mdhughes

RCS is not end-to-end encrypted, so their bubbles will remain green.

Google's proprietary extensions add E2EE, and Apple's not going to pull a Beeper on Google.

I was using the Internet before the WWW, and there was already a pretty good ecosystem from nerdy stuff to consumer-usable. Email, Usenet, Gopher, FTP, IRC, were all widely usable.

Gopher especially made a great way to index and search (with WAIS) things on multiple different services, without being a mess of text/hyperlinks/images/sound/video in a hairy ball like the WWW.

Scheme, and work through SICP, watch the lectures along with the reading.

I prefer Chez Scheme but there's many implementations. Chez's fast and practical, C FFI, large standard library, nice REPL with editor.

About 20 years ago, I was trying to get audio playing to stay stable, and have audible alarms from KCal. I did everything, recompiled kernels, nothing fixed it.

So I went out and got a G4 Mac mini, set it up with my audio and it worked perfectly. Within a week I'd shut off the Linux trash for good. Mac OS X does everything better.

For servers, I use FreeBSD, it's dumb to run Linux there, too.

Nothing's improved, I have the same audio problems on my RasPi in Linux. Linux is bad at just about everything, any other OS or possibly just a dead badger will do the job better.

Sure, use the Y2038 problem to ship secure computing to everyone.

"I Am Legend" has been made into 3 or more movies, none of which have anything like the book's ending.

The Last Man on Earth (1964) is dull and misses the point almost entirely, but almost manages the title line. Not quite.

The Omega Man (1971) is exciting and misses the point even further.

I Am Legend (2007) almost gets it. The vampires are competent. Will Smith's smarter than Neville of the book, but crazier. But then both endings fail to treat the vampires as a society.

1. Leatherman. I carry a Wave. Got a Gerber and a couple others, but the original (this replaced my 1st gen) is best.
2. Pen & notepad. Always having your own pen that is kept full, and some paper to write someone a physical note, is an amazing superpower.
3. Face masks. COVID is still a thing, don't be dumb. Also carry hand sanitizer or alcohol wipes.
4. Flashlight. I have a small tube 9-LED that's usually in there, but also a 1-LED watch battery thing for the keychain, and I've got a few more around here. Yes your phone has a flash that can be kept on, but it burns battery, and is often awkward. Having light whenever is magic.
5. Switchblade, survival knife, folding knife, etc. Defensive uses, but also heavier utility knife than the Leatherman.
6. Pepper spray, derringer, etc. if you live in a dangerous area.
7. Survival kit. This is more of a backpack item. Get a tiny survival, first aid, etc. kit, there's a million uses for having some cord, bandages, shiny foil blanket, etc.
8. Cigarette lighter or box of matches. Even if you don't smoke, being able to make fire is another magic skill. I keep this with the survival kit.
9. Headphones, I have slightly-better-than-earbuds tucked in my coat. Noisy annoying people just stop being a problem.

And then my phone, keys, wallet, shades. Yes, I buy clothes with a lot of pockets.