toastercat

> you're gonna carry those two Steam Decks in your pockets?

Watch me! My point was more about how expensive phones are.

I'm not so sure about modern smart phones being less fragile. My first phone was a Nokia 3310-descendent, and my second a Samsung Beat flip phone. Neither were over $100 at the time of purchase, and both were rugged devices I could throw in my pocket or in a bag without thinking it would need a protective case or that their screens were going to break.

I always have a hard time swallowing the price of modern smart phones. Having something so ridiculously expensive and fragile as an everyday carry seems absurd to me. For reference, you can buy two Steam Deck LCDs for the price of one iPhone 17.

I'm torn. I'm not a huge fan of ads and I don't have a lot of respect for the modern ad networks. However this culture of expecting websites to host the data then freeloading off it by blocking the tracking and ads is also a bit ugly.

There is an unwritten social contract here. Websites are willing to host and organise a vast number of content because that'll attract an audience for ads. If there are too may freeloaders resisting the ads then services won't host the content, and on the path to that the freeloaders are really just leeching off a system in an entitled way (unless their goal is to destroy the services they use in which case good on them for consistency and for picking a worthy target).

If people aren't going to be polite and accept that contract then fine, enforcement was always by an honour system. But strategically if a service's social contract doesn't work for someone then they shouldn't use that service - they'd just be feeding the beast. They should go make their own service work or investigate the long list of alternative platforms.

Ah interesting, I remember this being a feature of Google Play Music 10 years ago as well. Nice to see they kept it around.

Yeah, there's something about Honeypot (or I guess CultRepo now) documentaries that rub me the wrong way. Sometimes it feels like an over-glorification of the subject matter, sometimes it's the slick editing and music choices that remind me of corny biopic films. I get that it's trying to be engaging to not just technical people though.

> arguments put forth by the mainstream

Who are the mainstream?

Can you give me a reputable source that you think I should trust over the NIH/NCBI/CDC?

Almost everything you said was incorrect.

> Don't give me some bullshit convoluted argument about potentially improved outcomes for people getting the vaccine.

Ah there it is. See, it doesn't matter what numbers or sources I cite to you because it'll all just be bullshit in your eyes. You've already made up your mind and nothing can convince you otherwise.

> I stopped getting boosters (like most normal people) when it became clear that the vaccine wasn't working and the virus had mutated to be more harmless than ever. I never got the virus even once but everyone I know who got double boosted and so on did get it, even multiple times (unless they were skipping work).

This is Facebook uncle-posting tier.

I represented your claims exactly as you presented them. You've moved your original goalposts so much I may as well be replying to a different user.

> I'm not taking bullshit from big pharma or government so that must make me an anti-vax simpleton, eh? Gtfo

Yes, it is quite clear.

So, we moved from:

* CDC was forcing everyone to get the vaccine

to

* Biden failed to force everyone to get the vaccine

to

* The DOD added COVID-19 vaccines to the Joint Regulation on Immunization and Chemoprophylaxis for the Prevention of Infectious (which already included several mandatory vaccines including for influenza) after the FDA had approved the Pfizer vaccine, mandating military personnel to get the vaccine until 2023.

Very interesting that once you unpack an anti-vaxxers alarmist arguments, you're left with a completely different understanding of reality with nuance and all.

Please share with me the article where Biden attempted but failed to literally break into my house and force a vaccine into my and my children's veins while we were sleeping.

Sorry, but this is an awful strawman argument.

Every reasonable politician agree illegal immigration is illegal. But you're conflating immigration with illegal immigration in your comment, for some reason.

> Any immigration at all will affect the availability of homes, of jobs, of healthcare... So, it ought to be monitored and controlled. This is becoming more relevant as home prices rise and the job market stays sucking.

So does having babies. I don't see your point here. Immigrants come and they provide labor, the same labor we use to build homes and staff hospitals. Most immigrants that come to the U.S. are young and utilize less healthcare services than non-immigrants.

The CDC is and always has been unable to force anyone to get a vaccine. You might be confusing the CDC with your elementary school principal.