Yeah, it’s part of the system. They log which numbers are valid, and who knows what else they get. But the initial probing comes from brute force. And like I mentioned above, once one group knows your number, they sell it to others.

My wife’s parents get calls from the “IRS” or asking about their computer. My MiL tells the second group that she doesn’t have a computer and they pause, then say, “Really?” like they can’t believe someone wouldn’t have a computer.

They’re not “getting” your number. They’re dialing every possible number. Essentially, they start with 555-0000 and go through 555-9999. A smart system would then recognize which numbers were actual numbers and which were invalid, and save that list, maybe even to sell to another company.

There is a part of me that wants to say this was an effort by the Republicans to keep control...but the realist in me says it is far more likely to be laziness and incompetence. The creators of the systems wanted to be able to get in and fix issues remotely, so they didn’t have to go out to every district or even…

No, it places people who are unable to get vaccinated in danger as well. People with compromised immune systems and other health issues...in fact, the very worst people to be placing in danger of this type.

Stupidity knows no bounds, but you tend to find correlations between the specific stupidity at hand. Conservatives tend to be stupid about other things than Liberals. Poor people tend to be stupid about different things from Rich people. But this is a stupidity that is found across all spectrums. Though if you dig…

If your decision places your child at risk AND places other people in the community at risk it certainly becomes other people’s business.

This was my first thought as well. Turn around and face away from the flag.

I clearly hear Yanny. But if I focus a bit, I can hear the “rel” at the end under the “ny” almost as if one person says Yanny and a second person says Rel at the same time the first person is saying the second syllable.

I love my proximity key, and it has a number of safety features.

I’ve often considered this myself, thinking that changing the past is impossible, for much the same reasons you state, but a friend of mine had a counterargument: suppose I want to go back and kill Hitler. It’s easy to imagine scenarios that prevent me from killing him, however improbable. But if we really want to…

The blood was dripping down from the sinuses into his stomach, then coming out the other end.

You’re crazy. When we were growing up, we had a stick of butter on a butter dish. That butter was for dinner, spreading on bread and whatnot. The butter for cooking was the other 3 sticks on the box. Why would you use the same stick if there are 4 sticks?

Personally, I love long movies. The ticket price is the same, but I get to see up to an hour more content. I always feel like I was robbed when I pay the same amount and find out the movie is only an hour and a half. That’s not a movie, that’s an extended episode of a TV series.

That is the ideal. I’m a proponent of Single-Payer, guaranteed healthcare. I would much rather ensure that everyone, regardless of social background or income level has access to all of the necessary healthcare they need. Private insurance could still exist as a supplement for unnecessary procedures, if people see the…

Your friends just had kids wrong. Having kids in your 20s is terrible, because you’re still mostly a kid yourself. You’re cheating yourself out of doing dumb shit. Have kids when you’re 30 or 29 or 31, or around there. You’re older, you got the dumb shit out of your system, and you’re probably more financially secure.…

You realize this is what insurance is, right? Everyone who buys insurance does so hoping they will never need it, but those premiums pay for those who do need it. Whether that’s auto insurance, home insurance, life insurance, etc. The people who drive safely are paying for those who don’t. The people who are very…

It won’t just bite you in the ass, it will bite everyone else in the ass.

Also, it drains the last bit of water in the pipes near the bath spigot. Otherwise, that water sits there and mold grows and then comes out at negative 10 degrees when next it is turned on.

This was my first thought as well. If you can get that perfect 45 degree angle, then it not only looks amazing, it makes a perfect fold for the pages as you go. It’s divine.