There’s always the exceptions, but they’re rare, and getting more rare.

The vast majority of works are owned by a few major corporations, even smaller, more indie games often get published through a major studio, which then retains a good amount of the profit. Almost all media, TV and movies, is owned by one of a handful of companies. Music is largely the same.

It goes the same way for so many other things too. It’s not just games and media.

There are always going to be exceptions but on the whole, it’s vastly more likely/common that the people profiting from something is a large, faceless organization, which only answers to their shareholders.

Yeah, why the fuck not?

Obviously, something made in a specialized vehicle manufacturing plant will be better/more durable/whatever, but given the option between downloading a car vs spending a year’s salary to buy one… I’d rather download one.

Unless my wages get better (which they are not) or cars get cheaper (which they won’t), I’ll continue to have this opinion.

There’s a nontrivial number of cars that cost more than a house did in the 80’s and 90’s. So it’s entirely possible for someone to spend the same dollar value on their home, when purchasing it in the 90’s, as they do 25 years later, buying a house in the 2020’s.

Stupid.

The only damage that exists from piracy is to the copyright holders profits…

Since the copyright holder is usually a corporation that is owned by shareholders, the majority of which are richer than all of us combined, ask me if I give a shit and I will show you my field of shits to give, and you will see that it is barren.

Eat the rich. Or Luigi them… I don’t care.

None of us did.

I didn’t get a say in whether or not to be born. I’m just here now and I have to deal with all of this shit.

It’s not AI.

There’s one big tell that I don’t think AI is advanced enough to replicate.

Op took this picture though a window that had multiple panes of glass. So there’s an echo of the image from the secondary reflections between the panes of glass.

I also can’t spot and of the debris in the shot blending into itself. Everything seems to be complete objects.

But that reflection? I’ve never seen AI do anything like that.

In case anyone doesn’t quite see what’s going on here, the image is taken from inside (lights seem to be off from where the camera is), through thermal glass into a concrete window space, which is common for places that have basements so the window can serve as an emergency exit (even if you need to break it to get out)…

Looks like there’s some kind of evergreen tree not far from where the window is, given the debris in the photo.

Great shot OP.

I can see why, it looks AI as hell…

I think it looks nice. AI or not.

I’d have to stare at it for longer than I have to decide if it’s AI. So until I can do that, I’m going to trust the OP until I can verify their claims.

Edit: definitely not AI. Nice shot OP.

29 days “lost” at sea, is therapy for all of the external bullshit we deal with every fucking day.

By “we” I mean people in society, not just men. Everyone struggles with making their way in “this world” we built for ourselves. We made it to be this horrible.

I felt this comment.

Thanks, I hate it.

Canada. It’s generally easy and free (no direct cost to me). I try to avoid having to go to my doctor whenever possible and I live with a nurse (and my doc knows that). Usually when I send him a message, either by email or by calling, he’ll have a follow up question or two (sometimes none) then decide a course of action and move right to implementation. Sometimes that’s sending a script to my local pharmacy, sometimes that’s a referral to a specialist. Who knows? I haven’t seen the guy in years. But if he made the request for me to go in, I would without hesitation.

I know my experience isn’t the same as others, since my doctor and my spouse have actually worked together; but still. It’s all free and there’s usually minimal waiting.

The only significant delays I’ve heard of in Canadian healthcare relate to major procedures when the issue is non-critical. Like getting an MRI as a precaution, to make sure things aren’t messed up or something (IDK what MRIs are used to diagnose, I am not a doctor).

Everything is triaged, so if you’re not actively dying from a thing, and you need a big piece of equipment to scan you to figure something out, you’re going to be waiting a while.

I’ve been there, done that. Welcome to the club my friend.

The only reason I got through my last layoff without stooping into a deep depression is that I’ve done this dance so many fucking times that I’m tired of it all.

Luckily I had a new job about a month later, which I 100% acknowledge is luck.

I still miss my previous job, it was much better than the one I have now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not angry at being employed, I’m just sad that I didn’t get to remain employed with the last workplace.

I get it, 100%. Nothing you said is really all that abnormal. You clearly liked the job, and there’s no good way to express that loss. It’s just something you have to go through all the stages of. Eventually the whole ordeal will seem further and further away and you’ll settle into a routine and get your life back to where it should be. You lost something and it’s okay to be sad about that.

What isn’t good is if you start getting any worse than where you are at now. If you start sliding deeper into it, or you feel like you’re drowning, please seek help. The people who care about you don’t want to lose you.

My advice for the future is: never invest more than you’re willing to lose, whether you’re taking about money or emotional investment, the reality is that you can lose it all in a snap. Make sure you know what you’re risking and ensure you can sacrifice what you’ve invested if there’s a sudden change from management. Take care of yourself first, then worry about everything else.

I like the cut of your jib.

For feedback, I would just print off the federal labor codes for my country, highlighting specific sections. I’d just hand it to the management verbatim. I wouldn’t cherry pick or leave anything out, just emphasize specific passages.

Guess what? That’s illegal here.

It would be a thinly veiled threat that I’ll ruin their lives if they don’t back track immediately… All said without uttering a single syllable.

As a straight, I agree with this.

Me personally, I’m ok, for the most part. I’m sure you are too … But all of my fellow straights? Most of them are… Well… Very not ok.

As someone who is straight/cis/male, and very secure in that… Anyone who takes offense… Probably gay. Just saying.

I don’t take any offense to this stuff. I know who I am. I know what I like. I know where I stand in the grand scheme of things. I live by a very straightforward philosophy: don’t like gay sex? don’t have gay sex. Don’t like gay marriage? Don’t get gay married. Don’t deny someone else of what you don’t want for yourself.

We’re all different, and that’s a good thing.

Do not apologize. That’s quite the story you have.

If you’re unhappy with where you are, who you are with, or who you are, you can always change. It’s never too late and trust me, as a long term supporter of the LGBTQ+ movement (despite being very straight/cis), they are a very accepting group.

As an outsider, I can’t tell you what, how, or when changes are going to work best for you, nor what changes you could, or should make. That’s entirely your decision and it’s a big one, and I’m sorry about that. I’m only saying that it’s not too late to figure out who you are and how to be comfortable with your life.

All the best. Take care of yourself.

I need to check into this, but maybe someone knows.

I assumed that if you’re using incognito and you don’t sign into your Google account, the activity wouldn’t be tied to your Google account. It might be recorded and sent to Google, but anonymously, unless you signed into Google/Gmail/YouTube/whatever, while incognito.

The obvious is that your activity wouldn’t end up on your Internet history in your non-incognito Chrome.

Payphones are still a thing. They’re more rare, but they still exist.

This is actually the right move.

Literally find a payphone, pick it up, call 911 and say there’s a group of dangerous looking masked individuals at (name of location), and I’m scared that it’s not safe here.

Then immediately drop the phone and walk away. It seems rude but if you hang up or stop responding the correct action on the 911 operators side is to expect the worst and literally send everyone to that location, lights and sirens.

None of these answers are wrong.

Pretty sure we had CRTs in highschool, back when I was a teen many years ago that were Kia brand… IIRC.

Crazy, right?