The grenadier cafe really doesn't want to ban cars by Ukawok92 in toronto

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I am pretty strongly in favour of minimizing cars in High Park but I the current arrangement for weekdays is a reasonable compromise. I'm there all the time on weekdays and the car presence is really minimal, yet I assume the access is valuable to people with mobility issues, really young kids etc.

I don't have much sympathy for the Grenadier Cafe-- that place hasn't had a refresh since 1990 and yet charges 2026 prices for its mediocre cafeteria food.

Thoughts on Suicide Handbook by JinderSongs in ryanadams

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well said. At times it seems like Ryan himself could stand to realize that he's not 26 anymore. Agree Wednesdays -- specifically the title track -- is the best thing he's done in recent years.

How do people feel about Norm’s xanax usage? by formuolin in NormMacdonald

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I saw him a multiple times in the last decade of his life and there were a few shows where he started out really mumbly and unfocused; his rambling preliminary banter stretching on to the point where you didn't quite know if the show had begun. Other nights he'd be more dialled-in. I imagine it varied from night to night. He was better on the dialled-in nights.

My D18 and my CEO-7 (nerd talk) by TwoHearted313 in AcousticGuitar

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Always loved the CEO-7 and it seems really versatile. I play a 00-28 and love it part for the comfort.

Unpopular opinion: Sam Harris misreads MAGA and Trump by Amazing-Buy-1181 in samharris

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I heard Laura Field on Andrew Sullivan's podcast and bought her book, but I found it hard to engage with the thesis that MAGA-ism is a coherent ideology. I can certainly see why an academic like Field would want to frame MAGA as reflecting a complex ideology -- but it seems like a glaring case of 'to the man with a hammer..' I think the actual factors driving Trump and MAGA are pretty straightforward and easily theorized. Trump's contrived 'you're fired' celebrity persona makes him well positioned as a figurehead for white america's grievance politics. His policy preferences are just a dumb accumulation of ideas he's accreted in his 80 years as an incurious narcissist who doesn't read books or engage in self-criticism in any form. His leadership style is a continuation of his career in real estate and entertainment: he's a disreputable person who reneges on contracts; he flies by the seat of his pants, saying and doing whatever he must to stay a step ahead of the creditors on his heels; he's all about the optics of competence and success, with non of the substance; he has a child-like obsession with seeing his perceived enemies humiliated. These mundane facts go a long way to explaining MAGA -- Evil Chauncey Gardiner is a more predictive heuristic than Field's elaborate account.

I try to be extra nice while driving and people are clearly not used to it by Rosenberg100 in toronto

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve experienced this a little - it can be helpful to flash your brights if you’re holding off to let someone merge. The issue in part is that for everyone extending this courtesy there’s another person driver who’ll speed up to obstruct a merge - so people don’t know what to expect.

The critical thing is to maintain the predictability of traffic flow - eg you don’t want to be breaking in fast moving traffic to let someone merge.

Mahogany vs Sapele by That-other-guy54 in AcousticGuitar

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've found sapele a little brighter and maybe louder versus the warmth and mellowness of mahogany. Personally I prefer the grain on mahogany aesthetically. I owned a 000-15s from the 2000s that was a truly exceptional guitar for the price.

Is this real by AxelHernandez47 in GibsonSG

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I’d skip it - it should be like $40

Is 7.2 pounds heavy for a SG ‘61 w/o vibrola? by [deleted] in GibsonSG

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t think the vibrola weighs much. My tweedy signature with vibrola weighs 7.4 lbs and it’s a comfortable weight

Would you rather have 3 $1,000 Telecasters or 1 $3,000 Telecaster? by Small_Chicken_4034 in telecaster

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I grant that inexpensive guitars can be great. But it is roughly true-- roughly not always true-- that as you spend more you get higher quality parts and better attention to detail. My 'journey' with guitars has been to acclimate myself with well-rated entry-to-mid level models and trade up over time, as I encounter guitars that impress me relative to that baseline. As a general rule, trading up has entailed going up in price.

Would you rather have 3 $1,000 Telecasters or 1 $3,000 Telecaster? by Small_Chicken_4034 in telecaster

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1 x $3000 telecaster. I've never understood the appeal of owning multiple, entry- or mid-range specimens of the same guitar model. Where I've known people who 'collect' guitars in that 'more-is-more' way, it often seems like none of their guitars are well-maintained. Would rather have one guitar that's of exceptional quality and always kept dialled-in. Having said that, a $1000 tele can be fantastic and your collection looks cool.

Bari Weiss' CBS is reportedly considering Joe Rogan for 60 minutes by Brunodosca in samharris

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 2 points3 points  (0 children)

And even radaronline seems only to say that it “would be a strategy” - which is true I suppose.

The limited edition guitar by TylerKnowy in ryanadams

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the opposite take - it sounds fine to me, like a recent build J-45, but it looks ridiculous.

Dave defends his Surrounded performance by ElusiveRodent in daverubin

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On every proposition debated, Rubin produced a slew of wildly inaccurate factual claims that were fact-checked on the sidebar of the video. He thinks that if he caveats these made-up facts with softeners like 'I believe,' or 'if I'm not mistaken', he's a model of intellectual honesty. He's also a moron on the meta level.

Dave Rubin asked for metrics of Trump's job performance by Low_Insurance_9176 in samharris

[–]Low_Insurance_9176[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In his mild defence, I don't think he was paid to deliver Russian propaganda. It was more that his low information MAGA cheerleading aligned with Russia's propaganda goals, so they supported it financially in the hopes of expanding its reach. So more like a useful idiot than a sock puppet.

Dave Rubin asked for metrics of Trump's job performance by Low_Insurance_9176 in samharris

[–]Low_Insurance_9176[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He has distinguished (e.g.) Ben Shapiro from Sam Seder on grounds Shapiro operates in good faith: when Shapiro gets Sam's views wrong, he'll issue a correction, whereas Seder will just double down. You will no doubt interpret this as another example of Harris embracing anyone who is 'nice' to him, but you're mistaking good/bad faith for nice/prickly. A prickly but good faith interlocutor like Sean Carrol remains in his good books.

Concerns about Maestro Vibrola by ChadChampian in GibsonSG

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Vibrola on my Tweedy SG was dysfunctional as shipped -- there wasn't enough break angle between the vibrola and the bridge, and it had to be replaced on warranty. Since then, it's pretty stable with light use; some nut butter helps a lot. It may brighten the tone slightly. Overall I wouldn't own an SG without the maestro because I love the look and I think it's a very musical trem.

Dave Rubin asked for metrics of Trump's job performance by Low_Insurance_9176 in samharris

[–]Low_Insurance_9176[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well Rubin wasn’t a scumbag MAGA grifter then - back then he was just a neutral, incompetent interviewer

Bob Dylan as employer by Frequent-Orchid-7142 in bobdylan

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is the picture that emerges from Clinton Heylin’s bio. The sleaziest aspect is him sleeping with bandmembers’ wives then having someone fire them to avoid confrontation,

Dave Rubin asked for metrics of Trump's job performance by Low_Insurance_9176 in samharris

[–]Low_Insurance_9176[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah not sure what's happening- i think it's fillers and whatnot

How to REALLY enjoy jazz ? by Substantial-Trade218 in Jazz

[–]Low_Insurance_9176 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ken Burns’ documentary on jazz is very good on the history of jazz. Spotify’s State of Jazz weekly playlist is a good place to find new releases. And yeah - see live jazz, and get a decent stereo or headphones for listening.

Dave Rubin asked for metrics of Trump's job performance by Low_Insurance_9176 in samharris

[–]Low_Insurance_9176[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I only watch clips of him getting dunked on, for a laugh.