crims0n

This is it, they are media consumption devices.

Important context here is that many of these streaming services operated at a loss for years, and some still are. HBO Max didn’t turn a profit until 2023 and Disney only become profitable in 2024 after bundling with Hulu. AFAIK Paramount+ and Peacock are still in the red.

Point being, the introductory prices for these services were always unsustainable.

The higher prices is also wrong, adjusted for inflation. And the lower-quality products is subjective at best.

I really hate when authors undermine their own (often valid) points.

I think it is more than that though. Parenthood is a long, multi-year process full of hormones, self-reflection, and fundamental changes to your psyche. A non-parent can intellectually understand what happens and why, can emotionally understand or feel that love by swapping out kids with partners, pets, etc. But I believe there is a level of understanding that is just not possible unless you also go through that process. Hard to describe. Closest analog I can think of right now is my perspective on pregnancy vs my wife's.

I love Casio watches, perfect blend of utilitarian and nerd. Wearing my 5000U-1JF right now.

One of those reasons being you can walk into any Walmart across the country and walk out with one for about $22 USD.

I don't have evidence for this, but I suspect a lot of it is Reddit refugees.

As a millennial growing up it was beaten into our head that smoking was a death sentence. I recently looked up what the actual cancer rate among smokers was... about 125k people in the US die of lung cancer annual. 25 million people smoke annually. That is a 0.5% chance for occasional smokers. Even if you smoke a pack a day your entire life, the cancer rate is less than 15%.

I am in no way saying it is okay to smoke, there are obviously other health risks associated with it... but researching that made me feel much better about that one pack a year I buy for vacation.

Google has a bit of a Network Effect going... my vehicle got an OTA update to use Gemini. Between that, search, storage, and the YT Premium bundle it was enough to convince me to float a subscription.

This is awesome and greatly appreciated, going to boot up my iMac G4 and give it a go.

Diablo is currently in a bit of a resurgence, the latest expansion was quite good.

Same, especially because at the time of Dreamcasts’s release - Windows CE was everywhere in the handhelds and PDA market.

Hey I remember that site! I bought one from there as well, although I couldn't afford the actual replica so settled on a brown squarish one that came as a necklace.

It is just speculation at this point, no official numbers yet. Some leaks have suggested a size about that, and it seems to be in-part corroborated by the physical editions being download codes.

And this is why I roll my eyes when gamers complain about the cost of games these days - they have never been cheaper.