Where did YOU learn to fly?

We could avoid this entirely, but the idiot Congress LIKES it. I don’t think any other country has a debt ceiling like the US. Why? Well, because when another country’s government (legislature, dictator, voodoo shaman) authorizes spending on something, they also authorize paying for it.

But in the US, Congress says (to the executive branch) you can only collect 50 bajillion in taxes, no more, no less. Also, you have to spend 55 bajillion on these programs, no more, no less. Then the president says, “uh, okay, but I’ll need to borrow 5 bajillion to do that because of math.” In reply, Congress stamps its collective foot like a toddler and says “NO NO NO YOU HAVE TO ASK US FIRST! Why are you drowning this poor country in debt you spendthrift!”

My 18-year-old has a couple of health issues, and I’m just dreading the day it starts to get worse. Sending love for you and Bear!

Estuans interius, ira vehementi, Sephiroth!

Das ist auf Deutsch, nicht var?

I miss NX. My company uses SolidWorks, and it’s…okay, I guess? But I’m aggravated on a weekly basis because it doesn’t do something that NX could. But cost is the issue. I think you can get like 5 SW licenses for the cost of a single NX one.

It’s one banana, Michael. What could it cost, ten dollars?

Animorphs is a fun kid’s series about changing into animals and fighting aliens! Also the brutalities and hard decisions of war, the terrible consequences of pacifism, and all the kids get PTSD from the awful battles they fight and the atrocities they’re forced to commit. Also Area 51 has an alien toilet!

I read this, moved on, then came back like 3 minutes later to upvote. Slow brain but great joke.

True story: I traveled to Germany, Austria, and The Netherlands about 10 years ago with a friend on vacation. Before we arrived in Amsterdam, I warned him that some people thought that Dutch sounded silly, and he shouldn’t laugh if it sounded like gibberish. I believe I used the phrase “like the Swedish chef from the Muppets.”

We got on a bus from the train station. He heard the locals talking on the bus, and immediately burst out laughing, eliciting irritated looks from the other passengers. He continued giggling whenever anybody talked for the next 20 minutes until our stop, while I stood there embarrassed. On the walk to our Airbnb, we mercilessly mocked the Dutch language, as it is basically German with more vowels and a bunch of Vs and Js thrown in for no reason.

Only if the shade is high enough on the glasses. I think the recommendation for eclipses is to go shade 12 or higher, usually only used for things like carbon arc welding. Lower shades of glasses will not prevent all eye damage.

Well, with that memory unlocked, it’s time to go pull out my Dune II CD and fire that one up again. House Ordos! In the meantime, I guess I’ll check out BAR.

Comment on WiFi calling: I had this on for a while, but found that it was way less consistent than cell towers. Calls wouldn’t drop, but they would cut out for a second or two, and I would miss stuff in the conversation. So I actually turned this off unless I need it. You seem to like it for battery life - does it make that much of a difference?

My must-have things are more generic Android than Pixel-specific, but: Revanced apps for YouTube and YouTube music, a better file manager, Firefox, and Gallery (also by Google, but for some reason they want me to use Google Photos, which isn’t great IMO). Plus F-Droid to find some good FOSS.