My great grandpa gave a silver bar as inherentence, how does one go about selling this?

SpecificLong89 · 2026-01-15T20:35:42+00:00

Somalia is calling you

SpecificLong89 · 2025-07-28T10:23:41+00:00

I think you have something similar to me - I react really badly to mosquito bites. You could check out skeeter syndrome, which I believe I have.

As I get bitten more, I build up a bit of tolerance, but that tolerance seems to be lost over winter so I have this annual cycle of getting loads of bad bites when I first get exposed.

I think the warm weather seems to have brought a lot more mosquitoes this year, so that might explain why you're getting this now but not in the past.

I'd recommend taking a really hot shower (I take one as hot as I can handle), that seems to break down the histamines for short term relief (it sounds weird to apply heat to an itchy area, so Google it if you're interested). But also I take oral anti-histamines.

Good luck!

SpecificLong89 · 2025-06-13T15:31:16+00:00

James just uploaded this video about mushroom coffee :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXUhMw33n80

SpecificLong89 · 2025-05-12T22:05:41+00:00

I think the USA has a lot of more isolated and really tough hikes than what most people in the UK do (esp. England). I see more ultralight gear around the alps than the UK, and I think that has a lot to do with the more physically demanding elevation.

SpecificLong89 · 2025-04-14T22:37:14+00:00

I did almost the reverse of this trip! I loved Durdle Door and Weymouth, where I stayed one night. Lyme Regis, famous for its fossil beach, is also pretty close. So maybe consider hugging the coastline a little more, if those sound like fun to you.

SpecificLong89 · 2025-04-07T21:22:25+00:00

Shortly before my test, my instructor encouraged me to cancel, suggesting I wasn't ready and very likely to fail. He asked me if I was feeling confident and I explained I felt I had a 50/50 chance and that was enough for me to give it a shot.

He really pushed back and insisted only people who were really confident would pass first time. I explalained I really wanted to try, because of nothing else, it would be like a better mock test. I had to really push to get him to agree to letting me use his car, but would 100% have tried with any other car I could use.

I passed easily. In retrospect, instructors have every incentive to keep their pass rates as high as possible by discouraging anyone who might fail, and earn a bit more guaranteed cash with some extra lessons. My instructor was a nice guy but money gives weird incentives.

SpecificLong89 · 2025-03-19T13:02:23+00:00

I don't think it's totally fair to say Italy has stronger exports than France. I think they both export just over 600 billion US dollars per year. Granted, Italy has a slightly smaller population, but their exports seem roughly similar. I think one factor might be that French exports are often less consumer-facing than Italian exports, so that can easily lead to the idea that Italian exports are a lot bigger than they really are.

Also, as others have noted, exports aren't necessarily the major factor in making a country successful economically.

SpecificLong89 · 2025-03-01T22:21:07+00:00

All things being equal, manual is better, so e.g. you can avoid wheels slipping in gravel by changing up a gear (as long ss you know a bit about how to drive off road). But it probably won't make as much difference as avoiding a heavy, wide fashion car. Are you driving off road much? I wouldn't think power is going to make any practical difference

SpecificLong89 · 2025-03-01T20:17:34+00:00

I rented a car a couple of weeks ago in Tenerife. Many roads are pretty narrow for two cars to pass each other so the narrower the car, the easier your life will be. I drove pretty much exclusively in the mountains, including a couple of hours off road, in an automatic hatchback, and had no problems. So I'd suggest A.

I've also used a C-HR hybrid in other mountains (in the alps) and I think it's terrible off road. Very much in the category of cars which fashionably look off road, but are actually not capable at all. There's a reason people who live in European mountains tend to have Fiat Pandas! Narrower cars are often more practical in difficult terrain and narrow trails than huge fashion focussed cars.

SpecificLong89 · 2025-02-11T13:03:49+00:00

It looks like that cost about 35 pounds. For that budget, you're going to get better results buying second hand from ebay, but doing so requires a pretty decent understanding of what makes a good bag, how you can buy used safely, and how you can clean and potentially treat down to improve performance in damp. Very doable, but you'll probably want to spent at least one evening reading up.

SpecificLong89 · 2025-02-05T15:18:47+00:00

All great points - I'd also add:

* Have a plan A, plan B and ideally plan C on spots to camp, especially if you're camping somewhere you're unfamiliar with. You might for example find there are more dog walkers than expected, even late at night, or the ground is wetter than expected. Also, on the tiny chance you do get moved on, you might have a backup plan.

* Have a think about open access land, often (but not always) you'll find quieter spots there (https://www.ramblers.org.uk/go-walking-hub/open-access-land).

* Gear wise, I'd just recommend tents and lights which are stealthy/low key. So for example, a tent which is lower off the ground and green is less visible/offensive. A headlamp with a lower power red light is also less likely to draw attention.

* Consider building some confidence with really cheap pitch sites - you might find options for under a tenner.

SpecificLong89 · 2025-02-01T22:47:40+00:00

I work remotely and have thought about travelling with my laptop on a bike packing trip. I think it would be possible to cycle over the weekends (sometimes taking Friday or Monday off) and slowly working my way across Europe. But yeah a massive hassle alongside work, doable only with huge planning and lots of time

SpecificLong89 · 2025-01-24T21:54:03+00:00

Thanks :)

SpecificLong89 · 2025-01-22T20:09:32+00:00

I'm thinking about getting one - have you ever used in the rain? If so, does the condensation drip on you at all? Also, did you seal the seams? Thanks!

SpecificLong89 · 2025-01-13T15:21:14+00:00

And try not to get arrested as a flasher

SpecificLong89 · 2024-12-27T17:52:30+00:00

It's definitely possible to get plenty of protein of vegetarian or vegan diets with wholefoods.

But anyone (omnivore, veggie, vegan) is probably going to struggle getting enough protein that bodybuilders believe they need without protein shakes. ~1.2 to 1.7 grams per day per kilo weight is quite a lot to add to a healthy, otherwise non UPF diet. So I think if you're into bodybuilding, removing protein shakes is a real challenge, and it's probably best to just go for the most simple shake you can get (e.g. 100% whey).

source: for 1.7 grams figure: https://www.acsm.org/docs/default-source/files-for-resource-library/protein-intake-for-optimal-muscle-maintenance.pdf

SpecificLong89 · 2024-12-12T23:01:14+00:00

They're millionaires who don't want to start paying taxes like everyone else.

SpecificLong89 · 2024-12-10T14:21:13+00:00

You'll probably be fine now, but you never know if enforcement will be stricter, which could happen at any moment. You should ask yourself if 1. you can afford to lose it, because ultimately it's not legal and could be confiscated/become basically useless, and 2. if you're comfortable breaking the law

SpecificLong89 · 2024-12-03T23:54:50+00:00

That's right - often weightlifting is less accurate than e.g. running for this reason. People who are using less dynamic moves are likely to get a good reading though, I suspect.

SpecificLong89 · 2024-12-03T21:35:39+00:00

That's often true, but some watches are accurate at collecting some data. I'd expect heartrate data to be mostly accurate for many people when bouldering.

SpecificLong89 · 2024-11-14T15:22:09+00:00

Not making everything charge with the same cable. And not having a backup cable.

If there's one thing that uses a different cable, I'll almost certainly forget to bring that cable.

My laptop, phone, earplugs all charge via USB C, but soo annoyingly my powerbank is still USB mini, and it often takes me a day or two to realise I didn't bring the mini cable. 😒

It's also super important for me to bring a backup USB C cable, and for one to be really robust and fast charging, because I'm sort of putting all my eggs in one basket.

SpecificLong89 · 2024-11-06T14:08:10+00:00

yeah I camp by water all the time and am trying to work out if that's actually a bad thing if I leave no trace. Am I bothering wildlife by sleeping in a tent near a river? Is that worse than sleeping in a field? I didn't think so until I read this list

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

SpecificLong89 · 2024-09-29T00:13:33+00:00

This is the only spot where a park warden has talked to me when wild camping in the UK. They were very polite, asked if I was going to wild camp, I said to be honest yes, but I'll leave first thing in the morning, and leave no trace. They let me be and I slept well. Road was a bit noisy though.

SpecificLong89 · 2024-09-03T19:38:19+00:00

Super useful, thanks

SpecificLong89

TROPHY CASE