These aren't secrets, but may not be well known (unless you watch LPL):

Sentry Safes aren't safes, they are fire boxes with a fancy lock.

High security locks are not high security because of the lock design, but because the keys are very difficult to have duplicated.

No one (except maybe intelligence agencies) breaks in to a house by picking a lock, especially in the US. Windows, weak door frames, and, in a pinch, making a hole in the wall are all faster ways of getting in.

Car keys are so expensive because many manufacturers charge a subscription or per-use fee to access and program the keys to the ignition. These costs are passed on to consumers

No one is picking your locks just to move things around or steal small, insignificant items. You are either suffering from a mental disorder or a trusted member of the household is gaslighting you (it's not gaslighting though, you're your grasp of reality is slipping. Don't call me for a pick proof lock, just get help please)

Some manufacturers (you know, in China) will put any sticker you want on the products they produce, including UL and ANSI stickers. Before buying a product that is supposedly fire-rated, such as a fire safe, check the UL website to verify the item is actually listed with them.

"Grade 1" door hardware sold in stores like Lowe's or Home Depot is, at best, Grade 2, and is likely Grade 3 (residential grade). These grades are really just about how durable the product is over time, and how much abuse they will endure by the public.

And just a little practical advice. Find a qualified, honest locksmith before you need one. We're like plumbers. If you wait until you have an emergency to find one, the quality will be questionable. There are a lot of scammers out there. If you don't have a resource for locksmiths beyond Google, look on the ALOA website for members in your area. The good ones will know who the other good ones are, and won't be shy about sharing that info if they are unavailable or too far away

Put me in the screenshot

Yeah those cases are sad. I tend to just say my prices really high, and if they persist in wanting me to come out I suddenly don't have availability because of the "big government project" I've been hired to do. Even if they were worth the trouble of all the follow-up "someone broke in, you have to fix my locks" calls that inevitably come, I couldn't in good conscience take their money.

Last time it happened a lady wanted me to install Schlage Primus deadbolts on her house because her neighbor was "breaking in and moving things to mess with me". I gave her a quote that was 5x higher than it should have been. I kid you not, she said, "Okay, but I'll have to wait a couple of weeks to get the money. My husband said I couldn't change the locks anymore and that this is all in my head." Poor lady. I saved her number so I wouldn't forget if she called again, but I never heard from her. Hopefully she got the help she needed, but probably she got divorced and is living on the streets.

GODDAMMIT GBOARD

Well at least nothing was randomly capitalized this time

Yeah that's was probably a 1200 or their document box. I was thinking of the "safes" they sell with a dial or keypad lock. They can be defeated in about the same amount of time. I won't say how, but YouTube has more than one video showing how it's done

That's the way it was. Privilege, which just means 'private law.' Two types of people laugh at the law; those that break it and those that make it.

Night Watch by Terry Pratchett

Um, excuse me, the FULL name is the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness.

I'm a bit of an authority on it myself. Sammies are still taking the theory to every corner of the Disc.

I thought this was a bone hurting juice comic but, no, I think it's the original.

Amazing

So I wondered what the charges were and the penalties for giving OTC medication to minors without parental consent. It appears that the FDA considers melatonin a food supplement, not a drug. (Disclaimer, this is from 5 minutes searching online, I have no real knowledge beyond that). After reading the article, and lacking any other information, it seems like the investigation was spurred by the melatonin dosing, but the illegal part was operating an unlicensed daycare with more than 3 children in a private home. (Again, I'm very uninformed and guessing/extrapolating)

I'm actually not sure if it's illegal to give melatonin to minors without guardian consent. Unethical certainly, but if it's not a controlled substance or medication regulated by the FDA like OTC meds, is it illegal? There a some state laws prohibiting some supplements being given to minors. For example, NY has outlawed sales of dietary supplements to minors. If the supplement can be proved to harm a child, that's clearly illegal. It looks like there's not enough research to prove that's the case with melatonin though.

If anyone has a better understanding of these things, I'd love to hear it. I'm really curious about this now

Little known fact(oid).

Ohio's original state motto was "75% of our name is vowels"

Iowa's State motto was "…God dammit Ohio!"

These are the most interesting things about both states. I should know, I'm from Ohio.

And if you want to experience the United States Midwest in song form, look up Bird Bird Bird by Lou and Peter Berryman

ITT: people telling OP what kind of pillow to buy lol

I'm too old for most recent LPT to take hold, but in my youth I heard "simplify" your lifestyle. I didn't understand the message was directed at those with more than they needed, not people like me, living near or in poverty. There's no need for many things, provided you have what you need and it serves you well. I know this now, but then…

GNU Terry Pratchett

I hate those little bastards

He is no longer providing an adequate RoI for his corporate sponsors. Now he'll pass through the revolving door into the private sector where he can directly work for his corporate sponsors instead of being a proxy. A tail as old as time

The "Only gay cops can give me tickets" one is pretty great.

Oddly enough, the price hikes earlier last year were enough to move me to spend four times as much as an annual subscription for a NAS and 16TB of storage. I made digital backups of my media and set up my parents and sister's family with Jellyfin accounts to access my media as needed. Now they can watch videos of our wedding and my niece's dance recital from the comfort of their living rooms. All without worrying about arbitrary changes to TOS. And I'm learning about all kinds of horrible children's shows. OTOH my niece and nephew are learning about cool things like Batman: The Animated Series and Tiny Toons.

I've only run into a couple small issues when it came to backing up my media, but I'll get them sorted.

From the article:

!When you watch a video on Instagram, the app's algorithms are also watching you. As you scroll, they are hoovering up information to figure out what makes you tick—not only to show you content that keeps you coming back, but also to show you ads that are more likely to make you buy something.

Meta calls the information it compiles about how users behave across its apps “activity.” That activity might include what they say that you do on these platforms can be recorded and used for behavioral advertising purposes,” he says.

When compiled, this information can reveal incredibly personal information, potentially ranging from an individual’s musical tastes to their menstrual cycles. “These data are rather potent in the sense that they will tell you everything about a person's online behavior and therefore also their interests, their personality,” says Tobias Judin, spokesperson for Norway’s privacy watchdog, Datatilsynet. When that information about how a user behaves online is used to inform what type of ads that person sees, it becomes what’s known as behavioral advertising. “Literally everything that you do on these platforms can be recorded and used for behavioral advertising purposes,” he says.

For years, European courts have argued that Meta cannot use this type of data for advertising unless the company asks for users’ explicit—yes or no—consent. But in July, Norway went a step further, branding the way Meta carries out behavioral advertising as illegal. The watchdog threatened to ban Meta’s behavioral ads in Norway and pledged to fine the tech giant $100,000 per day unless the company changed its ways. The ban was due to take effect on August 4; three days before that, on August 1, Meta quietly published an update to a January blog post announcing its intention to comply.

“Today, we are announcing our intention to change the legal basis that we use to process certain data for behavioral advertising for people in the EU, EEA and Switzerland from ‘Legitimate Interests’ to ‘Consent,’” the blog post read, without saying specifically when the change will take place or mentioning Norway. Meta declined WIRED’s request to comment further.

Norway is chalking this up as a victory. “While Meta states that this is a voluntary change on their end, that appears very unconvincing,” says Judin. “Asking users for consent could negatively affect the company’s earnings, and historically speaking, Meta has not been willing to sacrifice profits for privacy unless forced.” Meta said the wider Europe region generated almost a quarter of its advertising revenue in the three months leading up to June 30.

Norway’s threat was a bold move. “We normally don't ban processing activities like this,” Judin says. But the regulator has become a new thorn in Meta’s side. Last year, the watchdog came under new leadership, with privacy lawyer Line Coll taking the helm as director. Speaking to the Norwegian business magazine Kapital in May, she suggested she was thinking about new ways to use sanctions to better protect privacy. So far, she has delivered.

However, the Norwegian order formed only the top of a very large pile of legal challenges to the way Meta deployed personalized advertising in Europe.

In response, the company has adopted different legal justifications for doing this type of advertising that did not require users’ consent. Initially it argued that behavioral ads were an essential part of its business. After that was questioned in the courts, Meta claimed a “legitimate interest” to use that information. Then, in July, the EU’s Court of Justice decided that didn’t fly unless users were asked for consent. After that, Norway’s complaint was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The real root of Meta’s decision was a ruling by the European Data Protection Board in January and the EU Court of Justice case in July, says Max Schrems, who runs the influential Vienna-based privacy campaign group NOYB. However he notes that the regulator in Norway—which is part of the European Economic Area, not the EU—has become a forceful voice in trying to get Meta to comply with European tech rules. “The Norwegians are really applying the law as it is, which a lot of other DPAs [data protection regulators] don’t really do,” he says. !<

Name and shame my dude

So i saw this response of yours first, and wondered why you're coming in so hard against someone that: 1) proposed a solution, 2) did not insist it was the only solution, and 3) was opening a dialogue of how to help, instead of dismissing the homeless as most of society does.

Then i saw your responses in the rest of the thread and realized either

A) You're a troll Or B) You're socially inexperienced

Your responses to other people show that you think your opinion is the only correct one. Before you immediately bang away on the keyboard defending yourself, please take a moment to reflect on how your speech affects your cause. The adage "you attract more flies with honey than vinegar" may not be scientifically correct, but it is socially accurate.

In general, kindness is never wrong. Be kind to others, including strangers on the internet. OTOH, if you can't play nice, go touch grass and let the adults have a conversation.

Oh, and you're not wrong about capitalism being part of the problem. You are wrong that working for policy change is "less than bare minimum". Doing nothing, that is less than bare minimum

factoid (2) - an assumption or speculation that is reported and repeated so often that it becomes accepted as fact.

Absolutely 100% made up. So, if that's the most interesting thing about each state, and it's fictional, imagine how mind numbingly boring the corn states must be

(I'm joking ofc, Ohio has a few redeeming qualities. The southeastern portion is particularly beautiful, Idaho has some staggering vistas, and Iowa… I mean, 75% of their name is vowels I guess)

This is highly pedantic, and i apologize for doing this. However, I can't leave this alone

It's lose

Personally I blame Gboard

I don't watch videos as i drive, i listen to them. I wanna hear what ChubbyEmu has to say about "emia, presence in blood".

Unless a commercial comes on, then I'm focusing all of my attention on the screen until that skip button pops up. I've only hit two cyclist this year, so clearly nothing needs to change

One towel is all that's needed. Start at the top, work your way from head to feet, floss the crotch last,. When the towel dries, it forgets, and the towel is clean for the next shower. If you have long hair, a second towel may be useful as a turban

By 2040, these states—California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island—are aiming for 90 percent of those shipments to be heat pumps.

The coalition’s announcement comes just months after the federal government doubled down on its own commitment to heat pumps, announcing $169 million in funding for the domestic production of the systems.

These are the states, and the article doesn't seem to go into detail on what the actual programs are in each state. However, i only skimmed the article

So do they provide the screwdriver and USB cable for the ignition, or do I have to provide my own?

This is the worst abomination I've seen since "Ohio-Valley" style pizza

Imitating Pauly Shore in Encino Man during freshman year of high school. I was already a conventionally unattractive overweight nerd, so the affectation was not so much the final nail, but one of many in my social coffin.

I got better tho

sweatie

lol

Just boot things

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in

Folks, he's just making his rounds, and is a little behind

If i knew of any execs near where i live they would be getting a front row seat to my reenactment of the Office Space printer scene.

It's rare for me to viscerally hate someone just for existing, but if i met an HP exec I would have to exert quite a bit of self control to not beat them until I lost feeling in my hands

Welcome to the modern news media, where everything's a crisis and words don't mean anything.

In a headline, as soon as I see "scientists" instead of "researchers" I start getting doubtful. If scientist is preceded or followed by the word "baffled" or any of its synonyms I go straight to ignore. It's all clickbait these days

We are commodities

We exist to be bought and sold

By the ruling class

I have been bought and sold

Many many times

But only my thoughts

And identity

And words

And face

So that's okay

I'll just scroll other stolen thoughts

On a phone built by an eight year old

Who was bought

And sold

Half a world away

To be fair, "African-American" refers primarily to the diaspora of those of African descent whose predecessors were survivors of genocide during colonial slave trade. Lupita Nyong’o or Trevor Noah aren't African-American as the label is currently understood, because they have a direct, traceable connection to their cultural heritage and ancestors. The label was chosen by Jesse Jackson and other black political leaders in the 80's.

It's not perfect, but I tend to use whatever label others choose for themselves. I've got black friends, African American friends, white friends, Irish, Italian, Jewish, and Kenyan friends. I know a few Indians, but don't know any first nation peoples or natives. At the end of the day we can't control how other people, including conservatives, think about our fellow humans. All we can control is how we view and treat others.

And yes, those who pigeon-hole and denigrate others are sad

And it wasn't a proprietary storage card? They didn't invent their own headphone jack that only works with Sony headphones? Amazing. It's like a whole new company!

If you can't tell, I'm still salty about aaaaaallllllllllllllllll the shit they pulled in the 90s/00s. Nothing like buying an mp3 player with money I should've been spending more responsibly and then learning I could only use Sony brand storage cards. Cards that cost twice as much for the same storage space. I bought my Xbox and dropped PlayStation solely because of those shenanigans.

If, in twenty years, HP makes the only computer that doesn't give you literal AIDS I still won't buy one. And i feel the same about Sony today

The hard truth is you can't outrun a bullet

I thought you said inedible at first and I was like 🤔

Baldur's Gate 3. I had never played any of the series but the reviews were good so I took a chance. It probably is the closest we'll get to an actual dnd experience in a single player game (well, except for scheduling conflicts lol). I have thoroughly enjoyed it so far and am trying to not let it take over my life