I'm an international student and I got into both Purdue and University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. But, I got into Purdue specifically for the math program. This was a problem because I wasn't sure I would stick to that major and I wanted room to explore computer science as well. So I had pretty much made up my mind to enroll at UMN. Until this morning when I got an email from Purdue saying that I had been accepted into the CS program after I had applied for a change of my major. Now I'm seriously conflicted on which one I should choose. On one hand, I've already found a group of friends at UMN and a wonderful roommate + my brother is a sophomore there so life would be easier. But I'm just scared I might be missing out on a really good opportunity just because I've become so comfortable with the idea of UMN. Jobs after graduation are really important to me and I've heard that Purdue has a lot of opportunities. Can someone please please give me some advice on what to do?
tl;dr: Should I choose Purdue or UMN for undergraduate computer science?

I have a bad chronic dry eye disease making it difficult to work at a computer all day, particularly at my office where the air is extra dehumidified. I put in a disability accommodation request to work from home full time along with my doctor's work from home recommendation which was denied. Most employees in my department including myself are in a hybrid work from role while a few are full time work from home. Management won't say it out loud, but work from home is something to be negotiated similar to other compensation which I haven't earned yet.
I put in a request with the EEOC and my initial interview with them went well. They said I could file a complaint and begin mediation with my company. If that doesn't work they can start an investigation and see which of us is right.
I feel like I have the evidence on my side, however my concern is mostly with retaliation. Sure it's illegal for a company to fire me over this, but the law didn't stop them from denying my accommodation in the first place so who's to say they wouldn't break the law again. This also isn't my forever company, but it is my first job in this career so a future bad reference is also possible. The EEOC says the reference issue can be handled by an agreement in mediation, but the same problem appears where who's to say my employer won't just break the agreement and give me a bad reference. I would never know. What tend to be the experience when dealing with this sort of thing and is it worth the risk of my boss's retaliation?

Responsible gaming programs are a critical part of everyday business practices in the U.S. casino gaming industry. The central goal of these programs is to ensure that patrons responsibly enjoy casino games as a form of entertainment.
The American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Responsible Gaming Statutes and Regulations Guide is a centralized collection of the statutes and regulations addressing responsible gaming in the 34 states and the District of Columbia with commercial casinos, sports betting or internet gaming as of August 31, 2022. It is intended as a reference guide for industry stakeholders, researchers, lawmakers and regulators.
Importantly, the gaming industry’s full efforts to promote responsible gaming and address problem gambling go well beyond the legal requirements identified in this resource. Industry responsible gaming programs operate in compliance and parallel with state laws and regulations on responsible gaming. The majority of gaming operators and suppliers voluntarily implement responsible gaming programs with measures that expand upon what is formally mandated by law or regulation.
Since the Responsible Gaming Statutes and Regulations Guide was last updated in September 2019, 16 states have adopted legislation and regulations for sports betting that include various responsible gaming provisions. Similarly, land-based commercial casino gaming has been approved in Nebraska and Virginia, while internet gaming has been legalized in Connecticut and Michigan. Beyond the expansion of new states, this guide provides insight into the changes and evolution of responsible gaming since 2019.
Although responsible gaming laws and regulations vary greatly between the 35 commercial gaming jurisdictions, many fit into the following broad categories:

• Responsible gaming plan required – 21 jurisdictions mandate that land-based and online gaming operators prepare and submit for approval a wide-ranging plan for addressing responsible gaming issues. Required elements of the plan often include employee training and public awareness efforts. For jurisdictions that require an overall plan, readers should examine the specific elements that must be included in each plan.
• Self-exclusion program – 34 jurisdictions require gaming or sports betting operators to adopt self-exclusion programs that enable patrons to exclude themselves from a casino or online/mobile gaming site and operators to expel self-excluded patrons if they are found gambling or wagering. The length of the self-exclusion periods available and the procedures for reversing self-exclusions vary by jurisdiction. A majority of jurisdictions establish a central self-exclusion register that includes enlisted patrons from all gaming venues and platforms. Some state laws specify that casinos and online operators must also eliminate direct promotional outreach to self-excluded individuals and deny them complimentaries – commonly known as “comps” – or access to credit.
• Property signage and responsible gaming disclosure – 31 jurisdictions have requirements around on property signage and/or disclosures related to responsible gaming. In some cases, that includes mandating the availability of brochures identifying the risks of problem gambling, requiring disclosure of toll-free helpline numbers and other resources for counseling and assistance, or that gaming advertising (print, billboards or electronic media) include responsible gaming messaging or a toll-free helpline number.
• Advertising restrictions – 30 jurisdictions establish specific restrictions on the types of, or content of, advertising that is permitted. Many jurisdictions require that gaming advertising not be deceptive or target minors.
• Wagetime limits – 25 jurisdictions with account-based online gaming, sports betting or digital wallet wagering in casinos require operators to provide a mechanism through which patrons may self-limit deposits, losses, wagering amounts and/or time spent gambling.
• Restrictions on extension of house credit – 28 jurisdictions block or limit the use of house credit in land-based and/or online casino gaming and sports betting. This may include outright bans on credit advances from gaming operators to patrons.
• Financial instruments restrictions – 17 jurisdictions restrict the ability of casinos or online gaming operators to accept credit card deposits, government issued checks or stored-value cards that represent public benefits, among other things.
• Treatment and research funding – 28 jurisdictions
• have codified commitments to support treatment for individuals with a gambling problem, education services concerning disordered or problem gambling, or research related to problem gambling. Most of those states earmark certain state revenues from gaming for these programs.
• Employee training – 20 jurisdictions specify that casino employees who work on the gaming floor or those who otherwise interact with customers must receive responsible gaming training. Some states require the training to include instruction on how to identify players demonstrating problematic or risky behavior on the gaming floor.
• Alcoholic beverage restrictions – 18 jurisdictions require casinos to limit alcoholic beverage service on the gaming floor or to limit access to gambling services for patrons who are visibly intoxicated.
• Beyond the overarching categories outlined above, states regularly implement other laws or regulations related to responsible gaming. These may include the creation of statewide responsible gaming programs, mandating research on the effectiveness of responsible gaming provisions, or requirements that operators verify gambling winners do not owe child support.

About the Guide AGA’s Responsible Gaming Regulations and Statutes Guide, developed in partnership with VIXIO GamblingCompliance, details the commercial gaming industry’s financial performance, including analyses of each of the 35 jurisdictions with commercial gaming operations in 2021.
Source: https://www.americangaming.org/resources/responsible-gaming-regulations-and-statutes-guide/

Kinda related to maths but i cant think of a sub to post it in so posting it here. (if this is not the right place please suggest me a sub)
So the thing is since i was young i was a very curious child i always created trouble for my parents like i use to do random experiments (that's what i called them but i just did random messing around with things to see what happens when xyz) so like my parents use to scold me for that then like as a grew up the education system in my country(india) just killed my curiosity and interest in all science and maths because the schools were too marks oriented like everything here is just marks oriented no one cares about child's curiosity even if u ask them they say its out of scope or if u suggest a different method (and lets say its wrong) they say just stick to what we tell u dont waste time. so like over time it killed my curiosity i just got worse and worse because i cant do well in subjects that i dont like (but like i did good in computers and studied too much out of course stuff like put 2 years of my most crucial years of high school in it instead of doing maths and sciences more). So like now i am just avg in sciences and maths i got my curiosity back like now i again want to understand things but now i have a different problem one is time (cuz i have to now really focus on marks so i can get into a good clg for my engineering degree) and the second is i get jealous a lot like i a lot.
So like the main thing i want to ask is how to not get jealous of kids who are just soo god at young ages like u come accross soo many kids who are just soo gud at their subjects and everyone is supporting them do better. like i hear story about gauss who solved 1 + 2 + 3 + ... + 100 when he was young in a very interesting way like he was so gud when i hear about young kids doing so good i feel jealous of them i get frustrated i feel like why was i not able to do that why am i not that smart just why. like even when i try hard i cant come up with something very good and smart which some person has not already came up with in past. i once tried to make a formula for some geometry problem and i generalized it just to find that some person 100's of year ago did that. also i waste a lots of time like this and that affects my grades and then my parents say stuff like "ohh you say u are smart(i never said) why cant u get good marks" "you always waste time in useless stuff( yes the subjects i like and when i study some small topic in deep) why u not getting good grades". like i accept that i am lazy and leave stuff for last hour because i never feel like doing that like everthing that is in my course that can get me marks i just hate that beacuse everyone is just grades grades grades like hell with grades i just wanna study man. like ik getting grades is also very important but like i always end up getting jealous and upset when i am studying because i am not smart enuf. when i do maths i try to think of new and easier ways to solve a problem and waste hours on it (i fail 70% of the times) and then i feel sad that i wasted time and i am not smart enuf. Also another problem i have is over confidence (i like to think i am very good and smart and i can be better than others around me) and like when i give my exams and i am doing good and i am solving all questions correctly then i get very happy and then i try to solve the paper faster and then i just make silly mistakes and then i get less score and everyone just again they say i am just bad.
Can someone please tell how to get smarter and better and also maintain good grades and my the stuff i am studying rn a childs play for me( like i did that in computers i grinded for 3 years did programing all day long and like studied a lots and lots of stuff and all exams i gave appeared like childs play i helped other by explaining concepts which teacher cant explain well (cuz most of them lack deep understanding) and i really really feel good when i teach someone about the subjects which i like and i am very good at that works like a reward for me to study more). Can someone please advise me how to get on the lvl of great people like gauss and euler (like ik it sounds so funny like they were really really smart people but i still wanna give it my all).

The company very clearly advertises their lab pricing, but buries in the fine print that those prices are only offered to businesses with established accounts with the lab. If you're a homeowner, they will charge you a separate, MUCH HIGHER price, a price that is not readily accessible from their website.
I had a friend who is licensed to collect bulk asbestos samples come out to help me sample some 12x12 floor tiles, drywall mastic, and ceiling insulation in my recently-purchased 1964 home. He filled out EMSL's chain of custody form and told me where to send it. Before I sent it in I called the lab and asked them where do I pay and they told me "oh don't worry about it we'll send you a digital invoice that you can pay before viewing the results." I said great, thinking I already knew what it would cost me. Well, when the invoice arrive, instead of being charged $37.25 x3 = $111.75, I was charged $130 x3 = $390. Dumbfounded I called the customer support number printed on the invoice, and the rep who answered very unhelpfully told me "uhhh you'll have to call the individual lab that performed the testing." So I did, and they told me that because I do not have an established account with the lab they assessed me their SPECIAL homeowner pricing, which happens to be 2.5x higher than what they advertise on their price catalog for the exact same service. They said they were powerless to do anything about it, that corporate sets all their pricing, but that they would reach out to see if they'd be willing to make a one-time exception and honor their advertised "commercial" price. A few days went by without any word from the lab or corporate so I reached back out to the lab only to be told "corporate got back to us and they're not budging an inch on price."
So yeah, does anyone have experience letting invoices with EMSL go unpaid. Are they going to send me to collections and destroy my credit for failing to surrender to their bait-and-switch pricing tactics? Had I known I was going to be charged $130/sample I would have just sent the samples to AIH for $22/sample.

Yesterday in the middle of the night, my browser started using this plugin that I never installed called Wonder backgrounds, it was obviously malware and it protected itself by saying it was placed there by the organization that controls my computer. This is a PC so there should be no such thing. I eventually removed the extension, but my browser is still having issues. I can navigate to websites just fine, but when I search something, it redirects to some website called 'horoscopespro' or something and then straight to Yahoo, which is extremely annoying. So far I have done the following

• Scanned for viruses through Windows 11 Security - did not find anything
• Went to Registry Editor to remove policies on the Edge browser - this removed the organization control on my browser
• Removed yahoo as a search engine through browser settings - did seemingly nothing to solve the problem
• Reset browser settings - did seemingly nothing to solve the problem

For context, this is the plugin that came out of nowhere: NewTab Wonders - Microsoft Edge Addons
Is there any other suggestion to solve this problem?

I’ve always been really into ghost stories, or urban legends in general. The White Lady, haunted dolls, vampires, black eyed children, that kind of stuff. I know that, today, people my age aren’t big fans of that kind of horror anymore, preferring it things like the Backrooms, analog horror, all the new kinds of scary media. Honestly, I get it, things do need to evolve, and when we see everything that’s happening in the world, it’s understandable that a good old ghost story don’t do the job anymore.

Still, the “old fashioned” horror (it’s not that old, but things move fast on the internet) is always my jam. I grew up watching youtubers investigating haunted places, ghost hunting, with all their accessories, EMF meters, their little radio thing that they use to listen to radio frequencies so that they can hear any interference, their antenna that beeps when something approaches it, voice recorders, special flashlights, and let me tell you that all this, it was doing it for me.

So, since my, probably 7 years, I dreamt of doing these things myself. Of course, I tried everything a young boy is able to do, like Ouija or stupidly walking around my house with my phone filming, hoping that some random deceased person with unfinished business will show up to, I don’t know, have a chat. I wish I could say that other people’s judgement doesn’t affect me, but that would be a lie, so, going in to high school, I had to socially tone down my interest for those things in order to have friends. None of my friends and classmates knew about my persisting passion for ghosts and creepy stories.

I realize that keeping this such a secret is a bit ridiculous, especially approaching my 18^th birthday, but, you know, it would be even weirder to reveal it after hiding it for almost 6 years like it was something super taboo. So here I was, I started hiding my passion at 12 to avoid other’s judging it, and I’m now still hiding it at 17 to avoid others judging the fact that I hid it… A bit pathetic I got to admit.

Anyway, everything started a few days ago. I have an art history class at school and the teacher really likes to give us big works of research. This time, he had a new idea, the whole class will be divided into groups of two, and each group will receive a building from our city that the teacher had choose for his architectural and artistic interests, and we’ll have to give it a visit and write an analysis on the different things we’ll notice and link it to what we saw in class. Since all the buildings were not public places, he had asked the authorization of every property’s owner.

Honestly, this could have been worse. This actually sounded kinda cool to do. Now, what I was concerned about was who will be my partner. Obviously, I was hoping for one of my friends. After explaining the rules and exact instructions for the work, he started to announce the groups. I was waiting to hear my name, anxious, as all my friends were slowly starting to be put into their groups.

“Joshua!” The teacher said (yeah that’s my name). “You will be with…” I was holding on to my chair. “… Elizabeth!”

I turned to Elizabeth, and we looked at each other. Neither one of us seemed excited. It wasn’t a terrible pair, I thought to myself, I just didn’t know what to think of it exactly. Elizabeth was a pretty popular girl, not that I was an outcast or anything, but she was still way more popular than me. I didn’t know much more about her, despite the fact that we were in the same class since my first year of high school, but it looked like she was going to be an okay partner.

The teacher then gave us our building. I won’t reveal the real name of what he gave us so I’ll call it “Guaraldi’s Street 22”. Apparently, it was a pretty old house that had somewhat of an historic value to it. The teacher gave us some information so we wouldn’t stumble there without any prior knowledge. The owner was an old woman who had always lived there. She was apparently very glad to open her doors to young students and was ready to answer any questions we could have. He warned us that she had a weak audition and that we would have to speak loudly. The teacher then recommended us to do a little bit of research before going there, so we could already have some idea of where we were entering.

I then found myself in front of Elizabeth. I think the last time we even talked to each other was months ago when she was distributing a test to the class and that I said “Thanks”, so, yeah, not a lot of background. I noticed, and I don’t know why it took me so long, I guess I never paid much attention to her, that she was dressed in kind of an old style, she wore some clearly used dungarees. The date the teacher had scheduled for our visit was on Sunday, and we were Thursday.

“So, hum, I guess, we can both do research on our side, and we’ll meet, maybe at lunch break tomorrow to get on the same page. Is that good for you?” She asked me.

“Yeah, that’s good, we can do that.”

“Okay, then, see you tomorrow.” She said.

“See you.”

On that she turned her feet and left for her break. The rest of the day went by and I got back home. As usual, my mom wasn’t there, she often has to work late as she’s a single mom to me and my little sister Rosa. I ate my diner and went to my room. I opened my computer to start my research. It wasn’t hard to find information, even though things were repeating themselves a lot: “so much historical meaning for the city”, “a perfect example of “art-deco” architecture”, “a house filled with stories”. There was a lot of talk by local medias about it, but not much actual facts.

It was so weak, that I had to go to page 2 of the search results on google, or, as I like to call them, “the abyss of the internet” (I’m exaggerating a bit, but it’s not often that you have to go there).
Then, something caught my eyes. It was a forum about paranormal experiences, and the address was mentioned on a post. I immediately clicked on it and read the whole thing. It wasn’t exactly the most thrilling story I’ve read, but here’s what it basically said.

Apparently, the owner opened the house as a cottage during the summer, and the person posting was narrating what he experienced during his passage there. He described a very special and kinda suffocating vibe that was apparently all around the house, and the feeling of being observed all the time. He also talked about hearing voices at random moments. They were brief but often mentioned his name. The end of his testimony talked about his last night, when he said he saw a little child with no facial expression in front of his bed, who slowly started to climb into it and grabbed his legs, trying to pull him outside of his bed. The poster said he eventually succeeded to push the kid away, despite his unreal strength, and that the boy ended up running out of the room, laughing. When he spoke to the owner about it the next morning, she said that it must have been his imagination playing tricks on him, as she didn’t believe in paranormal and that nothing similar ever happened to her.

This wasn’t much, it could have been a complete lie, but I would be lying if I said it didn’t peak my curiosity. The story was as basic as it could be, but it was so specific for it to happen in that place, which was absolutely not famous, and even less for any paranormal events. I kept that in the back of my mind and continued my research, but I didn’t find much more, so I went to sleep.

As I was lying in my bed, I was thinking. What if the person who posted his story said the truth. This was the first time I was going to enter somewhere that old and charged with history, this could be the perfect place for my first ghost-hunt. But of course, I was going for school and won’t be alone, plus, it’s not really respectful to the owner, who kindly opened the doors of her family house to us. And even if I wanted to, I’d be constantly with Elizabeth, so, it was not really an option. I looked at the EMF meter I received for a birthday on my shelf and thought to myself that this would be for another time.

The next day, as planned, I met with Elizabeth at lunch break. We started to share the results of our research, where I did not include the post from the forum for obvious reasons. We talked a bit before coming to a clear conclusion.

“Yeah, the thing is, we have the same exact stuff, there isn’t much interesting infos to be found online, except very surface level stuff.” She said.

“Yes, I think we should prepare the questions we want to ask the owner instead.” I answered.

“You’re right, do you think you can have yours for Sunday?”

“Yeah, no problem.”

We exchanged a bit more and eventually went back to class.

On Saturday, I prepared a few questions to ask the owner.

Then came today, Sunday. The meeting was planned at 11AM. I woke up normally, took a breakfast, got dressed, everything. Before leaving my room, I took one last look at the room and I saw my EMF meter. It was like he was begging me to take him. I grabbed it and left. I didn’t know if I would actually use it, but I had it. It had an option where instead of lighting the small lamps he was vibrating, so I activated that and put it in my pocket.

I arrived at the house and Elizabeth was already waiting for me. We knocked and we could hear the owner walking towards the door saying “Yes, yes, just a second.” She opened and she looked like the sweetest thing ever. She was short and had a naturally kind face. We could see that she was clearly dressed and make up for the occasion. She welcomed us and let us in happily. The hallway was very pretty, I understood why our teacher got us this house, it was indeed very interesting. The walls were covered with paintings and old pictures, mostly portraits. On everyone of these, the people had a very serious look, but that’s not unusual for old pictures.

We walked to the living room where she served us tea and we sat together.

“So, I think you have some questions for me?” She asked. You could see that she was very glad to talk. “Don’t be shy, I’m open.”

Elizabeth started to ask her first question then I did, and we could ask her everything.

The house was her family’s for many generations, but it hadn’t always been theirs. All the persons in the hallway, paintings or pictures, were previous habitants of the house, and they went as far as the 15th century, so, yeah, it was all pretty old. She said they could only know the identity of some of the first generations but that a lot of the people were non identified. She answered a lot of other questions regarding the architectural and artistic heritage of the building, and she was surprisingly very interesting to listen to. Her enthusiasm and kindness were contagious, and we both couldn’t help but ask more questions.

Eventually, we arrived to the end of our list, and it was time for us to visit, take notes, analyze, all that. She asked us not to touch anything, as a lot of things had a lot of value, but let us wander free in the house. She said she’ll be making cookies for when we’ll be done. Elizabeth and I found ourselves alone in the living room and finished our tea.

“God,… She’s adorable.” Said Elizabeth with a smile.

“Yes, she’s so sweet, I wasn’t expecting that.” I said.

“Let’s, maybe start with there.” She said, pointing to the room besides us.

We got up and entered it. The walls were covered by huge bookshelves. Elizabeth started to take notes, looking at the room, and I started inspecting the books. There was probably a more than a thousand books, and some of them looked super old. I read the titles of some of them, and the least I could say was that it needed to be rearranged. “Cooking Asian Food”, “Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince”, some old book with the title erased, and even a CD in the middle, it was a bit random.

We eventually moved on to the hallway. It was a bit oppressing with all those eyes who seemed to observe us. Elizabeth did mention how it felt a bit weird and we started to take notes again. At some point, my look stopped on one painting at the back of the hall. It was a young lady, dressed classically, maybe a bit poorly even, for someone who would have lived there. She was kinda pretty, if I’m being honest. But the reason why it caught my eyes was that it was the only one who was smiling. All the other people represented looked dead serious, but her, she smiled. A sweet, even caring and warm smile. I noticed that it seemed like she was staring at me. Of course, a lot of paintings give that same impression, but it was more intense on her.

My heart skipped a beat. I was sure that I just saw her winked to me. I let out a gasp. I was convinced she winked at me. The vibe went from slightly oppressive to extremely heavy. Then we both heard it.

“Elizabeth.”

An unrecognizable voice had just whispered. Elizabeth turned to me.

“Did you say that?” She asked.

“Elizabeth.”

A younger voice this time. We were facing each other, so we knew it couldn’t be one of us this time, and the owner was in the kitchen. Elizabeth’s eyes opened wide and she slowly walked towards me.

“Elizabeth.”

She jumped.

“WHAT THE… fuck?” I let out. We were looking around us.

“Joshua, I don’t like this…”

“Yeah, me neither.”

We were frozen in place, with all the paintings looking right to us.

“Elizabeth.”

That time it was a deep voice, and it came from behind us. We turned. Slowly, all the faces of the paintings and pictures started to clearly move. They were opening their eyes wide and opening their mouths, maintaining their serious, and now even melancholic look.

“Holy shit, holy shit, what the fuck is that, what is it!” Elizabeth was mumbling, panicking as I was starting to breathe faster.

All the people started to say her name together on repeat: “Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth…” I turned my head to the painting of the young lady from earlier, and she was the only one that wasn’t moving, still the same smile, she looked at peace.

I don’t remember exactly what I was whispering at that moment, but we were both freaking out.

We heard some scratching noise. Long, dirty hands with sharp nails, almost inhumans, were piercing the pictures and paintings. The eyes of the people were becoming all black, and their jaws were opening more than humanly possible as they kept on repeating her name. The hands were all getting closer from us. We were now touching one another, completely surrounded by those hands. Then, they moved way faster and a lot of them got their nails right into Elizabeth’s skin and pierced it while descending all over her body.

She screamed loudly out of pain. It was a terrifying scream. All the hands got to their pictures and back inside of it while closing what they pierced. Soon, the pictures and paintings were back to normal, but Elizabeth was bleeding from all over her body and was on the floor, crying. I got to her level and tried as much as possible to reassure her, but I wasn’t very effective as I was myself in shock and terrified.
We heard the owner walk towards us.

“What’s happening to you two? I heard screams, are you okay?”

She entered the hallway and saw the scene. She looked completely shocked.

“But what happened?” She asked.

Both of us were unable to answer to her, we had no idea what to say that wouldn’t make us sound crazy, so we just looked at her with whatever faces we were making at that moment. She didn’t wait long and went to take a first aid kid. She sat down and put some bandages all over Elizabeth, as I was reflecting on what happened. When she was done, we both wanted to leave, so we said that we had what we needed for now. She looked sorry and packed some cookies for each of us. As we opened the door to leave, she articulated one last phrase.

“I hope you’ll come back.” She had a look and a tone of sadness. We got out and were now on the street.

We both looked at each other. She was covered in bands, like she got into a huge fight. I started to speak but she lifted her hand.

“Not today. Another one.” She said. “I’ll see you at school.” And she left.

I got on my way too and gave one last look to the house. The old owner was watching me from her window, and I couldn’t tell what her expression was.

I was too tired so I ignored it and went back to my house.

I’m posting this now that I’m back at home. I have no news of Elizabeth, but she did add me on Instagram, so…

I have no idea what I should do now, I have so many questions, so, if anyone has any theories, I’ll take it. I’m also open to questions of course…

I thought that there was one company that actually cared about the consumer but it's just another company that cares more about everything else. That's how my opinion has changed on Nothing.
Typing this from a nothing phone 2.
3 of my friends have the phone 1 and all of them have complaints, ranging from photos not saving (I've had that one too), phone overheating and hanging up, low performance, etc. The largest one, is nothing just outright ignoring the issues with the phone 1 and not giving them much in the form of updates as they gave the phone 2. I understand they want to sell more of the new phone but they have ignored the people who trusted their first phone.
I preordered the phone 2 and have had it since day 1. My problems (phone 2) have been, it sometimes becomes unresponsive when I am recieving a whatsapp call. The camera sometimes doesnt save pictures. It has a twice or thrice gotten very hot on a phone call, so much that I couldnt keep it on my cheek. Inconsitency in photos has been a thing, ans they dont save sometimes. Overall the phone isnt bad. The phone never told me if an update was available. I always had to check myself. There's no real use of the glyphs. Because you cant use the timer in the clock app to use the glyph timer. And its really easy to stop it midway by mistake. There arent many apps that use the glyph integration, and the ones that do are inconsistent. Zomato has only worked once for me. And I checked, its still on. I dont use uber.
The good about the phone. Great battery life, one of the best phones at the price, Looks great, pictures are very nice, not as good as pixel or samsung or iphones. But this has its own look and I like it. Even though it isnt consistent and wont save some pictures. It was fixed but still happens sometimes. Love the Nothing UI.
The marketing from nothing is the stupidest I have ever seen from a company. They called a kid to reveal a product and it was visible on his face that he was asking the questions that they told him to ask. The video in which they answered the concerns with phone 2(a) 's design. I actually liked the design personally but the way they handled it in the video sounded like this - "we know that people have not recieved it well. We know people dont like it. But we made it and it is a good design, and we know it, and people dont understand it" it didnt feel like they owned the idea. They didnt accept it and it felt like a media trained answer. Something like an apple kind of reply. They didnt really say well we tried to do something new and that's what innovation is. That's all I was waiting to hear through the whole video.
The glyph was improved the apple way. The glyph interface for nothing phone 1 was never updated. Even though they could have added features like priority notifications, notification for a certain app etc. The nothing phone 3 will have some new glyph features that the 2 could trchnically have but they just gatekeep it like apple. The nothing composer could easily have a communtiy tab to share tracks and if they havent yet considered the idea. They should stop calling themselves innovators. I can myself think of atleast 10 new ways that the glyph interface could be used to improve the experience but they are just not improving it. It's just a gimmick to me. Just a party trick.
Also cmf buds pro suck, the noise cancellation is so bad, that they seem expensively bad.
I might still consider buying another nothing phone in the future, but not with the idea that they are a company that want the consumer to have what they want. They are just another company making smartphones.
Also atrocious naming scheme. Is it going to be the nothing phone (3) or the 'nothing phone' this time? Who is that dumb? Who are you? The USB forum?

I have a problem - I am lazy! But I want to do something about it. To do so, I am looking for an accountability buddy/coach that makes sure that I stay on track and do my work properly.
Goals: Mostly "career", but also personal development. I am actually blessed by the fact that I am completely financially independent (early Bitcoin investment gave me the opportunity to retire at the age of 30). However, I am still doing unpaid, voluntary work as a programmer. I am maintaining multiple open source projects that are used all around the world, getting integrated into all sorts of infrastructure. As such I feel like my work is important and that I can always do "yet a bit more" to help society as a whole. But sometimes I am getting lazy. And don't get me wrong here, I am not talking about "taking a break" or having a free time at the end of the day - those things would be totally fine! I am talking about pretty much doing nothing for multiple weeks, sometimes months. These times are ... problematic. Not only for my work, but also for my mental health. So I am looking for someone that is basically a safe guard for when that happens, reminding me of getting back on track.
Level of accountability: I am aware that I'd be asking for much here, but luckily I do have the budget to finance it, so I'd be looking for daily check ins and motivational guidance. It is especially important that you can be there for me at some time between 9-5 in CET. How much you are there is up to you, could be 1 hour, could be all 8 hours. I do have further ideas that would become a bit invasive, as such they would need to be discussed well, when the time comes. I wouldn't start with those in the beginning either, but once I get used to be around you I might feel more and more comfortable to open up to you and give you more and more access to my life. Pretty much to survail me.
Requirements: I am very open to discuss pretty much every aspect of this job, almost nothing is set in stone yet. There are only two hard requirements from my side:

1. You are able to understand and express yourself in english. If you were able to understand this job application this far, without help, then you have already passed on this requirement.
2. Communication is through Discord. Nothing else. I am pretty much constantly on Discord because of my workflow anyway, having any other form of communication isn't possible.

Payment: Around $15/hr, also negotiable.
If you find this job interesting, then please do not hesitate to hit me up via DMs here on Reddit.

Two months ago, I posted on Blind looking for a NYC LeetCode study buddy and was surprised to receive over 100 responses. This led to the formation of a study group. While there were some a lot of “so cringe” comments—pretty expected from Blind—the feedback was largely positive.
I’ve joked with my friend that this is my "leetcode hate club." For 12 years, I avoided LeetCode since it had nothing to do with my front-end engineering role, and it seems barely relevant even for backend positions. However, given the job market, I realized I had to suck it up and bite the bullet. It wasn’t about whether LC was relevant. It was a question of “do I want to get a job with good WLB that pays well”.
I still hate LC. It’s a chore. But at least I formed more of an understanding of why LC was used. It isn’t about mimicking real-world job skills but rather about providing a method for companies to filter through thousands of applicants in an over-saturated market. Leetcode is used to assesses skills like adapting to new systems quickly, recognizing patterns, and solving ambiguous problems.
Despite my reservations, the study group has made the experience more tolerable, even helping me pass a technical screen for Meta. The recruiter noted my need for improvement in speed and coding abilities, but highlighted my excellent communication, honed by repeatedly explaining concepts out loud in the group.
I’m now looking for advice on applying for positions at mid to large tech companies known for good work-life balance. What are your recommendations?
EDIT: If you're interested, linkies :)

• Discord
• EventBrite
• MailingList

I know this has been discussed alot but can people who have adequate knowledge of Arabic tell me some problems that are present in this book in it's "truest form"
I will most likely use your answer for debates and stuff so please take your time answering

I (22F) live at home and my parents have set it up where I pay $400 to them to help with whatever bills come their way and $400 to contribute to my TFSA each month for "rent". Im lucky enough to not have to pay for a phone bill and the only expenses I do have are my own groceries (I live in an in-law suite so I have my own kitchen etc.) and my car insurance. I currently drive a 2014 Lincoln MKZ and spend an insane amount of money on gas each week ($100.00 to fill and a 11.6L/100KM fuel efficiency) and have had an astronomical amount of bad luck with repairs. Just recently it was $1000 to get a safety to switch it from my fathers name to my name and has required a rear differential, steering column and had multiple different problems with computers and boards and even to replace a lamp for my blinker was upwards of $500 because Lincoln has made it so hard to get at.
For a little more backstory I have been lucky enough to grow up in a pretty wealthy family but we dont like to flaunt it. My grandparents have always told me growing up "if you cant pay it in cash you cant afford it" and they have taken that and lived by it. So going to my father or grandparents for advise on how to not let the salesmen run me over and take advantage of a young girl at a dealership hasn't gone to plan. They keep trying to tell me it's a terrible idea and I will end up not making payments and it will be one of the dumbest things I can do this soon in life. They keep telling me I cant afford it and it will end up coming around and biting me in the ass and it will ruin my life.
The car I am looking to finance is a 2020 Ford Escape Titanium Hybrid. It will be MUCH better on gas (5.6L/100KM combined fuel efficiency) and the payments would be $233 biweekly for 5 years. I have looked into different loan options like a line of credit but the interest rates at other dealerships and bank loans are much higher as the Ford dealership is at 8.99%APR.
Im looking for some advise or insight on if its as bad as they keep making It out to be and if it will really be such a terrible idea. I have worked it out so I will still have a savings account I can regularly put money aside for repairs/emergencies and I have an old friend sending me $200 biweekly paying me back for money they borrowed (my family doesnt know about this)

Hello! I recently bought a new computer but I've been facing some problems with the audio. The microphone quality is way worse. While my old computer could have sample rates up to 192kHz, this one only lets me select 48 and 44. Is there a way to increase this?
PC specs:
4070
Ryzen 7 7700
16gb ddr5
High Definition (HD) Audio, Realtek® ALC897-Q
Sennheiser game one

Hi there!
Boy, I had a lot to say about this one. So far, the Zero series has been a blast. Really excited to keep diving into them! I've heard the ZX series is also good, but a bit weird... but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
As always, if you read all this rambling nonsense, thank you!

Mega Man Zero 2
A game sequel is a great opportunity to fine-tune a great or flawed game. Where Mega Man Zero set the stage for yet another Mega Man spinoff series, Zero 2 is where it begins to find its footing—but not without tripping a bit.
I think Zero 2 can be summed up like this: it is more Mega Man Zero. If you liked that game, you will like this game. It carries over much of what that game established and adds a few minor QOL tweaks to make it shine. Sadly, I think the flaws it doesn’t address is what holds Zero 2 back from being truly great.
Let’s start with the good stuff.
The storyline here is a big step-up. With these games, it’s clear Capcom wanted to place a greater focus on the characters themselves, along with storylines that are a bit more complex than “wake up Mega Man the same asshole you’ve fought for 10 years is, to everyone’s surprise, being an asshole”. The game’s main villain, for example, is a well-meaning chap that starts off on your side but becomes corrupt thanks to what seems to be an intense desire to prove himself—a desire that leads to a ton of collateral damage to both allies and enemies. We establish what I imagine will be a key theme going forward: whatever the hell the Dark Elf is, it seems to latch onto personality quirks that it can use to its advantage and crank them up to 11. Just about every boss you fight exhibits this, especially in the refight stages. It’s not quite going Maverick; something about it feels more sinister, somehow.
The elf system returns, and using them still tanks your rank, but this time you can at least find sub tanks out in the world. A new upgrade system rewards you for playing through levels in specific ways (kill X amount of enemies with a dash attack, kill Y amount of enemies with the buster, etc.) and grants you new forms that do everything from turning your saber combo into a single powerful swing or letting you roly-poly-blenderman your way across stages (a personal favorite, for sure).
Another upgrade system, one that I have mixed feelings on, is EX forms. Bosses still don’t drop their weapons, but if you clear a level while your rank is A or higher, you’ll unlock a unique, often powerful ability. I’m mixed on this because on one hand, rewarding skilled play is great. It incentivizes more playthroughs and taking the time to master the game’s systems (and, indeed, I do really want to play this one again and see if I can improve! And I wanna try hard mode! Mega Man games do not typically have this effect on me!). On the other… well. I don’t think it’s very fun to grant awards that ultimately make the game easier and more fun… to highly skilled players only. I feel like they could’ve balanced this better. If nothing else, tying the “damage” points to how much health you have at the end of a boss vs. how much damage you took throughout the level may have balanced it out more.
Or perhaps I should simply “git gud” as the kids say. (Do the kids still say this? Sorry. I’m an old)
One thing to the game’s detriment is that weapon upgrades return, and they’re just as clunky as before. Kill X enemies with a weapon and you’ll unlock a new ability for it, and just like Zero 1, the charge shot takes way too long to get to. Let me charge my damn shots, Capcom! Why make me wait?
The other returning flaws are harder to blame the game for—i.e., the GBA’s screen size making it harder to avoid damage from off-screen (and spikes, Capcom please, you do not need to put spikes at the bottom of a long drop, who hurt you?). Things like that.
Along with returning flaws come a handful of new ones. The most significant one being the Chain Rod. I don’t really know how to sugar coat this: the Chain Rod sucks. As a weapon it’s mostly fine, I guess. But the utility is bafflingly poor. The intended use of it is to use it as a grappling hook, swinging across ceilings to avoid spikes or to reach higher, hard-to-reach spots. The problem is that it feels awful to use. Building momentum simply isn’t possible—it stops you dead in your tracks unless you manage to angle the shot just right during a jump. Maybe my brain is just hard-wired to use these things a certain way (Super Metroid, Super Castlevania IV, and even Environmental Station Alpha comes to mind) but there was almost never a point where using this thing felt better than just jumping across a gap or finding some other way to get to an Elf.
That aside, when I say this game is “more Mega Man Zero” that does mean all the good things as well. Boss fights? Sublime. Zero’s controls? Smooth. The spritework? Immaculate. Ultimately, I feel that Zero 2 is an improvement over Zero 1 in almost every conceivable way. But there are enough little things carried over from the first that I’m left wanting more. It is for that reason that I’m giving it a slightly lower score.
8/10

Classic Series 1-4 Classic Series 5-6 Classic Series 7-8 Classic Series 9-10
Mega Man X Mega Man X2 Mega Man X3 Mega Man X4
Mega Man X5 Mega Man X6 Mega Man X7 Mega Man X8
Mega Man Zero

I took my car to a mechanic in Virginia almost a year ago. He promised that the car would be fixed in a week, and it would cost me $2200.00. I gave him $1200.00 up front. Here it is 10.5 months later and my car still isn't fixed. Mind you, I check on my car 2-3 times a week. I flat out asked him several times, can he fix my car and he said yes. You would think that the mechanic is tired of seeing me. The problem went from being a computer box--that needed to be reprogrammed (I forgot the name of the part) to as of Friday of last week "rodents chewed the wire harness and he is looking to replace the harness" I just need to know what legal remedies I have? Allegedly, he moved the car to another mechanic (I don't even know). I want to know if this mechanic is licensed and bonded so that I can file a claim and if not, do I sue for the bluebook value of my car now or what I paid for it?

So to preface off I wouldn't call myself a republican but someone who leans right on most hot button issues but would be considered more left on social issues.
Now I remember back to both the 2016 elections and the 2020 elections and I also am not afraid to admit some of the loudest trump supporters were just straight old southern style racists. Which led to the left calling all trump supporters racists by proxy. Now being the mature person I was, was able to see through the bs of that narrative and follow simple logic, and realize something obvious.
The more modern movements against racism and bigotry etc didn't start after Trump. They began to gain traction around the early 2010's on the left. So the media used that as their angle against trump which brought these movements and their voices to the forefront during the first Trump election cycle. Which in turn brought out the true racist and bigots in full force out of hiding because they felt like they were being attacked. A small amount of the people who voted for trump are truly racist even though at the Trump rallies and at all of the public voicings like that its not hard to find those racists.
So just like not all Trump supporters are/were racist bigots, not all these protesters hate America or are antisemetic nor is the movement as a whole or in part an antisemetic or anti-American movement.
So if the right is able to use its brain and not get scared out of using simple logic by means of slander and forced association with loudmouth radicals, why do most people on the right not seem capable of using that same logic when its a movement they don't suppport? Like if the Palestinian liberation movements are just straight up antisemetic and anti-American, and all the jewish people part of the movement are "not really jewish" or are "self hating jews", then MAGA supporters and trump supporters are just straight up white nationalist racist, and all the black supporters are just uncle toms and any minority supporting trump is self loathing.
The logic must go both ways or else its practicing a hypocrisy worse than what the right has accused the left of for years. Then the left's hypocrisy in the situation is the fact that those years ago they spouted this stuff about all trump supporters being those things and made a wrong and overtly broad generalization about a movement and now the same thing is happening to one of their movements (I understand that the Palestine protests / supporters arent only leftists I'm an example of that), but its now biting them in the ass and its not wrong to complain about the logic being used against them but its still hypocrisy at some level.
Now lets get to my second point. So i went to a preppy private Christian school that was huuuuge on patriotism, and one of the things i know very well about the formation of this country and its independence from Britain other that the militarized battles were the acts of non violent protest against the British and how acts of protest are the cornerstone of this nation. Now, i hear alot of people on the right talking about how these protests are "breaking rules" and "disrupting order". Well duhh isn't that what protests are? When $1.7mil worth of tea was dumped into the Boston Harbor, I'm sure they weren't "allowed" to do such and im sure there were "rules and laws" stating they couldn't do that but that's not what america was about then and that's not what its about now.
The second biggest talking point for the second amendment and out right to form militias for the possibility we have to fight outside forces or even our own govt. Well I am sure that we technically aren't "allowed" to fight our own government and I am sure there are "laws" prohibiting us from doing such but when it comes down to it does the status quo and laws really matter over righteousness? So what is it does the right support patriotic values and constitutional values over authoritarianism no matter what, or does the right support patriotism only when it aligns with their agenda. Its a problem on the left too don't get me wrong but with the status quo message of the right I didn't expect such hypocrisy. Although some was shown during the BLM marches it was nowhere near to this level

*pre-approved by moderators*
Are you undergoing treatment for a blood cancer diagnosis and experiencing poor sleep?
Researchers at the Mays Cancer Center are seeking US-based adults diagnosed with blood cancer and experiencing sleep disturbance to participate in a 20-week remote study testing a digital wellness intervention. Participants in this study will be assigned to use one of two digital wellness apps 10 minutes per day over 8-weeks to determine if it can help improve sleep, immune function, and other psychological and emotional outcomes.
This study is completely remote (there are no in-person visits with the research team) and patients from across the USA are invited.
Participating in this research will help build knowledge about new ways to manage sleep problems in people diagnosed with blood cancer.
You may qualify for the study if you: - Are over 18 and reside in the USA - Have a blood cancer diagnosis and are currently receiving treatment - Experience sleep disturbance, such as difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or poor quality of sleep - Own a smartphone - Are willing to complete the study procedures
Participation involves: - One brief 30-minute virtual meeting with a research assistant - Completing online surveys - Providing three blood samples over the 20-week study at a lab close to you - Tracking sleep using a small device and daily diary - Using a wellness app for 10 minutes per day for 8-weeks
Participants who qualify and are enrolled in the study will be compensated at regular intervals, up to $100 total. Find out more: https://cancer.uthscsa.edu/heme-study or send us an email [hemestudy@uthscsa.edu](mailto:hemestudy@uthscsa.edu)
Direct link to eligibility screening: https://redcap.link/hemescreening

I have moved to Bangalore around 2 years ago and loneliness is not a joke it hits really hard. i was an introverted guy since my child hood I usually do not like to socialize but still for an introverted guy like me this social isolation was much painful. So me and one of my friend in my pg thought of creating an app that could potentially solve all these problems.
So we have built an app called Antarac, an app designed to connect people with similar interests and facilitate engaging activities together. It's not just about finding Friday night party buddies; it's about forming meaningful connections with individuals who are genuinely enthusiastic about exploring the city and building friendships.
We recently launched exclusively for banglore. Give Antarac a try, you might just discover your tribe and embark on some unforgettable adventures together.
Get it on antarac..com

I (22F) live at home and my parents have set it up where I pay $400 to them to help with whatever bills come their way and $400 to contribute to my TFSA each month for "rent". Im lucky enough to not have to pay for a phone bill and the only expenses I do have are my own groceries (I live in an in-law suite so I have my own kitchen etc.) and my car insurance. I currently drive a 2014 Lincoln MKZ and spend an insane amount of money on gas each week ($100.00 to fill and a 11.6L/100KM fuel efficiency) and have had an astronomical amount of bad luck with repairs. Just recently it was $1000 to get a safety to switch it from my fathers name to my name and has required a rear differential, steering column and had multiple different problems with computers and boards and even to replace a lamp for my blinker was upwards of $500 because Lincoln has made it so hard to get at.
For a little more backstory I have been lucky enough to grow up in a pretty wealthy family but we dont like to flaunt it. My grandparents have always told me growing up "if you cant pay it in cash you cant afford it" and they have taken that and lived by it. So going to my father or grandparents for advise on how to not let the salesmen run me over and take advantage of a young girl at a dealership hasn't gone to plan. They keep trying to tell me it's a terrible idea and I will end up not making payments and it will be one of the dumbest things I can do this soon in life. They keep telling me I cant afford it and it will end up coming around and biting me in the ass and it will ruin my life.
The car I am looking to finance is a 2020 Ford Escape Titanium Hybrid. It will be MUCH better on gas (5.6L/100KM combined fuel efficiency) and the payments would be $233 biweekly for 5 years. I have looked into different loan options like a line of credit but the interest rates at other dealerships and bank loans are much higher as the Ford dealership is at 8.99%APR.
Im looking for some advise or insight on if its as bad as they keep making It out to be and if it will really be such a terrible idea. I have worked it out so I will still have a savings account I can regularly put money aside for repairs/emergencies and I have an old friend sending me $200 biweekly paying me back for money they borrowed (my family doesnt know about this)

I have moved to Bangalore around 2 years ago and loneliness is not a joke it hits really hard. i was an introverted guy since my child hood I usually do not like to socialize but still for an introverted guy like me this social isolation was much painful. So me and one of my friend in my pg thought of creating an app that could potentially solve all these problems.
So we have built an app called Antarac, an app designed to connect people with similar interests and facilitate engaging activities together. It's not just about finding Friday night party buddies; it's about forming meaningful connections with individuals who are genuinely enthusiastic about exploring the city and building friendships.
We recently launched exclusively for banglore. Give Antarac a try, you might just discover your tribe and embark on some unforgettable adventures together.
Get it on antarac..com