweries I've gone to, who make many varieties of beer, is a a singular one that is not yours.

The thing about beer is that rather than name a variety of beer that the individual does not like in order to besmirch an entire nation's ability to produce a decent product, it might be a more productive approach to drink other offerings. rather than make moral and other judgements.

In my city - hardly known as a beer Mecca, since the largest amount of beer sold is to college students who buy Natty Light because it is cheap, our Microbreweries produce many varieties. The brewhouse I have my meetings in Produces Pilsner, Nitro Stout, Imperial Stout, Kolsch, Belgian Ale, Mexican Lager, and yes, some varieties of IPA including A West Coast, Hazy, and an ESB brew that is balanced. I especially like the Nitro Stout, Imperial Stout and Belgian, even if it the latter uses noble hops - probably because it doesn't get to skunk. going straight to barrels

Another local brewery/ restaurant creates a Vienna Lager, Apricot Wheat, Red Ale, Nitro Stout (dry), American Pale Ale, Traditional Cider and Cherry Cider, and three forms of IPA.

They also have seasonal, Ginger Shandy, Pale Wheat, Hefeweizen, Pomegranate Sour Ale, Bock-Hell, Rye Beer (32% rye grain bill) , and Hazy IPA.

We have a few others, but the situation is similar. IPA is just one type they brew. If you don't like hoppy beer, you should drink other varieties. There are many offerings.

Note: I have an IPA with Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. The hops cleanse the palate among the rich foods. Others in the family use a dry wine to accomplish the same.

The desire for stasis taken to extremes I suppose.

One of my favorites is some years ago when a Tesla caught fire, and the asshats tried to claim that Gasoline vehicles did not ever catch fire. That EV's were too dangerous.

Youtube, and my MIL having two cars incinerate themselves proves that Gasoline powered vehicles burn quite vigorously and fairly often.

Flavored hops? You mean like an IPA? The so called "Noble Hops" should be a real no-no, especially in any bottle that is not brown. Noble hops in anything else skunks the beer. No reason to use them. Cascade hops can be a little grapefruit-y, but snobbing about hops, means people can proclaim superiority about.

If you can handle hops, try Heineken in cans even though I might have to go into the witness protection system for such heresy, Canned Heineken doesn't skunk, and is a much more pleasant experience.

Do Central Europeans not drink anything else? I mean, that's home to Lambics, and one of my favorites Trappist Brews, Chimay, especially The large bottle barrel fermented version. I was introduced to that in pairing with German food.

I enjoy drinking many varieties, and have committed the cardinal sin of drinking some European beers I find lacking. 8^)

Good point.

Budweiser has a consistency process that keeps older brews in order to have taste tests. They are pretty precise.

One odd thing is that Budweiser at one point didn't do the headache thing. Then around 1970, something changed. In High school, I could drink it with no problem. Then something happened. two buds, and I'd get queasy, and a hella headache. three and I'd vomit. Switched to "Rolling Rock", and nary a problem.

Yes, I was underage.

Battery life has exceeded the naysayers pronouncements of early doom since the Prius which had to have a 150,000 mile warranty way back in the day, and hardly had anyone using the warranty.

Same with solar panels which I was told they'd stop working in a few years. In Cape May there are quite functional Solar Arrays that have been there 25 years. At a school.

Time to move the goalposts again.

Yup, it is definitely not a session beer. Between the alcohol content and the hella lot of malt, even if a person likes it, one should be enough.

Is no.

Wars have always been about destroying infrastructure. WW2 had The Allies destroying oil refineries, ball bearing plants, railways harbors and other manufacturing. As Germans retreated via rail, they had machinery that broke up the railroad ties. Uncle Joe Stalin moved his materiel production factories out of range. All corporate stuff.

Sometimes I wonder if the people who write these stories don't study history at all.

Umm, is it your premise that all American beer is bad? Where do you get your facts from - 1960?

Thousands of Microbreweries, competent companies that make every version and style of beer on earth, and you make a bold statement that it is all bad.

I've tried many beers from many countries, and seriously, there are many American brews that are equals. The concept that all American beer is Bud Light, or Pabst Blue Ribbon or other light lagers is simply wrong.

Although I do use PBR in my sausage making. IPAs give the product an off taste - I might try Maudite from Canadian company Unibroue.

BTW, most pre Prohibition American beer wasn't all that good.https://www.beeradvocate.com/articles/4381/pre-prohibition-lager-more-nostalgic-than-authentic/