Wow, if you type your password in the comments, it turns into stars! Try it! ************

Also, I just like saying “Thanks, Obama”

The CFPB was authorized by the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010. In addition to helping get Dodd-Frank through Congress, Obama appointed Elizabeth Warren as a special advisor to the Treasury in order to oversee the CFPB and help get it off the ground.

Thanks, Obama:

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/credit-reports-and-scores/consumer-reporting-companies/

I gotchu boo

Yeah, this is pretty painful to watch. Trump is a piece of shit, but he’s way more forceful and even somewhat coherent. Meanwhile, Biden’s just above a whisper and is somewhere between stuttering and rambling.

Well, that was the most graphic thing I’ve seen in quite a while.

I use Voice by Paul Woitaschek (available on F-Droid). It has a nice, simple interface and a few really useful features. I’ve gone through dozens of audiobooks in various formats with it and haven’t had any problems yet.

I can’t believe you’ve done this.

This, to me, is one of the biggest fallacies of tech companies claiming they care about sustainability goals. No matter the application, most of our hardware is made with materials that come from central Africa. Those mines and facilities are largely controlled by China. Whatever you think of China politically, you have to recognize that many of the sustainability disclosures that, say, Apple is making are premised on these mines self-reporting compliance with certain standards. In practice, miners are using outdated, poorly maintained equipment. Commonly, they’re using shovels and even their hands.

You can write all the cutesy reports you want with stock photos of green leaves, hands holding soil, and smiling “farmers.” Unless and until you’re directly funding better means of extracting raw materials like cobalt from the ground, companies’ claims about their commitment to ESG should be completely dismissed as nonsense.

Some sources:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-24/cobalt-mining-in-the-congo-green-energy/100802588

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/01/1152893248/red-cobalt-congo-drc-mining-siddharth-kara

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/09/drc-cobalt-and-copper-mining-for-batteries-leading-to-human-rights-abuses/

About ten years ago, I went through this process with as many data brokers and reporting agencies as possible. I printed documents, made accounts, mailed letters, and jumped through every hoop they set up. Some of the companies only recognized my request for a term of five years, while some were permanent.

I don’t get random credit card offers in the mail any more. However, since I started using an email alias service a few years ago, I’ve found my data making its way back to the data brokers. I’m not in the EU, so I don’t think I have much recourse for it. Even so, I think it’s worth it to jump through all the hoops. Maybe one day it’ll feel more meaningful.

tl;dr: It was cumbersome to do it, and other than a reduction in snail mail spam, I haven’t seen much benefit from it. All the same, I’d do it again.

That’s what she said.

Based on the shadow, I’m assuming the plane that took these photos is approximately 3 miles long.

Mom, can we watch Guardians of the Galaxy?

We have Guardians of the Galaxy at home.

My favorite part of this entire article is the author referring to Trump as a “former game show host.”

You have to successfully run at least three consecutive macros in order to unlock the Hatsune Miku skins.

My brain scrambled “war cash” into “car wash” and I was ready to grab my pitchfork over legislators getting free car washes.

Yeah, but I think I have like half of those devices in a desk drawer.