Hell yeah!

Awesome!

Even in the U.S., women can vote, non-white people can vote, working conditions have vastly improved, press freedom is better, etc… It is not perfect, far from it, with massive wealth inequality and still lots of racism and discrimination towards minorities. But it’s a hell of a lot better than the 1800s!

During the Industrial Revolution (think 1800s), working conditions were not regulated like they are now (and yes, it is not perfect, but it’s a lot better now!), unions have been successful in representing the worker’s needs (and yes, it is not perfect, and varied depending on where you are, but it’s a lot better now!), society is certainly more equal than in the 1800s era (women can vote, minorities can vote, acceptance of all beliefs, stronger democracies and less colonialism, prejudice is still a problem and imperialism is still a big issue, but far better now)

The core idea of communism is the goal for a classless, stateless society where all are equal. Unfortunately for us, the Soviets have successfully made the concept associated with Bolshevism / Marxist-Leninism, which calls for a vanguard party to represent the working people, i.e. an authoritarian one-party state. Communism by itself is not the antithesis to democracy, but Marxist-Leninist states are usually very authoritarian. And once you have a dictatorship, you foster a cult of personality and policy is based on the decision of one person, and that never ends well for anybody but them and their inner circle.

Communism was born when capitalism was uncontrolled, working people did not have minimum wages with poor working conditions and, often times, no rights either if they were the wrong gender, background, religion, sexual orientation, or simply social class. Don’t get me wrong, capitalism now is still bad (for both people and the environment), but unions are stronger, restrictions on corporations is stronger, and society is more equal. Freedom of speech and the press is more prevalent, though certainly more can be done, and inequality of all kinds is still a global issue that must be tackled.

Is communism “dead” then? No, of course not. I respect all who work towards the goal of an equal, classless society freed from the shackles of capitalism. But those who want to stifle democracy and establish dictatorships, I do not respect.

Everybody has already mentioned that, actually, neurodivergence isn’t exclusive to ASD and ADHD!

As for your point about it being for everybody, that is definitely a heated argument. You could argue that neurodivergent conditions were created, in part, to separate them from the “normal” people (especially in earlier times), but you could also say that having a good classification means you can better help people who have these sorts of conditions (especially in modern times! We are in a golden age of accessibility!)

Speaking as somebody who was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome as a kid, now part of ASD :D

What the hell mate?!

I think it depends on the artist’s interpretation, some show her as trans while others cis. People will write whatever stories they like (for the better or worse, some of them are not so nice)

It looks like a trend that has gotten into the hands of people with all sorts of intentions. Girl Malfoy is sometimes cis, sometimes trans, depending on the artist. Some people are rightfully mocking Rowling, while others like to feel the feelings.

I dunno why it would specifically be “owning the libs” (possibly it could be depicting women as overly arrogant/obsessive/Malfoy-like? I dunno.)

edit: I also know some people are not calling the character “Malfoid”, instead a variant of “Draco” like Draconia or Dracaena, or simply just “Draco Malfoy”.

Some more searching shows up that a lot of incels are using the character for their power fantasies, gross, and there’s plenty of generated AI “art” of the character too

The new one has nice graphics, and SO MANY playable characters. I’ll always love Mario Kart Wii and the forever new “8” in my heart though. Double Dash was also very good for that era, and there are ROM hacks offering even more courses which make it extra awesome!

It is pretty important in that the House of Representatives and the Senate have their seats exchanged, and I believe they have the power to pass or reject laws (albeit the president can still veto). They can’t immediately fix everybody’s problems, but it is a step in the right at the very least! It’s also super exciting that many Republican “safe” states have swung Democrat, including Texas (the big one), South Carolina, Kansas, and Iowa (and others, like Florida, were a tight race)! People have truly voted “as if Trump was on the ballot”, and it’s a sign that they want change!

And Abdul Al-Sayed from Michigan is the first Muslim senator, and he achieved victory, despite the pro-Israel AIPAC lobby dumping tens of millions of dollars into the campaign against him and the Islamophobic rhetoric of the Republicans. He is advocating for universal healthcare (Trump calls this “communist”) and the end of U.S. military aid to the Israeli war machine.

Note that I’m not American, so I could be wrong in some aspects here.

“No stupid questions”, in this community at least, does not mean “stupid questions are bad! We don’t want them! Go away, stupid people!”

It comes from the phrase teachers say, “Remember, there are no stupid questions!”, to encourage discussion and curiosity in the classroom. When question-asking sorts of communities formed, they shortened it to just “no stupid questions” (context is lost if you do not know the phrase, a little ambiguous)

This community prioritises discussion and curiosity, so questions that are against that (e.g. attacking individuals or groups, personal arguments, unfounded conspiracy theories) are not what we want (so yes, the score number will become more negative)

As for me, I updoot the questions that I think are worth asking. Topics I’m not as interested in or am not familiar with I ignore, but if somebody is being unkind or generally awful, downdoot for them.

I swear to god if you’re that canal guy again…

ah ok

It worked for me, so dunno if this is a widespread issue. I now use Sable though since I prefer it over Cinny (it’s a fork with extra bits I think)

For me, I would first replace the smartwatch, since that’s the most intertwined with the “ecosystem” (more like a hellish prison, but whatever…), then try and replace the computer(s), since Linux devices will work better with iPhones than Mac does with Android (and mobile Linux) devices.

I used to use an iPhone, and moving to an Android device was relatively smooth bar WhatsApp, which was incredibly annoying to deal with. It is possible to transfer message history though, and my family (now on Android) are very happy to get much better battery life!

If you need specific recommendations, I would go for the Fairphone if possible, else Sony Xperia and OnePlus devices are pretty neat too (former if you like headphone jack and notchless display, latter if you want top spec mobile gaming). You also have mobile Linux being a real option nowadays with the Jolla Phone (SailfishOS) and Nura devices (OnePlus 6/6T, Pocophone F1, Fairphones, etc.)

As for smartwatches, you have WearOS watches of course, but jumping into another ecosystem isn’t great. Pebble is really fun, and if you are into fitness Garmin has lots of options, and both work for iOS and Android (nice!), meaning it is an easier transition.

For Android tablets, OnePlus ones are pretty good though, and GrapheneOS can run on the Pixel Tablet. You of course have the various x86 tablets that can run Linux, as well as many ARM devices that support Nura (formerly postmarketOS), the latter usually being some sort of Chromebook (please don’t use ChromeOS)

And of course, the laptop. If it’s an M1/2/3 Mac, Asahi Linux could be an option, then you don’t need to buy any hardware! Old Thinkpads are awesome on budget, and you have a variety of Linux oriented laptops (System76, Tuxedo, etc.), and most Windows laptops will run Linux just fine as long as you’re not running an old kernel (e.g. Debian) on very new hardware.

As for desktops, you have endless amounts of Windows mini PCs and old workstations to choose from, buy used because memory prices are insane. Go for the ones available on the nearest used marketplace for cheap! It’s amazing how compatible Linux is with older devices, even more so than Windows.

If you need good alternatives to proprietary software, you have LibreOffice, Pinta (or GIMP if you are fancy), Inkscape, Kdenlive, Audacity/Tenacity, an endless number of code editors, etc. If you want to game, Linux is a lot better than Mac in this respect nowadays with Proton and such, Steam, Lutris (all-in-one, super customisable), Heroic (for GOG), and Minigalaxy (also for GOG) are awesome

Pixel, Sony, OnePlus (mentioned already in the post) and Fairphone are the main ones. You also have several of the older Motorola devices, as well as a couple from other brands (like Nothing), usually older devices (newer devices are not supported nearly as well)

Many of the Sony Xperia devices are supported by LineageOS (not often you see that outside of Pixel and Fairphone), you have the beloved audio jack, front speakers w/ no notch, microSD expansion, and they’re just very cool devices :D

The Pixel 11 has introduced: nothing useful! In fact, it has actually regressed with the reduced amount of RAM. The only marketed feature is the silly Gemini light on the back of the Pro models, that can only be used for five contacts (and only calls! Not notifications!) or as an indicator when Gemini is thinking. Skip the Pixel 11, plus GrapheneOS is not supported yet. 25W wireless charging isn’t supported by most chargers and most people charge wired anyways (faster, more efficient, and not really less convenient)

Personally, I would get the Pixel 9 over both the 10 and 11, the main upside is the magnets (which can bd solved with a case) and a zoom camera (in which case the 9 Pro is pretty good and also the same size). Realistically, I would probably get a 9a over any of them, because you really don’t lose anything going with it besides camera quality (plastic will not crack easily like glass and will get covered by a case anyways)

If you already have the 9 or 10, don’t upgrade! It’s very silly and you get basically nothing extra. The only thing is maybe the zoom camera, if you have a base 9, in which case the 9 Pro (or even 10 Pro) is cheaper + supports GrapheneOS

And of course, you have non-Pixel devices as well. Fairphone has been awesome in European markers, and their recent Fairphone 6+ has also released in the U.S., which is pretty cool! They make very nice devices that are pretty competitive for what you’re paying honestly, and they support right to repair and fair working conditions! You don’t get GrapheneOS, but LineageOS, e/OS, CalyxOS, iodeOS, and even many flavours of mobile Linux support Fairphones! It’s really cool stuff, and Nura (formerly postmarkerOS) is being worked on for the latest Fairphone 6!

You’ve also got the cheaper Jolla Phone that runs SailfishOS, and that might be fun to play around with

Mum looks out for what’s best for you, while Claude looks out for what’s best for Anthropic’s shareholders (not you)