braincat31415

It wasn't my experience really, and I think the cost was the main issue for individuals. Some families who had no relation to the military had computers at home, that's where I spent quite a lot of evenings. But I was in high school and didn't know much. Access to large computers in educational institutions was not a problem at all.

The article deals with the failed OGAS network, which is interesting, but I am not sure how this is related to what I said about individual access to computing facilities.

There are huge regional and district-level differences between schools in the US. The quality and level of my kid's precalc class is on par or better than the one I had in Soviet high school. I am helping a friend's daughter with her math, and the difference between the quality of instruction is staggering.

"computers were everywhere in the 80s, just not readily available to private owners"

Agreed on that, and access to a computer system, e.g ES mainframe or SM family was not a problem for people who wanted it. I was in high school in mid-80s. I found a fortran book in the library, and it took me very little time to get access to the university-owned SM-1420, RSX-11, and a fortran compiler. That same lab ran free programming classes in the evening with faculty volunteers.

Regarding computers, yes and no. I don't think fear of dissent played any role, but rather the availability of western equipment. For example, SM-4 and SM-1420 machines were quite common in the academic institutions in mid-80s. These were clones of pdp-11/45, which means about 10 years gap in computer tech.

"The legislature"

In other words, whoever is at power at the moment. There is no constitutional protection.

"police misconduct"... The OP said "It is a common misconception... that people are arrested and jailed for making jokes or otherwise casually chatting on social media". I gave you an example to the contrary. I do follow the UK news, and it's not hard to come up with multiple similar examples, there is no need to gaslight me. UK democracy has been somewhat waning lately.

As for the bunny ears story, not spews but says -- and type the headline into google, you'll get multiple sources. It is verifiable, you are just afraid to check lest it is actually true. Try harder.

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Who defines what a "hate speech" is?

Here is one of the latest cases, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gz1qy30v5o Here is another one: "West Midlands Police arrested a 15-year-old boy named Fraser on August 3, 2026, after he published Facebook posts mocking Conservative Wolverhampton City Council member Simon Bennett." ...after posting an image of a politician with the bunny ears.

Swearing on a public forum shows lack of class.

But...Yawn. Yes, it's quite sad that people have to turn to a crook with the hope of getting things changed because the other side hasn't delivered either.

You can save your "you" and "your" self-righteous rhetoric btw. I didn't vote for the current boss, and you won't be teaching me how to live either. A great example of political discussions being a waste of time. We are done here.

We are now discussing which President is worse, not which one is better. That's ironic. There was a reason why Trump has won, and it is not because half of the country is stupid like people on this forum like to claim, but because they were sick of the status quo. But of course voters were duped, again.

There would not be any insurrection from the Republicans because both parties are one and the same. Marx was right about that. I don't think I'll bother dragging my ass to the polls anymore. My prediction - every president will be worse than the one before.

See? It is possible to answer without getting personal, calling the other guy delusional and using foul language. I can do that, and so can you.

You are quite right and I did jump the gun with my comment, my apologies.

To comment on Trump vs Kamala, Harris might not have done what Trump has done, but I suspect she would have done a lot of other things that Trump would not have done. I am not even sure about that stupid war - it depends on whether you believe that the President is more than a mere figurehead.

It's especially funny since he didn't even mention who he voted for. A mere hint of criticism of the preferred party triggered an attack mode right away.

I don't think it's a matter of moving goalposts but rather a matter of what's implied when talking about these AD systems. S400 and S300 are primarily designed to operate as an integral part of an AD networked components. Iran didn't have the integrated network of S300 or S400, and Russian prior offers to provide it were declined. We do not know S400 capabilites against the F-35 planes, but there is some evidence that they might be fairly effective. This was a concern when Turkey purchased an S400 system ("It is not possible to both fly the F-35 in space where the S-400 is significantly operable." - Mike Pompeo) - Washington cancelled the deal with Turkey because of concerns that its low frequency radar can track and analyze F-35 operations (there are multiple sources on that).

"I want my appliances to last far longer than devices like my phone or computer."

... and hopefully be simple. My washer and dryer (made in late 90s) are dirt simple inside, with parts readily available. I recently had to replace the belt in the dryer, and a water valve in the washer. It was a diy job, with the help of a few youtube videos.

My neighbor guest's car got stuck in their driveway recently when an electronic parking brake malfunctioned. It really feels like all the gadgetry is a step backwards.

You should have said "to buying a new cheap watch". The average cost of maintenance and worn-out parts' replacement for a self-winding Omega (worth 7k+) was about $800 in 2020, done once every 10 years.

Well, I personally prefer having physical assets a lot more than cash. Just mentioning that to show that math does not favor ownership, provided that the rates stay high.

Note though that there is never a shortage of demand in that area for rentals either, so I'll keep increasing the rent following increases in property taxes and assessments, and people will pay. If anyone has a problem with that, let them bring this up with the City of Chicago and the Cook County.

Nah. I own a property in the gold coast area, and my property values have barely changed in the last 20 years. I only see an insane increase in real estate taxes and assessments. These are the things that price renters out, plus the Chicago housing regulations that leave the landlords without any leverage under pretty much any circumstances and force the risk to be reflected in the rent. Currently net profit from rental properties in that area is close to the interest on the equivalent amount of 10y bonds, without all the headache.

One can always count on Trump being brought up in any discussion. Trump is definitely not the Second Coming as his proponents believe, but the previous admin is not the Saint Incarnate either, on this particular subject.

Biden's EPA filing:

The agency says it is standing by its conclusions that, as registered, glyphosate doesn't pose major risks to human health..."

Any US admin always serves the Big Business, and people's health is just a bump on the road.

Home Depot vertical rails and shelves serve me just as well.

Didn't know about this one, it's excellent. Thanks.

Iron Maiden for me :)

Well said. I find it interesting that a single proton-m total cost per launch is about 70 million. Of course its lift capacity is much smaller, but if the 4 billion figure is correct, it does seem like a ridiculous amount. But then again things are no different from the defense expenses.

It wasn't really a question.

You grew up and you still have to ask?

You are talking to deaf ears on this forum. Chuck was a great role model for real men, and I don't give a flying duck about what the majority on this forum thinks about that.

You must be really dense. I don't repeat anything. I am saying that I am paying through the nose to heat my house as a result. I don't give a flying duck about your Ukraine and Iran. None. Got it? Saving the patch of dirt on the other side of the planet will not motivate me to vote for your party. Reducing cost of living will. Hopefully more and more people feel the same way.

Hehehe. Nice try. All I am saying this is not our fight. If you really think it is, don't be a coward and join in, instead of having Ukrainians die for you.

Thank you for proving what I said at the very beginning of this conversation. Say something that makes perfect sense, democrats like you would label a Putin shill. Say someting against Trump's policy, get labeled a libtard. Both get us into moronic wars.

No wonder I no longer bother going to the polls. Take care.

> Preventing Ukraine from being taken over by Russia improves US security. Just sitting and doing nothing would be incredibly stupid and amoral.

The only thing it improves is the pockets of the US MIC. It will be taken over anyway, being in Russian backyard. Why didn't you take your broomstick and go fight over there if you are such a believer? Or would you rather leave the meat grinder for the Ukrainians to experience? What's amoral and stupid is that now I have to pay three times as much for heating because of LNG exports.

> But actively bombing Iran is so stupid the US never did it until Trump was elected.

LOL. Obama and Libya 2011 come to mind as a close contender. But I agree with you on this one.

Not to me. Both involve us in wars that have nothing to do with us, both are sucking away the money that could be spent on improving things domestically instead of spending it on MIC. Both use lame excuses for justification (WMD vs "fighting for democracy".) One is about protecting private equity access to Ukrainian agriculture, the other one is about denying China access to heavy crude. Both are likely to be losers. I am sick of both.

War - history won't agree with you. Trump started Iran. Biden got us into supporting Ukraine on the other side of the planet. I like neither.

Crime - I don't care about "going down for years". I look at Chicago where I work, and people in my office these days make sure they are out of the south part of downtown before the dark.

The guy's business started nosediving 5 years ago, and you mention Trump again? Jeez.

Anyway, you really sound like a (not very convincing) TV commercial. I am telling you that neither party improved the life of an average american (or mine if you don't want to generalize), and you are telling me these are not the droids I am looking for. That's the reason I don't like talking to die hard republicans AND democrats. Neither makes any sense anymore, and neither looks beneath the surface. Maybe instead of voting for the side that I like more I should start voting for the party that pisses me off less. But there are still reasonable folks to talk to from either party, and they are NOT found in this discussion. Bye.

Don't look at the forums. The majority of normal US population is not on them.