“Sock” or “sofa”?

Most likely way to go;

• FSB Defenestration
• FSB cyanide injection, Bohdan Stashynsky-style
• Assassination by foreign power
• Assassination by domestic freedom-fighter
• Assassination by debtor
• Natural causes from dementia.

ActivityPub is a major threat to the commercial social networks.

These laws are purely a way to regulate communication, but they are effectively a way to prevent new social networks from becoming established.

This is why the really big social networks are welcoming them with open arms. Even the criminal social networks are secretly pleased with them.

Laws only affect people too poor to manipulate them and too honest to disobey them.

Back in the old days, we had mini-USB-B , USB-A, USB-3.0 A, USB-B, USB-3.0-B, micro-USB3.0, and a dozen other semi-proprietary mini-USB-B form factors.

Before that we had all the D-Sub variants like DB-25 and DE-9 for both Serial and Parallel data transfer, DB13W3 and DE-15 for Video signal and dozens of other variants for all sorts of proprietary data formats

I was referring to the EU laws that are making USB-C charging mandatory.

The solution is a legislated minimum standard or quality.

I’m surprised that the original legislation did not provide this guarantee.

The problem is that there is no certification of new good cables. There is no guarantee that the replacement cable may be just as defective as the one you are recycling.

One good thing about the MFA program was the proprietary chip guaranteed a minimum standard of quality. Unfortunately it also resulted in a minimum cost.

#NotTheOnion Microsoft will make millions of computers obsolete and will generate thousands of tonnes of eWaste on International eWaste Day.

“Windows 10 security updates end on 14 October 2025, KDE’s 29th birthday and also, ironically, International E-Waste Day [1] (you cannot make these things up!)”

Preferential voting for the Lower House (of Commons), Proportional voting for the Upper House (of Lords).

This is (one of the reasons) why Apple have been so defensive about their ecosystem.

They have slowly been building their security to protect their customers from bad actors, as the bad actors have been slowing finding ways to exploit people.

In early versions of iOS, there was little to no security, all apps had unfettered access, Apple started restricting access to more and more of the users data, and the arms race began.

Now the bad actors have tricked legislators into violating user security in favour of their scams and data mining reselling.

Thanks. Honestly, we have a house full of Apple TVs and (except for the game consoles) I was struggling to find anything that was comparable that preserves (or claims to preserve) privacy.

I know a lot of people don’t trust Apple, and the latest tvOS is not as good as older versions.

Never ever connect a TV directly to the Internet.

Tell the sales staff that you do not have Internet at home.

If the device does not function without an Internet connection, return it to the store as “not fit for purpose”.

If you want to access online services on your TV, always use a separate STB like an AppleTV or FireStick.

This headline should be “most computer users see little or no value in LLM and other technologies that are being branded as “AI” and never will”

Thank goodness that cheap e-bike motors and solar panels are available to these markets.

Someone with a little bit of intelligence can retrofit an e-bike motor on a pushbike, put some solar panels on their roof, connected to some trusty Lead-Acid batteries in their hovel and they can recharge their e-bike or cargo-bike.

A better solution would be to nationalise the power network and charge citizens realistic prices for their utilities.

The vehicles currently called SUVs are just Station Wagons with a higher centre of gravity.

In the old days, normal people drove Station Wagons, Sedans, Hatchbacks and Utes. Those people had a need for off-roading drive 4WD light trucks, which were a less pleasant to drive on-road.

Husbands wanted a toy for the weekend, but they still wanted something that was sane to drive to their day job. That meant that Wives for forced to drive the oversized Light Truck that handled poorly to drop the kids off at school and go day-drinking.

Eventually, 4WDs were remarketted as Sports Utility Vehicles and had their off-road capabilities handicapped. Manufacturers tried to push people to drive Wagons and the new MiniVans again, but the Soccer Mums liked the high seating position of the 4WDs.

Nowadays MiniVans and Wagons have been replaced by vehicles that are not as Sporty as Wagons and not as Utilitarian as MiniVans. They have no off-road ability.

A computer program that returns “denied” in all situations is not an AI.

Polluting, inefficient, unsafe, noisy.

If you go to South East Asian countries where the main form of transport is post WW2 motorbikes, you will notice that they aren’t the safest or most comfortable places to live.

If you have a western budget, however, you can transcend the day-to-day hazards and live in a resort for a pittance.

<sarcasm> but if more people were walking, they would all be run over by tiny men in Dodge Ram250s</sarcasm>

You have answered your own question. They are built to be tougher, by using more material.

They still shed a proportional amount of material for the vehicle weight.

Not only that but if they get damaged due to trauma prior to end-of-life (such as a puncture of pothole damage) that is a lot more material that is going to landfill (or tyre “recycling” in countries that have it).