No. While I am not a recreational drug user, drug testing is a gross violation of natural human rights and I would not want to be associated in any way with a company that engages in such unethical behavior.

Careful, that might require a nuanced discussion that reveals the inherent evil of capitalism and neoliberalism. Better off just ensuring that wealthy corporations can monopolize the technology and abuse artists by paying them next-to-nothing for their stolen work rather than nothing at all.

The problem is that a student has a reasonable expectation of being taught by someone qualified and knowledgeable in the topic. If the professor is using AI, then that is a major breach of trust that brings into question the professor’s qualifications and whether you are actually getting the education you are paying for.

There is never an appropriate time for a bill that limits, curbs, controls, restricts, or obstructs freedom of expression. Remember, if an action or expression does not infringe upon someone else’s rights, then any limitation on it - particularly by the state - is a grossly unethical violation of their natural human rights.

HBO Max was the best streaming service out there during the COVID years, and it wasn’t even close. Then Zaslav comes on board and now everything under his umbrella is terrible. If investors want WB, Max, etc to be appealing and profitable again, they need to give Zaslav the boot.

Monopolies and trusts are never beneficial to anyone save those who control them.

Alpha Centauri.

I know I’m aging myself, but there has never been anything else like it. The depth, the narrative, the way the gameplay evolves. It’s a masterpiece.

Love… apathy… it’s 2025, that Venn Diagram is a circle.

openSUSE is also pretty great, and doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

There really is a Linux for everyone.

Ubuntu is fine. I do understand the hate, though. Snap is contentious for very good reasons, Canonical makes major decisions by fiat rather than listening to the community (see Snap again), and they have corporate motives that are often at odds with the spirit and desires of the greater FOSS community (like forking upstream projects instead of contributing).

Mint is still based on Ubuntu, for example, but I feel it’s a more ethical suggestion than Ubuntu itself.

I find that’s very unhelpful to potential Linux converts. They will quickly find out that there are infinite flavors of Linux, become overwhelmed, and give up.

When you are introducing newcomers to Linux, it’s best to make specific suggestions.

Oh. That’s an interesting use-case I hadn’t considered.

Pop!_OS is my top recommendation for Windows expats, followed by Mint (Cinnamon Edition), and then Bazzite (KDE Plasma desktop). Bazzite is so, so, so good, but it has some unique features that make it a little more frustrating for Windows power users who are new to Linux. But honestly they are all good. Pick one, and if you aren’t vibing with it, try something else.

Also, keep in mind that “distro” and “desktop environment (DTE)” are two different things. Sometimes a distro has a default DTE and sometimes it gives you a choice. The DTE makes the biggest difference to your experience. There are many different DTEs, but the two biggest are GNOME (MacOS-like and moderately customizable) and KDE Plasma (Windows-like by default, but very customizable).

There has never been a better time to switch to Mint, Pop_OS, or Bazzite.

Just be sure you have enough savings for the inevitable repairs, tows, etc.

In typical class action fashion, it’s the lawyers who the company owes money to. Those of us actually impacted have to sing and dance for the table scraps.

Pivoting?

Newsom was always a slimy neolib. He was just the lesser evil. The same story plays out constantly all over the US thanks to our broken two-right-wing-parties system, in which both parties are owned and operated by self-serving billionaires.

My ethos boils down to…

1. The Golden Rule: Your rights end where other’s rights begin, and vice versa.
2. Natural Rights: Any action or inaction, thought, or word, spoken or written, that does not cross the line of the Golden Rule is a natural right.
3. Ethics: All ethics are founded upon, and entirely dependent upon, points 1 & 2.
4. Morality Is Unethical: Morality, allowing for arbitrary precepts, is inherently unethical.
5. Effort: Strive to live ethically.
6. Inaction is Action: Inaction is, itself, an action. If your inaction results (even indirectly) in someone’s natural rights being infringed, your inaction is unethical.
7. Consideration: Actions often have cascading, indirect consequences, and you bear full responsibility for them. Therefore, failure to consider the indirect consequences of your (in)actions is also unethical.
8. Graciousness: Treat others the way they wish to be treated. Recognize the dividends that gracious behavior has on preserving the natural rights of both yourself and others.
9. Defend the Social Contract: Ethical behavior is a contract between individuals. Aggressors and instigators who violate that contract are not subject to its protections. As such, adherents are obliged to defend both themselves and others from such infringements to preserve the greater social stability.
10. Imperfection: Acknowledge that no body, no thing, and no system is perfect. Not you, not others, not nature, not these precepts. Mistakes are inevitable, it is the effort and intention that matters. Accept and treasure imperfection, and be faithful to the spirit rather than the letter.