m000

Indeed, pricing has gone a bit out of hand. I got the top-of-the-line MBP when I was starting my PhD at the end of 2013, for something like $3,200. You couldn't get a more expensive consumer-oriented laptop at the time. It's mind-boggling that the equivalent purchase today costs around twice as much.

> I'm curious what use-cases you think are the most relevant here.

Watch, um... video podcasts while showering?

Hindsight is always 20/20. And as an outsider to the administration, it costs him nothing to admit the obvious failure.

> governments also defer maintenance on the infrastructure; especially since you mention roads and transit

Roads are the outliers here because governments usually have direct oversight on them. They are more infrastructure rather than utilities.

Unlike roads, everything else discussed here (electricity, water, sewage, transit), even when public, is operated by a public company, not the government. Maintenance is part of the company's operating costs and is accounted for in the price consumer pays. And while there is no competition for reliability, there's also no obligation to maximize profits for the shareholders.

> retail functions such as metering, billing, and service connections are private and have competitive providers

I.e., socialize the costs and privatize the profits.

What value can private companies bring to end consumers when they're buying from the same public producer at the same base cost? This is nothing more than a disguised handout.

It's probably the first time I'm glad to hear about a government hacking into someone's phone.

So I guess that now you can make PiHole map hitster.jumboplay.com to a local address, print your own game cards and continue playing the game with the official app?

Many big investors may be too deep into this, so they prefer to extend and pretend rather than cut their (potentially massive) losses.

So, they choose to believe, lacking a better strategy. They will also try to lobby their belief into existence.

> these additional tools to keep them busy

Easy fix: Minesweeper and Solitaire should be mandatory on every police computer.

The idea that "a known ISIS terrorist" could roam the UK without US consent is rather amusing. But yes, something is really, really wrong in Europe. /s

Tech bros can be real whiners when denied unfettered access to our savings.

> a British start-up focused on surveillance

Good for the British people then, and kudos to ESG. As if the UK doesn't have enough surveillance as it is.

Of course. But the idea that you can arm yourself to the point where you can stop any and all attacks is an imperial folly.