freedomPusher

freedomPusher OP , 6 months ago

Yes that’s true but the reason I listen to broadcast radio in the first place is because I’m on a limited connection. Broadcast radio consumes zero internet bandwidth. It’s also a lower carbon footprint (the transmission energy is spent whether I receive it or not).

freedomPusher OP , 6 months ago (edited 6 months ago)

The CO₂ footprint of streaming is significant. That article is about video, and audio would be much less, but when you listen to the audio all day long it’s significant enough.

There’s also a privacy factor. To stream radio online with the same level of privacy as receiving a radio broadcast requires using Tor, which likely triples the footprint with the 3 encrypted hops.

W.r.t hardware, my DAB player is a multi-function device; not just a tuner but also speakers, bluetooth & USB. It’s the same speakers I would use if playing an internet stream. To improve reception the hardware to add for the antenna is quite simple: aluminum pipe, bolts, and coax… nothing that would generate more e-waste.

freedomPusher OP , 6 months ago

Thanks for the tip. bummer to hear I have to run separate coax cables or come up with some kind of remote switch.

freedomPusher OP , 6 months ago

The idea would be to have one omni-directional antenna for both FM and DAB, and a separate directional one for one particular FM station that’s hard to get. Perhaps I should first build the omni-directional antenna – and maybe it will prove good enough to pick up the one weak station. If not, then I would build a directional one.

freedomPusher , 4 months ago

I think you would benefit most by moving abroad. Staying in one country your whole life is very one-dimensional. If you move to another country, esp. overseas, you will look back on your current boredom as wasting your life and you will regret not having done it sooner. Go for just one year. You can always return if you don’t like it. You might be someone who says “I went for 1 year, but stayed 5”.

But first move to a purple swing state like GA or PA for just a month or two, then move your stuff into mini storage. Two reasons: you get to experience a different part of the US, briefly, and you can register to vote in a place where your future votes will count the most. Because that’s the state you will vote in while abroad. OTOH, isn’t Texas on the edge of being a swing state? It’s probably not a bad place to vote from.

freedomPusher , 4 months ago (edited 4 months ago)

I would say mostly true.

I moved to a region where my lifestyle (accounting for wages, tax, cost of living) was effectively cut in half. Yet it was still the right move. My initial thinking was I will live anywhere for a year to get a different experience - I can always bounce back if I don’t like it… if the pay reduction bothered me. I ended up staying ~10 years.

A big factor is where you are in life. Fresh out of university, it’s important to gain ground right away and perhaps get the house paid for, or nearly so. But once you’re a senior dev and at a point of calling yourself “privileged class" with a decent sized 401k built up (which is great to convert to a Roth while abroad), you’re only cheating yourself out of life experiences by continuing to chase the money. Some research concluded around ~10 yrs ago that people’s overall happiness improves as income increases up until the $55k/year mark. Beyond that, income doesn’t matter much. Of course that would be a little higher now with inflation but I guess the OP has cleared that figure.

I think it was around 15 years ago I started researching typical incomes around the world and I noticed that Japan paid SWEs double the US average. Cost of living was about 50% higher in Japan but it still worked out that a US→Japan move would have been a lifestyle upgrade. So there are some rare exceptions.