Ageeed I’ll never do it again.

I really don’t understand the hype about AI in it’s current state.

I definitely agree about the vibe being different in the mid 90s to the early 00s. Lots of passion and energy about the tech. I don’t think it’s all gone but it’s definitely nowhere near as intense.

This is way too accurate.

Agreed. M is definitely the sweet spot for tech right now.

I’ve never heard of pigeon management but I have heard something similar described as playing chess with a pigeon as someone who “knocks all the pieces over, shits on the board then struts aroind like they’ve won”.

Obligatory xkcd reference https://xkcd.com/37/

So would I but good luck getting your average local sheriff or office of emergency preparedness to use RSS. Most of their “IT” staff is the deputy who is “good with computers” meaning they can open a PDF file.

It’s a shame because Twitter is a perfect platform for the kind of one-way communications required by a news agency or local government agency. Maybe Mastodon or Bluesky will fill that void.

It’s only fair.

I think the focus on bots was primarily used in an attempt to back out of the deal. It was never an issue, especially if it inflated his ego by pumping up his account.

I was never active in terms of posting but I followed several news outlets, local government agencies, and a few friends. Shortly after Musk took over I saw nothing but right wing nutjobs and a lot of posts from Musk. I tried unfollowing but nothing worked so I quit logging in. I need to cancel my account but haven’t taken the time.

Most folks who say this don’t realize which side they fall on.

If I only needed black and white without 11x17 capability I would definitely have gotten a laser printer. A color laser printer with 11x17 capability start north of $700. The only Epson eco-tank model I could find in stock with 11x17 was over $1000. I bought the workforce model that did what I needed for $200. I know I’m going to be gouged on the ink but I just couldn’t swing the upfront cost. Plus with my low volume of printing an $80 set of cartridges will last about 6-9 months.

I recently had to buy a printer. I do civil engineering for a utility company and need the ability to print in color on 11"x17" paper. I looked into the Epson Eco-Tank printers but they are very expensive. Based on my printing volume it would take me years to make up the cost difference between the lower end printers that use cartridges vs the eco-tank. It might have made more sense if I didn’t need the 11"x17" capability. Unfortunately, I think this is where all printer companies will end up going. Hopefully I’ll be retired and no longer need to print by the time this mentality takes over the entire business.

You are right about the current state of CAD/Engineering software being a mess. Crazy subscription models and no real innovation. Buggy software everywhere.AutoCad crashes at least 3 times a day or does weird stuff like the ribbon and menus disappearing. I’d love to find something that worked as an alternative.

It’s probably a mix of that and how CAD/Engineering software is a complicated niche market. It’s not as ubiquitous as something like an office suite or even a phot editor like GIMP. I don’t have anything to back that up other than a hunch.

I do a lot of 2D civil drawings for underground utility construction and I haven’t found anything that does what I need. Also the selection is pretty much limited to Windows. The CAD programs on Mac seem to be limited compared to their Windows brethren.

There really isn’t much good FOSS software in the CAD/Engineering world. I’ve tried the 2D and 3D solutions that I’ve beena able to find and they are missing way too many features or the learning curve is crazy steep. If anyone knows of good CAD software let me know, I’d love to try it.

I think it’s mostly aboit the massive carbon footprint of a private jet and Elon has a rep for really short frequent flights.