The BKE concept is clearly trying to label itself like an ebike but it looks more like a scooter. The article mentions “rugged off-road wheels” but those tiny tires would get swallowed by bigger bumps. I guess it’s more portable than an electric dirt bike though.

The kei truck seems to have limited utility if it can’t be driven on a road with more than 35mph speed limit. I’m brainstorming an earthship community with some friends and this vehicle would be perfect if I could actually drive it on rural roads.

Thanks for this. I opened this in the Uber to my psych appointment funny enough. Hoping she’ll let me switch my meds.

Old people (75+) really should not be permitted behind the wheel.

I hear this a decent amount, and I don’t think it’s a terrible notion, but I think it’s still not enough. My grandmother experienced significant dementia symptoms and erratic behavior in her 60s. My grandfather was still sharp as a tack into his 80s. We hand out licenses starting at 16 and I’d worry more about a 16yo than a 75yo (in general). The driver in this article was impaired which probably had more to do with his driving than his age. Driving while tired is just as bad as driving drunk and I bet rush hour is filled with commuters that fit that description.

If we do start limiting licenses (and I think we should), it should be met with increased investment in our communities. Old people, young people, drunk people, tired people all drive because it’s the only way to get around in most places. I would be in favor of increased standards before you get a license along with retesting every 5 years, regardless of age. When I was 16, I drove around the block within the speed limit and was given free ability to drive up to a large Uhaul for the rest of my life. The test should be more rigorous, the learning period should be at least until 18, consequences should be greater, and there should be robust options other than driving.

I know I’m preaching to the choir here but this happened kinda close to where I grew up and I had to vent.

Just recommend Shrek

Idk man. I’ve seen the state of my mechanic’s personal car. She could have been doing the equivalent of just barely enough to keep it running.

Do you think the same people that don’t understand who took their healthcare are also associating that legislation with the speaker of the house? I doubt that. In the end, just like with Biden, the Democrats will be given a historic victory and voters will feel they have yet again failed to meet the moment.

I understand that Nader is saying Dems should set the stage for a more decisive platform shift in the party. But the other option is to put in a truly progressive speaker (AOC seems kind of obvious but they might want someone less firey). During this lame duck session, they could pass populist bills that targets the powerful and make politicians vote nakedly for the powerful. I think this would do more to draw fire than intentionally putting in bad leadership. It could even reorient the GOP since some would break from the party to not be so obviously against a populist bill.

If Hegseth mobilizes troops to block Congress from convening, it could come to civil war. I think Congress should have a contingency plan for this in advance. If they are physically blocked from the Capitol building, they can convene over Zoom or something.

Very scary yet thorough analysis. TL;DR is that Trump has been and continues to put the pieces in place to seize power by preventing Congress from convening on Jan 3rd. There have been several moves that have been made to that end, like purging generals and creating a “quick reaction force” within our military. The most recent move was promoting Steven Miller to White House chief of staff.

What’s maimai

The states control voting so it will have to happen at the state level. RCV reduces the power of the 2 parties so it would only be politically viable in states where there is already popular independents or politicians that don’t want to be with their current party (DSA backed Democrats or libertarians running as Republicans for example). Even then, it kinda seems like the DSA politicians are more interested in shifting the Democrats platform than making the DSA into its own party.

Mississippi winning what?

FYI, ball bearings refers to the whole assembly pictured. The rolling elements are just called balls. This is the pedantic hill I die on.

Yeah he was so used to soda that water didn’t give him the same stimulation he expected. He was hoping to use fruit juice to ween himself off the stimulation to eventually switch to water.

Buffalo wings come from Buffalo NY. I think the standard should be if consumers believed something incorrect. I know several people that thought Country Croc was butter. Compare that to “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” and nobody thinks that’s butter. Several “ice cream” bars in the freezer isle actually don’t contain ice cream. I bet the average person perusing the freezer isle wouldn’t know that since the packaging and marketing are all meant to convince you that it does contain ice cream. Many services will advertise a price and then include a bunch of fees people don’t expect. In general, I don’t like how marketing is so deceptive. It breeds a culture of lying and distrust where the worst behaviors are rewarded and honesty is punished.

Good. False advertisement is too narrowly defined and never enforced. I had a roommate that was trying to drink less soda for health reasons. He decided to switch to fruit juice so he could still get a sweet drink but it’s slightly more healthy. He didn’t notice until I pointed out that he had bought fruit juice cocktail, which is essentially Kool aid. I don’t blame him for the mistake because the packaging made it look like a bottle of real juice. Marketing frequently aims to trick people into believing false things about their products while technically not lying.

And why is a safety system’s fail state allowing unrestricted speeds? Shouldn’t the fail state be the restricted speed?

Not trans but I know a lot of transfems because I used to run a weekly video game tournament. There have been several trans people in that community over the years and many of them have made a lot of friends there.

I’m also in a friend group centered around riding bikes and there is decent trans representation there as well. It’s not as dense as in the tournament scene but they’re around.

I guess what I’m saying is, if you have a hobby, find a local meetup for that hobby. If the group is inclusive and respectful, you might meet some people. Also, if you play super smash bros, that’s like a cheat code.

The incentives in capitalism are what sets it up for the business owner and makes them the original out of touch weirdo believing contradictions and setting the incentives for the rest. I firmly believe that a person’s whole worldview is largely shaped by their incentives. Most people don’t do evil things that they think are evil. They mold their ethics, morality, philosophy, and even interpret their religion to make following their incentives virtuous.

Andrew Carnegie at 33:

I propose to take an income no greater than $50,000 per annum! Beyond this I need ever earn, make no effort to increase my fortune, but spend the surplus each year for benevolent purposes!..I will resign business at thirty-five, but during these ensuing two years I wish to spend the afternoons in receiving instruction and in reading systematically!

He later became one of the most ruthless robber barons of the gilded age. Bad behavior is done by individuals that should be held accountable. But accountability can’t outperform incentives. The incentives must change for a systemic change in behavior to occur. You could fire all C-suite and promote the best and after a while, you would be back to the same behavior.

I sometimes do this. If cars aren’t stopping to let me cross. Just confidently walk in front of them. Be ready to jump back if they call your bluff but I’ve never had to.

I used vapes to quit cigarettes and became more addicted to vaping than smoking. I could puff pretty much anywhere anytime. Nicotine pouches actually helped quit vaping though.

Businesses also make those people. Once they align your incentives toward making the company the most profit, you will gradually become an out-of-touch weirdo that fetishizes productivity and thinks empathy is weakness.