graboidhunter

Meet ups. Hobby clubs (chess, cycling, etc.). User groups (Linux, Mac, Python, etc.). Take some lessons for a sport. Take a fitness class. Art classes. Group music lessons. Volunteer for non-profits. Find a local artist group, a local woodworking group. Local business groups like a chamber of commerce.

Basically, find anything which interests you that places you in a context where you bump into the same group of people regularly. From that, connections with develop.

For many, the biggest challenge isn't finding a place to be but actually getting themselves out there in the first place.

Got kids? Enroll them in youth sports. You'll meet and talk with other parents at games and practices. It's how I ended up joining an indoor soccer league.

Check out your local recreation center. It's how I joined a local fencing club.

Check out meet ups in your area. It's how I join a language exchange group that meets weekly.

Check out your local library. They often have book clubs, kid and adult events, and more.

There are tons of options that people used before social media which still exist today. It's trivial to find them. The biggest problem is that many people don't want to move out from behind the screen.

> I somewhat regularly meet people who will flatly refuse to talk to you if you don't have a green bubble, or an Instagram account, or whathaveyou. These are educated professionals in their 20's and 30's.

Find better friends?

A similar aspect is the replacement of American with US Citizen. This would exclude American Samoans who are non-citizen nationals of the United States.

These services aren't that important, but the theme is. It's precisely why my company will not use Google's cloud platform.

It won't. My daily driver is still a mid-2010 iMac.

The debate is philosophical. The debate has practical implications. These two ideas are not mutually exclusive.

I oppose banning TikTok. I oppose it even though I dislike the platform. I dislike its data collection. I dislike that the CCP likely can access the data. I dislike that it is a national security threat.

I would accept limited bans within specific contexts (e.g., people in sensitive positions with access to sensitive data).

At the same time, I crave reform to our privacy laws. We, the people, need better protection against data collection and use by both private and public entities.