I couldn’t agree more. Way back when, I thought I was okay at discussing topics like public health, evolution, vaccines, and the like with the “low information voter” crowd. Then I went to university for the better part of a decade, became a Real Scientist™, then worked in research and public health.

The result? I am no better at discussing these topics with them. If anything I’m less effective as I’m now seen as part of the conspiracy or an overeducated blowhard, so they write me off even faster.

I can gently and politely correct the misinformation that comprises the core of their beliefs, complete with sources, but it doesn’t matter one bit. Most of them aren’t interested in truth so much as what makes them feel good about themselves and their place in the world. To be fair, I meet just as many liberals who similarly have many feelings-based opinions (Vaccines! Organic food! GMOs!), but much of the MAGA crowd actually makes ignorance as a core value a point of personal pride. It’s fucking bizarre.

Yes! This exactly. I’m learning Italian and having a dictionary open on one side would be awesome.

It’ll get there, we just have to spend more money first. Any day now!

I’m there with you. I’m properly allergic to a few foods I really love, including almonds and (non-celiac) wheat. My wheat allergy is just mild and I can avoid some of the fallout if I pop a Benadryl first. It’s likely an extension of my severe grass allergy, which also doesn’t kill me.

Many people don’t understand food allergies, thinking food allergy means instant anaphylaxis. That’s when you see these “purity test” bullshit posts where the waiter refuses to serve the person “faking” an allergy for their own safety (and I’m sure everyone claps). I can eat about a pancake’s worth of wheat once every week or two and just be a bit uncomfortable for awhile. If I ate like a whole pancake breakfast? It gets ugly and uncomfortable, sometimes for a few days.

So if I snag a bite of my partner’s pancake, I’m not faking an allergy. My self-control just sucks sometimes.

If only. This is why I always laugh at the conspiracy theories that involve more than like 10 people, like all the scientists fabricating global warming. Humans are terrible at keeping secrets.

Instructions: remove the speaker grille, locate and pull the mechanical release cable, and then manually push the (really fucking heavy) door open. Vertically.

Someone designed that, patted themselves on the back, and thought “that’ll work!” Then at least one other person reviewed that design and thought the same. Then multiple people worked on how to implement that design. Likely dozens of people rubber stamped this design. It hurts my brain.

In the event of a collision, the model X should just eject its rear doors.

It depends on the model. In the model S, it’s right on the door, super easy to use and actually more intuitive than the little no motion micro switch that you’re supposed to use. I have shit hand strength and I’ve pissed off model S owners by accidentally pulling it to open the door. It just needs an obvious marking. I’m astounded they don’t have that already, but it’s Tesla: Expect Less.

The back seat is super stupid. Who’s more likely to be in the back seat? Kids. What’s the release? You have to dig into the carpet below the rear cushions to find and pull a cable. It’s harder to actuate than the front doors. Big brain material there.

The stupidest of all? No manual release at all on the outside. First responders get to watch you cook while trying to bash the window in. This is day one shit, Tesla.

Great article! I’ve been trying to explain VPNs to my family members for years and it just doesn’t stick. I’ll send this their way next time.

As far as I understand, a certain level of data hygiene will do wonders for even a basic setup.

For example, on our server, we have a container that maintains a kill-switched connection to a subscription VPN. Several other containers, including one with a browser, can only route their traffic through that container, and we don’t use any of them for anything personal or outside their intended purpose. We basically act as if there are completely different people on that connection, like we have a secret second family. Remote activity is done through a self-hosted VPN to the home network, then VNC to the containers.

If we want to use the subscription VPN on other devices, we connect to a different location and possibly use Tor browser for extra anonymity. No activity or information overlap, ever.

You can totally nix the pineapple! I’ve made it without when I didn’t have any. The dominant flavor is the corn and all spices. The drink tastes kinda like a very complex Kool Aid.

I have an unhealthy love for corn. Ever try chicha morada?

Onions make me ill in quantity so, uh, yeah.

The only reason my partner and i could is we lucked out and bought our house at the bottom of the housing market during COVID. Interest rates hit the lowest point just as we began financing but people hadn’t quite started buying yet so prices had bottomed out. It “appreciated” by over 50% within two years, like fucking magic.

If we had waited until now, we could not afford to buy our two bedroom, one bath, <1000 square foot, old-as-fuck, not fancy house. The monthly payment would be almost 2.5x higher and the FHA minimum down payment nearly killed us already at the lower price.

My partner and I both have advanced degrees and now make over $200k a year (disclaimer: we live in one of the top 5 highest cost of living areas in the US). We still don’t make enough to adopt kids. The market, economy, and country in general are just super fucked.

I miss the old days, when the opposite seemed true about every other major release, though the early bars were low so that was straight progress for 1.0 through 95.

I put on my robe and wizard hat.

I find the new interfaces to be less user friendly. I’m not a child: I don’t want my BIOS to look like a fucking sports car. My bed, sure, but not BIOS.

It’s really exhausting. OCD, ADHD, NPD, BPD, Bipolar disorder, all these commonly armchair-diagnosed disorders have lost so much meaning due to inappropriate use. I was recently accused of gaslighting because I didn’t recall what someone was criticizing me for, so I said as much and asked for examples. Big gaslighter here, everyone.

I’m sorry for being emotionally caring and caring about the durability of your own bedroom.

Ugh, yes. I’m going through a rough relationship patch where we’ve separated to work on ourselves and the relationship.

My natural inclination is to pursue and put in effort until I drop, but the smart move is almost always to wait. For days, even weeks. There have been a few instances where I felt like my last move was an eternity ago. Nope, just two days. Not even full days. Torture!

My thoughts exactly. I can’t wait to see the controlled opposition “accidentally” fumble a guaranteed win.