Actually in most of the US prisoners are explicitly required or just “encouraged” to work (“More than three quarters of incarcerated people surveyed (76%) report facing punishment—such as solitary confinement, denial of sentence reductions, or loss of family visitation—if they decline to work.”) And of course if they get compensated at all it’s typically literal pennies per hour. news.uchicago.edu/…/us-prison-labor-programs-viol…

But you’re right that the lack of alternative leisure time activities definitely encourages getting jacked and reading.

The story I’ve heard is that he took a nosedive in effectiveness as CEO when his son died in 2022 (nbcnews.com/…/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadellas-son-de…). No idea how true that is, but 2022ish does seem to have been a turning point for Microsoft in terms of strategy and how well the company is run.

There’s nothing to be gained from Cloudflare lying about this. It honestly makes them look worse if the outage was caused internally vs if it had been due to an attack

Aromantic and asexual are distinct, but often confused.

Aromantic/aro: an individual who feels little or no romantic attraction to others. These folks may still have relationships or hookups, but generally don’t find those evolving into long-term romantic love or monogamy.

Asexual/ace: an individual who feels little or no sexual attraction to others. These folks may still have relationships or hookups but generally don’t feel a specific drive to engage in sex or other physical intimacy with people.

Anyone on either of these spectrums can still have relationships of any type, and anyone on either of these spectrums can still be an asshole in those relationships. Aro people generally don’t form individual romantic bonds, but unless they’re also ace/asexual they are still as sexual as anyone else. As a result, it might appear that they are a bit of a player (sex without long term attachment).

If she is indeed aro but not ace and is in a monogamous relationship, she’s likely not in the best situation for someone with those leanings. It sounds to me like she wants out of the relationship but isn’t willing to be honest about it and is trying to get OP to end it.

My mom swears by drinking something through a straw during conversations where you think you might cry. I have yet to try it out myself, but maybe it’ll work for you :)

I’d amend this to say ‘know what the seasonal conditions are for your area and plan accordingly.’ In Washington for example Spring is generally too cold for comfortable camping (the temperature typically drops to ~30-45 during at night). While August/September is peak wildfire season nowadays. So June, July, early August are your best bets unless you’re happy toughing out the cold or the smoke.

On the other hand, I would rather have a job that continues to be needed than no job at all. I think I’d prefer having some resources to help myself and my loved ones during the societal collapse.

Alohaha is great for this, it feels like sitting on a beach at night. Also in that theme are Green Arrow by Yo La Tengo and Island Music by Tennis.

When I got mine in they gave me local anesthesia, and it was still the most painful experience of my life. Turns out rummaging around in your innards produces a type of pain unlike anything I’ve ever felt. I truly can’t imagine how awful it must be without any anesthesia.

It varies based on local legislation, so in some places paying ransoms is banned but it’s by no means universal. It’s totally valid to be against paying ransoms wherever possible, but it’s not entirely black and white in some situations.

For example, what if a hospital gets ransomed? Say they serve an area not served by other facilities, and if they can’t get back online quickly people will die? Sounds dramatic, but critical public services get ransomed all the time and there are undeniable real world consequences. Recovery from ransomware can cost significantly more than a ransom payment if you’re not prepared. It can also take months to years to recover, especially if you’re simultaneously fighting to evict a persistent (annoyed, unpaid) threat actor from your environment.

For the record I don’t think ransoms should be paid in most scenarios, but I do think there is some nuance to consider here.