I’m not afraid of the world turning to ash. My rational brain isn’t afraid; it knows people didn’t care and have already forgotten.
I’m afraid of the much louder part of my brain that’s going to spend every quiet moment over the next 3 days replaying and re-living the embarrassing encounter.
I don’t think AOL ever topped 40 million users while a significant chunk of humanity uses Google. This entire conversation hinges on their unprecedented scale and reach, I don’t think this is an apt comparison.
Sure, and that also didn't vanish in a day. All I'm saying is that there is a ton of inertia, and people will not be switching to something different in an instant.
This happens when customer support spends too much time on password resets. As soon as someone in CS says "we need to hire another person, too many password resets" you get magic links. Bad number go down, good number go up.
It's really easy for us nerds to write off how confusing, cumbersome, and frustrating passwords are for most people.
Am I the only one that gets an icky feeling when I see things like “I am so tired of all this political stuff, I want to filter it out”?
All the political news you don’t like is a symptom of the toxic society we’ve built. Maybe we should be making new social networks that bring people together fix the root problem, not ignore it because it’s harshing the vibe.
I did. Healthcare was a big part of that decision. My older siblings have been through hell both medically and financially because of the US healthcare system.
I decided to learn from their experiences and GTFO while I could. I miss my family and friends dearly, but it’s a massive relief (and privilege) to be able to get the care I need and not worry about whether the cost is going to bankrupt me.
Where did you end up going? I have some savings and would like to retire early, and getting health insurance is an impediment to that. Need somewhere that doesn’t require a work visa and is a good place to raise a family. I have enough to do it in the US but would be happy to consider alternatives.
To Portugal. If you have enough assets to retire in the US then you probably qualify for the passive income visa.
It’s not all smooth sailing, though. The immigration agency here (AIMA) currently has 300,000 cases in the queue. It’s so difficult to get an appointment that people are making hundreds of calls per day, standing in queues for hours only to not be seen, and filing lawsuits.
Most people here make about €1200/mo and there’s a severe housing crisis that I have contributed to with my presence. The influx of people like me with vastly higher purchasing power is creating resentment: the far-right party quadrupled (5% -> 20%) their seats in parliament by running against immigration.
Having said that, I do love it here. I’ve been considering blogging about my experience since there’s a dearth of clear-eyed information from real people who moved to Portugal and aren’t selling something.
Anyhow, I’m happy to share more info and resources with anyone who wants to learn more. Please feel free to reach out - my contact info is in my profile.
Thanks for sharing your experience. And thanks for acknowledging your part in "the problem" -- truly, a lot of people in your position e.g. immigrate, and then try to pull the ladder up after them.
I have Portuguese friends who relocated to the US (for the salary, rest assured they own homes there to go back to). They're saying there are waits and quality issues.
I can’t speak to the public system. My visa requires me to carry private insurance, so I have only used the private system.
It’s a breath of fresh air. I’ve had to wait a week or two here and there for exams and tests, sure. My preferred hospital system has a great app where I can book doctor appointments (€15) and see results as soon as they’re available. The system knows what my copay is and I pay it on my way home. That’s the end of it; there are no inscrutable bills in the mail months later for hundreds or thousands.
Here’s an example: due to family history, my doctor recommended an MRI. When she saw my horrified face she told me not to worry. I booked it, got a text from my insurance company a few days later with the approval, and had the exam a week after that. The results were available in the app soon after, including the raw images (not that I have the training to interpret them).
My copay for the MRI was €50. I pay €80/mo for the best insurance available. I’ve never had a claim denial and have never interacted with my insurance company.
I live in Lisbon. Over 80% of housing units in the historic Alfama neighborhood are now vacation rentals. This is the most historically Portuguese neighborhood in the capital. It was the only neighborhood to survive the earthquake in 1755. Fado was born there.
Yes, it's a failure of government policy, but I don't think it's hyperbole to say that AirBnB and its ilk destroyed that community. That is, assuming you define "community" as a group of people and not a group of buildings.
I’m afraid of the much louder part of my brain that’s going to spend every quiet moment over the next 3 days replaying and re-living the embarrassing encounter.