*banned 4 MarkDown love* @design_RG@qoto.org

@freemo
I find the reporting done by The Guardian to be detailed, extensive and always lnked at the bottom of the article to other relevant, related articles and topics.

I see the world from a similar perspective, and don't mind reading a source like The Economist, which I also like a lot, or ocasionally WSJ, which is very pro capitalist, but does a competent job in reporting (although their bias shows ocasionally).

What I find really irking is some of the low quality outfits that report in sound bites, tweet length sentence and paragraphs, interspersed with imagery including screenshots from social media.

Irrelevant and attention deficit servicing. I saw a perfect example here yesterday, a post linking to a source, talking about left wing media dropping a news item when the stats quoted were found to be from 2015. Obama's admin times.

That fact could be worth reporting, but not in the haired brain way it was done. There's a lot of manipulation and obfuscation going on.

@pschwede

@zsc Oh, it's your own device. Oh, man, sorry to hear about it.

Can it be repaired? Replacing the LCD panel, not cheap but maybe worth it.

I love Thinkpads, still have a collection of older ones I used over the years. Nothing so new as yours there, but great design and build.

@pschwede @freemo

Number 2 on your list is spot on, and matches my leaning.

Also enjoy the NY Times, The Atlantic, New Yorker.

Like Washington Post, but couldn't get around their paywall so far. They do have a nice discounted yearly online membership, USD$40, which i am considering buying.

There is going to be much to watch for in the coming year with the federal election in US.

@zsc OMG...

Almost crying here, that's a X1 Thinkpad on the second photo. Ugh, poor thing. 😢

@freemo Good points!

I think governing a very large sized country is also more difficult. US, Brazil, Russia for example.

European countries have more compact sizes, a more homogeneous culture with long history and an interesting way of life.

I enjoy visiting and observing, many things that I think they do really well, it's sad to take the plane back.

Yes, I think you are right, corruption can and does happen at any level.

@pschwede @freemo You have to be choosy, yes, but in English speaking media there is a huge variety of high quality journalism.

People restricted to their own country's media by language have a much narrower choice.

UK's Guardian is my fave, goto source.

@zsc @_lunawinters
Have you seen https://bookfinder.com ?

It's where I usually look for when wishing for a book. Has prices for both new and used copies.

You can select country so price will include shipping too.

recommended.

@freemo Those cookie cutter subdivisions and the watching eye of the neighbourhood association are a nightmare for me too. Yuck.

I have some concerns about local politicians dipping in, bringing friends and family to the payroll and running important public services in support of their agendas.

It could work, and work well, if people had decency and integrity. Let's hope these qualities come back in fashion and are valued as the important things they are.

In theory I think the idea is good, to have more local empowerment.

@mngrif Wow, what a travelogue. Have a nice flight!

Trans Pacific is a long route, haven't been in that region yet.

And you are coming from the South, Aus, makes the flight path even longer.

San Francisco is a fun city, but the airport is a bit far off. There's a train you can take to get downtown and back, they might be a good way to spend your time in town. Caltrain I think it's called.

Welcome back to North America. 🇦🇺

@_lunawinters
Hello Aaditi, good morning/evening!

Girls and ladies are indeed beautiful, in many senses.

I really enjoy their conversation and company, their way of thinking is different from mine and I enjoy observing and learning with them.

Big moment for you, I hope you remember and your day is peaceful and enlightened.

@freemo

@shivangigupta
Hello, and welcome to Qoto.

Enjoy the network and all it has to offer. If you are new to using Mastodon, there's a good guide here: https://lifehacker.com/a-beginner-s-guide-to-mastodon-1828503235

Have a good day!

@freemo

@freemo Well said and argued.

I am not sure if spreading out government to local areas would work out well in most areas. Ideally, yes, it could be closer and more responsive to people's requests and feedback.

But it could lead to nepotism and no larger vision.

About a month ago I took a trip across the border to USA, and had the pleasure to take a long drive along the Interstate highways.

Remember noticing how well planned they are, and the "Eisenhower Interstate System" sign that was posted occassionaly.

Now, that was a man to look up to - today's Republicans should be ashamed of allowing the circus currently in Washington, just for the sake of attaining power.

Eisenhower was a real leader, and left a huge legacy. Surprisingly for a top level military commander, he made public statements warning the public about the Military Industrial complex, and how it could take the country and taxpayers on ways that benefited it.

Intellectual capacity, honesty and leadership.

All in the same country where Mr T currently presides, via twitter and TV pronouncements.

Shameful times for a proud country.

This next year could be very tense, there's so much division and an armed population, being incited by self serving interests.

@Erenbulbul They look beautiful! 😋

And there's the advantage of being protected from the climate, which in many areas wouldn't allow growing them outside.

Fresh food, locally produced, nutritious. People in northern areas really could use this.

@teknonomicon You are very welcome. 😉

I was lucky to find that book in a corner store, bought it since the nice cover got my eye.

And then, delighted on reading and became a huge fan of Neal's books. He's wonderful.

I am fairly new here, joined the fediverse a couple weeks ago, and remember the welcome message from our sys admin. So I try and greet our new members too.

Have a good day! 🌄

@MRK Hello!

I can't help with the legal question, not in the area and it does vary a lot depending on the jurisdiction you are in.

Welcome to Qoto, enjoy your stay.

Have you seen the nice mastodon user guide here? https://lifehacker.com/a-beginner-s-guide-to-mastodon-1828503235

@freemo I do like him, think he brought a much needed breath of fresh air to the very strange political party scene in the US.

And I would rather have an active and leading government than a minimalist one with the lowest possible cost in taxes to the upper economic classes.

#FDR was awesome.

@teknonomicon Hello, and welcome.

Looking at your profile, it seems you found the right place to be. 😺

Your user name reminds me of one of my favourite books - Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson. Great read.

Enjoy your stay!

@girishmakwana Hello Makwana, and welcome to Qoto.

Enjoy the network and all it has to offer. If you are new to using Mastodon, there's a good guide here: https://lifehacker.com/a-beginner-s-guide-to-mastodon-1828503235

Have a good day! :smile:

@realcaseyrollins Ah, cool, thanks for mentioning it. Got to read the page, but tomorrow as it's getting late.

Good night, Casey!

@realcaseyrollins lightweight and Chrome on the same sentence, that is surprising. 😜

I avoid chrome itself beacuse it's Google, and the chromium variants because they use so much resources.

Watefox now has two versions, a Classic and a Current, which is on par with FF 68. This is the one I am using, and it's very fast and light.

You wouldn't believe how many tabs I have open when I am working here. Zillions.

And only using this much RAM: