Sorry, my second time posting in this thread, a little more clearly this time… Haha it’s late and this post woke me from a bit of a daze.

For those thinking this is harassment I’d like to quote something for your consideration relating to freedom of expression in Canada:

Expression protected by section 2(b) has been defined as “any activity or communication that conveys or attempts to convey meaning” (Thomson Newspapers Co., supra; Irwin Toy Ltd., supra). The courts have applied the principle of content neutrality in defining the scope of section 2(b), such that the content of expression, no matter how offensive, unpopular or disturbing, cannot deprive it of section 2(b) protection

Section 2(b) - Freedom of expression - Government of Canada website

(and in French)

I agree with you wholeheartedly. To phrase it a little differently; people need to provide a moment to show empathy, reflection, and assistance if possible. To let the event sink in. This gives the victims the acknowledgment and understanding they deserve, and makes the general public more deeply impassioned as a result.

Absolutely there needs to be political follow-up to dig to the root of the issue and take the necessary actions to prevent repeat cases.

It's always a concern when travelling to another country. There's the decision between biometrics, passcode and/or burner. When travelling, always keep in mind that legality varies, and a country's compliance with their laws varies as well...

Prepare ahead of time, always.

I am in support of helping Canadian businesses, especially in the current political climate. What I am not so confident in is the willingness of food suppliers to pass savings along all the way to the customer. Grocery stores have used inflation and price fixing tactics here for far too long for them to have earned my trust. Grocery stores must be seriously audited and regulated accordingly. By all means, make a profit - no brainer. But your profits now are bolstered by hurting 99% of Canadians who need food to survive.

Part of what ruins games for me are the massive publishers behind them. EA, Ubisoft, Rockstar.

The games may be great. The developers may be great. The studios (by and large) interfere in the process of development, the monetization, the end-of-life plan…

For me, when I have the chance to play games, I’ve found myself opting for smaller studios or indie games.

Also I want to shout out Ross Scott of Accursed Farms. He covers so many cool and obscure games. He has worked incredibly hard towards enacting pro-consumer business practices in the gaming world. He’s a very smart and pragmatic guy. I would highly recommend anyone who’s into gaming to check out his site and content.

To me, he’s been an inspiration in his uphill battle of the Stop Killing Games initiative. He’s been working through the apathy, the negativity, the doubt. It’s actually incredible what he’s achieved. A man with passion and a plan, who happens to also make some damn good game related videos.

Ok I realize this just turned into a love letter for Ross Scott. I’m okay with that.

Self-hosted is a great way to go for those who can afford the initial cost and can get the setup done. I’d love to see more of it but I also know that most people won’t do that, and I get it because if I asked my mom to self-host right now I think her brain would explode.

Second best we can do is start using and promoting alternatives. Us nerds tend to be some of the earlier adopters. If enough users flock to the right platform, and if the platform is easy for non-nerds to sign up, then the shift may happen. Now is a climate where the desire for change is higher than normal.

No company is too big to dominate the landscape, the momentum and desire just needs to grow. And we should be careful of jumping from one pirate ship to another pirate ship. TikTok to Reels, Twitter/X to Threads, these are not the kind of changes we need to encourage.

But I’m not one for social media overall, so I can’t do much except inform my family and friends in a way that doesn’t drive them crazy. To anyone reading: don’t be that guy either, because if you pester too hard you’re likely to breed resentment and cause people to become further entrenched in their current habits.

Setting aside the main discussion for a moment (I think it’s been covered thoroughly by now), just a friendly reminder to diversify news sources and read past the title.

I think, we’re in a Canadian space, outside of the de-facto mainstream social media platform and further delegated to a Canada-centric platform. I really do think that we’re all going to benefit if we take this explosion in popularity here to make sure we better ourselves online at the same time. I have been guilty of it, so many of us have.

It’s easy to get caught in the negative news cycle, and even knee-jerk reactions from the headlines. But Trump is not our president and he never will be. Our helm is navigating the rough waters. Take solace in the captain’s fortitude and give him time to weather the storm. Unless the ship starts to sink, we’re all better doing what we can to make this ride as bearable as possible.

I am not saying outrage is invalid. Every Canadian has the right to feel strongly about what’s going on. But, let’s not play the game too much when we know the game is rigged. The house always wins, unless we realize that we don’t have to play against the house.

Much love from Canada.