I get that. There is a balance to be had. My brother and I want to find a good 2002, chop the top with a shuttle rake towards back. One or two degrees. Maybe three. Chrome delete, original interior with modern seats and a head rest delete. Slap an Oscillation Overthruster on it and bam! Right through mountains!
USA. Summer. It is 95 degrees outside, and I am shivering inside a sandwich shop.
I have discovered how Americans forge strong souls.
Outside, the sun is trying to kill everyone. Inside this small restaurant, it is winter. My breath does not fog, but it is thinking about it. A man near me is eating a cold sandwich while wearing a jacket. In summer. Indoors.
In Japan we would simply turn it down. Americans do not turn it down. And now I understand them better than they understand themselves.
This cold is not an accident. This cold is a gift.
The owner has built, inside his shop, a second season. He invites you in from the brutal heat and hands you the one thing the sun has denied you all day: a reason to be cold. To endure it is to be tempered. You walk in soft and sweating. You walk out sharp and clear, a slightly stronger person than you were.
So I did not complain. I removed my outer layer and offered it to the woman at the next table, who was hugging herself. She said, "Oh, no, I'm fine, thank you." She was not fine. Her lips were blue. But she, too, understood the training. She would not break first. I respected her deeply.
The owner asked if everything was okay.
"It is perfect," I said, through my teeth, which were chattering. "Thank you for the winter."
He said, "...I can turn the AC down if you want?"
I told him no. A man does not ask the mountain to be shorter.
I stayed two hours. I ordered a hot coffee to survive. Then a second one, to hold. By the end I could no longer feel my hands, but my spirit had never been clearer.
So now, on the hottest days, I seek out the coldest rooms. I sit. I shiver. I sharpen.
And when I finally step back out into the summer heat, and it wraps around me like a warm bath, I feel it.
Reborn.
A man who has survived the winter, in August, indoors, for the price of a sandwich.
I try not to promote or criticize political topics on my personal posts or reposts.
All families have members that say or act in ways that reflect any one of us at our absolute worst.
Troubled pasts don’t preclude you from being insightful.
WTF timeline are we on. Someone called me the MAGA whisperer and I’ll gladly take the title. Left, right, D or R we all want the same things. We’re being divided on purpose by the Epstein Elite Oligarch class because as long as we’re at each other’s throats, they get fat and rich off of our misery. The second we figure out we agree on more than we disagree, they’re done. Love your neighbor. Be yourself. Radical honesty. No fucks given, no fucks taken. Everything else is just noise. (But still fuck Jake “Brick Tamland” Tapper on any time line)
It’s always on. It only uses about 2% of the battery. It also automatically turns off if your battery is below 20% - and you can’t override it. If you’re turning it off, you’re probably overthinking it.
I’m confident that there is a lot more than an no/off switch when it’s activated. It’s likely adapting its run time based on your routine and the weather forecast.
There are three options for maximum temp. Set it to the max if you’re worried about it.
I live in the PNW. It’s always on. If you live in Arizona, YES, turn it on.
The Tesla is a fish bowl. I have black seats and wish I had got white. I can’t get in the car with shorts on unless it cools off. I’ve also thought of getting real leather for the seats. The “vegan leather” is a funny joke but it sucks.
That’s fair. BMW’s buttons are all functional and designed around the driver. They feel great. The seats are the best seats you can get. There is a reason people use them in their resto-mods. The leather is quality and lasts a lifetime with appropriate care. Tesla’s controls are well made but the textures aren’t as luxurious as BMW. BMW and Mercedes both excel in this way. Must be a European thing.
We currently have a M3 performance. In my opinion, closest driving experience is a 2010 era 3 Series. - Feeling on the car road, not the cockpit U/I experience.
Our other vehicle is a 2025 GMC Yukon XL (Diesel). The two couldn’t be more different from a U/I experience. The GMC is the Ninja. Lots of plastic and redundant switches. It’s a mess. There are three individual toggle switches to operate the sunroof. One to slide the shade, one to slide the glass, and one to tilt… THREE BUTTONS! It gives the illusion of value.
I purchased both of these cars in the last two years. The buying experience with the Tesla v. GMC was telling.
Sorry, if I offended you with my analogy. It was misplaced frustration with my GMC experience. The GMC is the Ninja.
I will not, however, apologize for inferring the Ninja kitchen brand is hot garbage!
-Down the trail
@3lectricBrawl It holds my travel charger and aftermarket sun screens. I know whey they are at at all times. And don’t use either for most of the year.
I consider myself a car enthusiast. I’ve owned classic cars and modern cars. Even a few old and modern British cars. I like BMW and Tesla as a brand.
A better comparison for the analogy would be a Ninja blender and a Vitamix. The Ninja, like a BMW, has a lot of flair so you know it’s fast. Buttons and nobs for fine tuning. It’s the peacock of the upmarket sedans.
There are things to like about BMW design and its evolution. For example, I have always liked the large kidney design - bold design done right even though it was controversial.
The Tesla is the Vitamix. Good at what it does: Car go, Car go fast. Car stop. Cars stop fast. Keep people VERY safe. Elegant in its simplicity.
The difference is esthetic and design philosophy.
The comparison is valid. The BMW beats the Tesla on visual and tactile response to the interior. The Tesla wins on performance. Where you place value is up to you.
FSD is a class of its own. No comparison. Not even close. Up-market and ultra-market. It’s best in class and it’s not even close.
I agree with your sentiment. But I also find value in knowing it works together. I moved from Windows to Apple sometime around 2012. I was tired of going through a PC laptop every two years. Even when I spent more for a higher end spec, it wasn’t lasting long enough. I never had a Mac with a PowerPC by IBM. Wow. It took me a year to get to know the software. I had my first MabookAir for 10 years before I replaced it. It ran great as a back up! I had a bad experience with the Intel MacBook (cell phone size hardware). It was a dog. Then the M1 came out. The hardware is where the value is.
The parasite is likely Toxoplasma gondii, and they have, or are infecting themselves with toxoplasmosis. I’ve heard theories that a high percentage of homeless people are probably suffering from it.
It usually goes untreated. Behavior issues change drastically after someone is treated for another infection with antibiotics. The behavior pattern for someone with toxoplasmosis is exactly what you see - very high tolerance to risky behavior. Hyper emotional and manic behavior.
If true, there is a simple fix. Maybe a broad spectrum antibiotic should be SOP when you have someone earnestly seeking to get clean and off the streets. But it’s hard to convince someone in that state to take medication - you end up sounding like Bill Gates real quick when you start to think about delivery models.
@frederi11207529@MorEdge_Insight It makes sense when you think about it. Gravity can’t hold on to everyting. The earth must be spewing out microorganisms like a drippy toddler’s nose. Slow and persistent.
@grok@elijahwood@alamodrafthouse@AstoriaOregon There is a place for service delivery options designed for efficiency as a supplement to service. Excellent service is a skill that only comes with 100% honest intent to serve. It rewards pedigree without pretentious spectacle.
This is too bad. As a Gen X movie fan and a patron, this is sad.
About 20 +/- years ago, I took my (now) wife on our first date. “The Goonies” was playing at the Astoria High School Football Field, courtesy of the @alamodrafthouse road trip.
@AstoriaOregon is a beautiful city - other iconic movies were filmed there in the 80’s and 90’s too. Kindergarten Cop, Short Circuit, Free Willy…
We drove from Salem thanks to directions printed from MapQuest. The Drafthouse had set up a giant inflatable screen in the middle of the football field. The projector was in a moving truck, behind a window on the front overhang.
It was a long drive but worth it.
As we entered, someone asked, “Anyone want a Baby Ruth?” Instinct kicked in and I quickly replied “yes, please,” only to realize, to get one, you had to do the Truffle Shuffle.
I was excited. She was relieved I wasn’t a axe murderer…
I didn’t notice the guy in the shadows holding Sony Handy-cam (ironic).
The GREAT @Corey_Feldman introduced the movie! He came to Astoria and was part of a tour of the town and the filming locations.
We are north of the 45th parallel. “Dark enough” for a movie you’re paying to watch is later than most people like. While we waited, they played trailers for the movies Mr. Feldman was in. Friday the 13th, The Final Chapter. Got the group of us pumped!
Between the trailers and the introduction, they played the clips of all of us who didn’t notice the camera guy, or maybe didn’t care… As for me? I joined a gym the next day.
The people we meet were awesome. They were as excited to be there as the rest of us.
They put on a great show.
The guy from Ain’t it Cool news was even there. He was looking for a ride to the next movie.
Places and events can be fun, the people make them great.
This is the end of old I.P. Good story telling and talented young film makers will become the new normal. The machine that runs “movie stars” is taking its last gasp of air. They are realizing they overpaid for it all. Distribution is the last gate keeping device and it’s going to take the movie theaters down with them. Five years from now you’ll find YouTube videos of kids “touring abandoned movie theaters”
In rural parts of America, especially towns of 1,500 or less, parents allow their children to go out on their own. It’s not as common as it once was. Safety isn’t the primary concern, though. There is a higher risk of someone calling the police for child neglect. We call these people “Karens,” and there are many in the US.
@HustleBitch_ This was my experience. Three years later we purchased a ICE vehicle (options are good). The dealership experience was the worst. I won’t do it again.