Macmini got bumped up to 16 Gig as minimum from 8 Gig, but is this really running macOS or padOS?

This isn't a shock, it's a non-touch screen iPad with a lot of storage and a keyboard.

It does not run an M4 processor, it's what, an A19 chip?

Apple already dropped support for some Intel Macs, the current macOS is the last one to support Intel processors, this has been, as I understand, announced.

It's not like they are reliant on Windows, macOS, and Linux - it will have no effect on their economy.

California will lose this particular game of chicken - its nonsensical.

Even simpler - just say no, and let California (and other states)) figure out how to run state computers without Windows, or macOS, or Linux.

Why would an OS Mfg do this? What's next, mandatory backups to OneDrive?

This is not going to happen.

Just like laws requiring "smart guns" never happened. Or laws that required "microstamping" serial numbers on ammunition.

Lawmakers just make laws to convince people they should be re-elected, the ability to actually implement what they pass is only of passing interest to a few voters.

How many times have lawmakers "solved" the digital divide by passing some bill that makes $X billions available to "fix" the problem - I'll give you a hint - they "solve" this problem every two years in America.

Your proposed solution requires that everyone in California switch to Linux. then every application they use must check a field unique in Linux/Unix.

Has linux even passed the 5% market share level?

The OS developers will say no, and they will dare California to kick Windows, macOS, and Linux off computers in the state.

This isn't about "data collection," it's about limiting access to harmful images, writings by people with under-developed brains. Yes, "Rah, rah! Free Speech!" but can't we agree that letting a 12 year-old access what has been prviously classified as "adult material" is not a great idea?

I can appreciate the intention, but I question the method - these laws are almost literally unenforceable.

I remember an instance 10-15 years ago there were disturbing, bloody images of children that were hurt/maimed/killed in a school bus accident, and kids at my local public school were obsessively going to web pages to see the images. The parents of the younger kids "demanded" the IT Department "block the images". They imagined we had magical tools that could do image recognition and filter out all "offensive" images...

Just because parents want it, and it makes some kind of sense, doesn't mean it can happen.

Sorry, patient was not in India, somehow I got Bangalore in my head when I read the piece, the patient was in Gibraltar...

So the idea is that in places without doctors, they'll just install multi-million dollar doctor robots and make sure they have a good Internet/data link and reliable power, along with prep-nurses, anesthesia, and pre/post-op care?

There's a reason the patient was in India, and I don't think it was because they have a desperate lack of urologists in India, I think it has to do with regulations regarding testing on human subjects.

Cheaper construction doesn't lower zoning requirements like 'minimum buildable lot size'

Modern builders have walls for new homes framed in a factory and delivered to the worksite and the house is framed in a couple days by a couple of guys. Stacking modular trailers on top of each other doesn't really solve a problem, it's just a different way to build a home, the price difference isn't that great compared to stick-built in a modern, large-scale community like hovnanian or pulte community.

No, it's neighbors voting in zoning regulations that prevent high-density, multi-unit dwellings being built in their city.

Homeowners do not want to be locked into a high interest rate mortgage when their home price drops below the remaining balance on their mortgage - they can't refinance without covering the lost equity due to the home value dropping.

Right, because home building is not a labor-intensive industry.

How will a robot change zoning laws?

You care because your property taxes will go thru the roof.

If your house is assessed at X, and everyone else in town has a house half as big as yours, but on average they run as many kids thru the school as you do, your taxes go up because the tax rate for less expensive homes needs to me higher to cover the costs of services provided.

Also, the fact that you never plan to sell or borrow against your home makes you a bit of an outlier, most people probably consider buying a bigger house as their family expsnds, buying a smaller house when kids move out, relocating to a new state after retirement, or just moving because of a job change.

But hey, great for you, enjoy your forever home.