“Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.”

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

-George Bernard Shaw

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  • 73 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 4th, 2023

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  • Most here will recommend Linux Mint and it’s what I use now after trying many different versions over the years. There’s a simplicity to Mint that just works especially well for those just surfing and doing office tasks. I’ve given away old work laptops with just mint installed as most people just need a web browser and it works great for that.

    MS office can be used in your web browser or you can switch to Libre Office which should open most of your office files.

    If you have a old laptop or computer I recommend trying to install Mint there first to try it out. It’s pretty easy to start out there first before trying dual boot. You might be surprised at how quick your older laptop works with Mint in the process.

    I use dual boot on my machines but most of the use these days is to get to a web browser so I find I rarely boot into windows now.

    You will find Firefox is the default web browser but you can add Chrome to Mint if that’s your browser of choice.

    Many will say what about the privacy issues with Chrome but many still use it. I’ve switched back to Firefox myself and I like it better for my Android phone.

    Good luck on your journey!





  • I wonder if they were taking notes from John Deere and the automotive industry or will it be the reverse here soon?

    Just imagine all these vehicles that could be bricked for not going back to the stealerships for outrageous prices on parts and incompetent service.

    Also the vehicles that could be disabled for not paying for device protection plan that allows your vehicle to operate safely. It would be a shame if your vehicle stopped working on your way to work or the hospital.

    I suspect Tesla, BMW, and John Deere are the closest to this reality.

    I sure hope the government doesn’t help with another great cash for clunkers national program to get rid of more cars too old for these measures. Sure is a great way to drive new car sales though…


  • Yes this exactly. If you need to do this you have hired the wrong people and/or the mission is not clear.

    I decided I wasn’t going to be a prison warden early on in my career after trying to be one for the company.

    We got so much further as a team when I use to make sure they had their birthday cakes and whatever other supplies or tools and got the hell out of their way.

    Not a lot of people can trust others this much. It also takes initiative to weed out those that are not going to fit into the team quickly. 1 bad Apple can make the bunch go bad quickly.


  • I had been a servant leader for a number of years in a big corporation in a remote location where I could break away from their older 50’s style management structure. I had a great crew that was able to do wonderful things. The company took notice and wanted me to move to other locations. I wasn’t interested in moving so far away. I would be sent to train and show other locations how we streamlined so well. We eventually closed down our location as the largest customer *we served closed after 90 years.

    I was going to walk away from it all then one of my old customers wanted me to come and help them grow, move, and re-invent themselves. I was able to bring in some of the old crew and it was a lot of heavy lifting. Having the ownership in the location didn’t make it easy as they were into the old 50s style mentality so it was a constant fight to implement all the great things they loved about my old location that served them. I was pretty burnt out by the end with being left to navigate Rona on my own with the crews when ownership went and hid in their homes. They didn’t take it seriously at first and then when they flipped it was left in my hands to deal with while they freaked out about the end of the world.

    Eventually they sold to a larger company and I was excited for this change. Turns out the new company spouted everything that sounded good but they were so disfunctional and full of themselves it was tough. I was glad to go when they folded our location into another existing one.

    I miss working with the people daily and helping them grow and remove those road blocks but I was tired out by the latest ownership disfunction especially when they drank their own Kool aid so much they couldn’t see how badly they were making it for the staff.

    The only saving grace for this last ownership group was the previous ownership was so terrible, the new owners seemed like a good upgrade. They were in some ways. It wasn’t for those of us that had worked for structured and properly run companies. It’s been rough on the staff that remain and the steps backwards they had to endure in the process. The new owners are fairly certain they are doing great things. I wish them all luck and I’m glad to be out.









  • In school there was a group of mostly white friends that had a Asian kid in their friends group. His nickname was Nip. I honestly didn’t know his real name as another was never used. It was a few years before I realized the connotation that was there once I started studying history. Not sure if it was a parent or where it came from but most of us at the time had no idea how bad it was. It was just his name and he used it too.

    Then I think of my church going father. One of the kindest men I knew. Never had a bad thing to say about anyone unless it was personal thing based on a issue first hand.

    Race wasn’t on his mind at all. Being from the westcoast in a remote wilderness area most of the demographic was white and native with very few in those days what were called east Indians and Asians mixed in. More the exception if at all.

    He worked for a logging outfit and towards the end of his career he was a logging road grader operator. I recall going down a road that he maintained in a Jeep with him. As I was navigating this rough road the logging trucks pounded constantly he told me to watch out for this large rock that was below the surface. Just the head of the rock was sticking up. He called them " the N word- heads" I was shocked. I knew he wasn’t racist and was friends with the only black church member in town but the word just came out of this mouth as easily as any other word.

    I asked him why he called it that, he said that’s just what they were called. He didn’t continue after that day with me as I don’t think he thought about it until our conversation.

    In some ways I did equate this to the numerous white kids I knew singing the NWA lyrics in school despite not even seeing a black kid before but this was in the 90s. I can still hear those lyrics as I type this.

    Now this isn’t to say kids were not nasty, as they were. There were several unkind things used when talking about the native kids that made up to half the school population and more of that where my family lived.

    Back to my grandfather’s time bonds were formed with the local native bands and friends were made but I’m sure the languaged used at times like “Indian giver” wasn’t connected to the real reality.

    I do fear as I get older I’m falling into one of these traps with gender and identity words. I think as we get older and comfortable with our understanding of the world we have figured out, some aren’t really willing to figure out more.

    Despite interacting and having friends from the older local gay community I’ve not been exposed to anyone that introduces themselves with their name and then their pronouns.

    I’m not sure if we can just call everyone “them” or “they” without offending people? Feels like a good starting place but I’ve not learned yet it this is as bad as the N-word?




  • I assume this was the same for the Harlequin Romance Novels too? I knew a few women over the years that had a bunch of these books. They seemed to digest them like monthly magazines.

    In some ways it’s sort of a business dream to be able to keep repacking the same nuts and bolts to make something slightly different for consumers who will keep paying. It’s pretty efficient.

    Still I’ve not read a Harlequin Romance nor have I seen a Hallmark movie. This doesn’t mean I’ve not seen all of the Star Wars movies or a good majority of the Marvel ones.