Although I don't think that's the choice anyway. A crime-free society will simply not happen.

What makes me less likely to return is the number of questions I get when I'm just trying to engage in a simple exchange for goods or services. More than one, and I definitely think less of the business. No questions definitely makes me think more positively of the business.

I rather thought I was the only one (within a rounding error), but perhaps not.

> You have presented no real counterargument. You have not presented an alternate future.

Counterargument to what? A future that is an alternate to what? None of these things have anything to do with the point I'm making here.

You seem to be wanting to engage in a discussion about something other than what I brought up, and accuse me not engaging in that discussion. I confess, I am not. It's not relevant to my point.

What I've settled on after years of experimentation (not saying it's the best, but the best for me so far) is wool clothing with a light, breathable water-resistant shirt and overpants, covered with a water-impervious poncho. I don't care about the breathability of the poncho. I gave up on pack covers long ago and switched to pack liners. In my case, I just use a large contractor's garbage bag for that. It's heavier, but the ruggedness is worth the weight for me and what's inside will stay dry even if I fall into a lake or something.

Usually, my feet get the wettest in rain, and is the most miserable body part to be wet, so wool socks (with sock liners to prevent blisters) and waterproofed boots are mandatory. Wool socks dry very quickly. I haven't got a great solution to keep the insides of the footwear dry (shoes/boots don't dry quickly without a boot drier and you have to be shoeless while drying them), but gaiters really help a lot.

My point is simple: nobody can know with certainty what the future of the tech will look like or how it will end up being used. Everybody is speculating. That some speculate differently than others doesn't imply any sort of personality defect with them.

I'd take it further and assert that when a person must resort to personal attacks rather than debating the point (whatever that point may be), the implication is that the attacker's position weak.

Yes, you are, in the end, responsible for your own taxes the filings. If a mistake was made and you owe additional taxes, you have to pay them as well as any penalties, etc. But if you used a CPA, you have the option to sue to recover any loss they caused you through negligence.

I think that's a great compromise.

The actual reason for this is because a phone call out of the blue is interpreted as an emergency in progress, so the "preclear" is just letting people know it's not.

The main thing they all have in common is that none of them have a single source of income. Ultimately, the zine author isn't living just off their zines (even if the zine is the main thing). They also likely have three or four other things going on, and they probably all interface with each other to support the person. Maybe one thing makes profitable use of the output of, or waste product of, another, for instance. Maybe the different things tickle the same artistic bone, or use the same skills or equipment. Maybe they are economically different enough so that when times are weak for one, they're strong for another. That sort of thing.

As a concrete example, I have a friend who publishes zines, but also sells merch (some made by others on commission) that uses artwork from the zines, sells small paintings in local indie music stores, coffee shops, book stores, etc. and does commission work.

In straight business terms, it's really just the concepts of diversification and synergy applied in a way that seems unusual. That it seems unusual is interesting to me, because it's not, really. It's very old-school.

That's your opinion, and there's nothing wrong with that.

However, there are a lot of people who have a very different opinion, and there's nothing wrong with that.

The sort of person who is capable of mass murder won't be moved by things like this.

Once begun, I can't remember ever abandoning a task because I realized it wouldn't work. I've certainly abandoned tasks for other reasons, though.

This is my assumption. I can't think of any other sensible explanation.