I love the idea! If there was good support from something like GrapheneOS or /e/OS I would be looking at one of these.

I like your shoelaces!

A couple examples:

Free with ads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb3AUBtm_5o Must be bought: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c26o4h0coY

Just in time for the Bell Riots 👀

Sadly, there’s not a singular ethical Amazon replacement out there. You’ve got alternatives like Walmart and Target but I don’t think they rate much higher than Amazon, honestly. I’ll throw out Grove Collaborative for cleaning supplies/home things/toiletries, Thrive Market for foods (though they have a membership fee), Kindhumans and Uncommon Goods for a wide variety of things. Here’s a list of some more places that might be useful - bearing in mind there is no one panacea.

Scenario: Harry Kim and Tom Paris both want to be your BFF, but you can only choose one. Which one do you choose?

Bookmarked this! Going to come in handy over the holidays especially. Thank you!!

Very fair! You’ve definitely got a wider perspective than I do, I appreciate it.

Mostly agree, but a lot of thrift stores in the US have gotten significantly more expensive and lower quality over the past 10-20 years. You can blame resellers (like vintage stores) for at least the second part of that, but also fast fashion in general.

I’ve said for the longest time, Apple could put iMessage on Android, charge for it, and make plenty of money (mine included). So I was very intrigued by Sunbird! But I took one look at Sunbird’s website and knew something was wrong. Maybe it was the lack of a clear idea for how they’ll make money or that they didn’t initially disclose the technology behind it.

Suffice to say: I am not surprised by this.

Yes, but nothing has changed in my experience as of yet. I am not a true T-Mobile customer like I was before I switched to Mint.

I’ve used Mint for a little over a year, no major issues past setup. I’ve noticed being “deprioritized” a few times but it hasn’t been terrible. Only thing is that T-Mobile was definitely better / easier for international roaming.

I grew up on forums / IRC / IMs, later transitioned to Myspace, then Twitter / Facebook / Tumblr / Instagram. I had a lot of fun over the years, it definitely saddens me that I can’t get the things I liked about those experiences back.

Believe me, I’m always down to talk about Paul F. Tompkins! I thoroughly agree with both recommendations, with a note that some bits don’t hold up super well. But for the most part they’re both still golden!

Going for the more obscure: Bajillion Dollar Properties. Originally made for a dead streaming service, now exists on PlutoTV for free (and can be purchased through Apple et al). It’s a satire of real estate reality shows with phenomenal guest stars throughout. Main cast includes a few folks before they got their bigger roles (like Tawny Newsome, Drew Tarver, and Eugene Cordero) but also includes the GOAT, Paul F. Tompkins.

Very related, I would also suggest the Comedy Bang! Bang! TV show that ran for 5 seasons on IFC. It’s a treasure trove of comedic goodness, lots of great guests, and who doesn’t love Reggie Watts, Kid Cudi, then Weird Al as the band leaders??

Worth noting: you don’t have to know Star Trek to love this show! Sure, it helps, you’ll get a few deep cuts here and there, but it is still an absolute joy.

Ideally, all of society has been destroyed by a meteorite, myself included. But also there’s an afterlife for my cats (and all other pets/animals) where they have all the treats and pets they could ever ask for.

I bought this year in the US w/ my partner. Thanks to my credit union, got a rate about 1% lower than average at the time. Mortgage payment is significantly less than rent and most importantly: it’s going to be way, way, WAY less than rent in 10-15 years. Sure, we’ll have other associated home ownership costs, etc etc, but it’s worth it to us. Also, honestly, we LOVE this house. Took our time to find the right place and it has paid off, much happier here than any of the places we rented.

Ahhh, that’s a bummer. I used to live in a city with one, now live in a city that sadly lacks one - hopefully they expand into both of our areas soon!

If you’ve got a Micro Center near you, that’s the way to go. They may not be small but they’re definitely not Best Buy and their selection is typically great, barring any industry-wide shortages.