@forest Those are interesting insights, and new to me, at least. Never really thought about it. But surely somebody somewhere should have covered this? Not sure what keywords to use, though.

I'd like to believe someone made this up, and it isn't real, but it probably is.

reddit.com/r/india/comments/n5abcb/…

I was wondering if someone can help me out. I just got a message from Google Voice saying that my account will expire in 30 days if I don't use it.

For some reason my local (Indian) mobile number doesn't seem to be working. So I was wondering if anyone could suggest a number that I could send a text to that would work.

It doesn't matter what happens to the text. As I understand it, the important thing is that the text is sent.

Oh, looks like I need to send to a US or Canadian number. Bummer.

I was about to suggest yourself

@AndrasDeak Yourself?

Ok, just sent a text to a US number. Looks like it went through. I'll see if I get an acknowledgement.

Yes, got an acknowledgement.

Huh, wound up having a conversation via Google Voice SMS. Weird.

I haven't talked to the person I messaged for a year and a half.

I really really suck at the social thing. But I knew that already.

@FaheemMitha self-sms. But then you noticed the US/Canada restriction

@AndrasDeak I suppose you mean SMS my own mobile/cell phone. Yes, I tried that first, as I said.

Nothing happened. There was no error. But it seems that only North America is supported.

@FaheemMitha ah, I missed that, sorry

BTW, what terms are used internationally, mobile or cell phone?

Yes

I think it depends on the flavour of English

cell phone sounds more common so I bet that is US

I think mobile is more common here, but I haven't really paid attention.

Nobody in the US says mobile phone, cell phone is used but most people just say "phone" anymore. A landline is becoming uncommon

petition to call landlines "immobile phones"

I love that in all older US movies/series phones hang on the wall with a 20 m (65.6 feet) long cable. We never had that here.

I was going to say you must not have seen the cables on old phones

My cell phone only gets good signal in one room of my house so a landline would probably be more mobile

Heh. But it would run facebook worse.

probably for the best

Where are you from Andras?

Hungary

Me too, I might make some ramen

such wit :P

:)

@jesse_b I have two landlines here. One of them is a legacy landline. In use for around 50 years, I think. Possibly more.

Changed its number at least once.

If the company dies, I suppose the line would too.

that is one old immobile phone

@jesse_b It was my mother's phone.

Personally, I like landlines. But landline phones tend to use old technology.

They should have an interface like mobile phones do.

That landline belongs to one of India's worst run companies, MTNL.

The only reason it hasn't gone bankrupt many years ago is that it's propped up by the Indian govt. A real waste of taxpayer money.

@FaheemMitha My mobile phone goes into Voice-over-IP mode whenever I'm at home and it connects to my router. I have wired internet from the router out. That means I have a landline, right? ;-)

@Kusalananda Maybe so!

MTNL also has amazingly bad customer service. And techs who don't know any tech.

Hello again, @PrabhjotSingh.

@FaheemMitha Hello

Hi @PrabhjotSingh. How are you doing?

Bass Guftagoo shuru

I'm off for a bit, but back in like 45 min to an hour.

@PrabhjotSingh Huh?

@FaheemMitha I am well.

@PrabhjotSingh That's good. It's a particularly relevant question these days. How's the Punjab doing?

@FaheemMitha Batcheet, Conversation . Now I have rep to talk here.

@PrabhjotSingh So I see,

@FaheemMitha Every place these days is shackled. Punjab is no exception.

@PrabhjotSingh Shackled as in lockdown?

Delhi sounds like things are pretty bad. Do you know people there?

@FaheemMitha No. But restrictions are there.

@PrabhjotSingh Well, it's a lockdown here. But I don't notice much difference from what's been going on this past year.

I hope you are coping.

@FaheemMitha I know almost 40 people in Delhi. But out of touch.

@PrabhjotSingh Yes, I'm bad about keeping in touch with people too.

@FaheemMitha Yes, in some parts of Bombay there were always some kind of restrictions.

@PrabhjotSingh No, the entire city is locked down.

That ENDFILE thing is really cool, @αғsнιη, thanks!

In 2019, after Aug Mahesh Vyas of CMIE carried out a survery. They found unemployment in India is highest in 42 years. Think about it situation after lockdown.

This virus is causing extreme chaos. Just imagine if we got hit with something really nasty.

It is not virus alone. It is gradual breakdown of public health since 90s. since opening of economy.

@PrabhjotSingh If you are referring to India, then yes, of course. Agreed.

Health infrastructure in India, what there is of it, is mostly private, and run almost entirely by bandits.

But you already know that.

@FaheemMitha But this situation is helping them. in Aug 2019 unemployment was highest. Now nobody talks about it. People only think about this disease. Virus is helping them.

@PrabhjotSingh Helping who?

@FaheemMitha Who should take care of economy. Don't you know?

@PrabhjotSingh Sorry, I don't follow. "The virus is helping them." Them who?

@FaheemMitha Virus is helping Govt, suba govts. People don't ask Qs.

@PrabhjotSingh Helping the Govt? Yes, I suppose so. So. What is "suba"?

@FaheemMitha Like Punjab, TN.

Oh my mistake .state govts.

@PrabhjotSingh Ah, OK. How is it helping the Punjab govt?

@FaheemMitha Till last year people were angry how they were functioning. But now people forget about it. Do you know in lockdown many state govts relaxed labour laws? Punjab was one of them.

@PrabhjotSingh Relaxed how? Govts tend to do bad things in a crisis. That's not surprising.

@FaheemMitha Please see

@PrabhjotSingh Any excuse with do to screw people, won't it?

@FaheemMitha I have problem with citation. I am not getting The Hindu since last year. I have talked with akhbarwallah I hope I will get copy of The Hindu soon.

The problem with citations on the internet is you never know if they are accurate. - Abraham Lincoln

@jesse_b I meant physical copy of akhbar.

@PrabhjotSingh I think you mean subscription.

Who is akhbarwallah?

@jesse_b echo weed | grep ed

@FaheemMitha true.

@FaheemMitha He is a friend. Many don't buy because of panic.

@PrabhjotSingh OK

See also mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/…

The govt should protect people from this kind of thing, but of course they don't care.

ed <(echo weed)
g/ed/

@FaheemMitha Is link working?

> If it has not ed, it is not unix. (last line of Ed mastery book)

@PrabhjotSingh Huh, apparently not. One sec.

Try mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/…

@PrabhjotSingh so weeds are a unix since they have ed?

mind=blown

@FaheemMitha Free market takes care of everything. These have not hearts?

@PrabhjotSingh Free markets don't take care of anyone. Perhaps the rich do OK.

Does the link work now?

@jesse_b If you want to talk with me. you should leave mind at home.

@FaheemMitha Yes, link is working. But this is unfortunate. But as we talked this is gradual decline of health. not in India but everywhere.

The problem is when the government seizes the means of production they still put sawdust in the rice crispy treat but they just don't care if people notice anymore.

@jesse_b We get a lot worse than sawdust from "our" government.

@terdon : )

something about absolute power corrupting absolutely

@jesse_b Governments aren't supposed to have absolute power. That's what constitutions are largely about.

@jesse_b What's the word for a group of mass murderers?

@FaheemMitha planned parenthood?

Oh, yeah, constitutions.

trollface.jpg

@jesse_b >:|

@jesse_b Not quite the word I was looking for.

A murder of... murderers

a murder of crows frequently hang out in my back yard. I've been trying to get them to barter with me

Did you bring them gifts?

walnuts would probably go a long way

usually old bread

but my dog tries to eat it all

Ultimately I would like to train them as my personal crow army and have them attack my neighbors

good luck with that

just don't piss them off or they will shit on your car for generations

Actually if I could get them to attack woodpeckers that would be perfect

What's your issue with woodpeckers?

@AndrasDeak They are a nuisance. They peck at my siding, they peck my chimney, they destroy the trees next to my house

And I'm not allowed to shoot them because they are migratory birds

Doesn't that mean that the trees are ridden with worms anyway?

@jesse_b so much for the second amendment

maybe I can shoot them with an emp gun

birdsarentreal.com

Where's that Jaden Smith quote...

> Cameras from 32 billion birds

seems low

Snooping on people with drones like that? Real low :(

Ms Magnet wrtes about billboards that look back in When biometrics fail.

i think the real power in linux lies in it's capacity for computer science education, for example a neighbour discards their printer everytime they run out of ink so i bought cartridges for it and hooked it up, the fact that that is actually a hassle for me (hence forcing me to learn something) see that just isnt there for people like me that have been on windows their whole life. i think im making my point well its as certain as ill ever get

@AndrasDeak but we are always on cctv and have been all our lives if you are going tosay drone perverts are the lowest of lows, can you show me where you think the cctv cuckolds are on that chart?

@FaheemMitha I think there might be some answers on Electrical Engineering about it.