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Comment We need to get rid of the income tax (Score 1) 120

by schwit1 (#65560540) Attached to: IRS Chief Says Agency Plans To End Free Filing Program

Go to a consumption tax. No more 1040 forms, no more April 15, no more deductions from your paycheck and biggest of all, no more having the government know how you earned every penny.

Before someone one-note-nelly's that the consumption tax is regressive, so is an income tax. They fixed the income tax, they can fix the consumption tax.

Replacing the income tax with a consumption tax would also allow major cuts at the IRS since they would only need to focus on businesses.

Submission + - For Sale: 1990 Airstream NASA 025 Command Vehicle (hemmings.com) 1

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Imagine pulling into Burning Man driving this?

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to own your own NASA vehicle this is the NASA 025 command vehicle. NASA 025 was designed to land crewed missions at Edwards Air Force Base. It is the one and only of its kind ever built. Has only 8240 miles on it as driven from Ohio to California then around the Edwards base

As Edwards AFB is a massive dry lake bed space missions (both public and secret) would often land in remote areas of the base miles from the tower. This vehicle would be the onsite command center complete with communications and atmospheric monitoring.

Submission + - Apple's iOS 26 text filters could cost political campaigns millions of dollars (businessinsider.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Apple's new spam text filtering feature could end up being a multimillion-dollar headache for political campaigns.

iOS 26 includes a new feature that allows users to filter text messages from unrecognized numbers into an "Unknown Senders" folder without sending a notification. Users can then go to that filter and hit "Mark as Known" or delete the message.

In a memo seen by BI and first reported by Punchbowl News, the official campaign committee in charge of electing GOP senators warned that the new feature could lead to a steep drop in revenue.

"That change has profound implications for our ability to fundraise, mobilize voters, and run digital campaigns," reads a July 24 memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, or NRSC.

The memo estimated that the new feature could cost the group $25 million in lost revenue and lead to a $500 million loss for GOP campaigns as a whole, based on the estimate that 70% of small-dollar donations come from text messages and that iPhones make up 60% of mobile devices in the US.

Submission + - Apple opens Detroit manufacturing academy (cnbc.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Apple opens manufacturing academy in Detroit as Trump ramps up pressure to invest in U.S.

The Apple Manufacturing Academy will be located in downtown Detroit and will be administered by Michigan State University.

The academy will offer workshops on manufacturing and artificial intelligence to small and medium-sized businesses, Apple said.

Trump has called for Apple to move iPhone production to the U.S. and is implementing tariffs that will likely raise the company's costs.

Comment The federal reserve needs a serious haircut? (Score 0) 70

As of the most recent data from 2023 and early 2025, the Federal Reserve System employs approximately 23,900 to 24,000 people across its entire system.
- Perplexity

They regulate banks and the money supply. Do they really need 24k people to do that? Is the fed still needed and at this size?

BTW, their regulation of banks, specifically online bank security sucks. No US financial institution should still be using SMS or phone calls for 2FA.

Submission + - Ring's flying 'spy drone' that monitors your home in the AIR 'coming soon' (the-sun.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Ring’s flying ‘spy drone’ that monitors your home in the AIR ‘coming soon’ – it stalks burglars & even recharges itself

The drone flies automatically around the home, with some obstacle avoidance technology so that it doesn't crash into ceiling light or precious vase

It can also only fly one floor at a time, and has a limited flight time of just five minutes on a single charge

The idea is to scrap multiple plug in cameras around the home and have just one patrolling drone available

Submission + - Kill Russian soldiers, win points: Is Ukraine's new drone scheme gamifying war? (bbc.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: The images come in every day. Thousands of them.

Men and equipment being hunted down along Ukraine's long, contested front lines. Everything filmed, logged and counted.

And now put to use too, as the Ukrainian military tries to extract every advantage it can against its much more powerful opponent.

Under a scheme first trialled last year and dubbed "Army of Drones: Bonus" (also known as "e-points"), units can earn points for each Russian soldier killed or piece of equipment destroyed.

And like a killstreak in Call of Duty, or a 1970s TV game show, points mean prizes.

"The more strategically important and large-scale the target, the more points a unit receives," reads a statement from the team at Brave 1, which brings together experts from government and the military.

"For example, destroying an enemy multiple rocket launch system earns up to 50 points; 40 points are awarded for a destroyed tank and 20 for a damaged one."

Call it the gamification of war.

Submission + - Russia: Commercial satellite providing help to the Ukraine are now targets (behindtheblack.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Russia this week informed regulators at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) that it now considers all European and American private satellite constellations "legitimate targets to be destroyed" if they provide any help to the Ukraine.

Russia tells ITU that GPS/Galileo/GNSS nav commercial broadcast sats helping Ukraine militarily should expect interference. Same for EutelsatGroup, OneWeb, Starlink constellations, which Russia has said are 'legitimate targets to be destroyed.

There is more at the full article, but that is behind a subscription paywall.

Russia's announcement here is probably in response to Trump's more bellicose statements recently about Putin and Russia.

I suspect Russia will begin by trying to jam these constellations. Let us hope it does not go farther than that.

Submission + - Satellite companies SES and Intelsat complete their merger (ses.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: The Luxembourg-based satellite company SES has now completed its acquisition of the European-based satellite company Intelsat, giving the combined company 120 active satellites in a variety of low and high Earth orbits.

With a world-class network including approximately 90 geostationary (GEO), nearly 30 medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, strategic access to low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and an extensive ground network, SES can now deliver connectivity solutions utilising complementary spectrum bands including C-, Ku-, Ka-, Military Ka-, X-band, and Ultra High Frequency. The expanded capabilities of the combined company will enable it to deliver premium-quality services and tailored solutions to its customers. The company's assets and networks, once fully integrated, will put SES in a strong competitive position to better serve the evolving needs of its customers including governments, aviation, maritime, and media across the globe.

Both companies are long established, with Intelsat initially founded in the mid-1960s as a consortium of 23 nations aimed at launching the first geosynchronous communications satellites over the Atlantic and Pacific serving most of the Old World and linked to the New.

The merger is an attempt by both companies to compete with the new low-orbit constellations of SpaceX, Amazon, and from China.

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