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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 17th, 2023

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  • The letter is not here yet you liar

    A sternly worded, AI-generated notice:

    While it’s understandable to be cautious about buying a product based on promised updates, there are several reasons why it can still be a reasonable decision:

    • Trust in the Brand: Many companies have a track record of delivering on their promises. If a brand has a history of providing valuable updates and features, it may be worth trusting that they will continue to do so.

    • Current Value: Even if a product has promised future features, it often provides substantial value in its current state. Users can benefit from the existing features while looking forward to enhancements.

    • Community and Ecosystem: Some products thrive in a vibrant community where users share tips, tricks, and workarounds. The support of an active user base can enhance the product experience even before promised features are released.

    • Long-term Investment: In fast-paced technology markets, many products evolve over time. Buying early can sometimes give users a competitive edge or ensure they are part of the development process, influencing future updates.

    • Risk vs. Reward: While there’s a risk that promised features may not materialize, the potential reward—enhanced functionality, improved performance, or even a price drop due to demand—can make the investment worthwhile.

    • Feedback Opportunities: Early adopters often have a voice in the development of future updates. Engaging with a product before all features are released can allow users to provide valuable feedback that shapes the final product.

    In conclusion, while it’s prudent to be wary of non-existent features, evaluating the overall value, the brand’s reputation, and potential benefits can justify the purchase.




  • The big players in military tech aren’t just the likes of Raytheon and such, it’s also companies like Hyundai, Samsung, Texas Instruments (a little obvious for those who know, but many people are surprised about that calculator company being at the heart of so much military technology). Power plants and transmissions for tanks and such are made by General Electric, Allison, Cummings, etc. General Motors has a military division for small tactical vehicles (think Humvee)

    Hell, IBM supplied computers to the Nazi regime that were used to tabulate prisoners at the concentration camps and those machines were used to produce the serial numbers tattooed on them. Most semiconductor research breakthroughs came as a result of military funding.




  • I was mildly upset I got $1000 as a bonus instead of a pay income because I thought that bonuses were “taxed at a higher rate” when instead they are simply “withheld at a higher rate” and it all washes out in the end when you pay your taxes at the end of the year.

    I do wish I had a way to opt out of any withholding for bonus pay, I’d rather have the money now and risk having to pay a bit when I file taxes vs not having the money and getting a refund a year later when it’s worth less.











  • It’s a fiscally conservative position, where fiscally conservative is defined by someone who wants the government to spend less money and have a balanced budget.

    Homeless people are a net burden on the government, even if the only costs are to arrest and imprison them. Since we are already paying to house them (in prison) it would make sense instead to give them a modest place to stay and enough support to get them back to a healthy state of living. This becomes a net financial benefit because a healthy employed person pays income tax, they buy stuff and pay sales tax, etc. so the money spent to get them back on their feet is repaid and then some.

    The same thing happens again when the government offers free college or vocational training to people, the amount of taxes someone pays goes up with their income, and using the government as a single-payer to these schools will help keep costs low.

    Case in point: in Ontario we had a program called Second Career (it still lives on as ‘Better Jobs Ontario’ but it’s been hamstrung by the conservative government) which was funded through EI and would pay your tuition, books, supplies, and give a basic living allowance up to $28k per year if you qualify. It would cover any 2-year diploma program, with the caveat that if you failed out you would be on the hook to repay the tuition/books/supplies costs.

    I did that program starting in 2009 and paid out-of-pocket (w/OSAP) for a third year to upgrade from Technician to Technologist. Prior to that, our household income was low enough that we effectively paid 0 income tax after deductions. After graduating, I tripled my income, and in the 11 or so years since I’ve doubled it again. For the ~$60k the government spent on me, they made that back in about the first 3 years after graduation and the rest has been profit from their perspective.