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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: August 5th, 2023

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  • At the end of the tax year you generally receive tax documentation forms (a W2 or 1099 etc). These tax forms detail your taxable income and possibly any tax credits or exemptions you might be eligible for.

    You fill out I9 forms detailing your status (single married etc) and what dependants you have when you start at your place of work and then update those forms as that status changes over time. This information is used by your employer to withhold taxes on your earnings from your pay checks and send that money along to the federal and state governments as necessary.

    When you receive your end of year tax forms you enter that tax information into a tax preparation service or paper form, sign it and send it off with what you owe in check form to the IRS, unless you have made accurate tax withholding in which case you have already paid. If you are owed money by the government for overpayment of taxes they will then mail you a check or direct deposit the amount owed to you into an account of your choosing.

    There are exceptions if you own a business or have other forms of income for the tax year which you may have to submit a more detailed filing to the IRS with documentation that can absolutely include receipts. But for the most part you use the tax forms you receive to submit your taxable income calculations to the federal or state government and pay or get paid accordingly depending on if you owe them money, or if you are owed money by them for overpayment.







  • I opted out when they first introduced it. So it’s not in use on my phone and never has been. My smart home devices are all older so nothing with Gemini built in. This may be the difference for me. I dunno.

    The main smart speaker I use is a Lenovo Smart Display and it hasn’t received updates in years. It’s got physical switches for the mic and camera and my smart home stuff is on a separate network from everything else in my house on purpose.

    I think the newest speaker I own is the set of Google home max’s and they don’t even sell those anymore. They’ve been disabled for mic so they’re only for casting to.

    This works for me but my home is small and all I’ve really got is some Philips hue lights and a couple of smart blinds. I set up routines early on so I’m not really asking the assistant to do a lot of things using voice controls.

    On my phone at work I use it when my hands are occupied, and I use it I’m the car (but my car isn’t equipped for Android Auto etc). So I think for me it’s probably just limited in what it can interact with to the point I don’t notice it much.


  • What we have now in America is a system that is volunteer or conscript (commit a crime and you may be given the option to join the military or do prison time). This takes advantage of the poorest and most vulnerable in our society.

    I am generally for the idea of mandatory service. But the actuality as I experienced military service is not something I would wish on other people. The military is kind of broken in many ways.

    Suicide rates are higher than the national average.

    Rapes/sexual assaults are higher than the national average.

    They have a blind spot where mental healthcare is concerned.

    Leadership often employs and elevates people who will actively take advantage of their position. This is often detrimental to the members who serve under them.

    The military often does a horrible job of allowing injured people the time and conditions to fully heal.

    The military also treats everyone as if they lack common sense and the ability to reason. As a result it does not promote the type of people who think outside the box. There’s multiple ways that military service infantalizes its members instead of treating them like adults.

    There are many reasons I think it could be a good idea and a good experience for the vast majority of people. But not as it is now. The system would need an overhaul.