wait till I tell you about refried beans
TheStaffmaster
In the 1990's you could look in the Uncle Henry's and get a decent used car for like $300. you'd register it, and it would last you a few years until it was too expensive to fix, (or it wouldn't pass state inspection) then you'd move on. In the early 2000's you could look on craigslist and find a decent used car for $500. Same deal. But by the time the housing bubble burst, I came to the realization that whatever the price of the car was, it would cost you $3,000 at the end of the day just to get it up and running. By the end of the 20 Teens, that number was $5k, and side of the road sales were junk that the seller knew was about to be REALLY EXPENSIVE to fix so wanted out from under it. These days, don't buy used from a private seller unless it's a collectable: the car is a money pit and they know it. This is one of those things where the auto industry enshittified to kill the resale market. Now they are starting subscriptions for features you used to get as standard. the infuriating thing is that the tech exists to build a car that will last 30-40 years, little major maintenance, but "it's not profitable," so they won't.
I'm not saying people are not entitled for recognition as the the perpetuators and propagators (there's a better word,but it escapes me at the moment) of innovative ideas and designs, nor am I suggesting that they not be allowed to profit on those assets, ither tangible or conceptual. Where the line should be drawn is when those ideas become so cosmopolitan in their reach as to be necessary for existence. A few things do exist that fit this bill already, the Internet itself being one of them. One company or government may own the servers it resides on, but as a concept nobody can "own" the internet, just as no one can "own" the ocean, or a holy text, or "own" an experience (the set dressing and location perhaps, but not YOUR feelings and reactions, which are unique to YOU.)
This is a philosophy that imposes a faustian bargain to success in business: the larger your business, the less it belongs to YOU. If your business is all encompassing, (such as in a monopoly), it ceases to even be yours AT ALL.
Not trying to argue, merely provide more context.
that they expected it to eclipse real people AT ALL is both telling and slightly disturbing.
I'm more the guy behind the pink one
I like to drive about 20 over on long hauls, so technically "I'm passing." PERMANENTLY
and the weed was better too. That might just be the high tolerance speaking though.
Remember when the 1900's were called the "20th century?" Pepperridge farm remembers.
Hyper capitalism of the 1980's would be considered quant, by today's standards
I think it was around 2014, but it's been a slow downhill ever since. I used to visit many sites in my nightly rounds, but it became just Imgur, YouTube, Reddit, and NewGrounds, for the most part around then. I just lost Reddit to a perm Suspension, and I swore of Imgur after it got to woke to post jokes and dark humor/observations. (and they IP banned me for 6 months)
Sadly toyotas and Hondas are outliers in this area. Owned A 15' Venza until it got t boned this winter. still a bit cheezed about that. GREAT car, BTW. 110% recommend if you find a used one with low miles.