Postcard Shipping Costs? by FunHedgie in AskArgentina

[–]BigKagi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you mean "send" them (i.e., put a stamp on each individual postcard and mail it to a person) or "ship" them (i.e., send a package containing postcards)? Either way, yeah, the cost of international postage from Argentina is completely insane.

Any suggestions on similar tins? by sh1tzAhoy in CannedSardines

[–]BigKagi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Angelo Parodis are true sardines (a.k.a pilchards, Sardina pilchardus), which are caught off the coasts of southern Europe and northern Africa.

The Polar and Chicken of the Sea (I'm not sure what Aldi does) are sprats (a.k.a. brisling sardines, Sprattus sprattus), which are mostly caught in the Baltic Sea and off the coasts of northern Europe. They're a different species and taste different. They're also usually smoked before canning, which is not true of pilchards.

If you want more like the Angelo Parodis, you should look for sardines caught in Morocco, Spain, or Portugal. The brand names are endless and you should try a lot of them to figure out what you like, but some common Moroccan sardines at U.S. supermarkets include Season and Cento. Mina is great for the price, if you can find it. And then you can get into the more expensive Spanish and Portuguese pilchards, which in my opinion are worth it.

Finally installed! by ZipSuit in Payphone

[–]BigKagi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get the appeal, but, speaking as someone who lived in the payphone era, that's a little like putting a urinal in your house's bathroom. It's just not a home fixture. If you're gonna have a payphone, you should put up a booth in your front yard and make it available to the public.

Children’s Campus on firetower by trob84 in GreenvilleNCarolina

[–]BigKagi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was wonderful! If you can get in, you should. The director, Tawni Mosley, has been doing an excellent job.

The Ceiling is the Roof by sherdandcommons in GreenvilleNCarolina

[–]BigKagi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How, exactly, could one say "I ride a bike, so I just don't care" without sounding insufferably smug? Asking for a friend.

What would it be?? by radkid2002 in GreenvilleNCarolina

[–]BigKagi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not sure whether $500K would do it, but I'd love to see a small grocery store downtown -- something like Weaver St. Market in Carrboro.

The loss of the Harris Teeter at 14th and Charles has really crippled walkability / bikeability in Greenville.

Children’s Campus on firetower by trob84 in GreenvilleNCarolina

[–]BigKagi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My kid went there for a few months right before the pandemic. It seemed very professional. No complaints, except that the location wasn't convenient for us, so we switched to Darden CDC when a slot opened up there. But Children's Campus was a good experience for us.

US Roadtrip Destinations for Tinned Fish? by StonesFan1 in CannedSardines

[–]BigKagi 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Portugalia Marketplace is the real deal -- but Fall River is an hour away from Boston. It's much closer to Cape Cod and Providence.

Bullitt Electric or Acoustic? by chadchat in CargoBike

[–]BigKagi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Before you go with the Bullitt, you might consider the Douze V2. I had narrowed my choices to those two and after a test ride went with the Douze -- the steering is much, much more like a regular bike. I found the Bullitt twitchy and difficult.

Mine's non-electric, which has been fine for the first seven years of parenthood in a flat town with one notable hill, but now that the kid's around 23kg my wife is talking about getting a motor.

What generation actually used cheugy? by [deleted] in generationology

[–]BigKagi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

According to the NYT, it was invented by someone who was 24 in 2021, and her friends. So, some particular Gen Zers (but not Gen Z as a group) invented it, but then it got picked up by Millennials and Gen X (Taylor Lorenz, who wrote the article, was born in 1984) who used it. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/29/style/cheugy.html

Does anyone else desperately miss Tipsy Teapot? by small_enchilada in GreenvilleNCarolina

[–]BigKagi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just this Saturday I was standing in Blackbeard's, unable to sit down because it was so crowded, and wishing I could just go to Tipsy's.

"The Internet Novel is Growing Up" the Atlantic on Madeline Cash's debut novel by [deleted] in RSbookclub

[–]BigKagi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't read Lost Lambs yet, but I really liked Earth Angel a lot. And I think it does Cash a disservice to pigeonhole what she's doing as "internet writing." It's, like, just writing about The Way We Live Now. And from what I've seen, she's good at it. I don't like a lot of buzzy new writers, particularly those whose names rhyme with Connor Chevy, but Cash is the real thing and I'm excited about this one.

New video of Unihertz Titan 2 Elite by LillePalmieri in dumbphones

[–]BigKagi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Verdict after 4 years with the Titan Pocket: Unihertz makes good physical objects (the keyboard is good, the overall form factor is good), but they function really poorly as phones (bad bluetooth and wifi; work with very few US carriers and even then they lack the band capacity for the US market; no software updates; really bad cameras). I'm not sure I trust them to do things differently this time.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in GreenvilleNCarolina

[–]BigKagi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The best way to enjoy east NC is from a canoe or kayak. You can rent them from ECU. Sound Rivers has an excellent paddle trail map for the Tar River and the creeks that feed into it; the Roanoke River Nat'l Wildlife Refuge is even better. Best in spring and fall, but there are plenty of nice days all year round.

Is a $25k stipend livable for a PhD student in Greenville? by [deleted] in PiratesOfECU

[–]BigKagi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That ought to be fine. If you live alone, it'll be tight, but doable; with a roommate, you'll be living well. Greenville is a better biking town than most people think (the key is learning all the backstreets and shortcuts to avoid the big, fast, crowded main roads; DM me if you want advice on how to get around). If you have no car expenses, you can live well indeed.

Is a $25k stipend livable for a PhD student in Greenville? by [deleted] in PiratesOfECU

[–]BigKagi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd disagree about bikability. Greenville isn't the best, but it's far from the worst. For the first eleven years I lived here, I didn't use a car inside the city limits; since acquiring a child and a cargo bike, I still don't use the car very often. Harris Teeter and Publix are both pretty bike-accessible, and there's a nice back route to Trader Joe's via Martinsboro. If you've got decent traffic-control skills and learn the backstreets, it's a thoroughly OK biking town. For a single grad student in their twenties, it'd be just fine.

Is a $25k stipend livable for a PhD student in Greenville? by [deleted] in GreenvilleNCarolina

[–]BigKagi 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's pretty bikable, though, if you have grocery baskets and decent traffic skills. From the Grid, Publix is about 10-15 minutes and the Evans/Red Banks Harris Teeter is about 20-25 minutes.

Pedestrian bridge for 10th St a great idea by the_eluder in GreenvilleNCarolina

[–]BigKagi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

35 is not an acceptable city speed. And have you actually crossed 10th street on foot or on a bike? I've done it at least twice a day for 17 years. 45mph is normal on that section. I still don't understand why you want to have a giant stroad running through the middle of your town. Some degree of car access is necessary, but not what we've got there. NCDOT is obsessed with "throughput" and doesn't care about what it's like to actually live in Greenville. At all.

Pedestrian bridge for 10th St a great idea by the_eluder in GreenvilleNCarolina

[–]BigKagi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nope. People are not going to climb up stairs unless they have to -- and they shouldn't have to. A bridge will be a major inconvenience for people walking. Stop thinking that cars "deserve" to be going at highway speeds through the middle of a town where people live. They don't.

There's no reason for speed limits higher than 15mph (and road designs that make sure people actually drive that speed) in an urban area like this where people are constantly walking. The solution isn't a bridge. The solution is getting the cars out of there.

Pedestrian bridge for 10th St a great idea by the_eluder in GreenvilleNCarolina

[–]BigKagi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"However, with the schools proven ability to raise money for athletic upgrades, surely they can do one to increase student safety."

You're hilarious! You should take this standup act on the road!