impulse

And there's been no updates since 2002.

They just don't give up, do they? Even when there's videos, receipts, bank statements and whistleblowers out the wazoo.

The sad reality is that anyone who tells you they know the definitive long term answer is lying to you. It hasn't been long term yet. We won't know the long term effects for years, decades and maybe generations. In the meantime, what we do know is being hidden from us under the guise of "media fact checkers" who are no more credible than the media they're checking. I got to see a life sized dose of that when I went to the ER after my 2nd Pfizer and the doctors told me they don't know what caused my symptoms the day after, but it definitely wasn't the Pfizer. Over 2 years later, I went to the ER again for lingering symptoms that wax and wane, and the nurses and one doctor told me that they've been getting a lot of reports of my symptoms post Pfizer. But it was in hushed tones when nobody else was in the room. Selfishly, the more people that suffer the symptoms I've lived with for almost 4 years, the more they'll spend on finding solutions for us.

Yeah. 'Cause every country wants their media to be biased US paid stooges, and their elections rigged. They've been fomenting corruption all over the world. With my money.

There's hungry people in the USA, too. Seems like there may be a silver lining. Might even drive some of that Bidenflation out of the system. I'm struggling to understand why everyone's complaining about the high cost of groceries when commodity prices are low. Or is that just the MSM trying to find more to bitch about with Trump?

That was my biggest disappointment with Obama. He campaigned on increasing transparency, and he sorely disappointed on that front, going in the opposite direction. Scott Jennings at CNN described it best. Trump's program is Radical Transparency. Whether he'll deliver or not is anyone's guess. But I wouldn't bet against him.

I read a more comprehensive telling of the story and it seems there are all kinds of exceptions for families with kids in school, health care issues, and a number of other circumstances, in addition to assignments that are considered critical to US interests. But if you're organizing Drag Queen story hours in Lower Slobovia, it's time to pack.

Messing with simian DNA... Isn't that how the Planet of the Apes movie franchise started? Life imitating art.

The European Commission has approved a new food ingredient made from dried and ground mealworm larvae, the young form of beetles. The larvae will be treated with ultraviolet (UV) light, a process similar to how sunlight helps human skin produce vitamin D. The approval is part of the EU’s plan to introduce more sustainable protein sources and allows up to 4% of the insect-based powder in products such as bread, cheese, pasta, and jams. The regulation takes effect on February 10. The EU official website is a little sketchy about labeling requirements... approval insect novel food - European Commission

I get that you like all those features, but do you really use the goodies that are only available on the Top of Line iPhones? Or could you be satisfied with a less premium iPhone? Like I said in the OP, there are no wrong answers. Just looking for personal observations. And I'm almost hoping someone can convince me that I'm missing out on something and I should amend my cheap ass ways and splurge when the A05s goes tits up. So far, I get that there are features, but I'm not convinced I'd benefit from them. At least not to the tune of $500-$1000 additional. Edit: But a Pox (in advance) upon anyone who convinces me to go Apple. Even though I almost cried when my company made me switch from Apple to Windows in the '90s.

And most of us haven't had a Secret Service detail escorting us around for decades, with zillions of dollars of secret squirrel communication equipment.

Whereupon he'll hop the next flight to Malaysia, rinse and repeat. Please tell me he'll serve at least a little time as a guest in Thailand's finest accommodations. That British lady's photo showed such a clean floor a few days ago. The squatty toilet could have used a scrubbing though.

Whaddaya figure are the odds that they're genuine Lenova? I bought a couple of pairs of Apple earbuds in Chinatown. Turns out they work and sound great. But I suspect they may not be genuine iPods (sp?), at 300 baht a pair. But the packaging is very convincing, and they use Firewire.

Too many words. But I gave you a "Like" because you're right.

Safe travels!

I buy mine from a guy in Chinatown. Every couple of months I stop in his kiosk and look at what's new and zoomie. Shameless plug, I've been really happy with HOCO brand for 300-600 baht. Except their active noise cancelling. Not a fan of that feature, though the headphones sound great when it's disabled.

You just mentioned a benefit I wasn't aware of. I don't think it's possible to shoot in RAW on my A05s. But is that because it's a Samsung, or because it's on the bottom end of the product line? I just checked the photo settings and RAW doesn't appear as an option. Or am I missing it?

Big gamble on Trump's part, but doing what they've been doing has been a disaster (and a tragedy) for 80 years. I don't know enough about his actual plan to judge yay or nay. But something's gotta give. Or the Israelis will still be fighting their neighbors in another 80 years. I'm thinking Trump is laying out an off the wall plan in hopes they can negotiate to a reasonable solution. Or he may be crazy. Time will tell.

Is that with Bluetooth (or wired) earphones? I'm amazed at how much cheaper Bluetooth headsets are in Thailand than back home. I used to think I was getting a steal if I found a nice set for under $50 back home.

One of the things I love about Thailand is how cheap and easy it is to get a battery replaced, even on the models where the manufacturer tried to make it hard. Crafty devils, those Thais... They'll bend over backwards to make a transaction work.

Every time I get back to the big screen, keyboard and mouse, I realize (and appreciate) what I've been missing while I was limited to using the smartphone. Usually while traveling for a day or 2.

I hope all of yours are born naked. And healthy.

I guess you also missed the story about the guy who bought one on Ebay and returned it to the state that didn't even know it was missing. If he could buy one on Ebay, (and the state didn't even miss it) what do you figure are the chances that a nefarious entity has one in a warehouse that they're working on in the total absence of security protocols and no audit checks the whole time.

Maybe, but the vulnerability of the machines was the big enchilada in the Dominion vs Fox lawsuit. And that one was thoroughly debunked, live in a Georgia court. Give Musk and DOGE a few weeks and they'll probably prove the rest of Dominions claims to be false. Like the Twitter files proved so much of the MSM narrative to be false. But you won't find that in the MSM, either... 2025 is going to be a wild ride...

I recall a Georgia trial where a guy proved that they're hackable with a BIC pen and a $5 USB chip. He did it in the courtroom. In person and in front of the world. But I'm sure the settlement between Fox and Dominion didn't allow Fox to seek a refund when the truth came out. That's the nature of settling instead of pursuing it to the end.