You are being willfully obtuse. Atheists didn't choose the definition of the word. Magic is a catch all for things that are not explained by a scientific process. Computing is not one of those things. You don't understand computers because they are a black box. Therefore it is tempting to call the result magic. But you had better sure as hell hope that the effect of computers are reproducible, every single time, because if they are not, the world as we know it ceases to function.

No they aren't. Not all protests are good. It is essential that political disagreements don't capsize the society we live in. Any protests that can't be ignored is essentially mob rule

I thought the whole point of starlink was that it provided cheap and dirty infrastructure basically anywhere. What's the point if they're going to individually license areas??

It’s so weird, do they think handicapped people can bike and walk everywhere or don’t exist?

As a handicapped person myself, it really baffles me how people think car oriented infrastructure is so much better for us. I am a wheelchair user, and I live in a 15 minute neighborhood. Getting around in my wheelchair is a million times simpler there than in my old car-centric suburb, because the same disabilities that make me wheelchair bound also prevent me from driving. Which mean that in a car-centric environment I do one of the following:

a) Rely on the generosity of friends and family to cart me around at their convenience, or b) Utilize shared access rides, which are door to door, but take longer than using public transit, or c) Roll myself to underserved suburban bus stops over badly maintained sidewalk, and pray I make it on time.

None of which are appealing.

Meanwhile, in my 15 minute city:

• The buses often run at 10 to 15 minute intervals (vs 30 to 60 minutes in the suburb),
• Sidewalks are larger
• I have less distance to travel in the first place

I say this as somebody who cannot drive. And I say it with all the love in the world for public transit. Public transit absolutely cannot get you everywhere, at least not if you expect to be there in a timely manner. The vast majority of America is suburbanized, the worst possible environment for buses.

It is extremely disquieting how one individual is getting away with having that much power over so many aspects of what should be a role played by public institutions. Space exploration should be a public endeavor.

I'll believe it when I see evidence that isn't from some s***** underpowered camera held by somebody who didn't even know how to focus the lens properly. Funny how camera technology has improved so markedly, but the quality of UFO sightings remains just as crappy as ever. Maybe that should tell you something about what to make of most of these sightings

S/He is not. Even one blocked sidewalk means that I need to double back on the block if I am using my wheelchair. One scooter is all it takes, and depending on the length of the block, it can easily add 20 minutes to a commute.

Funny, I do remember thinking yesterday that having teams installed by default is basically Internet explorer all over again. On the other hand, from what I've seen I don't think most companies really care and that they would install teams anyway. The integration with the rest of Microsoft is really convenient from a business perspective. My work uses it, and teams is scary efficient at scheduling meetings. Far better than zoom.

I picked up Portal 2 during a $2 sale of it. Still one of the best games I've ever played. And it has multiplayer, so it's infinitely replayable

You won't have a choice if it's a bank or your job. This is the truly insidious thing, if enough important websites start demanding the standard, you might just end up forcing yourself off of the internet with that attitude

First, it's federated, meaning that different instances of discord can talk to each other, much like Lemmy.

Second, it allows for encryption. Matrix uses the same double ratchet algorithm present in signal.

Third, joining groups is optional. This is perhaps the biggest user interface difference between discord and matrix. Each conversation exists in a independent channel, or room as they are called. Rooms can be grouped together the way you would see in discord, but they usually exist independently of the groupings. Incidentally, matrix groups are called spaces. There are edge cases where rooms are not independent from spaces, but by and large it is not something most users will have to worry about.