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Cake day: June 12th, 2023

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  • NABDad@lemmy.worldtoLinux@lemmy.mlIn praise of Linux.
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    1 month ago

    When people ask me why I like Linux, my go-to reason is my main personal machine. I use it for everything I do outside of work, including running my Emby server.

    I built it from $500 worth of parts 13 years ago. I’ve kept updating the os and applications. It’s starting to slow down a bit after the last os upgrade, but it’s still plenty usable.

    I am getting concerned about the spinning platters. As far as I am aware, Linux won’t prevent an ancient hard disk drive from reaching the natural end of is life.

    It’s probably time to move on to a new machine. Well, new motherboard, CPU, RAM, and disks at least.



  • I work at a large, private university health system.

    Annual up front cost for insurance is $4967 for medical insurance and $609 for dental. Those cover me, my wife, and two of my three children. The insurance is a plan funded by my employer, but managed by Independence Blue Cross, AKA “Personal Choice”.

    There are three “tiers” of coverage.

    First tier is for facilities that are part of my employer. Generally, for procedures performed at my employer’s facility there is no additional charge. For a primary care provider who is part of my health system, there would be a $20 copay per visit. Specialist would also be $20, and an ER visit would be $200.

    There is an “in network” tier, made up of external providers that accept personal choice. Primary care copay is $35, specialist is $50, ER $200.

    The third tier is “out of network”. If we see someone out of network, we would have to pay them directly, then try to get partial reimbursement from insurance.

    There’s also a prescription plan, but we get a discount by using the hospital’s outpatient pharmacy.

    Everyone always talks about the cost to give birth. All three of my kids were born at the hospital where I work, and none of the births cost us any additional money.