One of the companies making GPS navigators for cars used to advertise lifetime map updates. Small print: lifetime of the device, two years after release

https://imgur.com/gallery/edI8Zjc

EU is at least trying to do something about that. As of last year stores are required to display the cheapest price they’ve had for an item in the past three months when they have something on sale. Not all stores comply, and of course they try to get around these by the usual shenanigans, like basically the same product being available from the manufacturer with two slightly different item codes.

Edit: I think I was mistaken, and it’s 30 days, not 3 months

This is pretty close to how it works here in Finland, although I’m not sure if it’s based on national or EU legislation. The cost of recycling is baked into the price of any electronics, and as a rule of thumb, you can drop off any small devices to be recycles at stores that sell appliances. When it comes to bigger appliances, the stores only need to take your old one if you’re buying a new one. You can of course also bring them to municipal recycling centers.

One way of taking human sacrifice

I realize I’m very privileged. If I’m working on an issue for a whole day or a half day, everything I do during that day is part of the solution and will be billed to the customer (and I’ll be paid for by my employer too). If that includes taking a nap, so be it. Results are what matter, as it should be. If someone ever starts saying I’m taking too long to do something I may consider changing my ways.

You’re further proving that you missed the point.

I’m a reserve officer, trust me I have some idea. Also, you’re missing the point by quite a margin.

The military doesn’t attract the brightest minds.

Reminds me of a joke that did the rounds shortly after Finland joined Nato.

Finnish general: “You know, it’s difficult, we have mandatory military service, but around 15% are unfit for service”

Other Nato generals: “That 15% is where we have to recruit from”

Thank you!

Thank you!

Stupid question probably, but as someone who hasn’t really gotten into V or VI yet and thought that at a cursory glance they seemed pretty similar - what kinds of big differences are there between them?

You don’t necessarily always check for something you’re used to buying, so the shrinking may go unnoticed for a while.

Reminds me of quite a dark joke that made the rounds in Finland some years ago, when a grooming ring run by recently arrived immigrants was discovered in Oulu.

“A sex holiday for the whole family: Dad goes to Thailand, mom goes to Gambia, and the kids go to Oulu”

Live in a country where tipping is practically unheard of. Lately pay terminals have started appearing in restaurants that have asking for tip enabled by default, and restaurants often don’t know how to disable it.

Well, at least there are some safeguards. I was handed the terminal so I put in my PIN code, not realising it was actually asking for a tip. I was pretty confused when it said “value too high” or something like that.

I think it was sarcasm.

This takes me back to the era when every other online store was selling DVD-gramophones.

A large group of Russian soldiers in the border area in 1939 are moving down a road, when they hear a voice call from behind a small hill: “One Finnish soldier is better than ten Russians”. The Russian commander quickly orders 10 of his best men over the hill where a gun-battle breaks out and continues for a few minutes, followed by silence.

The voice once again calls out: “One Finn is better than one hundred Russians.” Furious, the Russian commander sends his next best 100 troops over the hill and instantly a huge gun fight commences. After 10 minutes of battle, again silence. The calm Finnish voice calls out again: “One Finn is better than one thousand Russians!”

The enraged Russian commander musters 1000 fighters and sends them to the other side of the hill. Rifle fire, machine guns, grenades, rockets and cannon fire ring out as a terrible battle is fought… Then silence.

Eventually one badly wounded Russian fighter crawls back over the hill and with his dying words tells his commander, “Don’t send any more men… it’s a trap. There are two of them!”

Not really relevant, but where do we draw the line of first time he threatened nukes? As a Finn, feels like Russia has been making threats about their nukes almost monthly for the last thirty years.