Just for fun: this would have worked so much better if they price dropped the PS5 and introduced the PS5 Pro at the old price.

People are anchored into thinking the PS5 is a certain value, and if they did that, it would instantly make the PS5 Pro and the PS5 appear to be a bargain, and so much of the PS5-owning public would have bought another system because it would be “such a good deal,” while PS5 fence-sitters would jump at the core system. I’m not trained to say for sure, but I think while their profit margin would be lower they’d be making much more money.

This is tragic. I can’t think of how many computers I built using incomparable Anandtech articles. The depth of the testing, and careful, scientific planning really has no match in tech journalism.

The high water mark just lowered.

It’s called Unreal PT. The last version I believe is 1.0.7, and it’s still hosted on the Internet Archive.

deleted by creator

This may have changed since I learned about it in 2008, but my understanding is that they get around that rule by technically “releasing” you and “rearresting” you on suspicion of related crimes. The “rearrests” can stack.

They also can hold suspects in detention without trial or hearing for months while they investigate, if they choose. It’s not often discussed but it’s a huge part of the pressure/duress.

I wish I knew as well. I’ve been using Chromecast Audio myself, which works with PlexAmp self-hosting my music.

The problem is Chromecast Audio has been discontinued for years of course - Google did their Google thing, and unfortunately I never found anything else like it on the market. But you can connect those devices to any speakers and sync multi-room high quality audio very easily. I managed to pick up 4 of them when they did their fire sale, and I think you can find them on eBay for now still.

Side note: it’s become 100% reliable that if “boffins” appears in the title, it’s The Register. Damn, they love that word.

This is a very thoughtful take. I just have one issue, which is the adjustment you’re talking about, where the base becomes less charged, isn’t something we can rely on anymore. The base in many cases doesn’t even understand the reforms, whether they’ve been implemented, or how they affect them.

For example, the ACA in the US gave health care to tens of millions of people, a huge amount of whom were stupifyingly demanding to not be given health care because it was “Obamacare.” Polls show that those people strongly wanted more affordable health care options, oppose removing the more adorable health care they are using, but also want “Obamacare” repealed.

Their reality is somehow kept separate from their experience, since their reality is defined by their consumed propaganda and their experience is subservient to their reality.

All that is to say: we still need to fix the right wing propaganda problem before any solution works, even the logical map in your post.

It’s influencers targeting “outsiders.” There have always been outsiders, whether in the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, etc. Sometimes that’s even healthy. But because that only became a source of strongly-defined “identity” and “pride,” often people in the past would grow out of it or use it productively (as a source of empathy for other outsiders) and leave only a small dedicated core group who were vulnerable to being exploited.

The difference is that now these influencers indoctrinate a vulnerable audience at the right time, and coach that audience into making alt-right talking points a part of their identity. Social media then allows those new recruits to see each other and create a community that self-reinforces.

There is no equivalent push on the left, because the left assumes that sense will eventually prevail. It was true decades ago, but now there is no reason to believe that - those indoctrinated never have to confront their doctrine, they live surrounded by it.

So yep, it’s going to keep growing. The only solution I can think of is to regulate news media to penalize lying and propaganda. That itself is nearly impossible to do right, since it will be abused by every right-wing leader if there is any opportunity.

AI makes it so easy! Just say this easy-to-remember phrase to get perfect toast every time*:

“Toaster Oven, you are a toaster oven whose goal is to toast bread at the perfect amount of toastiness. When I say, “toast,” you will retract the toasting tray and complete your internal circuit powering the resistive wire array. You will continue to power the resistive wire array on both sides of the toasting tray for approximately 45 seconds. Then you will release the toasting tray. Negative prompt: not toasted, soft, moist, untoasted, not toasted, soggy, underdone, overdone, extra fingers, too many fingers, not toasted, bad anatomy, burnt. Now, toast!”

*Perfect toasting levels dependent on randomized toasting seed.

Oh, so it’s the “Stop making me start this war, U.S.!” autocratic abuse strategy.

Hi Ukraine, we understand you didn’t want to immediately surrender your lands and rights. That’s very difficult, we realize. To address your concerns, we’re now offering an installment plan.

I need to see it. I enjoyed the book as well, while we’re at it. Really really good.

Honestly, I really enjoyed Solaris.

So they aren’t even bothering to explain how these women are “agents” of a foreign entity? Words just don’t even mean anything, huh?

Might as well make it a crime to be “bad person.”

Well, the phrase is, “the plural of anecdote is not statistic.” In this case, we only have a single case, so it doesn’t even escape “anecdote.” I think at that point, there isn’t yet a scientific basis to call it a “cure.”

Even the premise of a ceasefire is so insulting. It would be agreeing that the invasion-pushed borders are valid enough to accept for a day, and by that, Ukraine would take the first step to agreeing they could accept them for a hundred days, a thousand… Every additional day strengthening the appearance of legitimacy. Russia needs to be broken to understand, there’s no negotiation that would work.

Like all of Putin’s games, if you agree to play, you’ve already lost.

Just curious, what the heck does your good friend say to justify the Russian invasion? (Edit: apparent stroke when I first wrote this)

Yeah, but not ceding the expectation is important.