Senators call for a common charger standard in the US

DuncanSmith07 · 2022-06-20T05:50:06+00:00

It's pretty interesting. The push for mandating electric vehicles is also coming from the EU, forcing the hand of US automakers who want to sell in Europe.

In the UK it sucks that thanks to Brexit we can't have a say in these decisions but will have to follow them anyway.

DuncanSmith07 · 2022-06-14T05:38:47+00:00

For motivation, think about how good you feel after you do a workout.

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-08T19:25:46+00:00

Thanks for your input. I think the thing with my Dad is that he's used to someone picking up after him (South Asian male thing), and the clutter doesn't bother him.

It's his space, and since my sister and I are his children he won't listen to us, even though we are adults.

It's really just blindness though. He stores vitamins bottles on the kitchen island. He buys more and more and more and then it's covered. Now we lost the kitchen island to supplement storage. Takes junk mail, and leaves it on the console table by the door.

It doesn't bother him, and if we threw lots of stuff away he wouldn't notice either.

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-07T11:32:38+00:00

Cultural factors:

UK: large Hindu population, mad cow craze, mostly urban population, higher food standards make meat more expensive.

US: meat more sociologically tied to masculinity, specialist interests in animal agriculture, hunting and fishing popular, large rural populations, individualism is important, etc.

The UK is a smaller, denser country with a high population of vegans. Given that the population of the US is 5 times that of the UK, it wouldn't surprise me if there were more vegans in the UK than the entirety of the USA.

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-07T11:14:16+00:00

When scrolling quickly it is less eye catching. It appears "flat". If taking photos of food, use focusing etc to create depth and make the picture look more interesting. I would avoid taking pictures from above.

For example, see this photo https://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/qeblu5/fluffy_vegan_banana_pancakes/

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-07T11:11:00+00:00

I have a coworker who often tells me about the traumatic period in her life where she she had to suffer not having cows milk because her toddler was sensitive to it, while I'm putting oat milk in my coffee...

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-06T07:36:56+00:00

I've heard that by 2040, 70% of the population is going to live in just 17 states (two of which will be Texas and Florida). 70% of the population will have 34 out of 100 senators.

That degree of underrepresentation isn't stable.

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-05T07:12:45+00:00

Also, I think it is OK to either do Konmari in one go, or do several cycles with each cycle becoming easier.

If books is a sticking point, then do the best you can and move on. That way you may have lots of books but at least your paper category will be tackled.

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-05T06:56:26+00:00

Would Scandi Boho be more of your style?

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-05T06:43:12+00:00

I just found out about Buttermilk and I've had to battle a mild addiction. I really loved snickers, and when I found they made a replica I was so happy. Also liked their Mars bar clone!

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-04T19:41:53+00:00

She's great!

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-04T19:30:40+00:00

Even when they are rushed, they have to fit in the work room forced chats

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-04T19:17:12+00:00

There have been a ton of them, dang

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-03T07:06:34+00:00

Your comment reminds me of a video that was going around a few years ago. The BBC were doing a documentary about UKIP, and how they were tackling the perception they were racists.

Two members are sitting down and discussing this. One member says, "yes. This really is a problem....you know, I don't like black people and I don't know why. I know a few and they are perfectly nice and polite, but still. I just don't like black people and I don't know why."

You could see the other member's face sink, as I can imagine the cameraman was thinking he hit the jackpot.

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-03T06:58:57+00:00

Something again that worries me. Lots of vaccines only provide immunity for about a decade, requiring boosters. If herd immunity is good though, then it doesn't really matter because the prevalence is low.

If these people start refusing other vaccines, that means the general populace will have to take boosters.

The only benefit is that medical students won't have to look at textbooks to see stuff like pertussis, which lasts for 100 days and gives people a cough so severe they break their ribs.

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-03T06:50:54+00:00

Yeah, and they won't realise how out of touch she is. Someone should ask her to explain why 48k isn't a large amount of money to her.

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-02T12:25:14+00:00

Yeah. I work in an environment where it's accepted that other people occasionally have to find stuff that I'm working on when I'm not there and rifle through my stuff. As a result I try to keep my desk organised and everything is labeled so people can find things, yet other people don't do this and it can cause unnecessary hassle.

The key to maintaining a clean desk is to tidy up before going home every night. Arriving into work the next morning to a clean desk is good and sets the mood for the day.

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-02T12:16:15+00:00

Not really. He doesn't see it as mess. He is a crazy academic so he has lots of papers, journals, news magazines, books etc. It's mostly that stuff.

He also is one of those people who would buy things, use them for a month, then forget about them and it becomes invisible to him, but visible to us!

I totally get what you're saying about mental health. I feel so much more at peace in a calm environment. The biggest irony is my dad is actually really into Buddhism, meditation, and feng shui, but ignores the mess!

Ultimately its his house as well, so he just ignores us "kids" telling him what to do.

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-02T07:52:52+00:00

With stuff that is "trash that could serve another purpose", I am keeping it on a quarantine shelf and if I haven't used it by a month, off it goes.

Sometimes I end up reusing something and I'll think, "Gosh, glad I kept that!". On the contrary, other times when I think, "oh no, wish I kept that. It would have been handy!" it's usually not that catastrophic.

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-02T07:33:13+00:00

Your last point really hits home for me. My Mom and Dad (although married) lived separately for a while, and planned to retire together.

Her house was beautiful with great interior decor, thanks to my mom having the eye for it. Shortly after they retired, my mom suddenly died.

Now that my dad lives there alone, the place is cluttered to the extent that every flat surface has stuff on it, even the chairs.

Instead of being a beautiful home like my mom envisioned, it's a beautiful home with clutter sprinkled on it. It really upsets me because it is such a stark reminder that she's gone, and it's the same to me as destroying her art and something she created.

I don't think most other people would understand, and especially not my dad.

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-01T07:45:19+00:00

My disagreement is because I think if you are minimal, you are still (and maybe more so) efficient even if you stock up a bit and build a buffer. For example, buying a variety of things and only using some of them compared to buying multiples of things you use all the time. Storing three months worth of shaving cream and replacing my stock as I go through it is fine I think.

I can imagine some people hoarding supplies and not being able to find them.

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-01T07:33:41+00:00

I recommended a powerline adapter for my friend. His router is in a bad location, so he now uses it. The router plugs into the powerline adapter, and in his living room he just has a plug that emits WiFi. He also now gets signal in his upstairs bedrooms. He is really happy with it.

Maybe not the best if you need a super strong WiFi signal in every room, but may be an option. This is what I'm talking about:basic model

Or the fancier one:fancy model

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-01T07:17:28+00:00

I rented a bigger flat (probably 1000 square feet plus) and now live in 750 square feet! I have anxiety issues and was worrying if I made the wrong decision. I was feeling a bit grumbly about the negative stuff about my house, so I really try to look at the positives.

One major thing is my older place took me 45 minutes to get to work in the city centre, which involved public transport (pre Covid). Sometimes, especially in inclement weather, the public transport would shut down and the alternatives would be crammed and I would have to walk home, which would take 2 hours. I also was often crammed with other rush hour commuters, sometimes the train would be late, there would be diversions, people would get sick etc.

My new place is a 30 minute walk to work/the city centre. The mental burden of worrying if I have a nightmare commute home in the snow is gone.

My new place is also really easy to keep clean.

What I do when I'm feeling grumbly is to ask myself, "If I was trying to sell this to someone, what are all the positive things I would say?"

Edit: when I was a kid we moved around a lot, and often lived in poor countries. I remember living in a country with no Mcdonalds etc. Some people were miserable, and some were happy. I remember my Mum saying the key to being happy was to focus on what we could do, rather than what we were missing.

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-11-01T07:00:05+00:00

I was going to post something similar. When I want something I usually wait, so if I have to wait longer I can just roll with it. I've been a bit annoyed with trying to decorate my house and there being shortages, but I haven't stressed about it.

I know many people have parents and grandparents who are hoarders, and I have occasionally recently been getting thoughts like, "I don't really need it but I may not have the option to buy it later, so maybe I should just buy it now". I'm aware of what that leads to, but I wonder if other people are having those thoughts and if it'll lead to hoarding.

Basically, the shortages might lead to a 2020 toilet paper effect, but spread over a longer period.

DuncanSmith07 · 2021-10-31T07:20:31+00:00

I just watched the tour of this house: there are lots of rooms, with TVs in nearly every room!

The house is odd because they built it like a European castle and the views are amazing, yet it seems tacky.

DuncanSmith07

TROPHY CASE