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The AT&T Photo Storage app was discontinued on October 20, 2025. To ensure your treasured memories are safe, please make sure to retrieve your stored photos and videos before February 1, 2026.
*** end quote ***
the AT&T ashcan!
Of course, no reduction in price. Argh!
#AT&T_ashcan, #Google Graveyard
Technology’s version of shrinkflation!!!
— 30 —
Leave a Comment » | 
Technology | Tagged: #AT&T_ashcan, #Google Graveyard, Google Graveyard, the AT&T ashcan | 
Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
https://medium.com/@tomwhitwell/52-things-i-learned-in-2025-edeca7e3fdd8
{tip of the old tin foil hat to Tom Whitwell for the lead!}
52 things I learned in 2025
Tom Whitwell
*** begin quote ***
Every receipt for every purchase in Taiwan includes a lottery number worth up to £250k. It’s a tax compliance scheme with benefits. [Pablo Musumeci]
*** end quote ***
https://www.pablomusumeci.com/p/taiwans-receipt-lottery-the-genius
{tip of the old tin foil hat to Pablo Musumeci for the idea!}
Taiwan’s Receipt Lottery: The Genius Tax Trick on Desperation
Pablo Musumeci
Feb 03, 2025
*** begin quote ***
I buy a black tea at 7-Eleven, grab my receipt, and instinctively crumple it into a ball. To me, it’s trash. But in Taiwan, even trash can be worth a fortune.
The cashier stops me. “Wait,” she says, pointing at the numbers printed at the top. “Maybe lucky.”
Turns out, every receipt here is a ticket for the tǒngyī fāpiào, the bimonthly national lottery. But this isn’t just a game, it’s a tax system in disguise. Businesses must issue receipts to prevent under-the-table deals. To ensure customers actually demand them, the government adds an incentive: every receipt could be a winning ticket.
It’s genius. And strange. Gambling is illegal in Taiwan, yet the government runs its own lottery. Funded by the very taxes it’s designed to collect, it’s a perfect loop: sell hope to the poor, then use their losses to build the roads they’ll keep driving to dead-end jobs—with neatly folded receipts in their pockets.
*** end quote ***
As much as I think “taxes are theft” and that “tax evasion” is a problem, I can’t let a “good idea” be a complete enemy of my idea of the “perfect society”. (That would an completely voluntary Anarcho-capitalist State.)
“What do you call it when someone steals someone else’s money secretly? Theft. What do you call it when someone takes someone else’s money openly by force? Robbery. What do you call it when a politician takes someone else’s money in taxes and gives it to someone who is more likely to vote for him? Social justice.” — Thomas Sowell
Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien. — attributed to Voltaire 1770
(Literal translation: The best is the enemy of the good. Better translation: The perfect is the enemy of the good. Variant translation: The better is the enemy of the good. Better known translation: The perfect is the enemy of the good.)
So until the USA becomes what I see as Utopia, this would be an excellent compromise along the way to being the “shining city on the hill”.
The various Gooferments run lotteries now. Why not one like this that has minimal cost to society and might even be fun!
— 30 —
Leave a Comment » | INTERESTING | Tagged: 7-Eleven, Anarcho-capitalist, medium.com, Pablo Musumeci, Taiwan’s Receipt Lottery, tǒngyī fāpiào, Tom Whitwell | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
US News breaking
Rob Reiner’s son Nick charged with murder, held on $4M bail in slaughter of ‘Princess Bride’ director and wife Michele
By Joe Marino and Patrick Reilly
Published Dec. 15, 2025
Updated Dec. 15, 2025, 10:26 a.m. ET
# – # – # – # – #
I’m saddened by this tragedy. While I was never a fan of Rob Reiner’s politics, I would never wish this or any “bad luck” on him.
Like Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the Bondi Beach anti-Semitism, the Brown University killings, it’s all just to horrific to hear. Maybe during these Holy-Day observances, we should all take time to reflect how “hate” needs to be stomped down.
I remember in the movie “Ghandhi” there was a quote about when the religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims erupted into nation-wide violence. Gandhi declares a hunger strike, saying he “will not eat until the fighting stops”. (Note to self: Watch again and capture that powerful line.)
Maybe we all have to adopt a similar attitude: “ … … until the killing stops!”]
— 30 —
Leave a Comment » | DISCOURAGING | Tagged: Ghandhi, Joe Marino, nypost.com, Patrick Reilly | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
FROM 1440 https://join1440.com/
*** begin quote ***
Australia’s nationwide ban on social media use for children under 16 takes effect today, making it the first country to prohibit underage users from major platforms outright.
*** end quote ***
Sorry, but as LAUDABLE as the goal is — and tyranny ALWAYS starts from good intentions — it’s not the role of Gooferment to police the conduct of children.
For example, the Gooferment COULD force ISPs to give parents tools to protect their children. When the inet first started, the ISP were under that pressure but avoided / evaded it by claiming is was “infeasible” or “not cost effective”. They could have created “MINOR ACCOUNTS” EASILY. (I know I supported the pitch at Comcast when I was working there.)
The UK countries have a terrible record on “free speech” and this is just another example of Big Gooferment “thought police” taking more power.
Argh!
Gooferment at all levels is always seeking to extend its power over the “We, The Sheeple” with “… it’s for the children”.
— 30 —
Leave a Comment » | Ranting | Tagged: 1440, Australia, MINOR ACCOUNTS, social media, tyranny | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
Michigan
Veteran working full-time at grocery store goes viral as social media rallies to help him
By Alex Dvorak
• Published December 3, 2025 • Updated on December 4, 2025 at 1:46 pm
*** begin quote ***
Ed Bambas doesn’t know he’s become an internet sensation, but he’s about to find out just how much his story has resonated on social media.
The 88-year-old veteran working a full-time job at a Michigan grocery store is now at the center of a social media movement aiming to help him retire, with more than $1.2 million raised as of Wednesday.
In a post from Australian influencer Samuel Weidenhofer, Bambas explained that he retired as a salaried employee from General Motors in 1999, but lost his pension due to the company’s bankruptcy measures in 2012.
That year, the Old General Motors offered lump-sum payments to about 42,000 retirees and their surviving beneficiaries as they aimed to cut 24 percent from their U.S. pension obligation, NBC News reported at the time. NBC Chicago has not been able to confirm if Bambas was a part of those offerings.
Still, Bambas said his retirement quickly changed when his wife fell ill and he became her caregiver, leading to mounting medical bills.
“I sold my house, sold the property I had, and we made it through,” Bambas said through tears in the now-viral video. “My wife died seven years ago. Since then I’ve been trying to re-establish myself.”
*** end quote ***
I remember the GM bankruptcy.
https://reinkefaceslife.com/2009/07/06/goverotrageous-no-justice-in-the-governments-courts/
https://reinkefaceslife.com/2009/03/30/rant-a-failure-of-leadership-o-on-gm/
<<can’t find the blog post where the lost her 5k$ in GM bonds thanks to BHO44>>
Getting old sucks and going broke when you’re old is even worse.
Kudos to the Australian influencer Samuel Weidenhofer for picking up the story and all the folks who contributed to the GoFundMe.
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Leave a Comment » | VETERANS | Tagged: Alex Dvorak, Australian influencer, Ed Bambas, General Motors, Michigan, nbcchicago, Samuel Weidenhofer | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
*** begin quote ***
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12:14 PM (16 minutes ago)
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When you leave the company, the Former Employee Site is a helpful place to access Payroll Stubs, Tax Information, Discounts and Benefits. You should have already received your username in an email with Subject, “Step 1 – Important: Former Employee Site Registration”
Please use the temporary password below along with the username to reset your password for the Former Employee Site before the password expiry date.
Click the following link or copy and paste it into an internet browser window to register:
https://hraccess.att.com/hraccess/#/resetpwd/formeremp
Temporary Password: <<deleted>>
Note: Your temporary password will expire on 12/26/2025 11PM CT
The system will prompt you to create a new password immediately.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Although you can register before you leave the Company, you will not be able to LOGIN and access the Former Employee Site until 1-2 days after your actual separation date from the Company.
*** end quote ***
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Error
Unable to process your request, contact your admin An error occurred while parsing EntityName. Line 3, position 58.300000
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I can’t be the only one who thinks that technology sucks.
What do you do to “contact your admin” when you don’t have one?
<<LONG STRING OF PROFANITY>>
@AT&T @AT&T-HR
Argh!
— 30 —
Leave a Comment » | Ranting | Tagged: AT&T HR Access | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
Meal time was extra challenging for this disabled first grader, so a lunch lady made him a custom ‘cafeteria cart’
Dec 4, 2025 5:15 AM PT
*** begin quote ***
6th grader Julian stands behind a metal cart with an Oregon license plate spelling his name
Cafeteria workers and school food professionals are often among a school’s unsung heroes, putting in long hours to prepare nutritious lunches, and even working over the summer to make sure their students are well-fed.
*** end quote ***
It’s a wonderful story when ordinary folks make life easier for a disabled child.
BUT, (and there is always a BIG butt), almost everyone is wearing facemasks when now we know that they are not only useless but actually harmful (i.e., bacterial pneumonia’ children need to see facial expressions).
What can one expect from the liberal socialist State of Oregon.
So sad.
Kudos and jeers all at the same time.
— 30 —
Leave a Comment » | Ranting | Tagged: Beaverton, Julian Worsham., Oregon | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
Boyfriend who left woman on Austrian mountain to freeze to death posted harrowing message after body was recovered
By Emily Crane
Published Dec. 10, 2025
Updated Dec. 10, 2025, 10:30 a.m. ET
*** begin quote ***
Prosecutors allege the couple set off too late and didn’t have adequate equipment, given Gurtner was wearing snowboard boots and had no emergency bivouac gear.
*** end quote ***
Guess he never heard of the Birkenhead Drill and “women and children first”
The Birkenhead Drill, also known as “women and children first,” refers to an unofficial code of conduct established during the sinking of the HMS Birkenhead in 1852, where soldiers prioritized saving women and children over themselves in a life-threatening situation. This act of chivalry has since become a symbol of self-sacrifice and discipline in maritime emergencies.
For an “expert” to be so unprepared and leave a supposedly loved noob behind is criminal.
Requiescat In Pacem Kerstin; you deserved better.
“Leave no man behind” — attributed to the Spartans
Would have been better if he had frozen with her!
Argh!
— 30 —
Leave a Comment » | SURVIVAL | Tagged: Austria, Emily Crane, Kerstin Gurtner, mountain climbing, mountains, nypost.com, Thomas Plamberger | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
‘Inequality in Opulence is Better than Equality in Poverty’ — Switzerland Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutte
# – # – # – # – #
Switzerland Just Overwhelmingly Rejected a New Wealth Tax. Will California Lawmakers Learn?
J.D. Tuccille | 12.3.2025 7:00 AM
*** begin quote ***
California progressives are pushing a wealth tax that would skim 5 percent of the assets of billionaires to cover the state government’s fiscal gap. That is, it would hit billionaires to start—there’s no telling who would come to be regarded as wealthy enough to be fleeced as the state’s spending likely continues to outstrip its revenues. But before Californians proceed down the path of chasing high earners out of the state, they should consider the example of Swiss voters, who just rejected a billionaire tax of their own.
*** end quote ***
Unfortunately, all the “We, The Sheeple” in the Pepuls Republik of Kaliforkneeah are NOT smart enough to realize that, like the Federal Gooferment’s income tax, eventually in a few years will come “down” to include everyone.
Argh!
— 30 —
Leave a Comment » | ENCOURAGING | Tagged: inheritance tax, J.D. Tuccille, Karin Keller-Sutte, REASON.COM, Switzerland Finance Minister, wealth tax | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
https://nautil.us/the-botanist-who-defied-stalin-238183/
The Botanist Who Defied Stalin
By Lee Alan Dugatkin April 21, 2021
*** begin quote ***
Vavilov, and those who starved at the VIR, could only have dreamed of the technology required to build and maintain a seed vault inside a mountain that sits in the permafrost of Spitsbergen, a remote Norwegian island 1,300 kilometers north of the Arctic circle. But the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is the futuristic version of what Vavilov had begun in 1921. Dubbed the Doomsday Vault, with a proclaimed mission to serve as “a global seed vault to serve as a backup storage facility … to store duplicates (backups) of seed samples from the world’s crop collections,” it opened in 2008, as a repository that would ultimately contain all the world’s crop plant genetic diversity. That vault is capable of storing 4.5 million different varieties of plants within its temperature controlled, -18 degrees Celsius facilities: With an average of 500 seeds per sample, that’s 2.5 billion seeds. Precisely the sort of place that Vavilov had dreamed of.
As of today, 1,074,537 samples from around the globe sit in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Among those samples are 60 boxes from depositor 1739365, the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Plant Industry. In those boxes lay samples from 148 species and 41 genera of domesticated plants collected from 109 countries. Many are the descendants of the seeds Vavilov himself collected.
*** end quote ***
Reading this article, one can only wonder what could have been if he was in a “capitalist” country like at the time England or the USA was. Hard to imagine what he went thru to collect samples. Humanity may not know his name, but his genetic “children” live on forever.
So sad to read all these dedicated people dying of basically starvation and political persecution.
Next time someone extolls Communism or Socialism, they should be directed to read this.
“Capitalism” may be “bad” and have “flaws”, but Communism, and Socialism aka Communism “lite”, are horrendously worse.
“The greatest fallacy of democracy is that everyone’s opinion is worth the same.” — Robert A. Heinlein
“Capitalism is a moral system because it offers individual freedom. You choose what you want. You choose your money and where you want it to go. You can be yourself. Socialism is groupthink. Step outside the group straightjacket and freedom ends.” —Stuart Varney
“The answer certainly isn’t socialism. Middle-class voters currently presume that elites already control the government—so why would they want to give the bureaucracy any more power?” — RAHM EMANUEL was the 44th mayor of Chicago
“We all too often have socialism for the rich and rugged free market capitalism for the poor.” — Martin Luther King Jr
This man was an outstanding example of courage and determinatiom. We should all be like him even in the smallest ways possible.
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Leave a Comment » | INSPIRATIONAL | Tagged: Doomsday Vault, Lee Alan Dugatkin, N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Plant Industry, nautil.us, Nikolai Vavilov, Spitsbergen, Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Vavilov | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
-
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FJohn Reinke
Consultant at Technology Legacies LLC
Advisor, Computer Governance Committee at Manhattan College
Editor / Publisher at Jasper Jottings
Greater New York City Area
JJ Positraction JJ Endnotes Downsize DC
Philosophy of Liberty
I have NOT received any gagged governmental information requests
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