

The British were so focused on whether they could, they didn’t stop to think about whether they should.


The British were so focused on whether they could, they didn’t stop to think about whether they should.


You mean items that should be generic commodities, but which companies customize in order to lock you into their ecosystem, or otherwise restrict what you can do? Like printer ink cartridges or Keurig pods with ID chips, as you mentioned.
DVD region codes
Camera lenses back in the manual SLR days. I don’t think there’s any reason old manual-focus Nikon/Olympus/Pentax/etc. lenses needed to be brand-exclusive. The companies could have all used the same bayonet mount and all lenses would be interchangeable.
Our slang was the bomb, yo. The shiznit!


I think it’s for real. The “contest” was run by an Instagram account called officialstickreviews.
Somebody needs to find a good pic of that and post it to !stick@sh.itjust.works.
I didn’t mean “standardized” as in interchangeable parts or uniform sizing. I meant standardized as in limited selection, like how armies have historically standardized their equipment. You want a pair of boots, for example? Then choose from a handful of types with limited options, and everyone picks from the same list. There is no reason for Zappos to carry 2,600 types of mens boots other than fashion.
Similarly, there is no reason for Home Depot to carry 500 types of toilet seat other than fashion. The seats are “standardized” in that they are interchangeable, but there is no standard toilet seat style that everyone uses. You could do the same with lots of other consumer goods: everyone uses the same shower faucet, the same knife set, or the same style of flashlight. The world would save a tremendous amount of money and material by manufacturing everyday thing at scale and refining the designs to near-perfection.
I’m not advocating for such a world, though. It would be incredibly bland and boring.
Fashion. Same reason we don’t have standardized flashlights, knives, shoes, toilets, etc.
I donate my time more than my money. Scouts and school fundraisers soak up way too many hours.
My biggest ongoing financial donation is the pile of money I put into Kiva years ago, which is slowly being depleted each time they take a cut as an administrative fee. I plan to let the balance wind down and not add more money in the future. Kiva doesn’t operate quite the way it is advertised, and from what I have read their C-suite is also overpaid.
I also donate a few dollars each month to a Lemmy mobile app.
I’ve been meaning to donate to KEXP radio in Seattle. I’ll go do that right now while I’m thinking about it.


Ah, gotcha. I misunderstood.


Andrew Jackson was also a bastard, especially for his treatment of natives. But I meant Johnson.


It is complicated because the rules are different in each state. Also, Trump was convicted in New York state but he resides and votes in Florida.
For out-of-state convictions, Florida defers to the other state’s rules. New York would allow Trump to vote if he resided there because he is not currently in prison, so Trump can vote in Florida legally.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-felony-conviction-can-he-vote-b95e7b4c9158d999e8bc89b00fbda911


While W. sucked in many ways, there is no way he is the worst. Off the top of my head I can easily think of four better contenders: Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan (both guilty of pro-slavery fuckery before the Civil War), Andrew Johnson (fought to let the Confederates off the hook after the war and opposed the 14th amendment), and Donald Trump (first president to be impeached twice, first to be convicted of a felony, and may be remembered by future historians as the spark that ignites the next Civil War).


Delaware elected Sarah McBride, who is the first open transgender representative in Congress.
Georgia district attorney Fani Willis, who has been trying to prosecute Trump for trying to overturn the 2020 election, won reelection.
Washington Congressman Dan Newhouse, one of the ten Republicans who voted to impeach Trump (and one of two in that group who survived the subsequent midterm elections), successfully defended his seat again against a Trump-endorsed opponent. That’s at least one Republican in the House who doesn’t always rubber-stamp the party agenda.


The Associated Press seems to have a decent results presentation ready to go:
https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2024/
I wouldn’t bother watching minute-by-minute. There is a decent chance that some swing state will be close enough to trigger a recount, and/or one side files lawsuits challenging the results. This circus is far from over.


Making quiche for brunch. Apparently an omelet is fine, but a scrambled omelette is gay.
“Okay, I’ll be honest with you: our dating years, our marriage, the house and kids, all of it… I did it all for the nookie.”