‘They’ do want it to happen. Ordinary USians are gettng uppity and need to be taken down a peg.

The global elite don’t really need anything specific from the US anymore. For a brief moment, the world needed our higher education system, which is why anyone under 60 who went to grad school had lots of non-US folks in their cohorts. Those folks have gone back home in large part so there are plenty of skilled experts in critical fields internationally.

The US has no remaining unique resources, be they skilled people or natural resources. So we need to be dealt with since many of us still hold on to quaint notions like ‘freedom’, ‘autonomy’ and ‘living wage’.

These advertisement-delivery systems at the pumps piss me off. They blare loudly.

Here’s a question for the techie crowd.

I used to be able to press the physical buttons on either side of these screens and get the ads to mute. It was a two-button combo I discovered using a systematic method as a way to control my irritation at the excessive volume. It was either that or stick a pencil in the speaker.

This worked at gas stations in several states for months. The mute feature was surely written in as a sanity saver for the developers and technicians. It stopped working a few weeks ago, so I guess the pushed out a patch.

Not much of a question I guess, except what gives? Does anyone have insight into these systems for realsies?

(sigh) cool story

The great flood that left no evidence behind and all large animals were rescued by a guy who built a boat? The one that also left behind no genetic evidence of such a catastrophic population bottleneck? That great flood?

What the Hell even is that?

I agree, and perhaps some deep diving to find an older dot matrix printer? Should be supremely hackable. I only have experience with these:

Next-gen teletypes

They were extremely durable and low maintenance. Also loud and more stress inducing than a modern SMS notification.

Good times

That was a complete rabbit hole. Thanks.

The only thing possibly more epic would be converting a Linotype to a Linux terminal. It uses hot lead to create type for newspapers, etc.

I was trained to use one as there were so many in use they still have some niche applications for specialty printing.

Anyhow, I call them Satan’s Typewriters and still have small scars from hot lead all over my forearms. And I love technology.

A good film:

Linotype: The Film

Training can be reinforced by opining on said media at work, with friends and online. Feedback from these other models in the form of their own wrong opinions about the media reinforces one’s own model to always be right.

The love of money is the root of all evil.

Remember that one time Jesus lost his cool? He made a whip and went H.A.M. on some crypto bros in the temple.

So yeah….

Or they have an epiphany and realize they have, perhaps not ‘fuck you’ money, but at least ‘bite me’ money. Then they sit in a row boat and fish or something. Greed is a pathology and we do a favor to those inflicted with it by taking it away faster and faster the more they steal from us.