You’re only as immortal as GRRM himself. Have you tried Brandon Sanderson? His work isn’t nearly as gritty as Martin’s, but his world building is top-notch, and he, um, actually writes.

That’s a really big “if”, especially when you consider how billionaires actively use their influence to maintain an underclass by fighting against government policies that would help lower-class people become middle-class.

It’s both. The mere fact that there are people with billions of dollars to throw around means a large amount of the world’s productive capacity is spent catering to the whims of billionaires when it could instead be spent on useful things for ordinary people. And because money is inseparable from politics, billionaires can more or less directly bend government policies to their will, greatly hindering anyone else from having a real say in government policy.

Google Maps was life-changing.

Also what I was taught in US Spanish classes.

The only cost from piracy is opportunity cost.

Anyway, I didn’t see anyone in your post that supports the idea that piracy is rampant.

Or against, depending on your cultural values.

Jesus Christ, calm down. They’re not “fucking with” your phone by they’re asking you to use an app to perform your job duties. And I’d expect any employer to provide you with a suitable phone if you don’t want to use your own. Using your own personal phone is just a convenience for you, and having requirements that phone has to meet us perfectly reasonable.

The voice chat app?

Just because they haven’t told you about the requirements doesn’t mean they don’t exist. They probably don’t support custom ROMs and they didn’t tell you because they just assumed you’re running the OS that came with the phone.

Sounds like you’re using a phone that doesn’t meet the requirements specified by your employer. Might I suggest asking them for a company phone?

“But the plans were on display…”
“On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”
“That’s the display department.”
“With a flashlight.”
“Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.”
“So had the stairs.”
“But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.

From is run by Vogons!

Earth’s atmospheric pressure just doesn’t change as much as you seem to think it does.

Lenses for full size-cameras are made airtight. It’s not a problem.

Tangent: one if my roommates discovered a recipe for an avocado-based chocolate mouse. She hates it when I call it chocolate guacamole, guacolate, or chocomole.

Direct messaging apps are also social media.

How do you define social media in a way that includes DMs but doesn’t include basically all communication?

I have no idea what any of y’all are talking about.

Lots of people are saying it.

Elon is s Nazi. He’d probably have you euthanized if he could.

Did you know there’s a chain of clothing stores in the US named Banana Republic? Every time I think about it, it blows my mind that they could have chosen any name, and that’s what they went with.