Man, if Musk is tanking this hard, I am not sure he’s going to get re-elected.

[Scene: The Oval Office. JD Vance, the Vice President of the United States, is seated at his desk. Pete Davidson, a reporter, enters the room with a notebook and recorder.]

Pete Davidson: So, Mr. Vice President, I’ve been looking into your role here in the White House. Can you tell me what you do?

JD Vance: [smirking] Well, let me tell you. I deal with the goddamn politicians so the lawyers don’t have to! I have people skills… for people who are trying to get things done!

Pete Davidson: But… but isn’t your job more about policy and-

JD Vance: [interrupting] Policy, schmolicy! The people want me to deal with the people, not just talk about them. And let’s be real, I’m good at dealing with people. I’ve got charisma, I’ve got charm, and I’ve got a Twitter account that can turn anything into a meme!

Pete Davidson: [skeptical] Uh-huh… And what exactly do you mean by “dealing with the people”?

JD Vance: [leaning forward] I mean, I’m like a social media influencer for the Trump administration. I get to say whatever I want and watch it blow up on Twitter. It’s like having my own reality TV show! The engineers are just there to document everything so everyone knows I’m not a total disaster.

Pete Davidson: [taken aback] Uh… okay, got it…

JD Vance: [grinning] And can’t you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people who can’t see the genius of my role?!

Time has been kind to Mr. Jobs. Read about his early years at Apple… he was famous for skewering anyone that disagreed with him. He also had lovely habits like parking his sports car in handicapped spots so he didn’t have to walk as far. You can’t disagree with his talent for running a company that did an awful lot of innovation, but he wasn’t a nice guy. He named one of his first products, the Lisa after his daughter, but didn’t treat the actual daughter that well.

practical

Please don’t ever put this word in the same paragraph as the Humane pin. Have you seen what that thing did?

Good luck out there! I am taking up the opposing position, and I am curious who will win.

What’s stopping you from placing a wager on your favorite platforms then? You seem to feel quite confident it’s going to happen, yet for some reason aren’t willing to get that “easy” money…

The price however is inline with my statement - that market considers a GOP win a near certainty.

You are reading the results backwards - Kalshi predicts a Democratic win at ~70% (as of now) probability. I agree the payback isn’t huge… but if you’re SURE then it’s easy money!

Christians and hypocrisy go hand in hand. How many cross tattoos are out there? How many Christians scorn the poor, or their neighbors? It’s kind of a running joke that if you want to learn about the bible, ask an atheist. The more you read the bible, the more logical inconsistencies you find in it.

The real “value” in Christianity and the bible in general is that the masses can outsource their morals and ethics to some external thing without having to think too deeply. (Because who wants to think for themselves? That’s a lot of work!)

I know this was supposed to be a little jab, but look back at writings by the founding fathers from that time. They were clearly well-reasoned, and at least TRIED to make a long-lasting republic. The USA wasn’t just slapped together randomly – they had a real plan and an architecture. If anything, it’s impressive how long it took to degrade the place.

A great example is George Washington’s opinion on getting involved in wars on foreign soil. Well, we might not call it “war” anymore, but we sure as shit have troops overseas at all times. I’m pretty sure the founding fathers never intended us to be the world police in this way.

Haha!!! Sadly, I think our domestic stupidity is more than adequate to explain the situation. I’d love to blame the boogyman here, but let’s face it – we’re #1 in stupidity and self-owns.

I have no specific information, but usually when a company is gobbled up like this, the employees get the short end of the stick. Given how nasty Humane was to their own customers, I can’t imagine the employees are getting treated well. Really depressing to see such a scummy CEO and company get a payday like this. I can’t imagine what HP saw in them.

Here you go friend: this is a prediction market on whether the Republicans or Democrats will win the house next year: https://kalshi.com/markets/controlh/house-winner

If your prediction is right and there are no more elections this will be easy money for you.

I hope there is a prediction market on this at some point because I do not think it’s likely that they will be able to block elections. I’d love to put my money where my mouth is.

The thing is, tariffs aren’t new. Manufacturing (or the lack thereof) in the US isn’t new… the only NEW thing appears to be voters that can be led around by the nose and lacking any kind of critical thought altogether. What % of people that voted for tariffs thought that China’d be paying for them? Probably the same folks who thought Mexico was going to build the wall and pay for it. Last time I checked, I don’t think we’ve received any money from Mexico for this.

If tariffs cause a rise in US production

This is one of the problems with the Trumpian approach to tariffs. I don’t know if you hadn’t noticed, but there’s remarkably little manufacturing in the USA for quite some time now, but let’s play this out.

The cost to set up a laptop manufacturing firm in the US is anywhere from $50,000,000 to $200,000,000. Then, you’ve gotta acquire all the raw materials and components to assemble the laptops, let’s call that another $500,000,000. Then, of course, you’ve gotta staff the place, and this is in a country where we do not have a lot of people that are experienced in manufacturing. Let’s call that another $100,000,000. By the time you add in R&D, logistics costs, legal and compliance (because the US is a bit more stringent than China in this area), you’re talking about $1 - $3 BILLION in costs.

Now, out of the few people / companies that have enough money to actually set up a laptop manufacturer in the USA, think about how confident they’d have to be to pull this off. The largest problem is, if you spend your billion dollars and build this factory and then the next week Trump removes the tariff, you’re instantly competing with foreign firms again, and you’re going to be going under pretty fast.

I’d say this tariff would have to be in place at LEAST 10 years before anyone gets confident enough to spend the massive amount of money and effort quoted above. When you think about how many millions of laptops are going to get sold between now and then, it’s pretty clear the American consumer is going to take a huge bath in the meantime.

Like so many things Trump is doing, this tariff is supposed to piss off China but just ends up fucking the consumer. Trump and his billionaire friends don’t care if a laptop is an extra $200. That’s change they can find under the couch. For your average American trying to make ends meet, that $200 sure as fuck would be useful.

So go ahead, vote Republican to “own the libs”. Just don’t be surprised when the sudden pain you feel in your wallet is very real.

A long sequence of zeros compresses really well :)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GE Unveils Revolutionary Coal-Powered Refrigerator: A Symbol of American Energy Independence and Patriotism

St. Louis, MO - GE Appliances & Services Holding Co., Inc. is proud to announce its latest innovation in home appliances: the Coal-Burner 5000, a groundbreaking refrigerator powered entirely by clean-burning coal from the rich deposits of West Virginia.

This pioneering appliance breaks free from the shackles of restrictive energy mandates and offers consumers a taste of American energy independence, reminiscent of the great coal mining traditions that have fueled our nation’s growth for centuries. The Coal-Burner 5000 not only reduces reliance on foreign oil but also provides a reliable source of energy with negligible emissions, thanks to advanced pollution-reducing technology.

“We’re thrilled to introduce this game-changing product that embodies the values of hard work, self-sufficiency, and patriotism that have always defined America,” said an GE spokesperson. “The Coal-Burner 5000 is a shining example of American ingenuity and our commitment to powering homes with cleaner, more reliable energy.”

Key features of the Coal-Burner 5000 include:

Direct coal-fired power generation for efficient cooling Innovative compression cycle design that minimizes pollutant emissions West Virginia-sourced coal, proudly supporting local economies Made in America, proud and loud “We’re not just selling an appliance; we’re selling a way of life,” said the spokesperson. “The Coal-Burner 5000 is more than just a refrigerator - it’s a symbol of our nation’s unwavering dedication to its values.”

Available now at fine retailers nationwide, the GE Coal-Burner 5000 promises to bring the warmth and comfort of home to your kitchen, all while proudly representing American energy leadership.

Here’s what you can do with your impressive 64 GB of RAM:

Store approximately 8.1 quintillion (that’s 8,100,000,000,000,000) zeros! Yes, that’s right, an endless ocean of nothingness that will surely bring balance to the universe.

An “industry” does not have the ability to ruin people’s free expression.

It does, by creating perverse incentives and the commercialized speech crowds out anything else. I mean, look at the topic… go check out GoneWild and tell me what you think…

Completely agree! The entire adult content platform has become nothing more than a monetization machine for platforms like OnlyFans. GoneWild was once about people expressing themselves and sharing their art without the pressure of making a quick buck. Now it’s all about selling subscriptions and getting clicks. The whole industry has been ruined by commercial interests prioritizing profit over passion and community. Same thing with Patreon, where creators are expected to churn out content just to keep their fans engaged rather than doing what they actually love. And don’t even get me started on the algorithm-driven news feeds that suck the soul out of social media. Commercialization has absolutely destroyed the integrity and creativity of online platforms. We’re losing the very things that made them worth using in the first place.