I live in Finland using Android on a Nokia and I can switch Gemini off completely and choose to use the old Google Assistant instead. It did initially appear out of nowhere when they patched it in, but I could immediately turn it off with the same prompt that the other guy also got.

If it's unavoidable it seems to be an US only thing atm.

...and if nothing else, documenting what is being done, if it will ever come to a point where it can be turned around.

There's a reason the Nazis paved over and planted fucking trees on as many concentration camps they possibly could before they got overrun.

I agree wholeheartedly and I also signed late while being Finnish.

As someone looking at this from the outside (and also with an interest in space) the saddest part for me personally has been the decline of NASA. I'm doubtful they will ever get back the prestige they once held after all is said and done. I hope I'm wrong but.. yeah.

Also while I'm on the topic - I have my doubts about the chances of a long term program successful enough to compete in Europe and that only really leaves one major player left on the field: China. Everyone else will presumably be playing catch-up in the foreseeable future unless something drastic happens.

..and with the probable war we are about to have on our hands it's even worse. So much for science.

From what I've gathered here and elsewhere they never really went full throttle on all that stuff for most of us here in the EU.

Now don't get me wrong, W11 is utter shite, and I had to essentially build a new computer from scratch to even get it running properly, but I still haven't seen any ads or any other bullshit like that.

This is exactly why my old computer is merrily running Mint, and it likes it.

Edit: If it wasn't for the fact that I happen to primarily use Cinema 4D for work I wouldn't even have bothered, probably. Relearning 20+ years of software flow for the other options seemed silly at the time, but I would've reconsidered had I known what a mess W11 would become for me and in general.

I agree. He's a major problem, no question about it. Not only because of the drugs either, but in general. The damage he's done to your country is measured in lives lost, not money, in my opinion. The money part is just the tip of the iceberg in his case.

To be fair we all love our drugs. Unless you like to be sober, that's cool too.

Edit: Musk is a piece of shit either way, no excuses there.

More disappointed than surprised but still..

Jfc.

I sure as fuck will complain about it. Not only that but I'll actively fight it in any way I can. Masking up in public and never entering corporate hellholes is a good start. 2020 made it a lot easier.

Why you accept such conditions are beyond me except that they probably involve you getting paid for it and think that makes it worth it. Fuck that. It's serfdom with a fancy title.

Fair enough, I see your point.

Ah, so it's all fun and games as long as you're the one watching. Who watches you?

No, apparently it's even worse; woke!

_:DDDD

The most interesting part of that chart in my opinion is that they seem to have 16 persons in prison for unknown reasons. I'm assuming there are some sort of national security involved or perhaps crimes of such a weird nature they have no definition for it. In that case though, what the hell did the last 10 persons do? :D

Sounds like a stealth insult to bleached Wookies, somehow.

..and you're okay with being recorded all day long, just like that?

Depends on the mom tho, right?

^..right?

Found one too, lol.

If there's any religion I had to adhere to it would probably be Buddhism, which I don't, really, except for the whole "we're born, we suffer and then we die" viewpoint. In that specific case it would only lead to more, albeit different suffering.

Unless you've experienced daily pain on the side of 5+ for over a decade straight I don't really give a shit about what you think though, especially if it is because of some religious belief.

I have a few regrets, but no unfinished business I care that much about. If he wasn't already an alcoholic wreck I'd beat the shit out of my abusive asshole of an excuse for a father but that's about it.

As a counterargument I'd like to point out that when there's enough pain present you might just want to tap out.

Especially now since one of the lovely American corporations decided to fuck up pain medication for those that truly needs it for decades at the minimum, because they just had to get that fucking profit.

I'm not even American and I'm on about a third of what I theoretically should be. My doctors admit this, but anything more and there's a risk of malpractice bullshit.

Hence, pain. Fuck that. I'll tap out when enough is enough.