akakunai

The literal way to read what you wrote is to never ask Flatpak, in order:

1. how it can download more
2. the total file size

The only reason no one thinks this is what you mean is because of how many people also mess this up.

Uh, no. Almost everything you can do for logical security only requires free software. Something as easy as ticking the box "encrypt my drive" and putting in a good password when installing Ubuntu or whatever is about as easy as it gets and is LUKS2 ("actual security", as far as at-rest data encryption is concerned).

Just want to add that Mullvad DNS may have high latency depending on where you're browsing from, slowing down your browsing experience. Their public DNS servers are pretty sparse, unlike their VPN servers.

Ain't no one ever teach you the fine art of subtlety? 🤣

I've found that when I watch something in another language with subtitles, I find myself going by what I heard, and using the subtitles to support or reinforce sections or words I didn't understand. I often end up disagreeing with how things are translated, or there is something said in the foreign language that can't simply be translated. In other words, I think using subtitles as reinforcement can be useful, whereas just reading every line and not thinking in the other language for yourself might not really be helping you much.

I think that's also how you get to being able to think in another language too. When you're immersed in it, it seeps into your thought process.

In lots of Canada we have French immersion schools, where English-speaking kids who never encounter French outside of the classroom can become quite fluent in French by giving over half their instruction in French. With age and a few hours of exposure per day, it etches itself into the brain pretty well.

I don't completely agree that anime Japanese is so different from real life Japanese. There is certainly some grammar used that, while correct Japanese, would very rarely be used in real speech. But for the most part, once you have a solid foundation of the language down, and anime or untranslated manga can become very good tools for learning. However, I would not use anime or manga for learning until you know enough to know what is out-of-place and should not be used in real life speech.

I feel as though using structured learning via textbook and—if possible—class (in person or online) is ideal until about early intermediate level. You can tell that there has been a lot of thought into what is taught when. After that, learning on your own becomes easy as you can easily identity what you don't know and what exactly you need to look up.

That's where you guys draw the line? With automated facial recognition vans, CCTV everywhere, among other things, the UK is certainly not a country that comes to mind when I think "civil liberties and privacy".

I just got back from living in Japan recently, and the boiling-frog syndrome of Canadian rail is palpable. I once got to the train station ~90 seconds before the last train to my home city was to depart, and was able to run in and buy the fare all in time to be able to run to the platform just as the train was pulling in.

If you bought a ticket with a non-reserved seat, you can take any train (or combo of trains if transferring) at any time you want between your 2 selected stations. Only if you choose to get a reserved seat and miss that departure is that portion of the ticket price lost (you can always just take a non-reserved seat on the next departure or likely get some leniency if you ask for a new reserved seat on a subsequent departure). Plus, there are always large discounts available for commuter passes.

I don't expect that level of rail in Canada, even in the Quebec City-Windor corridor, but holy hell we're so far behind.

Yep, next election will essentially be a carbon tax election. And so far it's looking like a clear conservative win, where "axe the tax" is the only policy given.

I've [tried] having discussions about the carbon tax on a fact-basis with my parents and they will not even acknowledge the carbon rebate as a thing that exists. Won't even look it up either, since their idea of the carbon tax being a general revenue tax that is funneled together with most other taxes and not refunded is such a simple, easier belief to have than to need to consider the merit of the program on factual grounds. Pretty quickly came to the conclusion that conversing with people who do this is pointless; they have their beliefs and do not want to acknowledge reality. It's too complicated and a simple view of ignorance is preferable.

It's not like there are no genuine points to be had against the carbon tax either.

• It is charged before sales tax, making it not truly revenue neutral.
• The existence of the carbon tax will cause a realized financial disadvantage for most Canadian families when considering the greater economic impact beyond simple tax paid vs rebate received (true despite 4 in 5 Canadians receiving more from the rebate than they pay in carbon tax).
• Taxing the carbon emitted by home heating fuels is more problematic than other fuels like gasoline, etc, since families cannot reduce their carbon emissions from heating as easily; in most of Canada heating your home is a necessity for survival and switching to a less carbon-intensive energy source is a large undertaking.

All to say, there are some genuine discussions to be had on the merit of our carbon tax and the specifics as to how it is implemented. Those above points are not de facto hits against carbon tax, they are just points that can be debated in good faith.

Using the economic impact example; what is the economic impact of inaction. What alternative carbon emission reduction plan do you have that could work better? (Spoiler: >!They do not have one, it is repeal and not replace.!<) Carbon pricing has been evaluated time and time again to be the most effective way to reduce carbon emissions with the lowest economic impact.

Regarding home heating, (assuming a province going by the federal system) 10% of the carbon tax is going to programs to subsidize carbon reduction. This includes heat pump subsidies for low income families.

But, there are very few people who will even allow a discussion to progress to this point, as they do not even understand the program and would rather resort to a simplistic emotional response than acknowledge the program as it exists in reality.