I think most meters have wireless connectivity now, too. I’ve never once had someone physically check my meter.

I won’t deny the fact that gun violence happens here in the US, but statistics can be deceiving when you’re dealing with very small numbers. The article you linked gives a rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people in the US. That would put your country at around 0.13 per 100k.

Out of 100k, the difference between 4.5 and 0.13 is still exceptionally small. So small that your chances of being shot if you live here your entire life are negligible. If you visit for a week or two, your chances are statistically insignificant. If you look at homicides by any means, not just firearms, this becomes even closer.

So while what you say is accurate, you have to look at what it actually means. The United States is not “dangerous” by any stretch of the imagination. 35 multiplied by almost nothing is still almost nothing.

You always hear about big pharma having deep pockets for lobbyists. Why are they not fighting this? I want my yearly vaccine, and they want profits. It’s a win-win situation if they push back on this.

Not really. While I don’t have the exact numbers, the output of an infrared LED is no higher (usually) than an LED in the visible range. My security cameras have an array of 10 or so LEDs.

So looking at a security camera would be roughly equivalent to staring at a light bulb.

Why? If everyone does poorly, everyone should fail, provided the opportunity to learn was there.

This has always seemed overblown to me. If students want to cheat on their coursework, who cares? As long as exams are given in a controlled environment, it’s going to be painfully obvious who actually studied the material and who had ChatGPT do it for them. Re-taking a course is not going to be fun or cheap.

Maybe I’m oversimplifying this, but it feels like proctored testing solves the entire problem.

I sincerely hope this is the truth. I don’t give two shits what they recommend. I haven’t had COVID yet, and I’m not about to get it. Let me and my doctor decide if I get the vaccine yearly.

Also, the government isn’t paying for my COVID shots any more. I am. Even if it only decreases my chances of infection by a small percentage, let me make that choice.

If you don’t want offline maps, and you don’t want to use data, what exactly are you looking for? The map has to come from somewhere.

As the article mentions, this isn’t a security “feature,” it’s anti-competetive. The worst part is that Nextcloud isn’t even really in competition with Google. Setting up a Nextcloud server isn’t hard, but it’s not a trivial task. Sharing it outside your local network also requires a bit of skill, especially if done securely. That is to say, Nextcloud users probably tend to be more tech-savvy.

The people using Nextcloud aren’t going to suddenly decide to switch over to Google Drive. I’ll get it from FDroid before I downgrade to Google Drive. If that wasn’t an option, I’d set up an FTP server or even WebDAV.

I’m not even sure what that could mean. Maybe using chopsticks instead of a fork? I’ve always just eaten food with whatever utensil is typically used for that type of cuisine. I think most people, Chinese or otherwise, eat Chinese food with chopsticks, don’t they?

Personally, my problem was always that math concepts were never presented in a way that actually made sense in the “real world.”

I was taught that complex numbers were real numbers with imaginary parts that had something to do with the square root of -1. Yeah, I get it, but… why?

Fast forward a few decades and I’m writing code that processes a digitized waveform. Now it makes sense. Math isn’t hard when you have a frame of reference. Learning math concepts solely for the sake of learning them is very hard.

Gas turbines produce a lot of power, as in 1MW or more per turbine. Is this a backup system, or is the facility using so much power that they literally need their own electric plant to sustain it?

It’s amazing how someone’s job description can say “Scammer” in so many more words.

I very much disagree with this. Paying your own rent means you have a place to call your own, even if someone else owns it. Paying a mortgage means you own your own property and have the ability to do whatever you want with it, even if you’re tied to a bank.

At 18, you’re essentially starting your life, and sometimes you need space to do that.

Even better. He lived (lives in prison now) in her parents’ house, according to the article.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/04/11/trump-head-lapel-pin/

Looks like it was one cabinet member, and probably not a requirement.

I may have overreacted, but Lemmy tends to be very much “fuck cars, ride a bike.” If someone is already having financial troubles, is suggesting they forego driving really constructive? At that rate, why not forego electricity or running water?

Not OP, but it always rubs me the wrong way when people suggest bikes. I don’t know your situation or theirs, so I’ll use my own.

If I wanted to ride a bike to the grocery store, it would take me an hour, and I’d somehow have to lug everything back on a bicycle. If I rode a bike to work, it would take multiple hours. If I wanted to pick up building supplies, dirt, concrete pavers, whatever, I’d have to rent a truck.

Public transit doesn’t exist in my city, much less my neighborhood.

What you’re suggesting works great in a major metro area. For many of us, a car isn’t a luxury, it’s an absolute necessity. Not to mention, who wants to wait for a bus or train to take them home after work? Bicycles are good for exercise in a controlled environment. They are not appropriate for everyday transportation, and they are a hazard to drivers; they absolutely should not be allowed on the same roadways as cars. Buy a motorcycle or a scooter if you want to. Ride a bike off-road if you want to burn calories.

I totally get how this would be useful in imaging systems, but I’m not understanding how it applies to communications.

The only thing I can think is perhaps carrying more modes through a multimode fiber? I never understood amplifier bandwidth to be a limiting factor, though.

What communications systems use a wide bandwidth of light (300nm is a LOT) into a single amplifier?

Oh, you’re absolutely correct. If you can buy outright, that’s the way to go. The only reason I brought that up is because OP mentioned “I don’t know how people buy BMWs, etc.” Some are rich; a lot are financing. Saving first, if you can, is certainly the best option, though.