Well, I got into them when I was younger. My school required a MacBook and when I started using one, I found it way cooler than my clunky Windows laptop. Part of that was probably the price, but it was also the OS. It was really smooth - and I freaking fell in love with the touchpad gestures. Then I got an iPhone, an iPad etc.

Overtime, I moved away from an Apple only ecosystem. Now I use Linux on an XPS. I also use a Galaxy Tab instead - iPad, while powerful, is really hampered by its OS. Galaxy Tab is far more powerful and capable of being an actual laptop replacement, at least for me.

But I still use an iPhone. I find it a lot easier to deal with than Android. I tried the latter in the past, btw. But I don’t need customization on my phone, unlike with my laptop or tablet. So, for my headphones, I got the AirPods. The connection between the iPhone and AirPods is really good.

Will my next phone be an iPhone. I dunno. There are some really interesting Android phones out there, and the platform seems more mature now with many companies offering a simple UI that doesn’t do too much - I still keep up with it all. I liked the OnePlus Fold that came out recently, for example.

I’ll admit, I’m not your average Apple user. I made a very deliberate choice to not be tied down to Apple. I’ve taken conscious actions to have different OSes and software on different devices and not be locked down by any one company. I use FOSS wherever I can, and moved away from all the default apps pushed by Apple, Samsung etc. long ago. It’s also why I won’t get a Galaxy phone - I already have the tablet. The only concession I allowed was the AirPods.

But I can tell you another example. Over the years, my father has needed new products. And every time I’ve gotten him Apple products. Now, he has an all Apple setup. MacBook, iPad, iPhone, AirPods. Why? Because I’ve seen him use Windows laptops and Android phones in the past. I know just how many problems he’s had with them - and how much I had to help him with them. Now that he has an all Apple set up, everything is dead simple for him. People underestimate this.

Hope this helps answer your questions.

Adrian Zenz, a German researcher at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, whose work on Xinjiang has been widely-cited by Western legislators, said it would be better to have “no legislation” than what the EU has proposed

Lol

Yuzu’s statement on Twitter.

Okay, holy shit, I just did a little googling on Wiz, the company Shultz funded. Three of its four founders were members of Unit 8200 the IDF unit “responsible for clandestine operation, collecting signal intelligence (SIGINT) and code decryption, counterintelligence, cyberwarfare, military intelligence, and surveillance” that is “the foremost technical intelligence agency in the world and stands on a par with the NSA.”

Like… come the fuck on.

So, on the one hand, websites like these are great for collecting and sharing information regarding which companies and people support Israel and how.

But, as BDS points out, the long lists of companies to boycott that go viral often end up having the opposite effect, by making people feel like there’s no point in boycotting any company at all.

If anyone begins to feel that way after looking at all these companies, then just remember to focus your effort on the list endorsed by BDS - not because the other companies are “okay”, but because that way we can collectively have the most impact.

Look into BDS. That’s the organization that organized boycotts of companies in a tactic similar to one employed against South Africa during Apartheid. I linked their page that lists the main companies they are targeting right now, along with the reasons why.

Both McDonalds and Starbucks are targets of “organic boycotts” i.e. companies that we, as consumers, decided to boycott of our own initiative - Starbucks sued its union (Starbucks Workers United) after it expressed solidarity with Palestine; McDonalds is even worse - it gave (still gives?) free meals to IDF soldiers and sued BDS after it criticized the company.

The effect of the boycotts are being felt by the two companies.

Hope this helps.

All my homies have stopped going to McDicks and Starbucks. And our life is just better for it, too.

Several users note that Hianime is only a typo away from Hanime, which is an adult-themed site focusing on Hentai content.

LMAO.

You raise very valid points. Those are absolutely concerns I might have too if I actually believed in a god - am I following all the rules, am I good enough to get the good ending etc etc. It’s good to not have illusions that a higher authority will take care of the problems of this world and actually work to fix it ourselves.

And in moments of hope, when things are improving, it seems we as humans are succeeding in that. But looking at the world now, those moments seem fewer and fewer. It gets harder to keep working on improving, or even thinking that we can improve.

But I don’t want to just say injustice is natural and bad things will always happen and cannot be stopped. Individually, yeah - there will always be people who do things that are not good. But on a societal scale? A better world is possible. In this aspect, having a belief in a higher authority, one you believe will be “good” and “just” can help centre you and give you hope. I guess, spiritual rather than actually religious. But I can’t even believe in that.

When I was younger, I became a “rational” and “atheist” type - I have to thank my parents for that. They were the scientific but spiritual type and allowed me to come to my own conclusions, rather than forcing religion down my throat. I’m glad, too. Because when I met religious people later on, I was able to look at the absurdity of it all and brush it off.

But now I’m older, and I sometimes wish this weren’t the case. I truly wish I could believe in a soul or a heaven/hell or reincarnation or any other form of higher being than us. I get it. I get why people do. The world is ruled by evil people who do terrible, evil things and this belief in a higher authority where they will one day be judged, and all the innocents who suffer will finally have peace… it’s the only way to cope with it.

I don’t believe in a soul, but I wish I did.

100-hour battery life in full Smart Mode

Hoo boy that’s a big battery.

AAA is just indie shit now and speaks to the lack of drive of the developers. They should aim for AAAA like this game deserves. We want, no, we demand, a $80 always-on Crazy Taxi reboot with a $150 Deluxe bundle that comes with one custom taxi skin, and a $300 Ultra Premium bundle that comes with a toy matchbox taxi. We need Day One crashes and bug fixes, a dozen different paid DLCs to be released over three years, and the inevitable server shut down three years from release making the game unplayable.

Yeah, thankfully.

In a memo sent to employees Mozilla says it wants to bring “trustworthy AI into Firefox”. To help it do this sooner it’s merging its Pocket, content, and AI/Ml teams.

Eww.

I’ll need to switch browsers soon. I do not want AI crap.

Edit - There is also the reduction in their privacy services (VPN, Relay etc.). This could be the start of a trend in that direction too. Only time will tell.

Partly, at least. The agency responsible is “earnestly studying” public opinion to improve the proposed rules. Coupled with the firing…they might walk back a lot.

Feng has in recent years represented the Chinese government at events to discuss authorities’ efforts to regulate the industry, including game approvals and real-name verification requirements for gamers.

Beijing cracked down heavily on its video gaming sector in 2021, setting strict playtime limits for under 18s and suspending approvals of new video games for about eight months, citing gaming addiction concerns.

The crackdown was part of a wider regulatory tightening across several sectors, including technology and property.

The NPPA’s proposed measures, which seek to curb spending and the use of rewards that encourage the playing of video games, triggered fears that authorities were once again cracking down heavily on the sector and wiped nearly $80 billion off the market value of China’s two biggest gaming companies.

Five days after the rules were announced, the NPPA struck a more conciliatory tone, saying it would improve them by “earnestly studying” public views.