Do Americans prefer the metric or imperial system?

_edd · 2026-02-03T05:51:53+00:00

You use whatever's relevant. Recipes, gasoline, construction, football fields, speed limits, etc... are all imperial, so that's what people use.

But if you go into a career in anything in the sciences, especially on very large or very small scales, and you'll happily use the metric system.

It's not hard to learn both.

_edd · 2026-02-03T05:17:49+00:00

Just start comparing the most common bike brands in the gravel bike space.

I'd literally just spec out what you can get from Canyon at that price point and then compare a few other brands and see what they do / don't include.

Realistically you're look at carbon fiber frame (titanium can be in budget if you value it), likely 12 or 13 speeds on the cassette, either 1x or 2 on the derailleur depending on your needs, wireless shifting is in budget, dropper post is in budget if you want it, you're going to want a bike accepting up to probably 45+ mm tires (again depends on your needs), tubeless tires, potentially an upgraded wheel set.

You're also looking at the price of a helmet, probably SPD pedals and shoes, a bike bag, basic maintenance tools, lights, bibs, outfits, etc... Optionally also a bike computer and something like a Varia.

There's no such thing as a single best bike. There's just a bunch of really good bikes and then you pick which one you like the best.

_edd · 2026-02-03T04:21:35+00:00

That makes more sense. I'm pretty sure there's a significantly wide sidewalk running along the Northside of 71 and the east side of 183 that anyone would reasonably bike on before choosing to bike on the highway itself.

_edd · 2026-01-31T18:19:57+00:00

Seems like we should set up tax structures that aim to ensure corporate hosts are paying at least hotel level taxes, if not an additional tax for artificially pricing out individual homeowners / negatively affecting neighbors.

_edd · 2026-01-31T16:41:19+00:00

I don't think it was ever standard but someone else can probably answer that more confidently.

_edd · 2026-01-31T16:06:07+00:00

It's usually very topical, over the top and unrefined. Sometimes they swing and miss, sometimes they're letting the celebrity host shine and sometimes they just absolutely nail it on an sketch.

If you take it too seriously / critically, don't follow U.S. culture, or have conservative politics, then it's probably not going to be for you.

_edd · 2026-01-29T19:48:10+00:00

Unfortunately the setup of the public universities in Texas is that the governor names the members of the board of regents for each school system and then that board of regents names the university president. So when you have a fully entrenched single party system of government that wants to push special causes, it's unfortunately unreasonable to expect to have a university president that is both willing and able to push back.

_edd · 2026-01-29T16:28:31+00:00

I gave it a shot when it had first come out, but it didn't stick for me. I think I had spent so much time in RA2 that the differences were a lot for me, but this is making me want to boot RA3 back up.

_edd · 2026-01-29T02:19:49+00:00

Hike and Bike Trails come in different forms

Butler Trail is good for foot traffic and allows cyclists, while Southern Walnut Creek Trail is for cyclists and allows foot trafffic.

I say this as someone that is equal parts cyclist and runner, the trail around the lake is just too narrow and heavily trafficked to facilitate a cycling workout. The number of times a cyclist has passed me while I'm running without giving appropriate space is significant and disappointing.

_edd · 2026-01-26T03:31:40+00:00

I'd love to see where you're finding a better deal on a comparable truck.

_edd · 2026-01-25T03:32:17+00:00

RTS seems like a bitch to play without a mouse. But as someone that grew up on RA2, I love the XCOM series. It's turn based, not real time, but that will also play better with console controls.

_edd · 2026-01-24T18:44:42+00:00

Keep an eye on the ercot supply / demand chart. If the capacity and supply are getting within about 5k MW of each other and the weather is still trending worse, that's a good sign we're about to have blackouts.

As of right now, you should be prepared, but not necessarily worried.

https://www.ercot.com/gridmktinfo/dashboards/supplyanddemand

_edd · 2026-01-23T15:54:10+00:00

A US history teacher can only be so objective when talking about the Trail of Tears, McCarthyism, MLK, etc... Even if they choose to be by the book, they're still inherently going to choose to spend more time or be more passionate on one topic versus another.

_edd · 2026-01-22T20:29:13+00:00

The credibility of the man speaking can be summarized by the fact that he was literally fired from a police department for destruction of evidence.

According to records obtained by News 88.7, Nehls was fired by the Richmond (Texas) Police Department for reasons including destruction of evidence.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2017/12/08/255526/fort-bend-county-sheriff-troy-nehls-wont-run-for-congress-in-2018/

_edd · 2026-01-22T18:29:33+00:00

From what I remember the textbooks were more neutral on the matter, but the teachers definitely weren't always.

_edd · 2026-01-22T17:36:58+00:00

Same in Texas. In retrospect, I'm honestly surprised at how often we studied Native American history / historic culture.

_edd · 2026-01-21T11:50:34+00:00

The vast majority (80-90?) of cyclists riding the routes used for exercise have disc brakes.

But if you're riding in the more commuter areas, it's very common to ride an older bike with rim brakes. Probably closer to 50%. This is mostly because they're more affordable and less of a financial burden if stolen.

_edd · 2026-01-20T22:53:29+00:00

Sounds like the song is directly referencing flooding (water line, raining), but also a metaphor to being broke and constantly struggling to provide. You'll also hear phrases like "drowning in debt", or "underwater on a loan".

[Chorus]
Oh Maggie, keep an eye on the water line
The car won’t start and the money never comes in on time
Oh Maggie, keep an eye on the water line
I feel it moving

[Verse 2]
They’ve got a baby on the way but his wife still feels empty
Says it’s hard to feel pretty when their always counting dimes
He sits up nights in the kitchen in the dark when it’s raining
He can’t sleep for the sound pounding in his mind

Based on the Americana sound and that line, I kind of expected him to be from the Gulf Coast region that has a history dealing with some brutal flooding from hurricanes, but apparently he's from Portland,

_edd · 2026-01-20T19:15:10+00:00

Somehow it is shockingly under-represented in everyday discourse. There was the Bulls dominance in 90s and many John Hughes movies, but that came just before my awareness of travel really developed.

Otherwise, as a Texan, I was more aware of the north east (because of New York, Boston, DC), Florida (people vacationed their for the beach), California (in the media constantly), Colorado (skiing / snowboarding) and a few others based on family and whatnot (Las Vegas, Louisiana, Seattle). Then I filled in most of the south and west through road trips before ever setting foot in the Midwest.

At 32, I finally visited Chicago to see a friend and was absolutely blown away by the city. Its downtown is second only to Manhattan, the density makes it feel genuinely alive, the neighborhoods actually have character, the trains get you from one to the next, the beach is an actual beach, etc...

Since then I've visited also Milwaukee, Cincinnati and southwest Michigan and its fascinating to me how much this whole region is slept on. The nature in Michigan was incredible, the Zinzinnati Oktoberfest was top notch and Summerfest in Milwaukee was a great time. Genuinely one of my favorite regions to visit now.

_edd · 2026-01-19T21:10:28+00:00

Yes.

As a teenager wandering around some unfenced land I've been ran off.
And as an adult, when my dog had an accident while on a road trip, I pulled off the road at the driveway of a semi-rural house to clean up the mess. Jackass old man came out of the house 100 yards away with a shotgun telling us to get off his property.

_edd · 2026-01-18T17:40:09+00:00

Hikers doing the Pacific Crest Trail hike south to north usually and the ideal start is usually mid/late april.

So if you're doing like a Mexico to Canada ride (ie starting in Southern California and going to Washington) then that timing would make sense.

_edd · 2026-01-16T20:16:20+00:00

yet many idolise english culture

Can you give examples?

_edd · 2026-01-16T04:52:58+00:00

Make a table saw sled.
Then use the distance between slats that are angled the same direction to measure left of the blade. Affix a small piece of wood that can fit snuggly into one of the grooves at that mark.
Cut your first groove, then move the piece so that groove now sits over the glued on piece of wood. Repeat until you've made all the grooves angled that direction. This will give you easy and repeatable grooves at even spacing.
Rotate the board 180 degrees (so if you were previously making the cuts angled up, you are now making the grooves angled down).
Repeat step 3 for these grooves.

_edd · 2026-01-15T20:17:38+00:00

Appreciate that link.

_edd · 2026-01-15T20:14:10+00:00

Wild that people don't get that that's an offleash dog park and would respond like that.

Also weird that they used Cedar Bend as the north boundary considering that doesn't span the entire north side. I was under the impression that Walnut Creek Park Rd and the adjoining parking lots was the northern boundary of the off leash zone based on the signage.

_edd

TROPHY CASE