I Respectfully Disagree with Meta et al

I read an article this morning that said social media companies are suing California over a new law that restricts use for kids under 16.  The gist of the argument is that CA has passed a law that says social media companies have to block certain features like recommended content and autoplay for those under 16.  In response, the social media companies are saying this violates their right to free speech, and goes against the Communications Decency act, which protects online platforms from being sued over content posted by third parties.  I respectfully disagree with their position for the following reasons.

-The online platforms are not being sued.  They are being regulated.

-The online platforms are not being asked to change or restrict the content of third-party speech.  They are being asked to modify how that content is being shared with minors.

-The US has already determined that children do not enjoy civil rights in the same way as adults.

-The US has already set forth restrictions on certain activities among children, such as prohibiting smoking, alcohol consumption, and operating a motor vehicle.

-Tobacco companies were prohibited from using cartoon mascots, because it was shown to entice children into smoking.

In my opinion, these social media companies know full well that the best way to hook 'em for life is to get 'em started while they're young.  Social media companies are concerned because they see this undermining their business model, and like most companies, they don't care about the downside of their product, just the money.

Contrary to what I've said above, I'm not making a value judgment here.  In fact, I believe that parents should take a more active role in policing their kids' behavior, instead of crying "there oughtta be a law."  My main point here is that I disagree with the merits of the argument, based on existing precedent.

Meh, Nothing Will Change

Unless you've been living in a cave, chances are you've heard that the Democrats had a massive victory in the midterm elections a couple of days ago.  I'm happy about this.  I believe I've said pretty plainly that I don't support Trump.  I cannot think of a single redeeming quality in him.  I acknowledge that I've agreed with a select few of his decisions while he's been in office, but can't think of anything off the top of my head.  My desire for a democratic wave, however, doesn't strictly revolve around stopping one individual.  There's a bit more to it than that.

I don't like the idea of a single party holding the majority of all branches of government, which is quite obviously what's happened over the last two years.  There needs to be a mechanism to keep the majority party in check.  Our elected officials are a bunch of arrogant bastards, and somehow always believe that their election is a 'mandate from the people,' even if their election was by a single vote.  When you get a bunch of elected officials from the same party thinking they all have the same mandate, things get out of hand very quickly.  The thing is, that's kind of what happened with Trump's second election.  The republicans won a ton of seats, but a large chunk of those seats were won by small margins.  Somehow though, the republicans thought this was a huge endorsement from the population at large, and they went to work molding the country to their vision.  Yuck!  The concept of having a democrat majority gives me the ick just as bad.

The other thing I love is that we just had a major refresh.  Since we don't have term limits, a blowout election that removes a bunch of incumbents is the next best thing.  It's been said on more than one occasion that politicians are like diapers.  They both need to be changed frequently, and for the same reason.  Well, we finally got some diapers changed.  I support this.

Unfortunately, I've hit the point where I'm rather cynical about the whole process.  I know that just a few changes would make the system a lot better, but that would require some testicular fortitude from those currently in power.  We need term limits, but those in power won't do anything to strip themselves of that power.  In fact, the only real way to make this happen is through a constitutional amendment.  We need to break the power of the two-party system, but we as voters keep buying into the lie that a third party vote is 'wasted.'  We need to start rewarding our politicians for compromising, instead of punishing them.  We need to implement open primaries for both parties, allowing the people to select their candidate from both parties.  This will encourage moderation from both parties, and it could attract a candidate of higher quality, instead of a more partisan one.

Until these things happen... meh, nothing will change.  Both parties are more loyal to themselves than the country as a whole, and that disgusts me.

Never Stop Striving

I hit a personal best in physical fitness this morning.  I ran three miles in 27:49.  That's a bit over 30 seconds faster than my last personal best, which was about eight months ago.  It's also faster than 28:00, which is the max three-mile run time for an 18-year-old Marine.  This means I can once again pass a Marine Corps Physical Fitness test in the youngest age bracket.  Conversely, some of the kids in the delayed entry program can't complete a PFT in my age bracket.

I'd like to again say that I'm well past my prime, meaning it's possible that I've hit peak physical fitness for my age.  If that's the case, I accept it, but that doesn't mean I will stop trying.

So *That's* Why They Get Along

I read an article this morning where Elon Musk said it's pointless to save for the future, because he expects AI to provide for us in abundance.  What an idiot!

Those words can only come from someone who has never had to worry about putting food in their child's belly or being one missed paycheck from homelessness.  I cannot imagine a more tone deaf statement, except maybe the one from our illustrious POTUS where he said "I love the inflation."

Oh wait!  So that's why they get along so well.  They're both tone deaf bloviators who believe they can do or say no wrong, only surround themselves with people who support that belief, completely lack empathy, and are totally unable to stop themselves from saying whatever crosses through their little not-as-brilliant-as-they-believe brain housing groups.

Like a Cat...

 ... I landed on my feet.

My friend's thyroidectomy was successful and he is home recuperating.

I have a job.  It's not a full time job that lets me keep full financial independence, but I'm good with it.  Let me give you a bit of background.  As I said in my last post, my previous employer is a friend of mine, and he helped me out when I needed a job.  We both saw early on in my time with that company that I wasn't fully occupied, and he asked me if I'd be interested in doing IT work on the side for another company, where he's a silent partner.  I eagerly accepted the offer, because it kept me productive, and doing the type of work I most enjoy doing... designing, building and maintaining IT infrastructures, and helping people use technology.  I did that for free, because it wasn't a ton of work, because i had the free time in my primary job, because it was a new business starting at ground zero, and because my boss is my friend.  When I was cut from this position, my friend/boss said that the second company was still interested in retaining my services.

I had a chat with the primary guy as the second job, and it's now my first job.  The pay is a little less than I had hoped, but it's reasonable considering that I'm only working a few hours a week, and there is opportunity for growth.

During my last gig, when we realized there wasn't enough for me to do, we cut my hours back from full time to 30 hours per week.  I was a bit anxious over the accompanying pay cut, but I quickly realized it was a net gain, because I've come to value my time more than my paycheck.  This new scenario simply ratchets things up a notch.  I've taken another pay reduction, and have significantly increased my free time.

My biggest concern now is how this impacts my lovely bride.  She is once again the primary breadwinner, and she is an incredibly conscientious.  She will carry this load, but I know her well enough to realize it's an additional stressor on her.  On the good side, I'm still contributing to the household finances in some fashion.  I get that a marriage is not about who brings in more money, but how the overall load balances, and that balance is unique to each marriage.  I just need to make sure that I'm contributing my fair share to our marriage.  This means that at least some of this newfound free time will go toward tasks, chores and projects that she currently handles.  I also understand this is my issue more than hers, because I'm the one who feels like I run the risk of letting her down.  On the other hand, she has never once given me reason to believe that I'm failing to pull my weight in our relationship.

A Perfect Storm

Today's a bit of a perfect storm...

I lost my job yesterday.  I'm not surprised, and I'm not angry.  A close friend of mine hired me a couple of years ago when I got canned from my last job.  I was hired to make the company SOC2 compliant, and I accomplished the goal.  Having achieved success, there's just not enough for me to do, so cutting me loose was the only rational thing to do.  My friend helped me out in a time of need, I completed what he asked of me, and my continued employment with him is no longer mutually beneficial.  To be anything other than grateful would be childish.

My best friend is having his thyroid removed today.  He was diagnosed with cancer last month and the doctors decided that removing the thyroid is the best course of action.  I'm not precisely worried, but I am cognizant that sometimes things don't go as expected during surgery.

Today is also the 11th anniversary of the day my childhood best friend took his own life.  It's a slightly strange coincidence that one friend is fighting for his life today, on the anniversary of the day that another voluntarily ended his.

None of these items alone cause significant stress.  Even collectively I'm not exactly freaked out.  I am, however, conscious that all of this is going on in my little world, and it kind of drives home how so much of what happens is out of my hands, and that control is a bit of an illusion.

A Different Type of Political Junk Mail?

I received a message from my ex over the weekend.  We're not friends, and I don't communicate with her, but she's not blocked either.  I guess this stems back to the days when we were co-parenting, when we needed to be able to communicate about the kids.  Over time, communication naturally tapered off as the kids grew up.  In other words, no communication means no need to block.

Anyway, she basically said something like Not sure if you heard, but I recently got a rough health diagnosis.  This caused me to take stock, and along the way, someone said I should make amends to people I wronged, and I realized I never said sorry for cheating on you.  I was wrong and hurtful and you didn't deserve it, no matter what was going on between you and me.  I'm sorry for being unfaithful and for the pain it caused you and our family.

As you can imagine, I had thoughts, which I'm going to share in no particular order:

-Whatever.  This was a long time ago and I really don't care anymore.

-Yeah, I was heartbroken and pissed for a while, not just for me but for the kids as well.  But wife 2.2 is better by every possible measure.  I thought I was taking a bullet, but in reality I was dodging one.

-Ummm... okay, but you do understand you're doing this for you, not for me, right?

-Oh, I get it.  She's on the outs with the kids.  Neither of them are talking to her right now because of her behavior, so maybe she thinks she'll score a quick win with me saying I forgive you.

-Or maybe she's hoping I'll say I forgive you so she can go back to the kids and say dad forgave me for cheating and breaking up our family, why can't you work with me now?

-Dammit, this woman is like herpes.  She just keeps flaring up.  I wish I could just be rid of her.

I pondered whether to share with my wife and kids that ex had messaged me.  Not talking about it would prevent a bit of drama in our lives.  But if (when) they eventually found out, they might wonder why I didn't bring it up earlier.  I chose open communication and informed them all.  They asked what I was gonna do, and I hadn't decided.  I could accept the apology, even though it was kind of lame.  I could reject the apology as too little, too late.  I could completely ignore it.

Here's a paraphrase of my eventual reply... Thanks for reaching out.  I put this behind me quite a while ago.  Let's let sleeping dogs lie.  Wishing you the best on your health...

I didn't want to kick her when she was down, nor did I wish to completely absolve her of wrongdoing.  I also didn't want to dredge up the past.  In a perfect world, this will be the last I hear from or about her.  But she is the mother of my kids, so that's probably not going to happen.  And I certainly don't want the kids to feel like there's something I'm unwilling to discuss with them.  So instead, I'll just consider this what it is... another herpes outbreak.  Or, since it's close to election time, maybe I should think of it as just another unsolicited piece of junk mail from a politician, conveniently seeking my support while knowing full well they don't really care about me, just themselves.  Yeah, I kind of like that idea.  Time to throw that flyer in the trash.