So I have a story related to this. I teach English in Korea. One time, two 11-year-old students chose kopi luwak as a topic for their in-class (no research) project. I asked what that is, as I had never heard of it. They explained in pre-intermediate English that there is a cat that poops coffee beans. I didn’t believe them at first, because it sounded so silly. But they urged me to look it up. At first, I got confused between ‘kopi’ and ‘coffee’, because Korean has no ‘f’ sound and substitutes a ‘p’ sound. But when I finally found the Wiki page, I was blown away. The fact that this is real would be so funny if it weren’t for all the abuse another user pointed out.

They shoot horses, don’t they?

Good on you. You can teach your son some valuable perspective, while getting in some quality time as well. Please let us know how it goes, if you don’t mind. I feel invested now.

Depends on what you’re looking for, really. I’m unsure about the rules regarding sharing specific sites, but if you DM me, I can throw a few recommendations your way.

You make some good points there. I remember LAN parties in high school where we would spend hours troubleshooting network problems and calling older brothers for advice. I learned a lot from those experiences, because I was forced to. I think a big part of the changes we are seeing in computer literacy is what I would call the Apple philosophy: if a toddler can’t use it, we need to simplify. Basically, as you said, things are getting simpler with less granular control. Of course, Apple is far from the only company doing this stuff, but they seem to be industry leaders in the sense of ‘dumbing down’ tech.

I recently had a friend say that privacy is a luxury these days. My first thought was that there is nothing luxurious about it. It takes hard work, inconvenience and savvy. And I’m not even close to Stallman levels of privacy paranoia. I know just enough to acknowledge that I know nothing. I feel similarly about tech in general. I have been using Linux for ten years, I use VPNs, I have played around with DNS settings, et cetera. But I realize that I have barely scratched the surface of what is possible and available to those willing to spend the time and get it done.

Anyway, I’ll shut up now. Thanks for replying thoughtfully, and thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

I’ll only say no to this question because I don’t want to have kids. But I taught my mom how to pirate, and I’m proud of that. I believe that piracy is not a morally neutral act. It is morally good. Pro-piracy is an ethically good stance to take in this age.

My current network is named ‘Mom click here for internet’.

I quit my minimum wage job by saying to my boss, ‘I don’t work here anymore. You’re a cunt.’

Felt so fucking righteous.

I don’t live in the US, so I cannot comment on the legality of this. However, I will advise an informal policy of malicious compliance. If the manager asks why someone needs to take a day off, that someone should reply with incredibly graphic medical issues, whether real or fake. Think ‘I’m shitting blood and I need to see a doctor,’ or something like that. Keep it up for a few months and see how management responds.

There is no war.

It’s very possible that I have it a bit twisted. I’m a South African, and English is my second language.

Never heard that one, but it could be similar. I’m stealing that, by the way.

Ooh, another one I just remembered, translated from Afrikaans: ‘Piggie war’.

Used to refer to a conflict where there are no winners, like pigs fighting in mud, where all participants just end up dirty, humiliated and bruised. Like replying to a troll online.

I am partial to ‘Does the pope systematically cover up child sexual abuse?’

Much of a muchness.

Used to describe something redundant or superfluous. Naming a cat is much of a muchness; it won’t come when you call it anyway.

That’s not how you play cricket.

Used when someone or something is obviously bending or breaking the rules in an ungentlemanly manner. Capitalism is not how you play cricket.

Qtile. Full DEs are for rich people.

You can try Myanonamouse. Their whole thing is ebooks and audiobooks.

Shit on the floor.

Shit on the floor.