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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: March 3rd, 2025

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  • Which is fine. It’s just some people do clog up the normal system with minor things. I especially see this with people for whom going to an appointment is no inconvenience (no work, so the retired anf nervous mothers, etc.). The minor charge helps avoid a situation in which they have an outsized effect on health care expenditures for the state.


  • You should though. Most ages would benefit even if only from a quick opportunity to ask about anything that might have come up plus the chance for some bloodwork to verify nothing obvious is abnormal. Prevention is way better than getting to a problem when it’s already serious, and preventative checks can spot a lot of things (liver issues, some cancers, metabolic problems, etc.).


  • No, I definitely know of some people that go often only to be told that it’s just a cold or similar and that they just need to rest a few days. Not most people, but a few do overuse regular consultations, so it does make sense to have some system in place to reduce that problem (nominal charges are a valid approach here).




  • I mean, it’s one of the few companies that shows it cares about its users genuinely, and basically always does what it ‘correct’ or ‘just’. You have companies like Amazon that treat customers well, but sellers ‘meh’ and employees like shit. You have companies that do ‘right’ socially and environmentally, but have bad products. You have entities that contribute to public resources and open source projects, but who have no economic weight or who are arrogant. But with Steam you’ve got a very rare blend of ‘good’ characteristics in almost every category you can imagine. Competition is good and better than a monopoly, but if you don’t have an area with competition I can’t help but to wish the company you’re stuck with ends up being like his. There’s nothing inherently wrong with making money or being rich as long as you do so honestly without harming others or preventing others from having their own successes. The only way he has really prevented others’ success is by having really solid products and policies.




  • The joke is Frankenstein is the doctor from the novel by the same name (the mad scientist). He ordered the beverage, but he confused the monster who is also waiting for his drink. The monster from the novel Frankenstein has no name, but people call him Frankenstein after the book’s name, so it’s a play on that confusion.


  • Something attached to the main computer, but with its own firmware/controls is still far better than having no device at all, and relying on external code for verification. Would a discrete box separate from everything else be better (independent of mobile phones as well)? Sure. But a great step that would be progress compared to the current status quo is what the other poster describes, with logic and chip verification running on a device attached to the device or computer with which you wish to pay.









  • Most of the people entering European countries and seeking refugee status don’t come from conflict zones, just poor areas. Like Pakistanis, Iraqis, Ghanans, Malians, Indians, Nigerians, etc. They just show up, cross illegally avoiding border guards, and either live as illegal immigrants until caught or immediately request refugee status upon reaching their country of choice, such as Germany or Sweden (and upon denial most just stay anyways). This is an option millions have taken. Same with all the Central and South Americans crossing the US border (and Chinese, Caribbeans, etc. that cross that border despite not having geographic proximity).

    But this option isn’t the only option. Loads of legal immigrants just sell all they have and gamble on some different country. Some request a student visa someplace (say Canada or Australia) to get their foot in the door, then take advantage of being in the country to seek a job. Some put all their money into creating a small business to seek a visa via that route (many of the poor Chinese you see in European countries try that approach). Fact of the matter is, anyone with a paid roof over their head in the US is among the wealthiest people of the world in terms of income, so hearing them complain is sorta rich. Say you live with your spouse and each make 15k USD per annum but have no property, saving, or investments. First off, you’d be around the halfway mark for the US anyways, but on the world stage you’d also be the top 15%. Do you have an iPhone, a car, a television and enough food security to be overweight? Congratulations, the large, large majority of the world does not have those. Basically, people living in relative (worldwide) security/comfort complaining about the hardships of leaving their safety if they wanted to change their lives is something most of the rest of the world would scoff at (or more). Despite not living in relative privilege for US standards, the majority of the US does in fact live comfortable lives from an international standpoint.