Just bought a great CPO car a week ago, so… I’ve never cleaned it.
But in general, I use steering wheel covers that I change maybe once a year.
I don’t drive that much, only like once a week. My wife also drives it once a week (we share). In the winter, we often wear gloves. So it doesn’t get too grimey.
The subway here is how I commute to work or enjoy nights out. If it’s super late or I’m lazy, an Uber will pick up the slack.
Of course, validation is helpful for people that feel depressed or sad. Dark lyrics speak to a listener and remind them that they’re not alone in their struggle.
Having those connections confirms that their experience, thoughts and feelings are a fundamental (albeit challenging) part of the human condition. The song brings those ideas to the forefront where they can be processed.
When done correctly, moody music is an effective instrument of catharsis for the writer and listener.
Sometimes.
The smaller independent theaters are a nice old timey experience. Most venues have a better sound system than anything most of us can afford - so that’s a good improvement. There’s something romantic about the whole thing, I don’t know. You see a movie the way the filmmakers intended, and being part of an audience, all gasping or laughing together can be powerful.
Big theater chains like AMC are no worthwhile for me. They’re always riddled with unruly teenagers. Like half the time, they’ll be snickering during serious scenes or whatever.
I mean, give it a try. You might like it. You might hate it. It’ll cost you like ~$18 to find out. Not that much.
The content on Reddit has gotten noticeably worse - but less as a result of Lemmy’s existence and more of a reaction to killing 3rd Party Apps.
Unfortunately for me, some of my favorite communities haven’t migrated over to Lemmy. So I’m still using Old Reddit Desktop to access them.
As an accountant, I was like “what does Adjusted Gross Income have to do with anything?”
I’m somewhat agnostic if we’re living in an simulation. It seems slightly more likely than any religion, but I have no evidence to support it. 🤷
I don’t think AI will kill us all. All it has to do is kill one person before we turn it off or legislate it’s limitations (like Asimov’s 3 Laws). I think it’s more likely to save us like develop technologies to combat climate change or create medicines.
Torn on the concept of free will.
Even if it were true that we came from aliens… every race can reproduce with one another. If we all came to earth for survival, then race mixing creates better outcomes through genetic variation.
What a strange take.
My theory is that drugs, excessive sex and to some extent petty crime are partly a result of boredom for teenagers.
Teenagers today have less reasons to be bored than a generation or two ago. Instead, they’re getting dopamine fixes from social media and gaming.
I’m not sure if that’s related to dieting.
If done right, the cultural climate to change from eating living things to lab grown meat will be as simple as ordering the same dishes at restaurants with substitute ingredients that nobody notices.
And cost. It’s hard to justify a diet change otherwise.
Americans went from eating sheep to cows in the 1800s because cows were cheaper per pound, more resilient to diseases and easier to maintain.
Veganism is popular because it’s still a cost effective diet. Mass farming is compatible with it.
I can easily see “Pepsi Challenge” style ad campaigns where people blindly guess which bite was the real meat - and which one they prefer.
Though, I also see a backlash. In a way that the proliferation of hybrid and electric vehicles created the anti-environmental practice of “coal rolling”, whereas asshats modify their truck engines to produce more pollutants to own the libs.
When the quality and cost of labgrown meat matches the real thing - we’ll see the tables turn. Especially if they’re able to produce various *cuts^ and styles.
My best friend was on The People’s Court.
She has a small claims case against a mechanic or something. She lost, but was paid a per diem for her time that was similar to the amount she was seeking anyways. She says good things about meeting Judge Marilyn Milian.
My friend didn’t seek being put in the show, she was approached by the producers when she showed up to the courthouse. Said, “why not”.
Accountant here.
Nobody needs to balance a checkbook. We have live access to our banking 24/7 with apps. And who even uses personal checks anymore? Maybe just for rent - if you have an old landlord. Even then, it’s one check a month.
But yes - having basic financial literacy is really important and should be part of any High School curriculum. It’s a little discouraging when we hire folks, tell them a 401k is part of their benefits and hear “what’s that mean?”
In some cases, they never went away. In New England - especially northern parts of Maine and New Hampshire, there are communities that are plurality Francophone, and have been Americans for generations. 
I think one thing that people often don’t understand is that American English is highly influenced by the French language - accounting for 30% of all words. Words like Lieutenant are pronounced differently in British and American because of the French influence. Or the word “herb” - Americans don’t pronounce the H just like the French.
As far as cultural things, of course the US is known for its wine. Napa Valley is one of the best wine regions in the world. Those wines consistently beat French and Italian wines in international competitions. Finger Lakes, as well. American cheeses like cheddar are very popular. There are entire states known for this, like Vermont and Wisconsin. I think in terms of bread, you see more influence from Italian and German breadbakers then French.
That said, French influence is just one of many patches on the rich tapestry that is America. It was impactful, but the influence was definitely overshadowed by groups like Irish, Italian, Polish, Chinese, and African Slaves - whose descendants have created our greatest modern cultural exports.
I don’t mind my fellow liberals being critical of one another. I mind when we eat our own.
Liberals often lose because we fight a two front war. Conservatives just have to fight liberals. Liberals fight both - conservatives and other liberals.
There’s a lot of “purity testing” we do that I don’t see on the other side. If liberals did a better job of accepting imperfect allies, we certainly would’ve won 2016. Maybe even won 2004.
There’s definitely a market for mobile PC gaming which is why the Steam Deck sells so well, as well as the new market of competitor products (Asus Rog Ally, for example).
That said, the vent location is a bit bizarre. Perhaps the manufacturer intended the laptop to be mounted or something… ?
Perhaps if it’s not too late, you can return the laptop when you get back from traveling.
Ah.
Well in that case…
I used to go fishing with my dad when I was younger, but as an adult I don’t think I have the heart to do it.
I don’t want to be the one to chose who lives and who dies. Even bugs, I have a hard time swatting flies. I try to capture them and let them outside. But some of the time, I kill them - and end up feeling really guilty after - sometimes for days.
When it comes to eating meat, I’d rather live in a world where meat is grown in a lab, rather than raised. I think stuff like Impossible Burgers have gone a long way in terms of reproducing flavor and texture… but not there yet.
I guess I reconcile the fact that the animal is dead before it gets to my plate/kitchen. Someone’s going to eat it. Why not me? Or I make up some funny idea like, “well - if this cow was human, they’d probably be an Andrew Tate listener - so screw ‘em!”
More often, I just try not to think about it and just enjoy what I’m eating.
I don’t know. Maybe my ethics will change one day to a point where I actually change my diet drastically. But knowing myself, it could take a health scare before I do that.
Suffering is a broad definition. One would argue that prematurely ending sentient life without their consent would fit that definition.
Often, it’s not suffering on an individual level - but the suffering of a species. Cows live in bondage and we benefit from their labor and chose to end their lives for our benefit.
Sometimes Vegans extend this philosophy to pets and service animals - even if they’re treated exceptionally well.
The point is that Veganism is less monolithic than folks tend to believe. A person’s diet can be deeply personal and it’s up to them to draw lines.
I’m a meat eater. I don’t have an issue eating cows. I don’t have an issue eating rabbits, which I know people also keep as pets. I don’t have an issue eating lobster - whereas they’re boiled alive. But I know I couldn’t eat a cat or dog. Realistically, I have trouble with veal. So ya know, where I draw the line might not be the same for other people. My diet is informed by my culture, health, experiences and personal feelings - as is everyone’s.
It depends on the definition of Veganism.
There’s is a popular school of thought that the diet‘s sole purpose to reduce suffering. If a living thing has no central nervous system (or brain), it has no thoughts and cannot experience pain or harm. It’s not much different than a fruit or vegetable. I know vegans that make exceptions for oysters - for example.
Others schools of thought are about avoiding animal products altogether, it doesn’t matter if it suffers or not - there’s no way to know. Therefore, it’s immoral to eat them if you can knowingly choose an alternative.
Well that makes sense. It’s easy to gain millions of followers when you own Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. You just advertise to those users. Same reason that Google+ got 200 million users at it’s height. The trick is keeping them engaged and being better than the alternatives.
When you look at someone else’s life, you only see the Highlights Reel. You don’t hear about all the boring in between moments, their struggles with imposter syndrome and insecurities, their relational arguments or troubles with their family, all the BS.
Life isn’t about keeping up.
It’s a parlor trick, magically coming into existence for a fraction of a moment in this infiniteness of time and space. The best thing we can do is cherish the miracle and squeeze the most happiness for the time we have. It’s respecting life.
For some, that means service to others. For others, it’s patenting science projects. And then there’s those that find it in an honest job, being good to people they love, and exploring hobbies from time to time.
Happiness is definitely not a contest. Especially one that you put yourself through fully knowing you won’t win.
But if you feel like you need more value in your life, it’s never too late to do something new.
Same reason there are multiple phone companies. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Google Fi, Cricket Wireless, Mint Mobile, etc.
They all allow you to communicate with your friends no matter what provider they use. But the companies are all slightly different. You might choose one due to better coverage, or customer support, or corporate ethics, or simply cause a friend recommended it.
Phones are redundant. So if Verizon fails, you can always sign up for another provider and still talk to your friends. Or if you have a bad experience, you’re not stuck using something you hate.
Plus, if one company ruled all of phones, it would be a bad thing. Monopolies aren’t good.
Lemmy isn’t the only thing out there with ‘multiple websites’ online. Email - there is more than just gmail, outlook, yahoo, proton, etc.
It’s not confusing to you that there are multiple email companies, that all work together, right? You don’t need a gmail account to send a message to a gmail user.
So don’t think it Lemmy like a website owned by one company. It’s not. Just like nobody owns “email”. Think of it like a protocol.
But I get it. Lemmy is an emerging technology. People are expecting it to be new Reddit. And it is on the front end. But it’s closer to new email.
I have a private parking spot off street in a city. I don’t like backing up towards the main road; since it has pedestrians and stuff. It’s a little harder to see.
So I back into the spot. It’s way easier than backing out - and pulling out is even easier. 
My work parking garage is already really tight. It’s another situation where backing in is easier than backing out - and driving forward our is even easier. So just some planning.