This actually scratches an itch I've had on and off over the years. Over a decade ago, I remember reading a Quora post along the lines of 'How does ISIS still have internet? Who maintains the infrastructure?', and the only response was from an alleged ISIS propagandist (or an internet troll) with vagueries about the reach of ISIS, and that they couldn't answer for "security reasons".
That question lived in my head on and off throughout college, and I'm glad to have gotten a bit closer to understanding the reality of what was happening on the ground.
Its very difficult to cut a large organisation with guns off from the internet.
Have you seen the various reports about Mexican gangs? Apparently they can just install whatever they like on anyones towers, and people who complain about it tend to come down with severe lead poisoning. Was reading one blog, and the tech suggested that if he saw someone else working on a tower, he would just drive away and call in sick that day.
Political campaign staff often keep hours way past what a volunteer with a 9-5 job has. It's a terrible life, terrible profession but it still draws in people that are willing to find meaning in being a workaholic and seen as "politically savvy".
I don't have any input on direct user funding for Firefox, but Thunderbird is also developed by a for-profit entity and accepts direct user funding with no charitable tax deductions as well. [0] https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/donate/
In Canada, I've only ever seen these in grocery stores, operating for a fee (and they don't accept commissions) and a singular credit union branch (because they serve the underbanked at that particular location).
Sorry to be pedantic but I think you mean 'cost center', not loss leader (something sold at a loss to attract customers into your ecosystem/store). You are entirely right otherwise.
If you've ever dealt with financial institutions in a meaningful way, you'd know that the self-service variety, or the HSBC variety, will create hurdles and enforce policies arbitrarily with no recourse, care or concern for your well-being.
Not too long ago, I transferred the equivalent of $12 USD from a Fintech chequing account and immediately had my Wise account flagged for sanctions. I had to spend 2 hours drafting and collecting documentation that I was indeed, not a sanctioned entity.
>Some people think single payer system is the solution but then when they talk to Canadians they realize that's not the solution either.
I'm sorry but I don't understand this discourse. While we have gripes with the state of some hospitals that fall short of first world standards (e.g. Gatineau Hospital) and wait times for specialists for non-urgent care (it can take 2-3 months to see a dermatologist after referral for non-cancerous skin conditions in Manitoba for example), I really can't think of more than 3 Canadian residents having ever said in my lifetime that they prefer the US system (and for all of them, their objection had to do with the fact that the government funds treatments they don't like for gender dysphoria and abortions, not that they felt the US system was an effective economy of scale).
On top of that, there is a myth perpetuated in the US that we are constantly at the brink of a healthcare system collapse. We are certainly not - there is room for improvement and health inequalities that we must address, but to say that we're all an ER wait away from dying is simply untrue. [1]
I have been on the receiving end of health care inequalities here in Canada (in Manitoba and Quebec), but I don't go as far as to write off the achievement of having set up an effective single payer health system in a federal state.
Then it'll come down to an individualist vs a collectivist take.
Triage priorities in referrals are an acceptable trade-off for broadly improved access to health care. The reality is that my eczema doesn't need to be seen before someone else's melanoma.
While I appreciate being able to see a specialist earlier in the US with my health insurance, I know that many ordinary American citizens aren't able to at all and that my insurance displaces incentives to serve underserved communities. I'm not yet an American citizen so I will not preach what the US should or should not do, but I do think it is unfortunate that is the case and I hope that improves.
I would especially like to call out the Scandic Hotels chain for this behaviour as well. Booking a hotel room should not involve me wondering if I booked it for the wrong day when I'm not in an European time zone.
This actually scratches an itch I've had on and off over the years. Over a decade ago, I remember reading a Quora post along the lines of 'How does ISIS still have internet? Who maintains the infrastructure?', and the only response was from an alleged ISIS propagandist (or an internet troll) with vagueries about the reach of ISIS, and that they couldn't answer for "security reasons".
That question lived in my head on and off throughout college, and I'm glad to have gotten a bit closer to understanding the reality of what was happening on the ground.
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