To add on what you said since it was the most complete answer, the first credit cards didn’t start with a magnetic chip but had raised numbering that cashiers would emboss the numbering onto a carbon copy slip. The shop would keep two copies of the receipt and the customer would keep the third.

The switch to magnetic swipe on North America took a while because it required a phone connection to verify the card number. Europe switched to chips earlier than North America in part because a lot is stores didn’t have the required phone/data connections for continuous use, so the chip was developed to be used in cases where there wasn’t any connectivity with the card reader.

Pretty slow.

Australia and New Zealand have a points based immigration system that you can check online. That would be the first place I’d look.

The problem is that your tools are going to have to be compatible with other people’s tools.

I think he’s credible as a witness for what he’s seen. He seems believable, but I haven’t looked into any criticism of what he’s said.

One modern issue is that sites like OnlyFans has caused is a unique type of spam as various models spam in a lot of places in order to build their audience.

Looking at the list of government expenditures, I don’t see space exploration as problematic as other things we are spending money on.

By turning the content into advertising.

Regarding the Electoral College, the only thing I have an issue with it is that most states chose winner take all and the Senate is counted for votes. If the electoral college votes were given out as a percentage to each state’s popular vote, it would make the system work a lot cleaner.

For me, it depends if I’m getting a refund or not. If I’m getting a refund, usually by mid February after all my paperwork gets in. If I owe money, I’m waiting until April.

A lot of people do as a way to judge a person’s rank in society. The attractiveness of a person’s spouse is a common metric for how successful someone is. So, if a highly attractive woman is slumming it with a man who appears to be well below her status, it is confusing for a lot of people.

Who is they?

And it is also bundled with an ad-free music service.

Linux is subsidized by a consortium of major tech companies supporting a common code base as it is cheaper than relying on one vendor.

Signal is run by a non-profit group which is funded by various grants.

Mastodon is a combination of above, the code being subsidized by a consortium of developers and individual servers funded by various means.

To just say “it is free” ignores the economics of why they are free.

But who gets to play Gunter?

It will get given out every time FIFA needs to mollify a corrupt official that will impact their work.

“Opposition Leader” is only a role in parliamentary systems where the leader of the second party has that role.

Typically, legislative “minority leader” positions fill a lot of those roles that an opposition leader would, but it isn’t official.

That’s implied in the use of men as a descriptor.

Since you like At the Drive-in, have you listened to the Mars Volta?

Also, Nine Inch Nails is still on tour.

They have their greatest hits, it is best to stick to those.