Plenty. I have had people tell me I am inhumane for criticising tipping culture, and if I point out it is related to the extreme class system and slavery history of America they downvote me to hell and try to justify that it is “land of tha free” or whatever.

They don’t even have freedom from hunger or illness in their messed up country.

Yes, if it had been in Australia. Report it when you see it.

Over(head) for (the duration of) dinner (well, part of it anyhow).

If you are doing that by car, then the cloverleaf will add to your spin, not cancel it out.

New reason for us to have a keep-left policy on our roads while yanks have a keep-right policy on theirs…

Dumbphones do all that too.

Yeah the Aprils are good aren’t they?

How odd you think that. She was on my roll call for a term (high school). I am not going to tell you which school, as doxing a student is wrong, so I guess Elle is going to have to remain a myth for you.

Dunno, teachers meet a lot of students, seems likely to me that a lot of us would encounter the same kid and not forget her.

Student names that really exist in my local area: “L-A” (pronounced “Elldashah”) and Hazmat (shortened to Mat). Not had a Bobby Tables yet, but getting that dash into Eldashahs name was a difficult task, I am told.

Due to a lack of any reliable way of backing that up, I cannot convince anyone else using the opinions of a random on the internet. I was looking for a place I can show them with evidence, so I don’t look like a conspiracy theorist with a pinboard full of string and coloured paper.

They will if I don’t sound paranoid and can give rational answers backed up with real articles that aren’t conspiracy sites. Much of my family are teachers, everyone has at least one university degree, and is capable of rational thought and critical thinking. They just don’t see a reason to switch. I need to put forward a reason that is worth their time.

I have been using Telegram for… A really long time. A decade? Maybe not that long. But yeah, no reason to change from what works for me. You’re right about that.

Signal and Matrix(?) and the others all seem to be a recent development, and although I have downloaded a few, no one else has them or has heard of them, so their directories are empty as I have never found anyone who wants to connect that way. It means I don’t know how to use or teach older people how to use the software. I am trying to find a simple evidence-based way to encourage my family to change their minds, but it appears it will only make me look paranoid, so probably won’t try.

So many geeks are going to give/receive some weird presents in ten years…

Pretty much. She is a rich nobody.

I eventually looked up who she was out of curiosity a few years ago. No idea how she got rich (rich parents?) but tends to be weird foreign philanthropist who makes people act like they worship her in exchange for expensive gifts. Shrug. Still unknown here in Australia.

The trouble is making sure they think the wrapping paper is cool…

I, too, was immediately going to recommend correct horse. It is random and it works.

Air gap.

Otherwise, no, it is never secure.

Yep. I never got into the facebook thing (tried and failed to enjoy it enough to continue) and people get really sodding rude about the choice. Even suggesting using eMail or Telegram for communication leads to mild abuse at best. It is possible to live without Facebook, it just isn’t very easy, and people see it as a licence to be rude. Seeing as inside facebook they are rude also, I don’t feel I’m missing much, and it has led to a better life for me long term.

I’m confused about that too. Apparently it is in the contract that you aren’t allowed to take your device you legally purchased with you where you want, or to sell it after buying it? Or are they only allowed to sell their phone to people in the same country as themselves? Or something?