That actually fills me with joy to read.

It certainly did. It certainly got me playing again!

I prefer Chess, but they’re both fantastic. The last couple of years, it really feels like Chess has shot back into the mainstream - and it’s exciting!

Thanks, I’ll keep all that in mind. It’s something I’m hoping to get out of the Fediverse too. I just need to push myself to be more active, rather than just passively consuming.

How have you gone about making friends on the platform? I checked it out, but found it a bit isolating. Surely that’s on me rather than the platform, so I’d like to hear of your experience.

I’ll see what I can do :)

I actually think the privatized model works well for telecommunications companies, but only with strict and heavy regulation. For the same reason as it works with supermarkets, it forces the networks to compete and ultimately keep prices down. But that regulation needs to prevent the large players from merging and buying up competition.

Masts and other infrastructure should be nationalized though, and any networks wishing to use the infrastructure would then have to contribute to funding it. Similar to openreach, but properly nationalized and truly neutral.

This is a good selection of powers, and much more interesting (to me) than the usual array this is done with. For me, it’s very difficult to choose between Flight, Telekinesis and Invisibility… I think telekinesis is probably the most useful. The only way I would choose speed is if both:

1. It is controllable, i.e. you can switch it off
2. It affects how fast you’re able to think

Very much this vibe!

The sweetness if fine, offset by lashings of salt and butter (or butter alternative).

I just have to stop for a moment when I realise I’m covering a pan of oats with… the liquid from what would have been another pan of oats at some point. Oatception.

PS: Thanks!

I hate to be a bore, and regurgitate the same “leftie” discourse that gets repeated a lot online, but:

Royal Mail would become “financially and operationally unsustainable in the long term”

This is because Royal Mail has become private and is now required to become profitable / increase it’s value over time. Which is nonsense. It should be a public service funded by a mix of direct payment (e.g. stamps) and taxation.

If continuing to run six days per week, as the are currently obliged to, has become unsustainable then perhaps it is time it returns to public ownership.

Oat milk, by far. I find it tastes the best of them all in coffee and tea, and works well in things like mashed potatoes too. I do also put it in porridge, but that feels… Uncomfortable.

This is exactly where I am. 15, maybe even 10, years ago I was excited by phone releases that had significant upgrades. This is no longer the case. Screen size ratios have maxed out, cameras are far better than anything I need them for, most flagships have (or have the option of) adequate storage.

Gimmicks like the foldable don’t really excite me. I find them interesting, and could see myself owning one in the future if they become commonplace and affordable. But they’re really not that interesting.

Ultimately, I use my phone primarily for messaging, emails, listening to music/podcasts/audiobooks and browsing the internet. Nothing on the Horizon is going to significantly improve those experiences for me.

I previously had a OnePlus 7 Pro and ran that until the Pixel 7 came out, as my battery life had significantly degraded. I don’t see myself upgrading from this phone for several years at least.

The only thing that would change that, as far as I can predict, would be some startling innovation to battery technology that allows me multi-day battery life.

Edit: I would also jump ship onto a Linux based phone if that were to pick up and become a serious contender.

I managed to reach level 8, but cannot beat that one. Is there a solution you know of? (Not asking you to share it, only to confirm)