I’m simply referring to things like this, which I believe (but can’t really prove, so I could be wrong) happens more often than we’d like.
I’m probably wrong. I’m not claiming to be an expert, and I’m not trying to equate Taiwan with China.
As someone who grew up around doctors and knew a brain surgeon, I can say with 100% confidence that everybody who rides a bike should wear a helmet. I feel like the average person has very little idea of how fragile we are, how easy it can be to get a traumatic brain injury, and how much of a nightmare your life can become. (This applies even more if you need to ride on the street or if you plan to ride at high speeds.)
I think you’re being needlessly judgy, ebikes are great and it’s never been about whether you “need” one or not.
They’re faster than regular bikes, allowing you to cover a larger distance in the same amount of time, especially if you’re fit. They’re very fun to ride in general, and they can take some of the misery out of climbing hills or otherwise challenging/tedious parts of your commute. Cargo ebikes can carry a decent amount of stuff and even one or two small passengers in some cases, and in other cases they can replace your need for a car (like quickly getting to a store for something small). And they give you the ability to balance exercise vs convenience as the situation or your personalty demands (you get to decide how much work your body does and how much the motor does).
Finally, ebikes open the door for people to get into using active transportation instead of cars for people who normally wouldn’t want to, whether they need help because of fitness, want help because of living in a hilly environment, or because they just want to get from point A to B in a reasonable amount of time. Riding my ebike in an urban environment, I find that I can actually get around just as fast as in a car, if not faster due to traffic.
Because I’m not super fit and live in a very unforgiving and hilly American neighborhood (where I also have to ride on curvy roads where people drive too damn fast) I would have never ever considered getting a regular bike. I’m now riding a bike somewhat regularly, getting a bit of exercise (or not, depending on the circumstances), and having a great time riding on roads, bike lanes, sidewalks, through parks (at a reasonable speed for pedestrians), etc.
Yes, they’re more expensive than a regular bike.
Yes, they’re heavier than a regular bike.
Yes, having to worry about battery charge is inconvenient.
Yes, it can be dangerous to ride any bike at >20mph.
But as the old saying goes “don’t knock it until you try it”. Even if you think you’re a cycling purist, I recommend at least giving ebikes a try before judging others for using them. I think if you did you’d find that ebikes are an ally of and complement to normal bikes, and just like an electric guitar amplifies your strings, ebikes are amplifying your legs and not rendering them obsolete.
As someone who totally loves the Souls games (plus Bloodborne and Sekiro) but played Armored Core 2 on the PS2 way back in the day and thought it was just kind of OK, I’m not really sure what to think about AC6 right now. On one hand I don’t really expect them to diverge from the essence of what AC is and should be (deep mecha customization and intricate combat), but on the other hand I feel like the type of game that AC2 was is something that I don’t look back on super fondly.
Anyone else feel conflicted about whether to pick up AC6?
We need a license model such that AI is only allowed to be trained on content were the license explicitly permits it and that no mention is equal to it being disallowed.
That is the default model behind copyright, which basically says that the only things people can use your copyrighted work for without a license are those which are determined to be “fair use”.
I don’t see any way in which today’s AI ought to be considered fair use of other people’s writings, artwork, etc.
But this weird, almost religious devotion to some promise of AI and the weird white knighting I see folks do for it is just baffling to watch.
When you look at it through the lens of the latest get-rich-quick-of-some-tech-that-few- people-understand grift, it makes perfect sense.
They naively see AI as a magic box that can make infinite “content” (which of course belongs to them for some reason, and is fair use of other people’s copyrighted data for some reason), and infinite content = infinite money, just as long as you can ignore the fundamentals of economics and intellectual property.
People have invested a lot of their money and emotional energy into AI because they think it’ll make them a return on investment.
Don’t think it’s possible. Smoke smells, so do it outside if you can. Other than that you can vape (which also has its own smell) or take edibles (assuming you also like that experience).
I only smoke occasionally and usually as a group activity, but always outdoors. Edibles are kind of a hassle-free, healthier, less invasive, and more cost effective option. That said, there is something about the shared experience of passing a joint around.
What kinds of stuff are you interested in?
What do you like?
Music, art, working out, programming, biking, gardening, modding cars, woodworking, cooking… Any hobby can be a great thing for knocking out depression. You just have to be honest with yourself about things that you like, your current level of skills, what kinds of projects it makes sense to tackle on your own, and so on.
This might be controversial, but I think a tendency towards bigotry is a natural part of the human condition. Human beings tend to feel comfort in the “same” and tend to fear the “other”, as well as things that are different or new. If unchallenged that innate fear of things and people that we don’t recognize or understand can easily lead towards things like prejudice, generalization, avoidance, dehumanization, bullying and in the worst case hate. At least that’s how I can make sense of the theme of bigotry throughout human history.
If you feel, think or even say something bigoted on occasion it doesn’t make you a bigot, just like how telling a single lie doesn’t make you a liar. The most important thing is to first recognize that you have let bigotry in, and that it is both illogical and immoral, and that it’s wrong to let your experience with one become projected onto the many.
Resist the urge to “fight fire with fire” because it’ll only fill your heart with the same bad and hateful feelings of fear of the other that your coworkers have. Becoming as judgemental and prejudiced as they are will not take the sting out of other people’s hurtful comments towards you. Though it’s definitely tempting…
You should only pity them for having such a narrow view of humanity. Because it likely means they aren’t always able to express themselves fully. Are they living a free life where they can choose who they want to be? Are they with the person they truly want? Are they dressing or speaking how they want? Are they having the sex they really want? Or have they let thoughts of bigotry hammer themselves into the most bland and mediocre version of themselves possible?
The main exception to this however are hate groups. Some cultures or organizations actively preach bigotry, prejudice and hate, and in those cases it is absolutely fair and reasonable to consider all members of that group to subscribe to those beliefs unless proven otherwise. Hate groups should be called out and their members should be challenged and held accountable.
Of course, all of this is WAY easier to say than do. Don’t feel bad if you let anger drag you back towards bigotry, just continue to recognize that it’s wrong and try your hardest to do better.