Even torrents take time away from something else I could download that's better -- like all the movies made before it all went to shit.

Naturally the solution is to erase the past by memory-holing old content so people will not have anything for comparison to make the current content look bad.

Factor a second or third engine (whole new truck) and the energy and pollution to produce it and DEF looks not as great.

Vehicles and engines that last 25 years are easy to build yet they are rare outside of commerical and military.

The whole argument is disengenuous and proceeds from an unstated a priori desire by government to restrict movement of citizens and markets, rather than as a real requirement for a real benefit.

It's all so tiresome...

Easy -- think for yourself!

Easier to get rid of all the useless eaters. Are you sure that doesn't include you?

Without exception every engagement with this company has been a disaster. I have gone to great lengths to get all my clients away from toxic Twilio because I view dealing with them as an unacceptable risk due to incompetence.

Maybe they should focus on retaining the COMPETENT staff whoever they are beause they really seem to have a problem supporting their own products and services.

New gear usually needs time to marinate before it gets some hacking freedom.

New media is best ignored -- if you are always waiting with baited breath for 'the next new thing (TM)' they already have you and you will pay happily.

I personally ignore all new content and the odd time I want to see what's new there is more than enough waiting for me to download...

I'm not consuming every new song or film as they are released or even within a year of release because that is a waste of your attention and it's controlling you like a dog begging for treats.

The intention of the comment was -- if you just can't wait.. then pay your master. Seems you made your choice.

What if your CC on file expires?

Well I guess you can just ask (beg) if you need assistance accessing 'your' music library

Needing the latest an greatest or not being able to wait a year to watch something means they already have you firmly in their grip.

Just pay the media troll toll if you can't wait.

Fundamental features of a car are things like engine and tires.

A mandatory tracking service is fundamental to an open air prison.

“By including this plan as standard equipment on the vehicle, it helps to provide a more seamless onboarding experience and more customer value,” GM spokeswoman Kelly Cusinato told Automotive News in an email.

What nauseating corporate speak. I'll translate:

"We are forcing this grabage on our customers so we can drive up the price and remove their ability to opt out of our tracking and spying service," -- which is primed to be used to track driver movements and 'carbon' use (Lol!) and rat back to the nanny state. Just like every electric car.

Inflation is a hidden tax that the public has been PR'd into thinking is acceptable.

Most things labelled smart these days are not.

Happy (one of my least favorite words) seems to mean passive contentment in the modern context -- a recipe for getting nothing accomplished.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happy "characterized by a dazed irresponsible state" a punch-happy boxer

That definition seems to fit the 'happy' people pretty well.

Yes they would. Their goal is POWER and NOT dollars, which are worth less and less every day.

Just like corporate controlled mass media, the goal is POWER and NOT dollars. Dollars are the plausible deniability -- "it's just for the money!" is a mis-direction.

Using a privacy card is not an acceptable indicator of fraud or anything in a country with due process and a supposed presumption of innocence.

This is about enforcing approved behaviors in the Corporate Nanny state.

That's the key part. Proper :)

IIRC he just bypassed the sensor that would have been for Park on an automatic, since there were no manual transmission kits for sale as they were (and I think still are) illegal for sale where I live.

He would even refuse to do this sort of thing for other people so it was pretty funny it happened to him.

Before my life in tech I worked in car audio installs back in the 90s.

One day one of the senior installer techs put a remote start in his own Mazda truck which had a manual transmission. A bit of time went by and we were outside smoking one day when he must have hit the button in this pocket. Apparently the e-brake wasn't on, and the truck was in first gear, so it started and drove across the parking lot and hit the wall of a building as we all watched.

Maybe I will still get one but not the whole pack. It was a good deal so I just went for it all but now no way.