tw wrote:

glatt wrote:

I don;t access TikTok in a browser

If using a phone, same thing just has a different name.  
 

on my iPhone, I can select "off" from the "Allow Tracking" option for any mobile application.  Apple gives its users this power. The screenshot below shows my settings for the mobile TikTok app on my phone.  How are cookies tracking me if I have this turned off?  TikTok knows my identity and what I do within the app.  But I figure my identity is already in the white pages.  It's already available. And who cares if I'm watching videos from "Steve the Guardrail guy?"

You never did answer how TikTok can drain my bank account.  (Other than enticing me to buy shit from their shop.)

Wait.  So Equifax was hacked and so TikTok is bad? Huawei is bad, so TikTok is bad?

It's so hard to follow you.  I honestly want to learn something if you have anything to say, but your are just throwing shit against the wall and seeing what sticks.

So TikTok loads 100 programs before it opens in my phone?  Surely you can give me a citation for that.

Data can be compromised as long as it exists, so therefore we have to ban this one specific successful social app.

As Flint said: "Here's the reality: EVERY app on the internet gathers tons of personal data. EVERYONE could get that data, by simply purchasing it from data brokers."

I see three possible reasons for the TikTok ban.
1. Ignorance - Congressmen are actually falling for the security threat thing because they are ignorant
2. Corruption - Meta, its numerous subsidiaries, and other traditional media outlets funneled campaign contributions into the coffers of everyone on capital hill, and good old American protectionism is at work.  USA number 1.
3. Fear of the grassroots power of the TikTok platform.  With 170 million Americans using TikTok, and the very real possibility that a powerful message a user might post can take off if it resonates with other viewers and literally be seen by hundreds of millions of Americans has to be terrifying to elected officials.  Messages that resonate automatically rise to the top in TikTok and have an influence that money in the traditional platforms can't buy.  The people can't be allowed to have access to a megaphone if they have something  powerful to say.

So what do we do as voters?  This TikTok ban was bipartisan.  I have always supported my Democratic Virginia representative and senators, but I think they completely blew it on this one.  Do I vote for their rivals in the election in the fall?  I honestly think the Republicans are worse.  But I have to send a message that this was not cool.

Jeez.  Sorry Clod.  Your brother is so young I can't even imagine how it would be in that situation. And I imagine I'm going to eventually do something like you dad did well after I should be doing such things.  It's all so predictable.  I hope he heals quickly and without incident.  And I hope your bother (and his family?) find peace and get through this time with dignity (that's the wrong word, but something like being in the moment and taking the time to be present and strengthen connections in the limited low quality time that remains.)

I assume there is talk of hospice for your brother, and I know there are some really good and talented caregivers in that field who set the right tone and are emotionally supportive.  I hope he finds good help.  Maybe it's a word of mouth thing to get somebody really good, but it might be worth it to check around.

Also, if you haven't had a chance yet, it would probably make you feel good to have made the effort to fit a visit in.

When I was a kid in the 70s, we were on a party line, which worked out tremendously because if there was another party, they almost never used the phone.  I only remember hearing somebody else on the line one time. It was essentially a private line for a party line price.  Then we got a computer terminal and needed to get another dedicated private line so we could connect to the college mainframe.
/old man

Meanwhile in Taiwan...

I had no idea some of those were defunct.  I just hadn't seen them in a while.

Flint wrote:

The phones are causing depression because young people are learning that the world sucks and there's no future.

I mostly agree with all your points, but I would point out that while there is climate change going on, and that's an extremely serious problem, all the other shit going on is just more of the same that has been going on forever.

The big problem with social media is that the human brain is wired to respond to problems and focus on problems, so content that brings up negativity and problems rises to the top of the algorithm and people focus on that more than any any of the objectively good news that's out there.  The crap in the world is over represented on social media.  I think Meta and Youtube are by far the worst in my experience, but TikTok is up there too.

It's very good for the US that there is that much money in circulation.  Many foreign countries use the USD, and as long as they do, our empire will be strong.  It's the world currency. Virtually everyone holds assets in USD.

This year, I'm having trouble adjusting for some reason.  It's been SO hard to get up the last couple weeks.  Not sure why.  I should be adjusted by now.

https://www.marinetraffic.com/ is of some interest today.

I'll just put this here.

https://www.populationpyramid.net/

We do seem to be tapering way off in the developed world, except India.  The US is ok because immigration keeps our numbers up, but otherwise we would be crashing hard as the infirm Baby Boomers would pull us down in the next few years.