I recently ran Windows 2000 in a VM to pull some files from some install discs (grabbing Microsoft Train Simulator content from disc images off of archive.org to play in OpenRails in case anyone reading this is the same kind of crazy I am) and it was kinda striking how usable it was even in a modern context. Sure certain shortcuts and niceties hadn’t been thought of yet but it’s surprisingly modern for a 25 year old desktop operating system

I went to Disneyland for the first time as an adult a couple of years ago. The first day we did not purchase the Geniepass, and observed that unlike the old (free) Fastpass, they would not simply give each line equal priority but instead would let scores of (paid) Geniepass holders through before one regular ticket holder would be let on, regardless of line length. So basically they’ve raised the price of entry further except as more of a hidden fee so some people simply get a much less fun experience than others

I worked in support for a phone manufacturer that has made some foldable. From what I’ve seen they seem to be noticably more fragile than the chocolate bar form factor. Seems the screen technology needs more time to mature

When I first watched it, I had the benefit of a nerd who’d read the book explaining certain scenes that weren’t super clear on what was happening in the film, and I feel like that is what made the experience for me

Personally I really enjoyed the world building. I’ve played enough Kerbal Space Program that I just assume any space movie/show is going to be factually wrong and just try to learn what the in-universe rules are and enjoy it

For me its mostly that with a bit of “this is a foreign film/show so some cultural references and formulas are entirely new to me!” excitement sprinkled in

That’s relying on them having the political will to do more than half-ass it. Let’s be real, everyone loyal to trump is loyal for one (or more) of three reasons:

1. They directly profit from the loyalty
2. They believe it will help them realize their career ambitions
3. They believe they can use him to ultimately achieve their own private ideological ambitions

These are the same reasons people joined the first Trump administration and literally none of them are attempting to join his second administration meaning they were not able to realize any of their goals through Trump (or they were shown exactly how far they could go before they found the line they could not cross)

Simply put, it’s not an environment conducive to actually realizing policy goals in any incredibly complex interconnected web. The last trump administration tried to block China from international logistics and instead made logistics more robust (and helped the Mexican economy by accidentally encouraging significant investment in manufacturing and logistics there) and got completely deadlocked by infighting when they attempted to realize their wet dream of “repealing and replacing” Obamacare/The Affordable Care Act. I’ll be extremely impressed if a trump Administration manages to actually achieve a meaningful disruption of the Internet, especially with how the rest of the world largely refuses to support his policy goals

Heck a tiny regional bank I worked at with less than 2 dozen locations was constantly flinging data between its Primary and DR datacenters, and they were too small for any dedicated fiber so that was just over standard ISPs (with some locations technically on residential plans because the ISPs didn’t offer any better options than that in the small towns the bank supported)

Dammit. That’s too funny and I want someone to share this with but nobody i know is the right mix of wierd to get it

If you ever plan on retiring you’d better hope your investments are worth at least a million by age 65

There’s a reason the stock market has generally been in the dumps since Trump’s election. Big investors don’t like the risk he poses and shifted to safer investments

But it would suck if you got that 30% haircut just before you needed to sell…

For the average middle class individual or family, they’ll never sell all of their investments, but only small amounts each month to cover monthly expenses when they retire, so even in the situation of a 30% decrease, they’re only selling off a fraction of a percent of their portfolio each month

YouTube even allows A/B testing for thumbnails now so creators can know with far more certainty what style of thumbnail generates more clicks. I’ve even observed the A/B testing occuring as I’ve scrolled past a new video mentally marking it to watch later then later seen the same video with a different thumbnail

My wife uses it and I’ve never seen it find a discount code. I assume it’s because we don’t buy enough online since money’s been pretty tight

I haven’t watched broadcast television or paid for service since about 2010. It was quite jarring watching cable news when in a hotel and just how little detail they give about anything while padding every story out with fluff so heavily. It was kind of insulting how they’d tease an upcoming story before every commercial break, except every time it would be the story right before the next break and somehow feel not even worth teasing once they gave you more than the teaser. Is this realy how people get their news? I can get a much better handle on local and world events in 30 minutes of reading a few news sources in the web than the fluff cable news gave me

It’s hilarious comparing the viewership of prime time TV programming to a random YouTube video or live stream made by a couple of people in their bedroom. Broadcast television is dead. It’s just a shambling zombie at this point, acting like it’s still relevant this far into the 21st Century

On the subject of Lost you could spend the same amount of time watching the entire Lost TV series watching Billiam’s retrospectives about the series!

…in case you want to spend 20 hours of your life watching a make a wish kid talk about Lost

Apparently YouTube has been supressing him from my recommendations lately so I guess I have some videos to catch up on

You can just directly stream the MST3K IPTV channel too!

https://iptv-org.github.io/channels/us/MysteryScienceTheater3000

And apparently the first 10 seasons are available for free streaming at their dedicated streaming service (their marketing also indicates there’s also free DRM-free downloads too! I need to dig into this at some point…)

https://www.gizmoplex.com/mst3k

https://mst3k.com/where-to-watch/

Quite frankly, a big part of managing the stress when looking at the macro-political situation and how that intertwines with the macro-econonics and fucks up the microeconomics of households, is to not dwell on it. Too much doomer content bringing you down? know when to stop consuming and do something else. There’s a point where you cannot change it and making yourself depressed thinking about it too much is just going to make your own life shittier.

I also work hard to find the best path to survive, thrive and live my best life. Sometimes that means taking some time to learn the rules of the game that’s set up so you don’t dive head first into the pitfalls that are setup for those who don’t pay attention to the rules. Learn more about the big scary words at play as you sign up for an insurance plan, and what they mean. Learn about interest (both on your debts and your funds) and how interest plays into your finances, how to budget and figure out what you can afford, and how to financially improve upon your previous choices that occurred either due to lack of knowledge or due to making the least bad decision available to you at a given point in time.

But also make sure to find joy and happiness in a bunch of different timescales to both be happier and improving yourself so that no matter how mundane your life is, you have sparks of joy to keep you always looking forwards to something:

• Small affordable indulgences, be that a yummy food like a small block of aged cheese, or maybe a small lego set or a small game. Whatever makes you happy that you wouldn’t normally spend on
• Take a moment to appreciate something in your environment. I like to take a minute to look at the stars every time I’m outside at night, but also actively take in the trees and patches of woodland and how they’re currently reacting to the weather. If you can keep a small plant, just checking in on your little potted plant every day can bring its own joy in caring for your little buddy
• Find a creative outlet, no matter how much you suck at it, just find something you can make that you enjoy making
• Pick something fun you can look forwards to at all times that’s just around the corner. A club that meets monthly to do a hobby you enjoy does well. I then try to also make sure to find some excuse to get together with friends and spend a little more money than I otherwise would every few months so its extra special and I can really look forward to those get togethers.
• Start exercising regularly. Your body was made to move, and making sure you’re actually using your body and pushing your muscles a bit 3-5 times a week is amazing for both your general health but also your mental health too. Take a walk, ride a bike, make a fool of yourself on a dance floor, struggle to do a pushup/pullup. It doesn’t have to be structured, just something to actually move your whole body throughout the week and actually use your muscles

TL;DR STOP DOOMSCROLLING AND GO POKE SOMETHING WITH A STICK…it might even be a little fun

Ah I thought I had remembered their hard drive division being aquired but I was wrong! Per Wikipedia:

At least 218 companies have manufactured hard disk drives (HDDs) since 1956. Most of that industry has vanished through bankruptcy or mergers and acquisitions. None of the first several entrants (including IBM, who invented the HDD) continue in the industry today. Only three manufacturers have survived—Seagate, Toshiba and Western Digital