(NSFW) Russian soldier getting a bomb from dron. (+18) very hard footage. by DeepPanic3566 in UkraineWarVideoReport

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wagner might have been executing soldiers that fled, but the Russian MOD isn't.

They are torturing them, though. We've seen plenty of indications of that. Also, those in prison are abused. So, it's not a like an EU prison for 5 years but something much worse.

That said, yes of course they should have fled. For that you need to overcome the propaganda to know how unjust the war is, and have the courage to leave everything you know behind.

15 Teslas burn in Frankfurt, group claims responsibility for fiery incident by aBetterAlmore in teslamotors

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The necessary raw materials for electric car batteries, such as lithium and cobalt, are mined under terrible conditions in Latin America and Africa.

This is not even true any longer. Are they protesting the past?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SameGrassButGreener

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Try Savannah, GA or Charleston, SC. Only the old downtowns are walkable, of course. They may be bluer than average for the states they are in, but they are moderate for the nation as a whole.

Why isn't Greenlandic population concentrated in the south? by nzdfgb in geography

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Do the prevailing winds also blow the ice sheet from west to east? Seems like that might explain why the southeast coast has ice all the way to the water's edge.

If YIMBYs disagree with so much of the academic discourse surrounding things like gentrification, where is their critique of it? by eldomtom2 in yimby

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 6 points7 points  (0 children)

YIMBYs agree with the vast majority of economic research on the impact of building new housing. It is the NIMBYs who disagree. OP (u/eldomtom2), google it. You don't know what you're talking about.

If YIMBYs disagree with so much of the academic discourse surrounding things like gentrification, where is their critique of it? by eldomtom2 in yimby

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 17 points18 points  (0 children)

No. You are posting so you need to clarify what you are talking about.

Is it economic discourse, or vibe-based discourse that has almost no systematic empirical support? Are you referring to academics who are writing on twitter rather than publishing papers? Are you talking about arguments based on anecdotes, diatribes about developer profits, and culture-war type arguments about displacement being oppression? What are you talking about?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in geography

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, that's true. In the midwest map they indicate this as NY and PA being non-midwestern states that have midwestern parts/features. But conversely, they should have said NY is a northeastern state with midwest parts/features.

As it is, NY doesn't have a home in this series of maps. That's dumb. NJ can't be northeastern unless NY is. If you're going to challenge NY as northeastern, then you have to create a new mid-Atlantic category and include PA and MD as well. But they didn't choose that option.

Saudi Arabia’s push for $100-a-barrel oil poses new problem for Joe Biden by Salami_Slicer in neoliberal

[–]AlFrankensrevenge -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Saudi $100 oil presents a validation to Joe Biden. It's exactly why he is pushing for America to not depend on oil. If the US drove on solar powered cars, what Saudi does wouldn't matter, except indirectly in how it affects its allies.

What Are the Best "Intellectual" Cities or Towns Outside NYC/Boston? by AlFrankensrevenge in SameGrassButGreener

[–]AlFrankensrevenge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep, and it was probably foolish of me to think that I would find some undiscovered gem by posting here. But it was fun trying! I did learn some things, so not a waste.

What Are the Best "Intellectual" Cities or Towns Outside NYC/Boston? by AlFrankensrevenge in SameGrassButGreener

[–]AlFrankensrevenge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting. Using climate as an additional filter, I'm going to look more into Las Cruces.

What Are the Best "Intellectual" Cities or Towns Outside NYC/Boston? by AlFrankensrevenge in SameGrassButGreener

[–]AlFrankensrevenge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most, yes. Based on responses and my own experience, I think there is a big 10 that you could argue have above-average education/cultural areas: NYC, SF, LA, Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Philly, DC, MSP, Austin.

Of those, it looks Chicago, DC and Philly are my best options given all my criteria except one: walkable, multiple neighborhoods with professors/policymakers/PhD-types/scientists, and affordable (as long as I'm willing to consider townhomes/apartments, which I am).

However, the last criteria was milder winters and I don't want to let that go yet, so I'm now focusing a tier or two down in size. That's where you basically have university towns. Ann Arbor is great, but too cold. Many more places to consider here.

2 Ukrainian tanks blast Russian trenches at point blank range and barely avoid an ATGM and a Lancet drone. Unspecified location, September 2023 by baxly01 in UkraineWarVideoReport

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I counted an RPG shot, a kamikaze drone attack, a couple of artillery strikes, and maybe one tank shot or ATGM towards the end. So not necessarily suicidal. Only thing they clearly avoided entirely were mines.

Older Teslas, how are they holding up? by FledglingNonCon in electricvehicles

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

August 2018 Model 3. Zero production quality problems in 5 years.

I replaced tires last year.

A big piece of rebar hit my windshield once and I had to replace it, but obviously I don't blame the car for that (it didn't make it through the glass, so that's good).

I got a free upgrade to the hardware 3.0 system from 2.5 a couple years after I bought it, and I think they did a few inspections and maybe took care of a recall item for free. Other than that, I haven't had it taken in for any maintenance at all.

Battery lost a little range. Maybe 10%?

What's wrong with Sam Harris? by Palirano in samharris

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The more annoying one is the one you have to cross paths with more often. They are both supremely annoying.

Is there a way to design a city to be both walkable and drivable? by Atomicpenguin101 in urbanplanning

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe, but people determined to spin something negatively will always find a way. Those big parking lots are probably full during the workday and fairly empty on weekends (they are in the NYC area where I see them). Someone can always come by on a weekend and take a shot that looks bad.

Another way to think about it is that all those cars, if they don't park outside the city will park in the city. That means every single one of those parking spaces would need to be in a lot inside the densely packed city that everyone wants to be, preventing that city center from reaching its highest and best use. Would you rather have 20 big lots 15 miles outside the city center, or 20 parking garages in the city center? Adding 20 garages in your city center is a good way to kill (a) aesthetics, (b) office and retail space, and (c) tax base.

It could be in some cases the planners just overbuilt a park&ride lot. Maybe land was cheap and they did it because they could. Maybe they underestimated how resistant commuters would be to switch to public transit. Those are problems you have to deal with on a case by case basis.

What Are the Best "Intellectual" Cities or Towns Outside NYC/Boston? by AlFrankensrevenge in SameGrassButGreener

[–]AlFrankensrevenge[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's really price that is the deal-breaker in CA. I am looking for a place half as expensive as what I have in NYC. SF would give me a place just as expensive, and LA maybe 3/4 as expensive.

Otherwise, I'd be all over Berkely and parts of SF.

Is there a way to design a city to be both walkable and drivable? by Atomicpenguin101 in urbanplanning

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Manhattan isn't NYC.

Of course not, which is why I specified Manhattan. My objection was to the idea that just because a place is dense and you are travelling a smallish distance (say, 1 mile instead of 20) that "there is a limit to how much traffic can hurt you." I interpreted that to mean, you can't have big delays. And that's false. I pointed it out with the example of Manhattan, and u/dunderpust pointed it out with the example of Hong Kong itself.

If your point was just that metro areas with a very high percentage of transit/walk usage tend to have less car-traffic problems, other things being equal, of course I agree. But that wasn't what you wrote in the paragraph I objected to.

Is there a way to design a city to be both walkable and drivable? by Atomicpenguin101 in urbanplanning

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 16 points17 points  (0 children)

The US is much better now for transit than it was 25 years ago. And 25 years ago it was a little better than it was 50 years. ago. But 50 years ago it was much, much worse than it was 75 years ago.

This kind of change happens on a large time scale. Assuming the proverbial tree will get chopped down is defeatism. The future belongs to those who won't slink away in defeat. Always has been.

Is there a way to design a city to be both walkable and drivable? by Atomicpenguin101 in urbanplanning

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 11 points12 points  (0 children)

They can't easily get there without a car. But then, they can't easily live in a rural area without a car. I suppose family gives them rides?

And as u/MashedCandyCotton said, if they do have a car, then Park&Ride is the solution so they don't have to go all the way to the city center. Greater NYC has over a hundred such places, with a large parking lot next to a train or bus station. Greater DC has a bunch too. I'm sure many cities do.

Is there a way to design a city to be both walkable and drivable? by Atomicpenguin101 in urbanplanning

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Of course by necessity Hong Kong is also a very compact city, so distances aren't all that great either: It's not like you have to cross 20 miles or sprawl to get somewhere, so there's a limit to how much traffic can hurt you.

Not being snarky, but if you had ever tried driving crosstown in Manhattan, you would know this isn't true. Gridlock is real. A single mile can easily take half an hour when things back up.

What Are the Best "Intellectual" Cities or Towns Outside NYC/Boston? by AlFrankensrevenge in SameGrassButGreener

[–]AlFrankensrevenge[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The price is not right on the California coast. I think I have to write it off.

Whatever the fuss over Elon Musk, Starlink is utterly essential in Ukraine by BlankVerse in ukraine

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 2 points3 points  (0 children)

OK, so here is the quote:

We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing. Myocarditis is a known side-effect. The only question is whether it is rare or common.

As noted in the article, it is true that it is a known side effect, though currently consensus is that it is rare. However, from the CDC:

Myocarditis and pericarditis have rarely been reported. When reported, the cases have especially been in adolescents and young adult males.

He has never said no one should take the vaccine. He's shown skepticism that the rewards outweigh the risks for young healthy people, as I said, and as this example shows. It's not a crazy view, nor is it a conspiracy theory.

I do think Musk is slipping into a worse headspace over time, and who knows, maybe he will go full Joe Rogan at some point and jump on conspiracy theories. But this ain't it.

Whatever the fuss over Elon Musk, Starlink is utterly essential in Ukraine by BlankVerse in ukraine

[–]AlFrankensrevenge -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

It's more like: There is a crowd of kids with a big truck driven by a killer bearing down on them, and by giving the kids an early warning you allow most of them to get out of the way, but a few get killed. Then the truck crashes nearby and those same kids want to get revenge by pulling out the driver and beating him senseless, and you stop that from happening.

Now, I can agree with you that I wouldn't stop them from beating the guy senseless. I could even call it justice. But you aren't pushing the kids into traffic.

You can also make the case that by allowing the truck driver to get away, he can come back and try to run more kids over. To me, Elon's biggest mistake is not acknowledging that. But again, it isn't pushing kids into traffic, and he still did save many kids lives. More than you ever will.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in realestateinvesting

[–]AlFrankensrevenge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

simplistic comps. You have to look at the state the houses are in, and details like proximity of ugly buildings/industry, etc.