It’s not all of us ☹️

I got very randomly bumped up to first class on a transatlantic flight for business. I do not travel much for business, especially internationally. So, I definitely should not have had priority over more regular accounts. I have to assume I just got lucky, and that flight happened to have no frequent flyers.

It was an eye opening experience. I got to hang out in a secret lounge. When my flight was ready to board, multiple staff escorted us to the gate. When we landed, we took a private van to a secret side entrance, which had its own first class only passport check. We were brought to another secret first class lounge through hidden back hallways to wait for our connections. The lounge looked down over the terminal, and the exit was a nondescript door you’d assume was a maintenance entrance.

Being around that level of service and the other people in first class, it’s clear the wealthy live in another world. I looked up how much that ticket normally goes for after, and full price is for many people a yearly salary. It was nice, but it seems like a crazy way to divide resources.

It was part of the 2022-2026 collective bargaining agreement. I wouldn’t expect it to ever go away, since it effectively created another high-pay player for NL teams.

A Canadian I used to know told me their family would have some cheaper items in the back seat that they’d declare and hide the more expensive stuff. Apparently it did work.

Hard agree. It’s like a sweeter burger sauce but in the worst way possible. At least you get stickers.

Cloacal kissing is the actual reproductive act between mates, and it basically works the way it sounds.

I was going to say who cares if they’re selling a mount skin, but if on-the-go access to the auction house and mailbox isn’t normally accessible, this seems shitty.

It would probably seem less daunting if we knew that these great technological innovations couldn’t be controlled and hoarded by a small group, but were instead widely available for the public to use on equal ground. And further, if we would all equally share in the efficiency benefits, rather than just a small group.

Like, if my boss told me half my job was being automated by ai, but I’d still get the same salary and only have to work 2.5 days per week, I certainly wouldn’t complain.

It absolutely happens before the conviction. Arrest records and mugshots are generally public information, and the press will publish them immediately in many cases.

There is also no obligation to retract/amend if the person is found innocent, and there is nothing the person can do if they use careful language (arrested for, accused of, allegedly). Most publications will refuse to take the article down later if the innocent person requests it, too, meaning that follows them forever. There are companies that make money offering the service to bury such articles to make it easier to get a job.

The US routinely demonstrates why most its peers do not do it this way.

The first season was ok, and the second season was a little less than ok.

The show simultaneously feels very drawn out in some places and unrealistically quick in others, though usually the first. The different storylines seem completely unrelated or take too long to come together, and almost never in a way that’s satisfying.

There’s some good actors hamstrung by bad dialogue and uninteresting choices. For instance, one of the few intriguing choices they made in the first season is badass warrior Galadriel, and she spends almost the entire second season being aloof and ineffectual. To the show’s credit, season two does have a real climax near the end (looking at you House of the Dragon season two), but they built up zero tension leading up so you don’t really care much.

They also fell for the really big trap in adapting this age onto the screen: there’s too many elves, and they’re boring. They need foils (Gimli to Legolas), yet Durin Jr. and young Elrond aren’t around each other enough for it to do anything.

It’s nice to look at though.

18 when cast I think. Born in 81, casting was in 99.

I agree. I had a period where I moved very frequently and would not have wanted the headache of having any financial stake in the apartments I lived. Being able to just say I wasn’t renewing the lease and never having to think about the place again was very convenient. You also don’t appreciate how nice it is to not have to worry about maintenance until it’s your responsibility.

That’s a much more succinct way of putting it!

I would recommend against expecting to change the world. This isn’t because you can’t or shouldn’t try to. You should definitely try anyway. But very few people individually end up changing the world in a significant way. Progress is built on the backs of countless people each pushing a little to together push a lot.

Aim to find one specific area that you can become very skilled in and use that to improve things in a small way. If you’re lucky, you might end up having a big impact, but you’ll hopefully feel less depressed if you don’t.

For now, focus on trying out as much of the world as you are able. Learn to be present and appreciate what you can do now. I spent a lot of my youth so obsessed with the future that I missed out on a lot of experiences. Things suck; however, there’s a lot of cool stuff out there anyway.

I’m in the same boat. Their only competition where I am is DSL, other than 5G/satellite.

Your first sentence hit the nail on the head. Most Americans travel nearly exclusively in their car. Why would they get out of their car to use a vending machine when McDonald’s has a drive-thru? Or if they are willing to get out, why wouldn’t they just pick up fresher food from a restaurant? Moreover, mobile ordering has solved the issue of having to talk to people.

The US does have some vending machines like this, but pretty much exclusively in areas with very high foot traffic, like airports, train stations in major cities, etc.

Yeah, the stainless steel ones are great if you have a dishwasher. I can understand if people don’t want the upkeep of replacing filters and that black ring thing around the pump, though. And honestly the pump itself needs to be replaced every 1.5-2 years even if you clean it well.

I could never earn enough CT money to actually get anything good, so I’m sympathetic to the feelings of the artist in this story.

To be fair, four of the five boroughs have greater populations than multiple states (Staten Island being the exception). I don’t think any other city in the US has comparable subdivisions.

It’s also hard to overstate the historical and cultural significance of NYC in the US. And this is coming from a New Englander who is obliged to say, “New York sucks.”

If they put the same love into this one as Tsushima, I will be very happy.