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Been there, done that with SuddenLink before Altice bought them. Woke to the notice that my internet was blocked and to contact them to contest it. Like you,it was for torrenting some cartoon. Like I told them at the time, I'm almost 50.If I'm gonna torrent anything, it'll be porn. They told me to change my password to a more secure one and turned it back on with a warning.

Spectrum wasn't 'forced' to do it, they just decided to be supportive of Disney They lost 6 months of revenue for it. I wonder how much Disney paid them, or if the payment was avoiding the legal fees that Cox is paying. 6 months of 1.5 mbps seems like cruel and unusual punishment. Google has weighed in with support for Cox. It's almost like Google is also an ISP... Seems like Youtube would be a bigger target that torrenting users. If that "Somebody" wasn't you, you should use a longer wifi password. Cracking passwords is suprisingly simple if they aren't very long.

Windows 11's latest update includes a free File Explorer flashbang bug for dark mode users wanting to relive their early Counter-Strike days | PC Gamer WWW.PCGAMER.COM Just remember, we're all Microsoft's QA testers now. This is hardly news with the way microsoft is, but the title was so good I couldn't help myself.

Now that it's finally cold out, I've been spinning up more systems to run Folding@home. I already have a 42u and a couple 12u server racks, so it makes sense to build a few rackmount rigs to better utilize space. This one is the combination of all the cheapest stuff I've acquired in the past year. Motherboard - Supermicro X12STL-IF $39.64 - This was miscategorized and listed in the watercooling section on ebay. Seemed to be BNIB. CPU - $34.98 - Pentium Gold G6500 Used ebay find. PSU1 - $34.98 - 1u HP 1200w platinum that came with the breakout board and some PCIe risers. (decommissioned mining system). PSU2 - $20.09 - Mean Well LRS-100-12 powering a PicoPSU that came with some board I bought to benchmark a couple years ago. GPU - $194 - RTX 4070 Ventus. Got lucky and snagged this from Microcenter. Typically I get decent deals on open box stuff there. This was actually a new card that was in the clearance section. I've seen a couple of times where a last gen GPU will pop up for for crazy cheap. Maybe they find a random box in the back and the SKU is so old that when they scan it in it instantly goes to super clearance pricing? Case - $7 RackChoice 2U. Appeared new and unused. Got from an auction place called BidFTA that has several warehouses around here. This is the 3rd rack case I've picked up cheap from there. Any other tidbits were things I already had in the spare parts bin. The V1 proof of concept using a 170w PSU I salvaged from the e-waste pile. The SATA to PCIe power adapter was a little too ghetto for my taste. Mocking up with an old Quadro. Finally found a home for the slime green 80mm Gelid fans that have been sitting in the OnlyFans pile for way to long. Finally decided to toss everything together and get it up and running. The look on the kids face when he saw what this rang up at was priceless. Realizing I bought it in July and am just now doing anything with it makes me want to quit my job even more. Being out of town for work all the time makes it hard to work on my computer projects. Nice thing about using a server board is it has IPMI so I can manage the thing headless. It's running Linux Mint XFCE because I'm not enough of a nerd to use CLI. I'll play around with LACT to dial in an undervolt. Already doing pretty decent.

If this turns out to be true, I might have a lawsuit against Disney! Long story short - apparently SOMEBODY on my home network was torrenting some stupid Disney TV show. Spectrum shut off our internet service due to it. Still don't know who it was, or if it was even true since nobody in my house even watches that stupid show (I think it was Mandalorian). But yeah, Spectrum had cut me off from internet services for 6 months for that. And they were the ONLY broadband company here (still is). I can get CenturyLink DSL with 1.5 Mbps down / 256k up.

The Supreme Court Will Decide If Sony Can Turn Off Your Internet if You Pirate Their Content In Billion Dollar Lawsuit | Cord Cutters News CORDCUTTERSNEWS.COM Today on December 1, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a closely watched copyright dispute that... The article is fairly short. I think it's worth reading. I could have copied a few more paragraphs, but decided I shouldn't copy the entire article. In todays information age, the internet is pretty much required. Gone are the phone books of old. Sony's attempt to take that away over copyright violations means I won't be purchasing anything Sony makes in the foreseeable future. Sony tried to sue individual users, but that wasn't profitable. Now they are suing companies with deeper pockets.

https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Headphones-Bluetooth-Detachable-Canceling/dp/B0D78T44HJ Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal.

Got the 1/2" hammer drill, impact driver, and a jig saw. Next on the list is probably a sander, planer, and some other saws.

I don't own anything with an electronic parking brake and don't want to. I have three cars with manual transmissions and standard hand brakes. I do my own maintenance. I have a Cobb Accessport in the Mustang that can read/reset codes. If I need to change anything more advanced, I have a USB to OBD2 adapter and use a program called FORScan that can interface with just about every module in the car. Eventually when it gets too hard to find vehicles without all that crap, I guess I'll move somewhere that stays a bit warmer all year and go back to riding a motorcycle every day. Granted, even bikes are starting to get loaded up with extra fluff these days.

I have a whole bunch of 18V Makita cordless tools, since I switched over from Milwaukee 15ish years ago. In all that time the only tool that died was a compact drill that I abused for quite a few years. I also have some 10+ year old 2Ah and 3Ah batteries that refuse to die. I've been eyeballing the 12V wrenches and ratchets, but haven't decided if the compact size is worth it. This got me wondering how many Makita cordless tools I actually have, so here's the list: 1/4"/3/8" Ratchet 2x 3/8" Impact Wrench 1/2" Impact Wrench 1/4" Impact Driver 1/4" Sub-Compact Impact Driver 1/2" Hammer Driver-Drilll 2x 1/2" Sub-Compact Driver-Drill 6-1/2" Circular Saw 6-1/2" Sub-Compact Circular Saw 7-1/4" 36V Worm Drive Circular Saw 6-1/2" 36V Plunge Track Saw Jig Saw Reciprocating Saw Compact Reciprocating Saw 16" 36V Chain Saw 10" 36V Pole Saw Oscillating Multi-tool 3-1/4" Planer Compact Router 4-1/2"/5" Grinder 1/4" Die Grinder 16 Ga Nibbler 5" Orbital Sander 6" DA Polisher High Pressure Inflator Grease Gun Compact Vaccum 18 LED Flashlight LED Flashlight/Lantern Holy cow , I didn't realize I had that many Makita cordless tools.

Had a $50 Home Depot gift card. Went ahead and took advantage of their black Friday deal. Brushless hammer drill, impact driver, two 5ah batteries, charger, tool bag + free tool (I chose the $199 jigsaw) for $369 after tax. Will need a sander soon too.

What I'm waiting for is one of these manufacturers to turn around and say a car's warranty is void because the diagnostic system wasn't engaged when the brakes were changed. I'm sure the computer keeps a record of each time it's opened.

On the new Mustang the physical handbrake is an optional add on The physical handbrake should be considered a safety feature. If you are under steering on ice or snow pulling the handbrake could potentially save you from crashing into a tree or the curb. My dad dented a rim on snow once. I bumped into a stop sign once because I didn't pull the handbrake hard enough and I under steered.

The experience of using a PC to communicate and transfer data to and from a smaller device using a system/protocol that isn't regularly encountered by the general public always adds a degree of difficulty that someone might not want to invest their time in doing. For instance, I've rooted enough Android phones over the years that you'd think it's no big deal for me to do it, but it's never a simple affair. It's tedious and time-consuming to make sure you're doing everything right with the proper software lest you brick the phone by doing something incorrectly or out of order. Even when you do it exactly according to the guide, a minor error code somewhere in the process causes minor annoyances later that nobody can help you with because nobody else ever encountered that issue and documented a fix. Then you eventually forget the process after some time and you have to relearn everything when you want to do it again years later. With phones, it's even worse because the rooting process differs from one phone to another, and sometimes even between two of the exact same model phone because each one started with a different firmware version, so you're not even able to use your memory to recall a certain step of the process to save some time. I can see why the vast majority of people wouldn't have the patience for things like this. It paints a damning picture of how things are going today with technology outside of core computing devices that auto manufacturers are pulling this nonsense on systems where it's completely unnecessary. Of all the parking brakes I've ever used in any car I've driven, none have been electronic. Any savvy car owner wouldn't rely on a dealership for anything after the sale, but what Louis is describing is the path that manufacturers are trying to convince their customers to follow, and they're obviously succeeding to some degree when combined with their attempts to demonize independent mechanics.

I just started to learn about OBD2 software and was suprised that electronic parking brake reset was a thing. I'm still using a mechanical park brake. E-brake reset tends to be offered with subscription software (about $60 a year), or more expensive obd2 readers for $120 (one time purchase), or so. There's a slew of obd2 readers and they all have their own marketing gimmicks. From what speed_demon on discord has been teaching me, the right software and a $25 obd2 to usb cable can do the reset. I haven't quite figured out what program is good, probably because my laptop isn't using linux and I haven't tried with a live boot image yet. From what I've read about the pin layout and data transfer; companies may have proprietary data transfer, but it's not encrypted. It just comes down to not having a set standard used across the industry. Manufactures may use a different pin/wire to transfer the data. Which in turn has become a way for companies to milk mechanics for more money. The whole system is a rabit hole that most guys changing brake pads don't want to deal with. But it's far from the anti-consumer standards set by apple who pair their phone cameras to only work with 1 phone. Let's not give them any ideas... Louis' example is a bit extreme because the guy asked the dealership what to do and they gave him the run around. "Buy this tool, use this software, oh that software hasn't been updated for 2025." Actual mechanic shops have probably figured it out already, but anyone else can lose a couple hours of their life trying to figure it out. Similarly any automobile parts shop could probably have reset it for free. (Wouldn't be the first guy fixing their car in an autozone parking lot). One of the 3 great lies is "It's on the computer it will just take a minute." In this situation, people aren't used to interacting with car computers. It's like using a keyboard without experience.

This is an interesting discussion. Unfortunately my 2016 still has drum rears, cable driven, and hydraulic main brakes (discs up front of course). So I honestly have nothing to add to the discussion, other than I agree with the others. I'll NEVER buy a car that phones home, requires a subscription model, and to be honest......probably won't buy a drive by wire rig again either.

You shouldn't have to employ workarounds to deliberately hostile anti-consumer acts by auto manufacturers who have engineered solutions to previously nonexistent problems. Parking brakes have worked for generations before this garbage. Anyone could have seen this coming after BMW tried to charge subscription fees for heated seats. The contemporary automotive industry is built on greed and attempted entrapment of consumers into the manufacturer's product and service ecosystem, as well as financial debt if you're crazy enough to take out a loan (I could just stop the sentence there, but in this case, a loan offered by the dealer). I realize I'm not contributing much with respect to the poll because I won't buy a car that phones home or has unnecessary bullshit systems to complicate functions that had been working fine previously for decades.

its an electric motor, just put a battery on it in the reverse direction.

I was surprised when I ran across a video about this issue, then even more surprised when a story about the breaks and why they were safer and now being used on most cars wouldn't allow the comments section to open so I could post.

I only wish and hope he's correct in some way. Pretty plain to see the circular path and reinvestment cycles; vapormoney while increasing stock assets. What a drag this modern era is in some ways. This whole ball of wax has to melt at some point.

A lot of states are starting to look closer at the data centers that are trying for tax breaks to build because they're saying they'll offer all these jobs, but the people realized they were including the construction jobs in the new jobs created. So,few long term jobs, and even fewer with Ai replacing some of the regular staff that would have been hired. That's great as long as they get them built. One story I was reading was saying how a new Ai center being considered would be dependent on purchased power from the grid and additional fossil fuel generated power for several years until the nuclear vessel (for the reactor) could be purchased, assembled, and approved. Then you also have to find the towns that WANT a nuclear reactor in their back yard with no real benefit for them.

It's almost cold enough out to fire up my FX9590 HD7990 rig. I installed W11 on it just for the lolz and it was surprising how good the system feels just derping around. I built it to play games from it's day which it does fine aside from the massive heat output. No interest in trying to run modern stuff but it's cool that it still can.

I finally have my FX 8 core system up and running again. Can confirm, the FX system FEELS "snappier", and Windows boot time is basically nothing compared to my x3d setups.

That's just lovely.

His actual post