I haven’t heard a single WH staffer or president bemoan the lack of a helipad.

You spend a lot of time hanging about with WH staffers and Presidents?

he’s just rearranging things to suit his style as usual,

Honestly, it’s probably not necessary. But, Presidents do regularly make changes to the White House and its grounds. Whether we like it or not, he is the President and the current resident of the White House. Historically, that means he has some latitude in making the place his own for his stay. Remember that even fixtures like the Rose Garden were added and modified by previous residents. This is just the most recent one putting his touches on the place. And those touches can and likely will be updated by future Presidents. Let’s save the outrage for stuff that actually matters.

He absolutely needs to drop out.

If he doesn’t, it’s going to be interesting to see how many people show up to say “vote Blue, no matter who” when it comes time for the general elections. This has always been the problem with that mentality, it can lead to being forced to vote for some pretty odious people.

The downside in this is that his replacement will be chosen by the Democratic Party, which likely means Mills will get the spot. Or at least, someone who is calling for far less progressive positions. Sure, they will still be a damn sight better than Collins. But, between this scandal and a possible lack of enthusiasm, Collins may yet again prove to be the cockroach of politics and win another Senate term in a fairly blue Maine.

Ya, this seems like a case of folks going nuts over anything done by the Trump Administration. The fact is that US Presidents have been using helicopter travel from the White House for a long time and will continue with that going forward. Having a dedicated landing pad is likely better and safer. Sure, it’ll be bit of an eyesore, but the White House is supposed to be a functional home for the head of state, it’s going to have a few nods to functionality.

While I’m glad these guys are going to jail, this does go to show that one should not use Windows if they care about OPSEC.

Wow, never thought I would be nodding along as I read the crap dribbling out of Steve Brannon’s mouth. But, the GOP’s only hope is people who are so ignorant of reality that they can’t see the obvious lies right in front of them.

Of course, one should never underestimate the Democrats’ ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I could certainly see the DNC sorting out a way to fuck over more populist candidates, handing seats to the GOP.

I think it’s pretty telling that so many of the people they talk to and a lot of the focus of the article isn’t really about older gamers, it’s about their money.

The opportunity is substantial. The 40+ segment in the US is on track to grow from $19 billion in 2022 to $43 billion by 2030, a 132% expansion at a moment when the rest of the industry is shrinking. These are players with the most disposable income, the longest gaming literacy, and the highest brand loyalty.

I’m in that “40+ segment” and I suspect part of the “problem” these companies face is that older gamers have seen the enshitification of so many of the brands we love. Our tolerance for bullshit is basically gone at this point. Micro transactions, season passes, fucking ads in games, all of that bullshit is a quick way to not get our money.

I also suspect “brand loyalty” is basically gone for the same reason. As a kid, I looked for the Electronic Arts logo. If I saw this logo on a game package, I knew I was looking at a good game. I haven’t bought an EA game in years. I don’t expect to buy an EA game any time soon and I basically ignore everything they do. Sure, if a trailer for Starflight 3 dropped, I’d sit up and take notice. I’d also expect it to be an enshitified mess wearing the skin of a beloved series to sucker me in, before pouncing on my wallet.

So ya, maybe just make good games and older gamers will inevitably buy them. I mean, Larian can pretty much say, “hi we’re making…” and I’ll have my wallet out and be pulling bills before they get any further. And maybe that’s your “brand loyalty”. Game companies who make good games and aren’t private equity firms wearing the dead skin suits of brands we used to love.