Orange extract and ground white pepper in your pancake mix.

Things being “illegal”.

No it’s not against the law. Just because someone can sue you doesn’t mean what you did was a crime. Just because a business can’t sell a particular product doesn’t mean it’s illegal to have. You can’t ‘get arrested’ for half the shit people think is ‘illegal’.

Yup. But small companies can’t pay what you need to make.

I’m in the process of being shifted to do software dev and tech for a small company because what they need is actually what you are offering. But they don’t want to pay what it costs for those things.

So instead now I have to do it as I’m the only person on payroll that knows why we shouldn’t “just use Microsoft Edge to manage our data entry”.

A few weeks ago I was forced to launch a shared script app with zero testing because the boss took one 15sec glance at the project and said “this is perfect! Ship it now!”. Joke is on them cause it only works on my laptop and I still don’t know why.

Unless you have unlimited wealth I wouldn’t go with a horse unless you can board it yourself. Otherwise you’re just leasing and will miss out on most of the bonding that makes up a large part of the horse relationship. It’s all the cost and then some for a third of the reward.

A friend inherited off-grid property. I was already into the idea of homesteading and survivalism and had been building those skills sets for years. What started as a little bit of helping on the weekends turned into full time living. I didn’t think I could do it and it was hard.

But now I know what I’m capable of and how much nicer life is when you live it. I’ve been back in regular society for a few years and my phone is still on ‘do not disturb’ mode all the time.

I did it for nearly 3 years with limited access.

You get over it eventually and start living life instead of watching other people live theirs.

I can’t wait to unplug again.

This video isn’t the picture. Different stone, architectural design, etc.

I mean…have you seen the price of a good faucet lately?

25 years ago I was writing code in a paper notebook, sometimes while riding the bus. The only computer access was at college and it was easier to work through the code on paper and then quickly transcribe it once I got on campus.

Yeah, things are a bit more complicated now, but in other ways they are sooooo much easier. The fact that people are using chatGPT to ‘program’ is just crazy from my perspective.

A good bug net and a tarp are going to be just as effective as a modern tent, and breathe better.

No. Maybe better than a cheap tent from Walmart.

Don’t buy cheap tents or sleeping bags and take care of them.

Thanks Mr Skeletal!

The other 1% is meat I hunt, fish or raise myself. It’s rather rare exception and happens only a few times a year.

When I was younger on a rare occasion I might try something that a friend or family member raised or hunted, but I’ve found people will lie about that so I usually just pass.

In the last decade (not counting fish & hunting) I’ve known the name of every animal I’ve eaten and I or my partner slaughtered it. Nothing goes to waste. Pelts and skins are kept, organs are fed to the house pets and what we can’t eat or preserve goes to the garden.

gag

Nah bacon doesn’t even smell good anymore. The closest I get to pork is jackfruit lol. Cooked up with BBQ sauce it makes a reasonable pulled pork sandwich replacement. Even my meat eating friends enjoy it.

I wish. It’s just the dark mode for standard Android that shipped with my cheap REVVL 6 Pro.

This is awesome. Haven’t heard of this one yet so certainly going to check it out.

Thanks for the recommendation.

I do like this idea to address AI specifically and it’s in my plans once I build myself a better solar setup. I don’t quite produce enough energy to run much beyond a tablet and a cell phone.

My first goals are to get enough power to be able to run HomeAssistant and dedicated media server so I can step further away from streaming platforms. I’m hoping that AI is a bit more refined by the time I’m ready to implement it.

If I had to boycott every company that was unethical, I’d have to grow my own food and generate my own electricity. It’s just not practical.

It isn’t easy. But it is possible. And yes sacrifices have to be made (as I respond using a cell phone because I can’t function in society without one). The irony is not lost on me.

But I stopped eating meat that I didn’t hunt or raise myself over 25 years ago. I spent years living in the woods using a second hand solar system that barely functioned. I’ve been growing as much food as I can for over 3 decades.

It is possible. But I don’t expect everyone to make the same sacrifices that I have, and I do my best not to judge. But one of the biggest differences you can make in the world around you is who you support and who you give your money to.

Just shrugging your shoulders and saying ‘oh well, it’s easier to just go with the flow’ is the opposite of solving the problem. I don’t expect everyone to just live the way I do. But I do push those around me to think about the difference they could make by choosing alternatives.

Having a list of companies that support Musk is something I could use to help leverage others to make the first step in that direction.

Oh yes. I’ve been paying attention to those as well and theys are certainly on my no support list. But most of them were already ones I avoid. It is a good suggestion though. Thanks.

I’m sure someone has started.

Places like www.ethicalconsumer.org hae been around for a while. Even back in the early 90s I had a book that helped me avoid the worst companies. Just hoping to find something a little more focused on this new rising oppression.

I get it. I haven’t even used that app in 3 months or so. (And that was to show some basic examples of my idea to a tattoo artist who was paid to make an original design based off my concept.)

The reality is that AI isn’t going away. So rather than just give up, I’d rather find alternatives to the people that are the worst of a not so great thing.

Plus my question isn’t which AI companies support Musk. I’m looking for a list of anyone that is promoting the hate and oppression that is quickly becoming acceptable.