A company reusing “pre-existing tech” doesn’t really seem to be the issue here. Were they supposed to invent a whole new communication protocol for this use case?

The issue I see is that they didn’t bother to obfuscate the MAC address of their BLE equipment. Maybe there is a reason they’re not allowed to change the OUI of their BT transmitter?

Maybe you’re right. But I don’t really bother to try and read too deep into the motivations of any kind of corporation. I assume they’re all primarily motivated by profit. And my point is that individuals who have the capital to buy millions of dollars of real estate are functionally no different from a corporate investor, be it a REIT or a “housing company” motivated solely by “providing service.” They’re all going to do the bare minimum as required by the market to stay competitive and government regulation.

It should be illegal for LLCs or trust funds to purchase housing of any kind.

I completely agree that LLCs, REITs, and institutional investors shouldn’t be able to buy single family homes (and maybe even duplexes), but I don’t know about “housing of any kind.”

Large, multi family units like apartment buildings serve a vital need in the affordable housing market. Private individuals who have the capital to purchase a multi million dollar apartment building aren’t any more likely to be a conscientious landlord than a corporation. At that point, it all boils down to effective enforcement of tenant rights laws.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/16/business/bill-melinda-gates-divorce-epstein.html

“Republicans” never gave two shits about abortion. It was always a wedge issue that whipped the evangelicals into a frenzy and got their preachers to stump for Republican candidates from the pulpit, and drove them to the polls.

And in your opinion, does the 14th amendment of the Constitution prohibiting individuals who engaged in seditious acts against our democracy from holding office count as a “backdoor disqualification”?

That WHO study is highly problematic. It has some fairly serious methodological flaws. It’s been disputed by the FDA. It is biased due to the panel comprising:

eight WHO panelists involved with assessing safe levels of aspartame consumption who are beverage industry consultants who currently or previously worked with the alleged Coke front group, International Life Sciences Institute (Ilsi).

Source

But it’s up compared to 2020. Is that really apples to apples? Isn’t it reasonable to think the pandemic and resulting lockdown might have put downward pressure on the number of abortions?

Can you imagine living in a world where American farm subsidies went to make fresh fruit and produce affordable to all income levels, but the fuel lobby had to pay top dollar if they want to distill corn into ethanol so they can dope our gasoline?

How would this work though? You’re not ordering your food via the QR code link, you’re telling the waitstaff. Unless they ask you what price your saw, how are they going to correlate their variable price to a particular customer?

However, this would make it a lot easier to implement “peak pricing”. Their menu could automatically update based on time of day, or day of week, and certainly holidays.

Personally, I find all the other eschatological possibilities much more disturbing. The heaven/hell dichotomy is unnerving on a lot of obvious levels. Reincarnation seems fraught with neverending suffering. And the idea of becoming a “ghost” or a spirit, forever consigned to haunt some old place is as terrible as it is ridiculous.

I’m looking forward to my hard earned non-existence, thank you very much.

some functionality will be restricted without a paid license

I think that’s why. But maybe I’m just overly cynical.

Just because a slur appears with a definition in a dictionary, does not make it acceptable. And maybe it was acceptable at one time, but things change.

I agree. However, I think most republicans completely understand the implications of political gerrymandering, and embrace it with enthusiastically open arms.

As long as house republicans are holding multiple investigations into him and his business dealings and personal life, then this is politics.But I’m my opinion this plea deal was sabotaged by political interference for the purpose of keeping Hunter Biden in the news as long as possible. For political purposes.

I absolutely agree that this shouldn’t involve politics, as the younger Biden has made no effort to insert himself in political matters. But at the same time, I don’t think republicans should be able to do what they’re doing without the press shining a light on it.

I appreciate your “aww shucks, kids gonna be kids” worldview; however, the data is clear, we have dramatically reduced the rate at which young people smoke cigarettes by instituting rules and guidelines concerning advertising targeting adolescents. Further, we have clear data showing that level of education greatly effects the likelihood of an individual using tobacco.

So with all due respect, this is something we can easily tackle. We know for certain the adolescents respond readily to marketing, and we therefore can control tobacco adoption by reducing said marketing to their demographic. This isn’t anywhere near as futile as you’re making it out to be.

You’re just spreading incorrect and out of date information here. Here’s a quote from the union Railroad Department Director Al Russo with the IBEW:

“We’re thankful that the Biden administration played the long game on sick days and stuck with us for months after Congress imposed our updated national agreement,” Russo said. “Without making a big show of it, Joe Biden and members of his administration in the Transportation and Labor departments have been working continuously to get guaranteed paid sick days for all railroad workers."

Source: https://www.ibew.org/media-center/Articles/23Daily/2306/230620_IBEWandPaid

You keep saying that, but there is no prohibition against a felon running for president. There is literally no crime he could be convicted of that would preclude him from campaigning and being elected to the presidency. Obviously, it’s doubtful he’d find a majority to vote for him, but it isn’t legally disallowed.

Except their hackery has served to move the conservative football further down the field. I don’t see what conservative position would be strengthened, or what liberal position would be undermined, by agreeing to hear this case.

Further, I don’t see them taking on this case simply because there’s “nothing there”. This is a fairly stupid appeal in my opinion.

Considering the numerous comments I’ve read in the last few days saying something along the lines of, “What!? Cargo shorts are out of style? I’m never giving up my cargo pockets!”

I’m guessing that currently there isn’t a lot of overlap between those two communities. But I’m hopeful that a MFA and a Frugal MFA take root here soon!