I’m. sorry for your thread but in actual fact there is no older tech that is cooler than any modern tech - we get better tech because we get at the same tech as time goes by. Sorry, but your premise is flawed.

The dumb motherfucker who did this was just a homicidal twat. There was no “reason” or manifesto that was given, it was just some whack-job wanting to kill lotso-people.

Gun control is a joke in America…I’m sad about that.

I think, based on responses indicating AI influence, that this is a a worthwhile filter/exclude keyword. I have only encountered the word while viewing /all and it is normally in the /garterbelt forum. Perhaps there is a bot a play?

I have to use fragrance and dye free detergent or I am a total mess - hives, pimples, inflamed irritation spots and even fever. I am flat-out allergic to that shit!

I quit smoking by switching to vape about 12 years ago. I had smoked a pack and a half of Marlboro reds a day for 30 years prior to that. After 30+ years of being hooked on the coffin nails I found a way out and I (and my family) are so grateful.

I still have my nicotine fix, obviously, but I am so much less a slave to it. It used to be that I could not imagine being without a box of Marlboros and a lighter if I was leaving the house. Now, I don’t think twice about heading out for a few hours with no vape (nicotine) with me…it’s just not that important.

I will probably always ingest nicotine in one form or another (vape, gum, patch), as I do caffeine. I no longer feel like I am controlled by it thanks to vaping.

Give alternatives a try.

Download Xcode and build a couple of small projects to get your feet wet. It is a really intuitive environment to code in. You don’t need to pay anything to learn.

My wife and friends think I am nuts, but when I’m feeling digestively challenged I go for the “burn it out” philosophy. I go to my local tex-mex place and wolf a couple bowls of spicy salsa. Follow up with a chile relleno covered in queso and I’m normally right as rain (after a quick stop in the quiet, tiled room of requirement).

I wrote it to automate my workflow - I’m in sales. I enter site details at the customer location and my app crunches the numbers to pre-fill all relevant documents (contract, financing, etc) in PDF form. I also use it as a presentation device to explain service and product details/specs using pictures, videos and PDF documents.

No more paper, no more fiddling around with calculator and rate-cards. I do a little data entry and basically my job is done.

Oops, I’m sorry - I should have mentioned that it’s not on the App Store. It is chock full of company proprietary documents, photos and sales formulae. I wrote it just for myself.

The one I wrote myself to automate tasks at work. It has saved me hundreds of hours of tedium and makes my job so much easier. It only cost me a few weeks of learning (I am not a developer, just a tinkerer) to get it done. It lives happily on my phone and iPad and I use it every day.

The HR department at your company is the company’s advocate they are not your advocate.

If you haven’t already go get Reamde by Neil Stephenson. Slightly similar but less campy vibe - also enjoyed.

Streaming videos on my phone using speaker for audio while at the restaurant eating lunch. I figured for sure, everyone would want to get in on that awesome stand-up comedy action or zany talk show that I enjoy with my meal. It turns out that (gasp!) some people even think it’s rude…LOL.

Double Feature: Ender’s Game (2013) and Starship Troopers (1997) - then we serve them a sumptuous shellfish tower to discuss their surrender over dinner.

TWA as a very young kid - I kept trying to pronounce it as a word and my dad was giggling and my mom and sister kept shushing me…I did not know why at the time.

I am not in the tech field but I love coding and learning new languages. I have for the last 25 years. When my actual (blue collar) profession starts feeling drab or boring my mind naturally starts drifting to find some problem to solve or some way of automating things just to keep me happy and engaged.

Batch scripts on MS/DOS, my first (floppy disk installed) Slackware box. REXX in OS/2. I worked through the animal books and played with Java, Perl, C - actually building tools that work and accomplish things.

Diving in to a new language or project is like discovering a new author you didn’t know about and the hours of joy it will bring me are fantastic and fulfilling. I guess you could say my hobby is learning.

I wrote a great iOS app to help me with things in my job and I use it all the time which saves me literally hours, making my work happier and more profitable. Best hobby ever and totally cheap too!

I’m glad you have someone to lean on - that’s what makes the difference for me. I also don’t do bro - hate sports, don’t like pranks. I don’t have many friends but the ones I have are solid and dependable. I see my best friend less than monthly but we talk several times a day to share work complaints, discuss food or what we’re currently binging on TV.

After reading the other replies I went back and re-read your post to check…you don’t mention a partner or any significant other. I think you might be focusing too hard inward (bad mood, cynical, walls up) and not focusing outward (cherishing interactions with others, forming or maintaining bonds with others). Perhaps you’re feeling lonely?

I am a grump but my wife won’t let me get away with it for long. I am cynical but my friends call me on it because I force myself to share. My work puts me in contact with new people every day and I actively seek an understanding of them and have to let them see who I am in order to be good at my job.

Another respondent said “put yourself out there”. I agree but would also add seek out interactions with others and be a participant not an observer.

I used to vape on mesh and cable wick. Some people think you need cotton in between but you do not if you know how to set it up right.

The coil can be wrapped directly on the mesh or cable as long as you build up a layer of non-conductive carbon between them. Back when they were popular most would use a torch on the mesh or cable to get it scorched. Then you wrap coil gently in complete contact (no loose/floppy coils) with the wick.

The fun part is working out the hot spots by pulsing and actually poking the coil where it tries to short on the wick…it really is an art to get it right.

Once it’s set up correctly you have a nifty juice conduit straight to the coil - you actually have to tip the atomizer to let the juice flow. It can be an excellent vape but kind of a PITB to get right.

I can’t attest to the accuracy of your hypothesis but I have been thinking a lot about AI lately. I’m eagerly awaiting the day that some genius comes up with an AI post filter that I can tell it to “never show me cats” or “block and downvote all memes”. That will be the day that the internet becomes a peaceful place for me.

…and dogs rule, btw.