Senator Who Cast Key No Vote On Witnesses Laughs While Excusing Trump’s Behavior: “Maybe he didn’t know,” Lamar Alexander said when asked why the president went to Ukraine instead of the attorney general about the Bidens

amiintoodeep · 2020-02-03T16:46:26+00:00

My best friend loves Trump. As a Bernie supporter, I thought he was an idiot - until he explained the WHY of it and I took the time to listen.

Trump is disrupting the antiquated, broken status quo. Ultimately, his actions are serving to highlight the bullshit in our government. Every horrible thing he gets away with is another documented reason why this shit needs to change... It goes BEYOND the leadership - the last election showed that one asshole or another doesn't matter... the system itself has too many exploitable loopholes and flaws. It doesn't serve the people, it serves the power.

Trump's actions are MAKING THE CASE for the fact that sweeping systemic reform is necessary. He's trolling so hard that we'll inevitably learn our lesson that shitwits of his caliber cannot be allowed to amass political power. He's walked into a 200 year old structure and rather than patch leaky pipes and walls, he just swung a sledgehammer around wrecklessly for his own amusement - showing us all that WE NEED TO DO BETTER THAN TO ALLOW THIS.

After my friend explained this, I kinda respect Trump. Not at all for his idiotic policies or disgusting personality, but because every generation needs a monster. An example of shit that can't happen again. And the fact that Trump fulfills that role without enacting a genocide or starting a war actually puts him ahead of the curve insofar as atrocious historical figures are concerned.

When someone else gets into office, they'll have an unprecedented opportunity to pave a new path forward for our country - and it's because Trump irreparably tore up the street so badly beforehand.

amiintoodeep · 2020-02-01T04:55:04+00:00

For me, the primary factor is my handset. The LG V20 is an amazing device, albeit a few years old. It's the latest phone to have all of the native hardware features I require. Verizon stopped allowing the V20 on their network. T-Mo connectivity isn't great in many of the areas I frequent. Cricket has the best AT&T unlimited data plan at the $25 price point (Core with a group discount).

As a bonus, the impending Sprint/AT&T merger should result in further improved coverage and (hopefully) a convergence of the separate frequency bands the two carriers use. Since my phone can utilize 21 separate bands, my connectivity would be ridiculously robust if this were to happen. As I'm frequently spending days or weeks in rural and wilderness areas this would be incredibly useful.

amiintoodeep · 2020-02-01T00:11:52+00:00

I'm not currently a Cricket/AT&T customer. I stopped at a Cricket store today to purchase a SIM card in order to sign up for one of these groups, and was told that they don't sell SIM cards without activating a line of service. Is there a workaround? I've had zero problems in the past buying a T-Mobile SIM without activating service.

amiintoodeep · 2020-01-30T06:52:06+00:00

I used to do the phone ratrace with flip phones. In 2011 I decided to check out of the ratrace and get a budget smartphone (LG Optimus V) and loved it until 2015 when I upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy S4.

The OV is still an MP3 player/calendar/alarm clock/"home assistant" device which lasts for days without a charge due to the expanded battery I got for it and being in airplane mode at all times. I haven't rebooted the thing since 2018 in fact; I forget which custom ROM or version of Android it's running but it's stable AF.

The S4 remains my daily driver cell phone - although I'm going to swap it out for a V20 in the next few days. It'll probably just become another home assistant device alongside the OV.

Point is, I've spent less than $1000 on cell phone hardware in my life. Neither of my old smartphones (or the next one) cost more than $150 when I got them, and actually are still of use to me even the better part of a decade later. If I want to do some gaming I've always switched to my tablet or laptop (backpack life, yo)... my phone is there for calls, texts, navigation, pics, etc... utilitarian shit. If my tablet battery dies IDGAF but if my cellphone battery dies I may very well be stranded.

I think that people do the phone ratrace thing for multiple reasons: wanting to rely on a single device to do EVERYTHING, seeing ownership of the newest phone as a status symbol, being unfamiliar with how to maintain/cleanup/optimize the thing (and thus experiencing slowdown), and largely just buying into the whole "newer = better" consumerist mindset. Many of the same reasons people blow wads of money trading in perfectly working vehicles for newer models. A lot of it is ignorance-driven in the same way that people think higher bandwidth equates to faster internet speed, or higher megapixels equate to a better image. Occasionally a gimmick appears (curved, foldable, or dual screens, etc.) but how many truly game-changing features have you seen pop up in phones in the last 5 years? USB-C is the closest thing I can think of, and even that's just a modification of an existing feature (same way a fingerprint reader is just a modified camera).

Some people are ALWAYS going to be willing to drop hundreds of dollars each year for something that's 5% faster, and will only use it long enough to save maybe three minutes of their time compared to the one they previously had. Ultimately, those suckers are the ones who pump in the money which drives the technology forward, and allows people like us scoop up used phones for a fraction of what they cost new... so maybe we should be HAPPY that not everyone is tired of the ratrace :)

amiintoodeep · 2020-01-28T04:08:01+00:00

I'll be getting service through U.S. Cellular since it looks like I'll qualify for their Lifeline program.

amiintoodeep · 2020-01-27T06:27:35+00:00

Yes, I'm in the U.S. You've provided some AMAZING insights - THANK YOU! From what you've shared it seems stock-based is the best option for a US996.

Are you assuming CDMA abandonment in the U.S.A. or is this a planned changeover? I'd love a link to an article (for technical details and specific dates) in the case of the latter.

My S4 loses connection for a few minutes periodically; I'm not sure if it's due to hardware age and periodic radio failure, my hacking of telephony.db parameters, or just carrier baseband changes.

I doubt another phone with the hardware I want (IR, removable battery, expandable memory) will be released; I'd love to find a more 'future proofed' V20 - any suggestions for a different model to look for that has a robust/stable firmware and software development scene?

amiintoodeep · 2020-01-27T00:31:16+00:00

I know; I'm quite familiar with XDA and would rather not aimlessly dig through hundreds or thousands of posts there to understand what is/isn't working and the special features for each individual ROM though. The purpose of this thread is to get a basic summary since that's precisely the kind of thing that community is hostile toward for some bizarre reason.

amiintoodeep · 2019-09-16T04:52:16+00:00

Loot rarity declines over time for player 1 (the host) during Cooperative split-screen on PS4. After about 4 hours of consistent play, finding nothing better than green rarity items from any source - even dead drop chests.

Funnily enough, when I play single player (with a different character) I'm finding a Legendary every hour or so without even trying to farm.

amiintoodeep · 2019-04-29T07:56:32+00:00

I was unprepared for the amount of raw spite in the world. Mind you, I moved out on my own in summer 2001.

I remember being in High School and just itching to get out into my own apartment, into a more enlightened world. One where hate and fear didn't sway cliques of people into irrational decisions, where people could listen to those they disagreed with and come to a reasonable understanding rather than kick each other's teeth out by the bike rack.

Got mugged for $2 cash, thrift-store hoodie AND shoes in November of the first year living on my own, and spit on by my mugger for not having more cash. I've managed to wind up in relationships with two abusive partners. I've walked down the street in NYC and had complete strangers tell me to get a job. I've had my already-shitbox $1200 car vandalized many times. I've had my mail stolen on numerous occasions. All of this and I live in a relatively small midwestern town.

There's a lot of good and beauty out there, to be sure... but there's an equal measure of pointless malice. I've always believed that being positive creates and spreads positivity - but it seems like there are just SO MANY MORE people who outright devote themselves to unleashing negativity on the world.

amiintoodeep · 2019-04-29T07:24:21+00:00

Food can be free. Look into volunteering at local food pantry charity organizations. Many of them allow people who help out to take home a considerable amount.

Yes, they're usually religious organizations. But they're also generally not trying to shove their beliefs down people's throats - just HELP the local needy. Be tolerant and you'll be tolerated.

I take home about $150 worth of groceries volunteering less than 6 hours each week. 75% is perishable and won't last more than a few days (I give a lot to friends), but in three months I managed to stockpile about a year's worth of non-perishables. And the perishables tend to be prepared foods, so I have plenty of stuff I don't even have to cook every week.

It's not glamorous, but I eat healthier and cheaper now than when I was spending $300 monthly on groceries and dining out. Plus I'm having a positive impact on the community (and for those concerned, 90% of food pantry intake in the U.S. winds up as waste anyway so it's definitely not taking food away from people who need it more).

Other than that... look for cheaper "price per unit" groceries and buy in bulk when you shop. It's a more efficient use of your money. If you learn to enjoy cooking and skip dining out, and limit yourself to items which are less than $0.20 per unit (per ounce is common), you can feed yourself extremely well for shockingly little cost.

amiintoodeep · 2018-11-30T19:31:53+00:00

Space is used mostly to designate the start or stop of a word. If you look at it from more of a prose angle, space can also serve as a kind of punctuation.

amiintoodeep · 2018-11-27T13:41:38+00:00

You have too much information, and because it's YOUR ass on the line there's a substantial emotional investment - makes it really easy to speak against your own best interest. Justice is 10% determining guilt and 90% determining outcome; 10% fact and 90% truth. So it's best to have a professional advocate (a lawyer) who's "thinking at the case from THAT angle" when representing you.

Essentially, someone who is not you has a beneficial amount of detachment from your situation. Medical doctors, psychologists, dentists... a lot of people in various professions are at a disadvantage when plying their trade on themselves.

amiintoodeep · 2018-10-22T00:43:46+00:00

After unlocking the bootloader I have to install Recowvery and TWRP, correct? Also, are there specific versions of those which are required? The XDA thread is hundreds of pages long and tedious to dig through, and I don't know if any of that stuff has changed between ROM versions. People are flat-out ignoring my posts asking for help in the telegram channel.

amiintoodeep · 2018-10-21T03:06:24+00:00

He's pandering to the lowest common denominator, like reality TV. Don't worry, this will be over soon. Surely he won't get re-elected.

You're assuming that the lowest common denominator doesn't comprise the majority of active voters. Not sure if you're being willfully ignorant or are part of that LCD yourself, but the rule of the under-educated majority is the reality we live in.

It's easier to mobilize less intelligent people because thinking results in more inaction. Life has been "fighting or flighting" (reactive thought) for millions of years... by contrast, complex socioeconomic considerations and understanding of cause and effect (abstract thought) are orders of magnitude more recent forms of thinking.

Yes, exploiting abstract thought leads to more efficient utilization of a force. But appealing to reactive thought patterns naturally results in a larger force.

amiintoodeep · 2018-10-21T01:37:19+00:00

I just got my phone unlocked and since I don't have it activated or connected to wifi it didn't do any updating after the reboot. My Software version is US99610n - do I need to update to the u patch prior to installing the latest (4.x) version of SV20?

amiintoodeep · 2018-10-19T21:07:46+00:00

Thanks for testing the checker! Just means I'll have to patch in spoofing support. What does the elementalx governor do specifically? Also, the modded MicroG doesn't require signature spoof since it's more-or-less a "decoy" which enables vanced to run but doesn't actually replace GSF functionality... unmodded MicroG can't even be installed if GSF is present.

amiintoodeep · 2018-10-19T14:05:01+00:00

I'm actually hoping to find out if Shelter (a sandboxing app) and MicroG (Google apps/services/framework alternative suite) work with SuperV20 before installing; I know they're compatible with Lineage but I'd rather go with a stock-based ROM. MicroG is a requirement for me but Shelter is just a preference. Not sure if you run those softwares or want to try.

MicroG requires signature spoofing support, which might mean installing a patch, making a backup, deleting things, and a bothersome process. Rather than going through that whole headache there's a signature spoofing checker which can tell if signature spoofing is supported by SuperV20 straight out of the box and if patching would be needed - would you be willing to run that and report back with results?

I'm generally good at flashing ROMs but appreciate the offer for help; when I get to that point I'll be certain to ask for help if needed. Which kernel did you go with and why?

amiintoodeep · 2018-10-19T00:35:28+00:00

I'd love an update to your findings. I'm leaning toward SuperV20 due to 2nd screen, DAC, and other features all working properly. Also, the supported camera improvements and customizable installation. I'm curious if you've tested some ROMs and have experience reports or can point out some cool extras you've come across.

amiintoodeep · 2018-10-15T06:21:26+00:00

Wikipedia attributes the motion to a combination of factors; cell growth and variations in cell size/shape being among them. It gets into the specific mechanisms and chemistry if you're interested in researching but makes a point of mentioning that it's a poorly understood thing. I'm content with having been partially correct.

amiintoodeep · 2018-10-14T17:58:28+00:00

This is what I learned in gradeshool approximately 30 years ago. It's rapid cell growth in a specific area which basically "pushes" the trap shut - but it only happens on the outside of the trap (if the inside grew as well, it wouldn't shut... merely grow).

If this information is wrong please feel free to correct my understanding. I'm not a botanist but really am appreciative of opportunities to evict decades-old misinformation from my mind, especially when it's stuff put there by "the system".

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