I am owned by several dogs and cats. I have been playing non-computer roleplaying games for almost five decades. I am interested in all kinds of gadgets, particularly multitools, knives, flashlights, and pens.
I’ve been using Nova for a very long time. It has saved me all kinds of annoyance as I’ve switched phone brands and OS versions, since my basic UI has remained consistent.
Unless it actually takes a dive in quality, I will continue to use it, but this is disappointing news.
Take a look at the suggestions in this article: https://www.lifewire.com/stop-alexa-from-listening-5121012
If you disable the microphone, except when you want to use it, that should severely limit what it can do. If you also set the option that tells Amazon not to keep any of your recordings that should keep you fairly safe.
The caveat is that Amazon can decide to cheat at any time. They have repeatedly lied about what information that acquire, how long they retain it, and what they do with it. At the moment, they don’t seem to be cheating on the Echo functions, but that could change at any time with an invisible firmware update. There isn’t anything you can do about this except to be aware of the possibility.
It is definitely worth using the privacy options they offer, even if they aren’t enforced through hardware.
Our understanding of what “primitive” humans could do keeps expanding and pushing back further in time. This find moves the bar a very long way.
I suppose it’s inevitable, but the amount of ridiculous propaganda being posted here by a small by a number of people is making this community both less useful and less pleasant. Bizarre conspiracy theories and hatred are not news.
They look so proud! A lot of effort went into that. :-)
Despite all of the “this is new” in the article, nitinol has been around for a long time. I have a great set of small split rings made of nitinol from at least a decade ago. Wish I could get more of them.
“Let me sing you the song of my people.”
Thoroughly adorable.
I’m not sure requests for help with Linux would be that much more frequent than the ones I get now asking for help with Windows. The Windows UX is getting worse while the Linux UX has been getting better for a while now.
Beautifully said.
I found similar value in taking various anthropology courses in college. Learning about other cultures provides a perspective for thinking about your own. There is some good and some bad in all of them, but mostly there’s just “different”. You can have a meaningful dialog with a person you disagree with, but you can’t with someone you just don’t understand.
I bet you could find a Dot Matrix font for your injet or laser if you looked around.
As someone who lived through the dot matrix era, I’m just as glad that they are no longer with us. I’ve gotten spoiled by being able to read what I print without eyestrain. :-)
If you can afford one, get a Subaru. They have a well-deserved reputation as being one of the longest lasting brands. In addition they are great driving cars, particularly under bad conditions. Finally, they have an amazing safety record.
That last item is not a casual one for me. I was T-Boned in the center of my front passenger door by a car going over 50 mph. My Outback rolled twice and only stopped because the roof hit the side of a van. I can remember my head bouncing off the curtain airbag as the pavement went rolling by. The car was thoroughly destroyed, except for the passenger compartment, which was intact (even the door that took the hit). My passenger and I were both unhurt.
The paramedics who examined us were more than a little surprised. They said they were expecting at least head and neck injuries. Instead, I had a minor bruise on the outside of one knee. That was it. We didn’t even have headaches.
I replaced my totaled Outback with a newer one. My friend bought one too, the following year. I expect to drive Subarus for the rest of my life.
When the Star Destroyer appeared, too big to fit onto the screen, I knew that science fiction movies had just changed.
The world needs fewer cynics and more skeptics.
I use over-the-air supplemented by a few streaming services. After years of cable, it was startling how much better the picture and sound are with OTA. It used to be that cable was better quality, but they have compressed it down to the point where it is just barely acceptable.
Rarely. I usually have a laptop handy and I can type a lot faster than I can write. Even on my phone, I can swipe nearly as fast as a I can hand write. I occasionally hand write short notes, but mostly I use a pen to fill out receipts. And I love pens. :-)
We have two dogs and two cats. All of them talk, but our husky mix is in a class by himself. He carries on detailed conversations all the time. If he could form consonants as well as vowels he would just speak English. And occasionally he sings the blues, quite beautifully.
Denali: “Both cats are on the bed, although Sue is hiding in the headboard. There are three rabbits out back near the windows. Three people are walking dogs somewhere on our streets. And the postman is running late today.” Me: “Okay, thanks for the status report.” Denali: “That was just the summary. Let me give you the details…”
There is a concept, known as the Peter Principle, that says people will rise to the level of their incompetence. Basically, anyone who is good at a job gets promoted. That keeps happening until they finally end up in a job where they are not good. And that is where they will stay.
GIMP and LibreOffice are what I’ve been using.
In almost every case, the best defense against this is to be a genuinely good person. Treat everyone with kindness and you will get surprising amount of support.
Very cute! That isn’t just lying on a pillow. That’s cuddling.