The US is in an excellent position to massively harness wind and solar and yet right now it's dialing up the coal usage. I am comfortable celebrating Iceland's decision to not be maliciously dependent on fossil fuels.
That's a nice daydream - but v1.0 gave them exclusive rights to update the ToS or pick arbiters. Along with lots of other "heads we win, tails you lose" stuff. :(
If you have any interest in local activism - stores are subject to local gov't. And transit systems are part of it. It might be relatively easy to assemble a local coalition, and get the local gov't to ban "de-humanizing" folks who don't have (or don't use, or don't trust, or ...) smart phones.
Biggest problem may be keeping that coalition - AI-phobics, Christians (real ones, not the "Blessed are the rich" hypocrites), Data Center opponents, Disabled & Elderly, Homeless advocates, ... Preppers, ... - working coherently enough to pass the laws.
There are lots of "how to" web sites for Community Organizing. I'd just skim through a few of those - assuming your unfamiliar - then try to find real, involved local people who are already involved:
- If you have a good local politician who'd likely support this (probably from already being a supporter of affected groups), you could ask them.
- If your area has even half-decent services for the homeless, or a church serving meals to the needy, or a Salvation Army, or etc., then the people you want to talk to are within 2 or 3 degrees of separation from those. Or if your local transit org has in-person monthly public meetings, you could attend one of those & ask around.
Yes, I'm biased toward established, old-fashioned groups, which are already doing stuff in your area. They're the ones with the accumulated experience, local knowledge, and track record. Vs. (say) AI phobics are more like Level 0 NPC's, with default-to-zero skills or experience getting along in a group.
For those unfamiliar - the U.S. gov't has a centuries-long history of callous disregard for the lives and welfare of Americans who were faithfully serving their country. Not saying they are much different from other org's that way - but definitely keep it in mind, if you're feeling any patriotic urges.
With the number of Havana Syndrome incidents, and the relatively high profiles of the targets, you'd think that somebody would have developed miniaturized passive sensors (for microwave, sonic, etc. bursts) and started distributing those. Seems worth looking into, if you suspect you or someone you care about might become a target.
Not mentioned - not unlike Finland's home emergency supply kits, having a cash-based backup payment system is an important part of national resilience.
Denmark advised citizens to have some emergency cash, but then also advised people to use it sometimes — explaining that otherwise, the systems that deal with cash won't necessarily function properly in a crisis.
Not following Switzerland, so I don't know whether this was part of the discussion: Most cards in Europe, Apple and Google are American. With Trump treating Europe like an enemy, it's stupid to use any of those. This year I have returned to use 90% cash after having no wallet since 2021.
Make that 1003+ times. At least in my part of the US, even a pretty modest-size city will have multiple zip codes. And zip codes can have zero geographical footprint (meaning street address) - for example, some zip's are just for Post Office Boxes. And a physical address can have an official USPS address & zip of "Middle City", while physically being in (say) Middle Township. And other fun stuff.
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