Brands pay a lot for branding, and thus charge more. The formulas are moderated and regulated by the FDA, so unless you enjoy paying for ads, get the generic.
I’ve got a family member with a rare allergy. I’ve found that sometimes one or the other will have the allergen in it, but it’s not consistent between generic/branded. Always check the ingredients and never assume it’s exactly the same just because they have the same active ingredients
This isn’t always true. The content has to be the same, but the delivery mechanism can be different in generics as long as testing shows similar results
Unfortunately, generics can vary wildly in efficacy & quality. As @Aradina pointed out, sometimes the encapsulation is different (e.g. extended release coating vs. standard release), but also the form of the drug can differ (e.g. capsule, tablet, softgel, chewable, etc), chemical by-products from different manufacturing techniques may be present in different amounts, and different manufacturing processes can also yield different chiral enantiomer ratios in the end product.
The "same" drug from different manufacturers may vary in effectiveness / side-effects, and brand-name drugs aren't always the best formulations for most patients.
Generics are required to be as efficacious as name brand in the US.
I do not understand your point on encapsulation and the form of the drug. Name brands can have different encapsulations and forms within their own line. That has nothing to do with it being name brand vs. generic.
As someone who takes Adderall daily and has for many years, I can tell you the Teva brand generics work very well while the malinkrokdt (sp?) in the same dosage do almost nothing, and I crash very fast and need a nap in the afternoon and have to go to sleep early.
Conversely, I got some random Indian-HQ brand from Walmart many years ago (a pink tablet) that kept me up for 3 days. I was begging God for sleep. Placebo or nocebo my ass. Pretty sure someone “accidently” added a methyl group and was overly gracious with the dosage.
But it’s also noticable in OTC meds. If you get real, severe inflammatory pain (not ‘oh I have le headache’), buy a bottle of ibuprofen from the local dollar store and then buy brand-name Ibuprofen from a big box store, and blind test yourself.
(I may be misremembering the specifics on this part) Generics can only be 80% similar to the brand name in formulation, and often times they use fillers and binders that aren’t as good as the formulation created by the R&D department of PharmaCo.
I’m not saying generics do nothing, I’m just saying my boss asks me what’s wrong when I can’t get my Tevas filled and have to use another manufacturer.
Technically no. The tolerances should be more or less the same (generally 90%-110% label claim for the active ingredient) . Manufacturers aim for 100% and generally hit that target (or get very close to it).
The bioavailability could be different though - if you are doing a bioequivalence trial for generic VS brand, the generic would have to be between 80% - 120%. This difference is generally a result of the starches, fillers, and other stuff that may be in a generic formulation.
Same net effect as your comment (wider tolerances), but there is a bit more nuance.
Drugstores here (Denmark) are required by law to ask if you’d like to buy the cheaper alternative to brand medicines. They will often change from week to week so a typical order at the drug store would be “I need this” - “I’ll grab it for you but are you OK with cheapest alternative?”
OK, so, I attempted to bring some clarity to this discussion that seems like it’s all over the place in terms of methodology and difficulty. Here is a breakdown as well as some instructions that should hopefully help OP out.
Running VPN on Router (suggested by ruplicant):
Veracity: Valid. Running a VPN on the router secures all devices on the network.
Complexity: High for a beginner. Requires a compatible router and understanding of router firmware.
Suitability for Beginners: Not ideal due to the technical complexity.
Setting Up Media Server on Raspberry Pi (suggested by ruplicant):
Veracity: Valid. Raspberry Pi can effectively run media servers like Plex or Jellyfin.
Complexity: Moderate. It requires some technical know-how for setup and maintenance.
Suitability for Beginners: Moderate. Good for those with some technical background.
Standard Computer Setup with Torrent Client and VLC (suggested by send_me_your_ink):
Veracity: Valid. This is a common method for downloading and viewing content.
Complexity: Low. Easy to set up and use.
Suitability for Beginners: High. Straightforward and less technically demanding.
Using Plex Over Jellyfin (suggested by Reverendender):
Veracity: Subjective. Both are valid, but Plex is often seen as more user-friendly.
Complexity: Low for Plex, moderate for Jellyfin.
Suitability for Beginners: Plex is more suitable due to its ease of use.
Based on this analysis, for a beginner user, the most straightforward and effective approach would be to use a standard computer setup with a VPN, a torrent client, and VLC media player for streaming. This setup minimizes technical complexity while providing a good balance of privacy and ease of use.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Beginners:
1. Set Up a VPN on Your Computer:
Choose a reputable VPN service (like Mullvad or ProtonVPN).
Download and install the VPN software on your computer.
Follow the software’s instructions to connect to a VPN server.
2. Install a Torrent Client:
Download a user-friendly torrent client (e.g., qBittorrent, uTorrent).
Install the torrent client on your computer.
Configure the settings for privacy (like enabling a kill switch, if available).
3. Download and Install VLC Media Player:
Download VLC from its official website.
Install VLC, following the setup wizard.
4. Download Content:
Use the torrent client to find and download content.
Ensure your VPN is active whenever you are downloading.
5. Stream Content to Your TV:
If your TV supports casting (like with Chromecast), use VLC’s streaming feature to cast content to your TV.
Alternatively, connect your computer to the TV via HDMI for direct playback.
6. Practice Good Security Habits:
Always keep your VPN active when downloading or streaming content.
Regularly update your software (VPN, torrent client, VLC) for security.
OK, I haven’t used Ubuntu in 10 years, and never setup a VPN on it, but here’s what I got:
Certainly! Below is a step-by-step guide to installing and configuring Mullvad VPN on Ubuntu. Mullvad is a VPN service that helps maintain your online privacy and security.
Prerequisites
An active Mullvad VPN account
A computer running Ubuntu
Step-by-Step Installation and Configuration
Step 1: Download Mullvad VPN
Open a web browser and go to the Mullvad VPN website (mullvad.net).
Navigate to the download section.
Select the Linux version and download the .deb file appropriate for Ubuntu.
Step 2: Install Mullvad VPN
Open the terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T).
Navigate to the directory where the downloaded .deb file is located. For example, if it’s in the Downloads folder, use cd ~/Downloads.
Install the package using the following command:```
You can start Mullvad VPN from the terminal by typing mullvad-vpn or find it in the applications menu and launch it from there.
Step 5: Log In
Once Mullvad VPN is open, log in using your account number provided by Mullvad.
Step 6: Connect to a Server
Select a country or server you want to connect to.
Click on the “Secure my connection” button to establish a VPN connection.
Step 7: Verify Connection (Optional)
To ensure that the VPN is working, you can visit a website like https://ipleak.net and check if your IP address and location have changed.
Step 8: Configure Settings (Optional)
You can configure additional settings like auto-connect on startup, enable/disable the kill switch, and select specific protocols as per your preference.
Tips
Keep your Mullvad VPN application updated for the latest features and security updates.
If you experience any issues, restarting the Mullvad VPN service or your computer might help.
Troubleshooting
If you encounter problems during installation or connection, refer to the official Mullvad VPN support page or community forums for assistance.
Yes, there are several VPNs that are known for being user-friendly and relatively easy to set up and install on Ubuntu. Here are some popular options:
ExpressVPN: Known for its high speeds and easy-to-use interface, ExpressVPN offers a native application for Ubuntu. The installation process is straightforward, and they provide detailed guides on their website.
NordVPN: NordVPN also offers a native Linux app with a simple setup process. It’s known for strong security features and a large server network.
CyberGhost: While CyberGhost doesn’t have a native Linux app, it provides detailed setup guides for using it on Ubuntu via OpenVPN or other protocols. This makes it relatively easy to install and configure.
Private Internet Access (PIA): PIA offers a Linux app with a simple interface and easy setup. It’s known for its strong commitment to privacy.
Surfshark: Surfshark has a native application for Linux that is straightforward to install and use. They offer good speeds and an unlimited number of simultaneous connections.
General Steps for Installing a VPN on Ubuntu:
Sign Up for a VPN Service: Choose a VPN provider and sign up for their service.
Download the VPN Client: Visit the VPN’s website and download the Linux client or setup files. Some VPNs offer .deb files that make installation easier on Ubuntu.
Install the VPN Client: You can typically install the .deb file using Ubuntu’s Software Center or via the command line with sudo dpkg -i [downloaded-file-name].deb.
Launch and Configure the VPN: After installation, open the VPN application, log in with your credentials, and configure the settings as needed.
Connect to a Server: Choose a server location and connect to start using the VPN service.
Tips:
Always check if your chosen VPN supports Ubuntu specifically to ensure compatibility.
Look for VPNs that offer dedicated Linux support or detailed setup guides.
Ensure the VPN service has a good privacy policy and strong security features.
Each VPN provider will have specific instructions for installation and setup, so it’s a good idea to refer to the documentation provided on their official website.
Forgive my ignorance, but doesn’t the mullvad need to run through gluetun, or at least in its own docker container to be secure?
Or to put it another way, whats the benefit/cost of installing it via dpkg as opposed to running it in a container, as opposed to running it in in gluetun (in a container)?
i thought everything was supposed to run in a container if it’s touching the web
Your question touches on some advanced concepts in networking and system security, specifically around the use of VPNs and Docker containers. Let’s break down the differences and implications of running Mullvad VPN through various methods:
Mullvad via DPKG Installation (Direct Install on OS):
Benefits:
Simplicity: Easy to set up for beginners.
System-wide VPN Coverage: All internet traffic from your computer is routed through the VPN, enhancing privacy and security.
Costs:
Less Flexibility: Harder to isolate specific applications or services.
Potential for IP Leaks: If the VPN disconnects, your real IP address might be exposed unless the VPN client has a kill switch.
Mullvad in a Docker Container:
Benefits:
Isolation: The VPN connection is isolated to the container, enhancing security for containerized applications.
Flexibility: Different containers can use different network settings, allowing for complex configurations.
Costs:
Complexity: Requires understanding of Docker and networking.
Limited Scope: Only affects network traffic from services running within the container.
Mullvad with Gluetun (VPN in a Container):
Benefits:
Enhanced Security and Isolation: Gluetun provides a VPN client in a Docker container, offering both the security benefits of a VPN and the isolation of Docker.
Flexibility and Control: Allows for selective routing of traffic through the VPN.
Costs:
Increased Complexity: Requires more technical know-how to set up and manage.
Specific to Containerized Services: Only affects traffic from applications running in Docker.
In essence, the choice depends on your technical expertise, specific needs, and the level of security and flexibility you desire:
For Beginners: Direct installation of Mullvad (via DPKG) is straightforward and provides system-wide VPN coverage, suitable for everyday use.
For Advanced Users with Specific Needs: Running Mullvad in a Docker container or with Gluetun offers more control and isolation, which is beneficial for complex setups, such as when running multiple services with different networking requirements.
The idea that “everything touching the web should run in a container” is more of a best practice in professional IT environments, especially for server deployments, rather than a strict rule for personal use. It offers advantages in security and manageability but comes with a learning curve and complexity that might not be necessary for simpler or personal setups.
Well, I’ve got an ISP with no data caps, two layers of VPN, and 8tb to fill. I don’t know what I didn’t do this sooner, but it’s been a good weekend so far.
I do not think so, (or else that is not a factor on a mac?). I run private internet Explorer (which I am dropping in favor of proton when my subscription runs out) and I have never done any kind of configuration like that on it, and have literally never had a problem.
I am sceptical of natural language programming in general but I am also fairly certain that you would have to do a lot more than just translate the keywords to get something that looks natural in another language. Word order is different in many languages for one.
Reinstall my win os to use French because a) back in the day you couldn’t just change language, b) scrips were VB written french (so si instead of if etc).
I hate using Excel for this reason. ALMOST all functions are translated, so you’re never sure what to look for. If you find a solution for a problem online? Doesn’t work, you’d have to rewrite it in your language. And you can’t even switch the language in settings, because it’s tied to the OS language (maybe you can in recent versions, haven’t bothered to check for a while).
Not sure about VBA, but Excel formulas are actually saved in English and translated on file load. It doesn’t translate strings though, so EVALUATE only works for users with the same language as the author.
All jokes aside, most desktop apps and web browsers, nowadays, use ungodly amounts of RAM. The pessimist in me blames Chrome and electron, but in reality it just comes down to programmers being more accustom to having access to more memory than they need.
I say relax and enjoy the lack of slowdowns - having too much RAM is not a problem, but having too little is. Your only concern should ever be trying to avoid the latter, and with 32gb of RAM you should be good until the next big Discord update. (slight /s on that last point)
I recently upgraded my RAM because it was wild how much was being used. I have to eat the cost of more RAM because sites don’t seem to minimize it at all.
I first started using Linux in 1995 (I think it was kernel 1.2 or something), and this was being argued over (or at least discussed) even back then. The conclusion was that Leenus doesn’t care how you pronounce Leenux.
That was very enlightening, the Spanish pronunciation is actually more close to that than the English one, so I feel very validated as an Spanish speaker. Thank you. Also didn’t knew that he wasn’t from an English speaking country.
I also did not make the connection, after a 12 pack this lovely Friday night. OP is not wrong - even as someone who sometimes dashes for extra cash and hates people just like OP - but was thinking I missed some cultural reference.
Liberals don’t even really hate fascists, they just pretend to condemn them to keep up international appearances; as the past year’s slippage, then shameless tearing-off of the mask has shown us. No one should be surprised by this, either-- the American way has always been clad in a pointy white robe, clutching a rifle in white-knuckled hands; if you peel back all the mythologizing.
Since 2002, the base has included the detainment camp for individuals deemed of risk to United States national security. In 2009, the U.S. President, Barack Obama, gave orders for the detention camp to close by January 22, 2010. As of 2021, it remains open due to a congressional refusal of funds for its closure.
Sorry for my ignorance, but I think liberal means something else in my part of the world. Can you please tell me what’s your definition?
Edit: As I thought - you guys mean Neoliberalism. Even in the links below it’s mentioned that there was a split in terms. Language matters! Liberalism - a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights and civil liberties (the opposite in the political spectrum from authoritarianism).
they’re not using liberal in the american sense of liberal meaning gay blue haired woman with pronouns and vegan lattes that conservatives get mad at (in general theres a lot of queer vegan women with pronouns and colourful hair on hexbear); they’re defining liberal in the marxist sense in that its people who support capitalism but arent currently fascists, so this includes conservatives, neoliberals, social democrats, and all sorts in it. Their comment seems to be applying more specifically to the ideologically committed liberals as opposed to mostly apolitical people who just say, “oh yeah i guess i;ll vote democrat this time” once every 4 years and have that be the extent of their politcal consciousness
It’s nonsense statements like this that should provide the answer to OP’s question. When push came to shove in WW2, liberalism in the US, UK, and elsewhere sided with communism against fascism.
I can’t speak about lemmygrad since the instances I’m on all defederate from it, but Hexbear users have a reputation for being generally aggressive, grating, and immature. It’s like that kid in class who keeps interrupting the teacher because they think they’re funny and clever. e.g., some were screaming at me that I can’t be an anarchist and I know nothing about anarchism since I’m married, replying with third-grade tier memes for some confusing reason
Thought I should add it was them informing me that certain countries banning same-sex marriage while endorsing heterosexual marriage is just fine, actually. They espoused an objectively homophobic belief, and when I referenced my own marriage, they switched to calling me ignorant about anarchism. There are anarchist texts exploring the issue and some of the potential problems with traditions like marriage, but it’s not dogma. Nor do I view my own relationship as hierarchical.
This has the energy of a white gay man in a marriage pointing at a trans polycule and calling them homophobic because they said he had a bad take about how bourgeois privileges are more important than positive rights for queer homeless people.
White gay men wielding their gayness as a cudgel against people who are queerer and more marginalized then them sure is a gross thing to see.
Your comment is a perfect example of the pants-shittingly off-topic LGBTphobic nonsense I was receiving in the other thread, so thanks for proving my point.
You … you do realize that trans people and other “queerer” people than me engage in same-sex marriage too, right? And that it’s objectively homophobic for a policy to exist forbidding same-sex marriage while permitting heterosexual marriage? And that not all trans people are poly? I know people that fit all of the above, and every one of them deserves validation, and it would be unfathomably LGBTphobic for me to arbitrarily determine which ones are “queer enough” to be part of the community. You don’t see the problem with this line of thinking, with your entire statement? Of course you do, you’re just being deliberately cruel for your own amusement.
I’m unsubscribing immediately! And I blocked and reported that user, too.
My love is for all the LGBT+ community, and for the straight cis community as well. I just want equity. For anyone who had to read that homophobic comment above, just know that I do care, and I’m here for you.
And that it’s objectively homophobic for a policy to exist forbidding same-sex marriage while permitting heterosexual marriage?
Yes!
Do you acknowledge that some countries like the US which allow gay marriage materially harm lgbt people more than some countries that have banned gay marriage? Or is it only homophobic when it impacts your middle class ass?
Do you acknowledge that many socialist countries are progressive and moving toward more rights, and just starting from a worse starting point because of violently enforced colonial attitudes from countries that now claim to be progressive?
Do you acknowledge that Cuba, a socialist nation that you’d accuse of being tankie, is the place where lgbt people have the most material rights?
Do you acknowledge that communists have led every single queer liberation movement that has forced concessions from ruling governments? Or do you want to whitewash the communists out of stonewall?
You … you do realize that trans people and other “queerer” people than me engage in same-sex marriage too, right?
Yes, I’m one of them. And I’d happily give up my right to be married if it would erase queer homelessness, and erase conversion therapy camps, and erase the continual murder of black and indigenous trans women in our society.
You sound like one of these kind of gays; please quit the bad-faith crybully phobia-jacketing bullshit
As several scholars have noted, contemporary gay life is marked by high levels of racism directed towards gay men of color by gay white men, with much of the racism manifesting itself as negative sexual attitudes towards, and sexual exclusion or fetishization of, non-white men (Armstrong 2002; Bérubé 2001; Epstein 1996; McBride 2005; Tenunis, 2007).
Exactly this. They are not leftist, they are just a bunch of idiot trolls who use extreme left views as a means of pissing people off. Their views, according to their posts, are cartoonishly extremist. And that’s why people don’t like them.
I fully agree. The problem is when we point out that they’re not leftist, they assume it’s because we conflate leftism with liberalism, whereas this is not the case at all. I think they’re not leftist because their antisocial/anti-human beliefs are antithetical to the concept of community and only serve to derail any chance we have to work together to create a new system. I can’t imagine that anyone who legitimately seeks the goal of a stateless, classless society would behave as they do.
some were screaming at me that I can’t be an anarchist and I know nothing about anarchism since I’m married, replying with third-grade tier memes for some confusing reason
Do you want to hear the punchline? I caught a temp ban for expressing my plan to block their instance as soon as that is made possible for users. I will admit I was a bit harsh in that I said I wanted them to be “effectively silenced,” but this was extremely mild compared to their comments to me.
At this point I’m just assuming that by the time I’m “retirement age” there won’t be any social security anymore, and I’ll just have to keep working until the day I either drop dead or win the lottery
Start an IRA and put a few bucks a month in to buy shares of a mutual fund. Every penny you can invest in retirement will pay off when you do retire, and the sooner you can start, the better.
Over the lifetime of the investment account, it should outperform the interest you’re paying. You don’t want to track your retirement investments from year to year since the market constantly fluctuates, but it’ll still trend up 6-9%.
So I found out that qbittorrent generates errors in a log whenever it tries to write to a disk that is full…
Everytime my disk was full I would clear out some old torrents, then all the pending log entries would write and the disk would be full again. The log was well over 50gb by the time I figured out that i’m an idiot. Hooray for having dedicated machines.
I once did something even dumber. When I was new to Linux and the CLI, I added a recursive line to my shell config that would add it self to the shell config. So I pretty much had exponential growth of my shell config and my shell would take ~20 seconds to start up before I found the broken code snippet.
If you have ideas please let me know. I’m preparing to hop distros so I’m very tempted to ignore the problem, blame the old distro, and hope it doesn’t happen again :)
I would have to look at the log file. Some plugin probably has an issue and writes massive amounts of data to the log every time you use Neovim. Monitor the growth of the log file and contact me via DM if it goes crazy again, I’m gonna try to figure out what’s going on.
Agreed to the latter point. The only reason why I might not use vim is to copy-paste some code in and out of the file, in which case I prefer plain text editors.
With that said, I’m a purist who uses vim without any external plug-ins (other than the files I wrote myself in ftplugin). Use vim on a remote machine whilst SSHed into it from a windows machine and wanting to copy-paste stuff in and out is a major pain which is why I downloaded Vscode in the first place. This piece of cancer is not touching my linux machine.
based asl for using vim without plugins. although what is difficult about copy/pasting? i think u can get vim to use the system clipboard with a command
Indeed, however I’m using Windows as the host, whilst SSHed into my development machine.
Yes, integration with the system clipboard does make things somewhat easy. I would still use a simple GUI text editor if I was using my mouse though (like copying from a website using a mouse).
I use tree on the terminal if I want a tree view. I do all of my file management directly, it just feels more intuitive. I understand the point of netrw though
I realize you may just be venting but consider complaining to your college administration either via your student council or by yourself.
It should not be the norm to have to tell a stranger where you are to eat food.
You are paying for your education even if you are doing so via a loan and that gives you the right to tell them how you feel about them invading your privacy. In college and in jobs authority figures routinely try to control you and it is worth learning to take a stand against such abuses.
They literally could not give one fuck less. They are probably being paid or otherwise are getting some other kind of kickback to push these apps. Colleges are…I hesitate to say greedy, but let’s call it “capitalistic”.
I agree with the sentiment, but if no one ever complains things are guaranteed to not change. At least this is, at the very least, an exercise in explaining your own viewpoints and understanding the workings of an institution. That is a skill and lesson that is valuable in the professional world.
This is literally what the student council exists for! Also, OP could join student council! As a graduated student government nerd I highly recommend it!
Worth noting the college probably did it because they want to appear to be technologically advanced. As part of Student government I visited a campus that had no public water fountains but did have a gigantic touchscreen map about the size of a normal printed map that conveyed no extra information that a printed map would. It was very clear what motivations were behind those decisions
Be very careful. An expensive mattress, if you care for it, can last a long time and will definitely help with your pains. But just because it is expensive does not mean it is actually good, let alone good for you specifically. There are many types of different mattresses and you should take some time to find one for you.
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