Chet Collins

Whew! Got the monitor working.

💻

Don’t Bank on Covid-19 Killing off Cash Just Yet - WSJ

fears of infection have driven an increase in contactless payments—electronic payments like Apple Pay and tap-to-pay offerings that avoid even swiping or inserting cards

Except too many retailers still require you to agree to the amount, sign, or enter your PIN.

The parallels between climate change adherents and a fanatical religious sect are striking.

Banks Brace for Tougher Rules Under Biden on Consumer Protection, Fair Lending - WSJ

Biden’s team will also push to establish a government-backed consumer credit firm as an alternative to the companies that create credit reports

Strong dislike.

Oof! New LG monitor doesn’t work property with MacBook Pro.

Back to the drawing board.

This is my last post from my iMac.

Thank you for your 6 years of service!

🖥

There’s something quite romantic and very human about walking under the stars at night and pondering creation.

🌌

Robot Throws Away A Banana Peel

Benedict (2021)

France’s Macron Calls for Regulation of Social Media to Stem ‘Threat to Democracy’ - WSJ

“Political correctness has today endangered the primacy of the citizen over the believer.”

Glad I’m not French. The citizen and the believer are one in the same person. Asserting that they mutually exclusive is farcical.

FBI Lawyer Who Pleaded Guilty to Altering Document Sentenced to Probation - WSJ

At sentencing, the judge said he believed that Mr. Clinesmith wasn’t lying to the court, but trying to save time and work for himself.

Usually its the defendant or their attorney that tries to minimize their conduct. Even more outrageous that the presiding judge is also the chief judge of the FISA court.

This action, lying on an application for a warrant to conduct invasive surveillance of a US citizen, to a secret court in which the target has no representation, is deeply disconcerting in a free and democratic nation.

McCarthy Tries to Mend Fences With Trump - WSJ

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) told reporters on Thursday that it was inappropriate that Mrs. Greene was named to the House Education Committee

Fair criticism of a new GOP rep who had bizarre conspiracy theory posts on her Facebook page.

I wish the Speaker was as consistent when it came to light that Rep. Swalwell, who sits on the House Intel Committee, had extensive contacts with a Chinese spy.

More Than a Dozen Apps With ‘Misleading or Flat-Out Inaccurate’ Privacy Labels Found on App Store - MacRumors

Apple introduced privacy labels on the App Store, providing users with a broad overview of the data types an app may collect, and whether the information is used to track them or is linked to their identity or device.

These labels are useless. I see the same categories listed multiple times under different parts of the same label.

Repeal of State-Tax Deduction Cap Pitched for Covid-19 Relief Bill - WSJ

“Folks have been moving away in droves since our state and local tax deduction was gutted,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D., N.J.) said

1. This has nothing to do with COVID.

2. I don’t think a few thousand dollars a year in extra taxes was all that it took to push people over the edge.

Another beautiful Winter sunrise.

How hard is payroll?

Disguised Amazon Drone Sneaks Into Worker Meeting To Disrupt Union Talk - The Onion

“Hey guys, I don’t know about all this union stuff—doesn’t it feel like it could impact Amazon’s competitiveness in the global market?”

GM Sets 2035 Target to Phase Out Gas-, Diesel-Powered Vehicles Globally - WSJ

Vehicles that run on fossil fuels and emit pollution account for roughly 98% of GM’s sales today and all of its profit

For the folks keeping score at home, that’s 14 years. Think about the paltry progress in vehicle technology made since 2007.

Wireless CarPlay was released in iOS 9 (2015) and is only in the 2021 model year gaining wider adoption outside of luxury brands.

Very, very long odds.

Biden to Reverse Abortion Rule Known as Mexico City Policy - WSJ

“Presidential Memorandum to protect and expand access to comprehensive reproductive health care”

Calling abortion “Heath care” is perhaps the most insidious lie ever concocted.

Abortion-rights advocates say it disproportionately affects low-income women who are Medicaid recipients because the program doesn’t pay for abortions with federal funds except in limited circumstances.

The abortion industry targets low-income minorities for their product. In a world rife with accusation of racism stands an industry that targets racial groups in order to cut their reproduction rates.

It’s pure racism and at such a scale that it comes dangerously close to meeting the technical definition of genocide.

I wish my camera would do a better job catching the vivid color of the sunrise.

My new MacBook arrives today. It’s my first one since I moved to the iMac in 2010.

I’m excited about the M1 chip and am planning a clean install going forward.

I also maxed out the internal drive so that I can finally be done with external storage.