I agree with all your points... but... IMHO some things keeping Steam honest are services like GoG and if course the High Seas, but more than that there's the plethora of other entertainment options.

This isn't housing, air, or water. A person can just not play if it's too much hassle or too costly. If Steam or any given entertainment option isn't worth using, people just won't. There's no shortage of things to do other than play games, much less use Steam for gaming.

I agree that we shouldn't imagine Steam will never change, nor should we blindly worship or glorify Valve/GabeN. I just think that games and entertainment generally is an arena where market forces actually work to benefit the consumer.

Of course employment practices and company culture is a whole 'nother thing...

Probably on the side of the screen, which is also where I like it. This change was actually a tipping point for me to give Linux another chance for daily driving.

3 sad better than 2. He lost me at 4. The Dinobots deserved so much better.

Google doing away with cookies also conveniently shifts away most ad processing from their servers into Chrome (while killing their competition).

OOTL, what's going on here? Distributed processing like Folding@Home, but for serving ads to make Google more money?

I've just started to daily drive Mint, after finding Fedora confusing and Ubuntu somehow slow and stuttery.

Every few years I try out Linux desktop and this is the first time I've found it usable enough for me. For the first time I'm not delving into forum posts from last decade to get simple stuff working.

What distro would you recommend that does desktop usability better than Mint?

Doodoocahedrons

Loved that phone. Check out the Jelly Star (I have the Jelly 2) if you want a small, full featured Android. Compromises for the size and price of course, but it has a headphone jack, sd card, IR blaster, and usb-c - everything I need.

A couple times a week. Tried going without, but missed it too much. Now a headphone jack is a key requirement. Bluetooth headphone mics in particular are rubbish compared to a basic wired option.

Tipping this in my Jelly 2. Great phone, if a bit too small for me. I reckon 4" is the sweet spot.

Still, better than my old slab for daily use, though I keep the old one around for its camera.

I've found Copilot helpful for some research and queries where I'm not really sure what I'm looking for, or when I'm sure something exists but not its exact form, or exactly where it is.

It's unclear what you're intending to use Copilot for. I wouldn't trust it for anything unattended eg answering an email for me.

Pkcell for sure. Just be careful with your dingus!

Get a cheap used phone with a headphone port and sd card slot?

The reference to waste heat could include the heat from burning fossil fuels that isn't turned directly into work. Which is a lot.

So you're right, there will still be some waste heat and the reduction in production needs won't be that drastic. But it's still a significant chunk of the total!

From this angle the costume looks kind of like firefighting gear.

Love the child's crayon, but too much awesome to rank even a top three. What did you use to make these?

W880i ftw https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Ericsson_W880i

Loved it, really miss small phones.

I love my Sharp microwave/convection combo! Perfect for frozen pie and leftover pizza. 15+ years old now, not sure whether they still make 'em like that any more.

Or maybe build it into some neat cowboy hats?

Anyone else getting Manna vibes?