Wahots

Wahots , 8 hours ago

The decline is threefold:

1. Agriculture is getting significantly more efficient. You don’t need 300 people do backbreaking labor for 12 hours a day in the beating sun anymore. We have automated threshers.
2. Industries are shifting. We generally moved away from manufacturing and an extraction-based economy. (Though the former is recovering, thanks to Biden’s awesome investment plan)
3. jobs are moving to cities, where there are more schools, hospitals, high paying jobs, and may be more resilient to climate change.

Personally, I’d never ever consider moving anywhere rural for the aforementioned reasons, but also because rural americans are against my type family, and I don’t care to be the queer pioneer family for them to realize we aren’t so bad. I also never want to drive a car for a half hour+ for basic supplies or to see friends. It’s too lonely. We have rail and ebikes here. I can get to the store or a friend’s in less than 10 minutes.

Wahots , 12 hours ago

Aren’t people sick of war? The last thing I would want is another war tearing my country apart. Lebanon has had terrible things happen to it in the past. Just…chill. Nothing good will come from war.

Wahots , 15 hours ago

Any reason in particular? I would have thought that the UK would be all over good rail transit.

Wahots , 15 hours ago

There’s one here in the US that doesn’t have any signage at all. Just a lightly pink door. It opens down into one of the coolest restaurants and live performance places in the city. It has become pretty popular.

https://pawb.social/pictrs/image/98312066-2532-4a80-a2d1-f26cfd06e199.jpeg

https://pawb.social/pictrs/image/6a5a4113-d440-4f58-8b61-a7c142f370b6.jpeg

Wahots , 14 hours ago

Good christ. Wash your dick, get your HPV vaccines, and don’t smoke. That sounds like a fucking nightmare if you need your urethra relocated.

Wahots , 2 days ago

We had mixed gender bathrooms in highschool, and they were fantastic. Clean, proper bathrooms, not stalls, and the students were responsible for cleaning them + the school weekly, so nobody ever trashed them. (There were two half-hour cleaning sessions each week, with some supplimental janitor help to keep things running smoothly)

Wahots , 3 days ago

Good luck getting people to waste a ton of gas and time going into the office every day. Even before the pandemic, everyone was already using teams for meetings virtually. I think we had physical meetings a few times a year at most, and even then, some people were virtual.

Wahots , 3 days ago

This scene shaved years off my life, haha. He absolutely nailed it.

Wahots , 3 days ago

I want us to build a massive collider in New Mexico. There’s a bunch of land around Black Mesa that could probably house a massive underground collider. The US needs a big one!

Wahots , 4 days ago

Don’t wear headphones while crossing roads, bike lanes, or train tracks. :P

Wahots , 3 days ago

I want more pneumatic tube systems. I don’t care what it’s used for. They are super satifying and analog.

Wahots , 3 days ago

*human porn.

Google can’t even block yiff with safe search, lol. AI has incredible difficulty with evaluating furry porn. Which means that Mitch McConnell is going to live out his final days looking at anthropomorphic hyenas that could benchpress a fridge and have 11 inches of freedom, lmao.

Generations of southerners and people in the central US are going to be looking at considerable amounts of yiff if conservatives have their way.

Wahots , 2 days ago

It is…inevitable. A shame, really. >:)

Wahots , 4 days ago

This is why you never ride in painted, unprotected bike lanes. They are exceedingly dangerous for this and other reasons. Ride in the middle of the road for safety.

Wahots , 3 days ago

Same rules apply! Edge of the road is total death. People driving in the lane and people opening car doors cannot see you as well. Not to mention stuff like people walking to the car doors, people unloading stuff, etc. The edge of the road just gives you so much less time to react to bad situations.

I’ve had people even throw their passenger door open in heavy traffic, where I almost flossed their door off, had I not swerved. And that was car to car!

Wahots , 4 days ago

I completely agree, but we need much stronger rent and ownership laws, as well as public housing. Companies are bulldozing low income housing, building shiny new apartment buildings, and using algorithmic rent to empty out most of the apartment complex and keep prices artificially high across a city.

propublica.org/…/yieldstar-rent-increase-realpage…

It’s so terrible, because the end result is a lot of half empty apartments downtown, and normal people effectively getting pushed to suburbs because there’s no way most people could afford an apartment that costs $4k a month. For low income people, it’s even worse.

Even just having some (30%) mandatory $500/mo rent apartments in all new construction over 30 units could help.

Wahots , 5 days ago

Hell yeah, Ukraine ❤️

Keep up the good fight!

Wahots , 5 days ago

Today, someone jumped over the construction barriers on an escalator that was under construction. They fell into the open hole in the escalator, got seriously hurt, and then had the audacity to complain to metro police officers that there was a hole in the escalator for some reason. The police had the grace to not admonish him for being a moron. Both ends were blocked with construction barriers ~4.5 feet high by 3.5 feet deep, and the elevator was right by them, lol. It was very difficult for someone to even vault over in the first place.

Wahots , 5 days ago

The Haitians and Ukrainians, too. :(

Wahots OP , 5 days ago

Some friends were super awkward/rusty at hugging at first, but got much better after university. Kind of an interesting progression to watch (we meet up a few times a year!)

Wahots OP , 5 days ago

That’s kind of nice, I like groups like that :)

Wahots OP , 5 days ago

I like that sort of thing. It can be nice to be close to a friend, even if it’s not as popular across a larger culture at the moment.

Wahots OP , 5 days ago

I find it interesting to watch people’s behaviors in various circles. Some are very physically affectionate among friends or even acquaintances, others are super awkward, but then those super awkward people are incredibly physically affectionate with pets (wrestling with them in the grass, picking them up, snuggling with them on the couch, etc). It’s an interesting cultural dynamic to watch.

People have interesting social filters that drop at a moment’s notice when pets or alcohol are involved, haha.

Wahots OP , 5 days ago

I think this is always kinda sweet :)

Wahots OP , 5 days ago

Oh, I’m quite open and queer, but I know that not everyone is. Different cultures around the globe handle things differently, too. But I even see the difference on the more local scale, where some friends are quite physically affectionate, whereas others hug me like a frozen fence post, haha.

It’s interesting that women generally are fairly physically affectionate with friends, but men kind of run the gamut depending on family and social culture. And yet, even some of the most awkward are super physically affectionate with animals and pets, sometimes even at the same event.

I find stuff like that fascinating. Cultures evolve and change, with some aspects being more seasonal, and others more glacial. :)

Wahots OP , 5 days ago

All of these responses are super interesting and run a much wider gamut than I was anticipating. Very nice to see, and makes me happy. :)

Wahots OP , 5 days ago

Mmm, yeah, the head in lap thing is very comfy, and I’ve done that with a range of friends :)

Wahots OP , 5 days ago

Yeah, I can’t help but feel like social media, the loss of third spaces, and a lack of affection (physical or otherwise) between friends and family plays a part in people being so lonely. This post has been really interesting, and has run a far larger gamut of responses than I thought I’d get.

Everybody has physical contact between themselves and their dates/SOs. But I was really interested to hear about people’s physical connections outside of just dating. Male-male platonic affection seems exceedlingly rare, so I was interested in hearing what it’s like in people’s everyday lives. :)

Wahots OP , 5 days ago

This thread has been really interesting, and a couple comments seem to really hit the nail on the head in terms of social isolation and the fallout it can cause. I think the pandemic definitely played a part in that.

However, this thread also gives me a lot of hope. The comments and experiences are far more diverse than I thought they’d be :)

Wahots OP , 5 days ago

It’s been a much more diverse range of comments than I anticipated. It’s very heartening to see. :)

Wahots OP , 5 days ago

Not necessarily. I’ve noticed female friends tend to be much more adept at physical affection on the whole. Men tend to have a much wider range, with some hugging you (male) like a 2x4, whereas others shimmy over to you and rest their head or arm around you on a chairlift.

Mostly, I wanted to hear how male-male friends and family treated each other physically, without the complication of SOs or romantic partners fuzzing the responses (since people tend to already be physically affectionate with romantic partners).

It’s been really interesting to hear, the responses are much more diverse than I was expecting, and it’s really heartwarming to see.

Wahots OP , 5 days ago

It was really interesting to watch. I know Tolkien didn’t write the entire series as a reflection of WW1, but while watching longer clips of WW1 british soldiers (particularly in non-combat scenarios), I was struck at just how playful and affectionate they were with each other, even POWs that they were relaxing with or sometimes, playing with. In some sense, I feel like the culture around physical affection was just a bit different back then, and people were less guarded. Feels like some of that seeps into Tolkien’s books :)

Wahots OP , 5 days ago

I find it really interesting, the juxtaposition between pets and humans, sometimes even at the same events. Awkward huggers will get down there and really be physically affectionate with pets and competent at it, too. It always warms my heart, but also makes me wish society was just a bit more relaxed sometimes. Pets can be the instigators of play in a great way, but it also makes me wonder if people are missing opportunities to form stronger connections to friends and family members.

Wahots , 6 days ago

Get your boating license first. After that, try renting a boat for the summer or piecemeal. Try washing it, refueling it, doing an overnight to another city, etc. If you like it, you can buy one next summer. If you dislike it, or don’t think you’d do it as often as you thought, you saved yourself a lot of hassle.

I worked on boats a ton and got to know the ins and outs of maintaining them. Bit of a pain in the ass, but they are quite fun. Decent amount of hidden costs. It’s a fairly investing hobby, close to (but in some cases, not as expensive as flying a small plane as a hobby. You’ll spend a lot time working on the boat to keep it in shape for excursions.)

Cleaning motor boats is a lot easier than sailboats. And if it were me, I’d make sure it was able to be trailered, and look into how expensive fuel, maintenance, insurance and most importantly, slip fees and places you can moor your boat at other harbors. If you don’t wanna pay sticker, look at the used market. A lot of boat owners are sick of paying slip fees and might part with it for less money. The flipside is that they might take a ton of cleaning and maintenance to get back into shape.

One final tip: do not exceed your fuel range, and make sure there are multiple places to refuel if you are going camping in a remote location (eg, an island chain). Some fuel depots might not be operational or have limited hours on weekends or weekdays, unlike car gas stations. Our neighbors got stuck for a weekend out in the islands when the lone fuel depot was closed on weekends, and they didn’t have the range to make it to another island.

Wahots , 6 days ago

Generally, I think of India positively, but your march towards authoritarianism worries me. The last election lessened that worry a bit, but I still feel nervous about a regional nuclear war* between you and Pakistan or a land war with China, particularly as the region dries out.

As long as India strives to be a democracy and outlooks between you and Pakistan lighten, I feel pretty good about you guys.

*a regional nuclear war could cause seasonal disruptions to the entire planet, like some massive volcano eruptions that have dimmed the planet for a decade or more.

My background is US.

Wahots , 6 days ago

inform, equip, and activate

What does this even mean? What are you equipping? What are you activating?

Wahots , 7 days ago

Not to be pedantic, but this happened in 2022, OP posted an old article. Not sure where they are at now.

Wahots , 6 days ago

Standing desks can be really nice for certain applications, where stuff like a hotas would be too tall at a fixed desk. Or for getting up if you are feeling drowsy while working.

Or one of my favorites, moving a bowl of food as close to your face as possible for maximum laziness, haha.

(Though it also has benefits in space-constrained apartments, since a chair can fully fit under the desk when guests are over, you are cleaning, or playing VR)

Wahots , 6 days ago

I think the one I have is pretty good, but it’s different than most. Has a wired thermometer that cuts off power when it reaches a certain temperature inside your food, so you never undercook a piece of partially frozen chicken or other foods. Has a few presets too, but damn, it is so much better than having to stab a boiling piece of chicken in the oven a few times and still see 120f.

It’s a lifesaver since you can be arrested for undercooking or overcooking certain foods. :)

Wahots , 7 days ago

I wish we had public servants who did their fucking job for their base pay, just like the rest of us do.

Wahots , 7 days ago

The problem is that we exploit the land animals are on. People build suburbs in areas where these diseases are endemic. E.g., they clear cut a forest near caves and build a massive suburb, and people move in for the cheap housing. The bats that lived in the forests and caves are pushed to the eves of houses. Ebola virus is naturally endemic in those bats, and when a bat shits, it lands on a picnic table. Some mom sets up a picnic on the table and brushes off what she thought was a stick before serving sandwiches and touching her itchy face.

She handles wet grapes that are for the entire fourth grade class picnic, and everyone ingests them. The next day, multiple children get sick, but one family flew to Yellowstone that evening, and another flew to Japan for spring break, spreading the disease internationally before humans are even aware such a disease has even started.

Three weeks later, the health authorities see a mysterious disease in local hospitals, but have no tests for it, and the local health authority doesn’t issue a shutdown notice for schools because it’s become politicicized and they will lose their job if they make a bad call. A few people dying will get them a repremand at most. That’s how pandemics start.

Wahots , 6 days ago

Breakfast = break fast (as in fasting) :)

Wahots , 6 days ago

PC for sure. Upgradable, no battery to wear out. Significantly more power and dead silent. I take my laptop on trips, but those are pretty rare.

Wahots , 8 days ago

You should see a dermatologist for an accurate diagnosis. They are far more knowledgeable than us and can suggest treatments.

Wahots , 10 days ago

He knows democrats will bail him out because they do the right thing. Insurance agencies won’t, though. The writing is on the wall when your insurance premiums skyrocket. Or worse, they drop you.

Wahots , 9 days ago

I’ve had friends get fucked in the ass by their insurance company that refused to let them buy flood insurance even though they weren’t particularly close to a body of water. When the “once in 500 years” (not) flood came, their house that they had owned for years was destroyed. Insurance that they paid for picked up none of their $100,000 damages.

They rebuilt it out of pocket and are selling it and moving to a place that is more ecologically stable. Fuck insurance companies.

Wahots , 10 days ago (edited 10 days ago)

There have been studies debunking claims of bike-induced ED, buuuuut, if you are really worried, you can get a ventilated or slotted saddle and occasionally stand up on your bike at traffic stops and such. There are specialized saddles and a variety of bikes with different riding positions.

I love downhill mountain biking, singletrack, and city riding, and never had issues with getting it up either. When the shitty OEM saddle made my balls fall asleep, I swapped to a better saddle made by SQ Labs and changed the seat angle slightly.

Also… if ED were an issue, the Netherlands and Japan would be like…sterile, hahah