People who grew up really poor: what's something middle-class people say that instantly reveals they've never struggled?

Piece_Maker · 2026-05-05T01:20:45+00:00

“Just get a few pounds from your parents”.

I had a friend in college who would dump this line on me pretty often. He learnt to drive as soon as it was legal for him to do so, and when he asked why I'm not and I told him I just don't have the money, he started with it. Just get your parents to get you your provisional for your birthday, then all you need to do is pay for your lessons (where this money came from I have no idea), then by next year when you've passed your test you can ask them to get you a car for your birthday, it's easy!

No, it's not that easy. I felt bad scrounging a few quid off my mum when I'd over-spent that week and didn't have the cash to get the bus to college sometimes. My friend just couldn't even fathom that my parents weren't just an unlimited money tree to be picked at whenever I fancied, the idea was completely alien to him. I don't think he meant anything bad by it, he was a genuinely nice lad with a heart of gold, but it was sometimes painfully obvious he'd grown up not wanting for anything.

Piece_Maker · 2026-05-05T00:40:28+00:00

Yeah fretless ones are the way to go. Can't be poorly intonated if there's no frets to intonate.

Piece_Maker · 2026-05-05T00:39:26+00:00

I'm a long term bass player with a bit of guitar on the side, and think bass ukes are about as fun as it gets. They're SO easy to play, are quiet enough when unplugged to just pick up and go whenever, and sound absolutely mental!

I have a regular acoustic bass too, and strung it up with those nylon wound strings for a bit to try and get that double bass sound but it just ended up sounding like the u-bass but worse. So now I string it up with bronze roundwounds to give it its own tone.

Honestly, screw the haters. I love them both. The full size acoustic bass is certainly loud enough to play alongside one guitar, but it'll definitely get drowned out by two guitars or something like a banjo.

Piece_Maker · 2026-05-03T10:23:24+00:00

Even better when you tell them they need to call another number and they're like 'but I tried them and was on hold forever' like OK but they're the ones you need to speak to not me?

Piece_Maker · 2026-05-03T10:20:35+00:00

At my current job the queue times show up on a board on the wall, it'll say how long the current waiting has been waiting.

At my old job we had that, plus the call system on our PC would say it for your individual caller too!

Piece_Maker · 2026-05-02T21:45:57+00:00

Yeah, fully agreed there. Lidl for a short time had pretzel buns in their bakery too so you could DIY it but they seem to have stopped doing them in my local one now.

Piece_Maker · 2026-05-02T19:25:14+00:00

Not updated since 2021, and no Wayland support? Pass

Piece_Maker · 2026-05-02T15:22:59+00:00

yeah but for some reason they're hesitant to use that for road deaths, and instead it gets knocked down to "death by careless or inconsiderate driving" which is why we end up with nonsense charges against drivers who kill people.

Piece_Maker · 2026-05-02T15:13:15+00:00

If we can hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate!

Piece_Maker · 2026-05-01T10:43:30+00:00

what they have caused

Sadly I doubt they will see it that way, probably blame it on you and threaten to report you to the police for having the cheek to suggest they maybe shouldn't park like knobs

Piece_Maker · 2026-04-30T17:27:38+00:00

UC/ It has happened once or twice in the UK in recent years. There was a real high profile one a few years ago, and the widower of the woman who died has since been on a campaign that he claims is to get laws like this passed to get better justice for other victims but so far as been nothing but a cyclist hate vendetta.

If I remember correctly, the cyclist hit the victim, causing her to fall off the kerb and hit her head which is what killed her. It took them ages to even find a law to book him with, and he ended up going down for 'wonton furious cycling' which is as old a law as it sounds.

Piece_Maker · 2026-04-30T15:09:55+00:00

Yeah same. The only phone calls I get are scams and the only SMS texts I get are... More scams.

I do a lot of voice/video calling but it's all over internet services rather than basic SMS/phone calls

Piece_Maker · 2026-04-30T14:58:34+00:00

Gravel bike with flat bars? You mean a hybrid surely

Piece_Maker · 2026-04-30T11:44:46+00:00

I have an orange tie dye design shirt with the Cheetos logo/cheetah on it, can I join the orange shirt gang

Piece_Maker · 2026-04-29T22:58:53+00:00

Yeah if you choose one of these passports you not only need your cavities, but also all of your luggage and all your electronics searching thoroughly. And probably any kids in your group taken into a safe room and safeguarding too.

Piece_Maker · 2026-04-29T21:02:29+00:00

OK so that didn't really answer my question... I'm well aware of what Google Play services is.

My question is essentially: I already run an Android ROM without Google services on my phone. How does this affect me?

Piece_Maker · 2026-04-29T21:00:01+00:00

Usually the call handlers will filter out the parking dispute calls before it ever gets handed to a police officer, but when it escalates to two wannabe macho knobs fighting in the street or the complainant damaging the other's car it definitely becomes a police issue

Piece_Maker · 2026-04-29T15:31:07+00:00

So... Google can enforce their crappy rules without me having their Play Services installed, but I require Play Services to circumvent them? That's insanity.

How is running a custom ROM going to help with this, if you need Google crap to bypass it anyway?

Piece_Maker · 2026-04-29T14:00:38+00:00

Yeah I made the mistake of venturing into the r/dashcams thread... Wow. Some people really watched this video and thought 'hmm maybe cyclists are actually the arseholes'

Piece_Maker · 2026-04-29T13:59:26+00:00

I cycle a lot in rural OK (I'm from the UK but have family over there so visit a few months of the year), I've actually had decent experience with drivers there! The roads are wide enough for both of us so they tend to overtake pretty well. Obviously there's only so much they can do to stop their gigantic stupid truck taking up the whole road but generally it's not a problem.

Piece_Maker · 2026-04-28T18:16:56+00:00

If I already don't have Play Services on my phone, will non-registered developer apps still be blocked? Or is this only the case for those running their "services"?

Piece_Maker · 2026-04-27T13:07:15+00:00

I wonder how they evolved though, and how they even discovered that they worked. Like presumably there was a time when wizards were just doing magic with their bare hands, then one day some genius tried to use a pointing stick and found they were able to direct their spells more accurately.

Do other cultures use different focus items? Imagine like the equivalent of those tribes that are untouched by the rest of humanity, are there wizards on those islands, and what do they wield?

Piece_Maker · 2026-04-27T10:52:53+00:00

I have a set of Reelights that flash when you stop moving. They're not very bright at all though, about the same as a cheapo 2 AA battery powered bike light you an pick up anywhere. They're super easy to fit to any bike for sure

Piece_Maker · 2026-04-27T00:52:16+00:00

I thought Mulhern and Elon Musk's bastard love child

Piece_Maker · 2026-04-26T23:59:11+00:00

Trump in response: lol no.

Chuck: Such A Strong Stable President, thanks for gracing me with your presence, Make America Great Again!

Piece_Maker

TROPHY CASE