I don't like prison labor, gives society bad incentives.
However we have an army of homeless people, and people without steady work. I think we could solve a lot of problems if we paid for this work and offer them a place to park their RV or whatever. People probably wouldn't NIMBY over hobos living by the dump.
It's fine that you are OK paying $650 for glasses. Maybe you have money to burn. It's also fine that I bought some for exactly 1% of that price. Most people don't have extra money, and I think it is sad that it isn't common to get glasses for under $100 due to monopolistic cartels.
I used to be stubborn like that, but found a place that sells prescription glasses for under $10. I got a few pairs figuring I'd toss the ones I didn't like and still save money and damn if I didn't end up liking all of them! Of course I had to learn how to adjust the frames myself, but that is dead easy and I'm better for knowing how to do it.
I've got a big head, too. Yeah, size isn't everything!
Among my frustrations with hats, helmets, and seeming to hit it on stuff a lot more than the size warrants I have the same problem with glasses.
I started adjusting my shades with a heat gun and I can get most of them to fit comfortably. I'm sort of a stickler for a good fit - I hate it when they slide around and hate it even more when they clamp my temples in a deathgrip of torture. I often end up opening up the bridge and bowing in the earpieces. You might give it a try, open up a new world of possibilities.
Zenni and numerous others. I am wearing glasses that cost $6.95 total. I have terrible vision but got these as a prank - regular lenses, no coatings, cheapest frames on the site. I love them and they work great. I bought a few more to have some spares, and they are all in good condition 3 years later after heavy abuse.
Just another anecdote, but in case you want to consider a non-conspiracy datapoint: I did the exact same thing as you except all the crazy shenanigans - i.e. I got older. My scrip stopped changing too. It got stronger during my late teens and 20s, started leveling off by 30. Now it hasn't changed in years.
One dirty secret of eye exams - there are numerous combinations that work for any eye. You can land on way different ones if you make different choices between 2 similarly fuzzy options. They'll both look fine but be violently different in terms of diopters etc.
I like your analysis of GroceOut, especially comparing to earlier TJ. I really enjoy shopping there, and it is cool to help local farms get rid of produce dairy etc. keeping it from becoming part of the sad waste stream our culture generates.
Shopping has become a bit depressing for me in general, so many stores have outrageous prices and depressing choices. I can afford to spend a lot on food, but I just can't deal with spending $7 on a head of cauliflower. I love how GroceOut always has cauliflower in the long California growing season, usually $2/head. Good local farms too! And it is fun how I always can find neat stuff to try - they had this delicious clam soup a type of which I had never encountered.
Cycling is more dangerous than driving, sure. There aren't great statistics but it is several hundred fatalities per year in the US. The risk isn't substantially higher than driving, if you consider the health benefits. There are many hundreds of thousands of people every year who safely drive to work and have a fatal heart attack or stroke due to lack of exercise.
Anecdotally, I"ve done about 20k miles of cycle commuting in the last several years with no accidents and the 5k of driving I have been rear ended while stopped in traffic twice.
I've lived in places that get serious snow. Multiple feet of it. Biggest storm I ever saw was over 10' in 24 hours. I've seen firsthand what happens, one time in Denver it was subzero for days with storm after storm, multiple feet of snow each time. The plows were running nonstop but kept losing ground. Eventually even major roads were deeply rutted and impassible. Even with best practices sometimes nature can overwhelm your resources. Gravel is not best practice. You might be able to get away with it somewhere like Oregon
That might work in Oregon, but that is decidedly minor league as far as snow goes. I've lived in snowy areas, and if they get behind in aggressive ice control - deicer, plowing both before during and after snowfall things get ugly fast. You'll end up with 3' of ever deepening glacier on all your roads with ruts that will beach the tallest monster truck. That shit will still be there come June.
Gravel has some nasty side effects. It releases tons of particulates which are terrible for breathing and they clog up waterways. Most areas have cut back drastically on gravel since it is so terrible. It is helpful if used judiciously.
I like nuclear power, but it isn't feasible in the current political climate. Also wind/solar/bats are becoming so cheap and good they're already cheaper and will continue to become more so.
You can run a boat, RV or house with wind/solar/bats for not much money right now. Entire countries are planning on this in the near future. Try to open your mind to what is possible, and what is already happening. The economies of scale are in the factories making the equipment. You don't need the power to be all in one place, that makes the problem of distribution offset economies of scale.
You appear to be motivated to overlook some simple answers. Most homes in Israel have solar hot water heaters - they are cheap, reliable, and nobody blows them up cuz there's millions of them. Why not add a few panels next to the existing solar setups? You could provide energy when it is most needed, not a big target.
It would be smart for a country with a siege mentality to gravitate towards distributed generation. I'd be shocked if Israel didn't embrace this - looks like this new policy is heading in that direction.
You are awfully emotional about how people power their cars! I'm not sure an emotional response is helpful in this case. If you can set aside your hostility, panic, and resistance to technological changes for a moment you might see a way for this to work.
For example, if people charge their cars on a timer at night it won't require any additional infrastructure! It will simply make more efficient use of existing wiring. People could even sell power back from their car batteries during power shortages, making a bit of money and preventing brown-outs.
I've been using chorizo to flavor beans I generally use beef or pork. Lately I've been seeing soy chorizo, soyrizo they call it. It tastes good. Some soyrizo I've had is better than the low grade meat based stuff.
Kmart receipts should have come with a binder. I'd get a whole stack of myrewards offers, coupons, account summaries, ad nauseum. It was exhausting. All the kmarts I know of are gone now, I guess if I ever miss going there I can print out a big stack of bullshit and reminisce.
Barbaric. I prefer municipal trash/recycling. One truck a week, excellent service, and it costs taxpayers well under $100/year for trash service. Also we don't have public dumping problems cuz all homes in Denver have city provided trash hauling.
I'm in an area now with private hauling. I hate all the trucks and waste, I hate the horrible service (most of my issues are billing related which isn't an issue with municipal service) and I hate having to fire my stupid incompetent hauler every year or two and research a whole new one.
Oh and it costs way more, nearly $1000/year. And some bad neighbors don't pay their bill and illegally dump their trash wherever.
This honestly seems like a trivial issue in 10-20 years. Automation, robotics, AI are all progressing nicely and I can envision an automated picker that identifies all the different materials, diverts each to the appropriate stream.
I bicycle to work 10 miles each way through urban/suburban landscapes. I'd prefer to either ban glass bottles or implement a glass tax that pays for really world class street sweeping.
You are so focused on the tiny subsidy for trains you overlook the gigantic subsidies for air travel. If you want to continue running full planes over the prairie, you can pay the actual cost
Your conspiracy isn't very well functioning. I've been able to read numerous high profile articles about the increasing homeless issue over the last 10 years. I know how important it is for a certain type of person to feel persecuted, but it isn't very accurate in this case.
I think it varies a lot regionally. I ride on city streets in the sf bay area and generally feel safe and respected by motorists. If anything it is annoying how they sometimes follow me slowly instead of riding the center line and passing me on narrow streets. I also rode a lot in Denver, and had similar experiences.
I've also been places where motorists are rude to cyclists. I hate to perpetuate regional stereotypes so I'll stop here.
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I don't like prison labor, gives society bad incentives.
However we have an army of homeless people, and people without steady work. I think we could solve a lot of problems if we paid for this work and offer them a place to park their RV or whatever. People probably wouldn't NIMBY over hobos living by the dump.
You can order some zenni glasses. $6.95 plus $4.95 shipping. You'll have them in a couple weeks. Get 2 and you'll never be without glasses again.
It's fine that you are OK paying $650 for glasses. Maybe you have money to burn. It's also fine that I bought some for exactly 1% of that price. Most people don't have extra money, and I think it is sad that it isn't common to get glasses for under $100 due to monopolistic cartels.
Space Ghost said it best: "Lasers for eye surgery?!? Your culture is primitive!"
I used to be stubborn like that, but found a place that sells prescription glasses for under $10. I got a few pairs figuring I'd toss the ones I didn't like and still save money and damn if I didn't end up liking all of them! Of course I had to learn how to adjust the frames myself, but that is dead easy and I'm better for knowing how to do it.
I've got a big head, too. Yeah, size isn't everything!
Among my frustrations with hats, helmets, and seeming to hit it on stuff a lot more than the size warrants I have the same problem with glasses.
I started adjusting my shades with a heat gun and I can get most of them to fit comfortably. I'm sort of a stickler for a good fit - I hate it when they slide around and hate it even more when they clamp my temples in a deathgrip of torture. I often end up opening up the bridge and bowing in the earpieces. You might give it a try, open up a new world of possibilities.
Zenni and numerous others. I am wearing glasses that cost $6.95 total. I have terrible vision but got these as a prank - regular lenses, no coatings, cheapest frames on the site. I love them and they work great. I bought a few more to have some spares, and they are all in good condition 3 years later after heavy abuse.
Just another anecdote, but in case you want to consider a non-conspiracy datapoint: I did the exact same thing as you except all the crazy shenanigans - i.e. I got older. My scrip stopped changing too. It got stronger during my late teens and 20s, started leveling off by 30. Now it hasn't changed in years.
One dirty secret of eye exams - there are numerous combinations that work for any eye. You can land on way different ones if you make different choices between 2 similarly fuzzy options. They'll both look fine but be violently different in terms of diopters etc.
I like your analysis of GroceOut, especially comparing to earlier TJ. I really enjoy shopping there, and it is cool to help local farms get rid of produce dairy etc. keeping it from becoming part of the sad waste stream our culture generates. Shopping has become a bit depressing for me in general, so many stores have outrageous prices and depressing choices. I can afford to spend a lot on food, but I just can't deal with spending $7 on a head of cauliflower. I love how GroceOut always has cauliflower in the long California growing season, usually $2/head. Good local farms too! And it is fun how I always can find neat stuff to try - they had this delicious clam soup a type of which I had never encountered.
Cycling is more dangerous than driving, sure. There aren't great statistics but it is several hundred fatalities per year in the US. The risk isn't substantially higher than driving, if you consider the health benefits. There are many hundreds of thousands of people every year who safely drive to work and have a fatal heart attack or stroke due to lack of exercise.
Anecdotally, I"ve done about 20k miles of cycle commuting in the last several years with no accidents and the 5k of driving I have been rear ended while stopped in traffic twice.
I've lived in places that get serious snow. Multiple feet of it. Biggest storm I ever saw was over 10' in 24 hours. I've seen firsthand what happens, one time in Denver it was subzero for days with storm after storm, multiple feet of snow each time. The plows were running nonstop but kept losing ground. Eventually even major roads were deeply rutted and impassible. Even with best practices sometimes nature can overwhelm your resources. Gravel is not best practice. You might be able to get away with it somewhere like Oregon
That might work in Oregon, but that is decidedly minor league as far as snow goes. I've lived in snowy areas, and if they get behind in aggressive ice control - deicer, plowing both before during and after snowfall things get ugly fast. You'll end up with 3' of ever deepening glacier on all your roads with ruts that will beach the tallest monster truck. That shit will still be there come June.
Gravel has some nasty side effects. It releases tons of particulates which are terrible for breathing and they clog up waterways. Most areas have cut back drastically on gravel since it is so terrible. It is helpful if used judiciously.
I like nuclear power, but it isn't feasible in the current political climate. Also wind/solar/bats are becoming so cheap and good they're already cheaper and will continue to become more so.
You can run a boat, RV or house with wind/solar/bats for not much money right now. Entire countries are planning on this in the near future. Try to open your mind to what is possible, and what is already happening. The economies of scale are in the factories making the equipment. You don't need the power to be all in one place, that makes the problem of distribution offset economies of scale.
You appear to be motivated to overlook some simple answers. Most homes in Israel have solar hot water heaters - they are cheap, reliable, and nobody blows them up cuz there's millions of them. Why not add a few panels next to the existing solar setups? You could provide energy when it is most needed, not a big target.
It would be smart for a country with a siege mentality to gravitate towards distributed generation. I'd be shocked if Israel didn't embrace this - looks like this new policy is heading in that direction.
You are awfully emotional about how people power their cars! I'm not sure an emotional response is helpful in this case. If you can set aside your hostility, panic, and resistance to technological changes for a moment you might see a way for this to work.
For example, if people charge their cars on a timer at night it won't require any additional infrastructure! It will simply make more efficient use of existing wiring. People could even sell power back from their car batteries during power shortages, making a bit of money and preventing brown-outs.
What are you talking about? Alberta's GDP is dwarfed by Ontario, although the oil income is substantial. Educate yourself here
BTW, Alberta is communist by US political standards, with their public healthcare and environmental regulations. Ontario is off the charts!
I've been using chorizo to flavor beans I generally use beef or pork. Lately I've been seeing soy chorizo, soyrizo they call it. It tastes good. Some soyrizo I've had is better than the low grade meat based stuff.
Kmart receipts should have come with a binder. I'd get a whole stack of myrewards offers, coupons, account summaries, ad nauseum. It was exhausting. All the kmarts I know of are gone now, I guess if I ever miss going there I can print out a big stack of bullshit and reminisce.
Barbaric. I prefer municipal trash/recycling. One truck a week, excellent service, and it costs taxpayers well under $100/year for trash service. Also we don't have public dumping problems cuz all homes in Denver have city provided trash hauling.
I'm in an area now with private hauling. I hate all the trucks and waste, I hate the horrible service (most of my issues are billing related which isn't an issue with municipal service) and I hate having to fire my stupid incompetent hauler every year or two and research a whole new one.
Oh and it costs way more, nearly $1000/year. And some bad neighbors don't pay their bill and illegally dump their trash wherever.
This honestly seems like a trivial issue in 10-20 years. Automation, robotics, AI are all progressing nicely and I can envision an automated picker that identifies all the different materials, diverts each to the appropriate stream.
I bicycle to work 10 miles each way through urban/suburban landscapes. I'd prefer to either ban glass bottles or implement a glass tax that pays for really world class street sweeping.
You are so focused on the tiny subsidy for trains you overlook the gigantic subsidies for air travel. If you want to continue running full planes over the prairie, you can pay the actual cost
Your conspiracy isn't very well functioning. I've been able to read numerous high profile articles about the increasing homeless issue over the last 10 years. I know how important it is for a certain type of person to feel persecuted, but it isn't very accurate in this case.
I think it varies a lot regionally. I ride on city streets in the sf bay area and generally feel safe and respected by motorists. If anything it is annoying how they sometimes follow me slowly instead of riding the center line and passing me on narrow streets. I also rode a lot in Denver, and had similar experiences.
I've also been places where motorists are rude to cyclists. I hate to perpetuate regional stereotypes so I'll stop here.
Nope. These were talking about how happy they were that they can accept credit cards now. The merchant fees are cheaper than handling cash.
I also see a lot of new businesses that don't have cash registers and are plastic/phone payment only. The owners say it saves a lot of time/money.