Unlikely. They have data centers in several locations all over the world, and there are countless backup copies downloaded onto personal devices everywhere.

I just got a new phone, so clothes.

Chicken soup.

Chicken stock, chicken, carrots, onion, celery. Add noodles if you like.

I disagree with your corollary. We don’t know the rules of the universe that our simulated universe resides in. We could be the first layer or an infinitely lower layer, and there would be no way of knowing.

Stardew Valley run, trying to hit perfection by year 3.

Add more color. Paint your walls if you’re allowed to.

Add stuff. Plants, furniture, art on the walls, and rugs. Bare rooms feel bigger.

A little bit of survivorship bias there, but you are correct that engineers throughout history have been just as smart as engineers today.

Human beings are social creatures, and being able to connect with one another is one of the best parts about the internet. But the internet’s incessant need to streamline and optimize how I connect with friends by sending me notifications the moment they’re active on TikTok, posting new stories on Instagram, or liking the same video as me is has turned those real friendships into supervised ones and that fucking sucks.

This author is making a mountain out of a molehill. There are other ways to interact on social media that aren’t just sharing memes and posts (and I’m pretty sure you can pause suggested content on Instagram anyway). You can have an actual conversation with somebody, an algorithm can’t “beat you to it” or “rob you of the opportunity” or whatever.

Or just call them up and hang out with them in the meat space if you’re so concerned.

I don’t think this is about politics

If it were socially acceptable, I wouldn’t have any reason not to use it.

As for how I feel about it being taboo now, it’s whatever. It’s just a natural consequence of how language shifts and evolves over time.

Going to the UK in the fall, first time going to Europe, I’m pretty excited.

Opening weekend of March Madness, so could be worse

If you get the chance, I highly recommend it.

Here in Chicago we enjoy a thin crust with Italian beef and hot giardiniera.

Soup!

Get a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, that’s a few meals right there. Throw the bones into a pot with a few aromatics, simmer for a couple hours, now you have homemade chicken stock which is a good base for just about any soup.

Summer. The best activities: dining on patios and drinking in beer gardens, camping and hiking, going for long walks, and lots more. Long days. Heat doesn’t bother me, and if it ever does I have A/C.

What you need is willpower. No way around it. Your options are:

Drink soda sweetened with sugar

Drink soda sweetened with artificial sweeteners

Drink unsweetened soda

I would just stay on the seltzer until you’re used to it. I can’t even drink sugary soda anymore, maybe as a treat once in a while, but never a whole can or bottle at once. You’ll get there too.

Tuna melt and fries.

My homemade tuna salad is tuna, soy sauce, mayo, celery, and onion. Copycat Jimmy John’s recipe. Bread is homemade, King Arthur classic sandwich loaf recipe. And the finest Wisconsin American cheese that money can buy at Woodman’s.

Frozen fries because I’m lazy today.

Who the hell refers to their significant other as their “lover”?