Musings is Fun & Politics — Tech is just Tech 
Generational Defeat vs Setback isn’t just a catchy phrase, it’s the cleanest way to describe the split-screen unfolding right now between Iran and Russia. One regime has just suffered what America’s top Middle East commander openly calls a “generational military defeat.” The other is bleeding its army and its future away in a grinding war it can’t really win, even as Donald Trump keeps trying to pretend that the loser isn’t the side he effectively backed.
Trump didn’t start a real war with Iran, he started Half-War and then pretended the pause button was victory.
For years, one rogue regime has been breaking into the world’s house, raping whoever it wants, and daring anyone to stop it. Iran used the Houthis in the Red Sea as a test run for what it is now doing in the Strait of Hormuz, holding global trade hostage and getting paid for the privilege.
My recent battle with Medicare’s new online registration system made me think a lot harder about how we handle voter registration in this country. What Washington now demands for basic benefits makes the debate over simple voter ID look more than a little upside‑down.
Most Americans still register to vote the old‑fashioned way: a short form, a basic ID, maybe a quick stop at a county or state office, and you’re done. There’s no motion‑photo selfie, no video call with a stranger, no juggling half your life’s documents under a phone camera just to prove you exist. That’s not how my “enhanced” Medicare registration went—and that contrast is exactly where this story is headed.
I’m not an optician, but when you start ordering glasses online, you suddenly have to pretend to be one. You’re the one picking frame size, deciding between single‑vision, bifocals, trifocals, and progressives, and hoping it all works once it lands on your face. You still need a real eye exam and a real optician for a good prescription and PD, but after that, it’s you, a website, and a credit card.
Last year I spent almost a thousand dollars on frames and lenses after cataract surgery. I wanted to celebrate finally getting it done, ditch the bare‑bones Walmart 9.99–13.99 specials, and try progressive lenses for the first time. This year I’m in the “why did I spend that much?” phase and looking hard at cheaper online options — with Zenni ending up as my main test case.
Tello Mobile caught my attention when Perplexity AI suggested it as a way to slash my monthly phone bill — and it delivered. I was on a big‑name network, paying around forty‑five dollars a month with taxes and fees included, and barely scratching 200MB of data thanks to fiber WiFi and WiFi calling at home. Something had to give.
Quick update: After my first full month on Tello Mobile, my actual bill came to $10.75 total — plan, taxes, and fees included. That’s down from about $45 a month with my old major carrier, for the same basic coverage and my real‑world usage.