WhatsApp, as it’s the app everyone is using here for 10+ years. I also have Telegram for some group chats.

Tried signal once in ~2017. Didn’t like it and barely knew anyone else with it and so I deleted it.

The problem is that the windows might not be suitable for window units. For instance in the Netherlands our windows typically tilt or turn (like a door) open, they don’t slide up. The walls and ceilings are usually solid brick or concrete, so you can’t hide ducts in there for central AC. That leaves a split unit in one room or a portable unit.

Blocking the light made a huge difference in my house. I have are 3 small skylights on the south side that now have sun shades on the outside. They still let in some light, but it’s at least 5c cooler on the top floor.

What wars did NATO start then? Don’t confuse countries in NATO with NATO itself.

Smart watches.

Couple of reasons:

• I like my mechanical watches. They aren’t the expensive flashy ones, but I like the way they look and especially like the mechanical engineering. It’s one of the (maybe only?) Item I can think of that I use daily and ‘does something’ without electricity. Smart watches are nothing like that.

• When I want to be offline I can just ignore my phone or flip it upside down. Having notifications on my wrist all day long wouldn’t be good for my mental health. It annoys me so much when I see people looking at and using their smartwatch mid conversation because they are so addicted to it. And I know I would be the same once I start using it.

• It’s expensive and e-waste after a few years.

I use mine instead of the oven for anything that fits and can withstand the “whirlwind” it produces. It’s faster, work at lower temperatures and requires no pre-heating.

The Philips i have now was quite expensive though. Before I had some other brand that didn’t work any better than a regular oven.

They have unions here, that doesn’t seem to help either.

I think it’s best in the commercial private sector with a labor shortage or unions.

I think it should be fine as long as the cat was always kept indoors and it gets enough attention and space to play. They should be treated differently to how many people treat their outside cats.

My indoors cat is now 5 years old and very much like how you described Buddy. He wanders around the house, likes to play and likes people (even strangers). He gives all the signals of being very happy and calm, isn’t easily scared or startled. Sometimes it seems his character is more like that of a dog than of a cat.

Many people have cats that are outside 20+ hours a day and don’t like ‘socializing’ with people. My parents had a few cats like that as well when I grew up and I don’t see the point of having one like that. They aren’t beneficial for the environment and don’t offer much as a pet either.

A few months ago I bought a second hand Thinkbook G2, 1 year old, for €450. It feel really solid, fast, has decent battery life and the igpu isn’t bad for older games or on low settings. It also has Thunderbolt, so you can connect an external GPU (in something like a razer core x) for more power.

ThinkPads are the best, thinkbooks are also aimed at professionals but are made out of aluminium rather than lightweight materials. So still tough, just a bit heavier.

For work I have a Dell Latitude. It feels just as solid and is a bit lighter.

Currently 2, but unfortunately for (almost) everyone here they are both Dutch .

One is a daily news podcast where journalists and/or experts talk about something that is relevant right now. Every episode is 20-30 minutes and features a single topic. Today it was about the NATO leadership. Who could be the next leader, how is it decided and stuff like that. Yesterday about a national political party, the day before about Wagner’s shenanigans on Saturday.

The other is a weekly 40 minute podcast about the war in Ukraine. There is a host and 2 former generals, one of them used to be the commander of the Dutch army. Every week they talk about what happened, why it happened and how it happened. They also have a certain topic that they talk about from their own experience or what they are seeing Ukraine right now. Like how tanks are best used, what the west can realistically (also factor in politics) do and how western militaries would respond so something like what Wagner did. Because they don’t have to prove to anyone which side they are on, they can be honest and realistic. It makes a lot of news and opinions shared online look even more stupid.

Liberal: Especially socially I’m very liberal. Everyone should have the same rights, opportunities and be treated equally no matter their race, sexual orientation, gender, religion etc. It should matter how you life your life as long as it doesn’t negatively effect others. The government should only provide laws that limit this to protect those who cannot do that themselves (like kids growing up). Economically as well, like the free market, but regulation is important imo. Only if regulation wouldn’t work or something is so vitally important to everyone or the economy that you can’t do without it, is nationalisation an option for me. Keep the government as small as possible, but don’t overdo it for the sake of making it smaller.

Progressive: this is mostly true for climate and social aspects. I welcome almost any regulation to make sure global heating slows down as much and fast as possible. Socially because society changes all the time and just because we treated people a certain way 50 years ago doesn’t mean we should forever do that. On government spending and on defense I’m more conservative. Peace requires a strong military and the government should make sure its debt doesn’t go out of control. Doesn’t waste money on stuff the market can handle or on benefits that people don’t really need. It annoyed me when I got hundreds of euros last year in compensation from the government for higher electricity and natural gas prices. I, and many others, didn’t need it and it was better spend on more useful things.

Center wing: Help those who really need it, like the homeless, immigrants, people with bad illnesses or PTSD, but if someone makes (a lot) more than me then that’s fine with me. I’m not expecting anyone who makes more than me to solve all the worlds issues while I can keep doing and buying what I do now. I’m in favor of many tougher regulations that will hit me financially, but will he better for the future.

At the same time I do expect everyone to pay their fair share in taxes and see taxes as a good thing.

I want to get the feeling that it wasn’t designed by marketing folks. It should clear what the designers found important and what they wanted to build and that they had to compromise on other aspects.

It’s a bit vague, so I’ll give some examples. I loved the Alfa Romeo’s I had. They weren’t the most reliable, didn’t had the highest quality interior and were expensive to maintain. But the sound and throttle response were great and you felt that everything was designed around you: the driver. Some of them had designs where looks are more important than practicality.

Another car that I loved and was completely the opposites was a gen 1 Fiat Punto. That car was designed to be practical and could be repaired with ducttape. One of the few cars where a timing belt snapping wouldn’t ruin the engine. The air filter could be replaced without a screw driver (just undo 2 clips). It was boxy to make it as spacious as possible and light and high on its wheels so it could drive everywhere (road or no road).

My current Renault doesn’t have something special, something unique. It’s just a badly made annoying vehicle that gets you from a to b just like any other car. My previous Ford Fiesta was a bit better and at least had good handling and was one of the cheapest in its class.

Exactly. Making the controls yourself isn’t necessarily better, as long as the rudders and engines are engineered properly. Some seperate (emergency) control might be a good idea, in case the Bluetooth fails. Just to get the submarine back to the surface.

The submarine is a one-off experimental one that isn’t certified, hasn’t been used a lot and dives deeper than almost any other submarine. That’s enough alarm bells for me. Whatever they use to control the vessel is irrelevant to me.

In my hatchback I only use it to see how I’m parked (wether i can drive 1cm further back or not) and to make sure there isn’t a hobbit child standing behind the car when about to reverse. Looking out is the windows and mirrors gives me a much better overview of what’s going on around me. If it was an option I wouldn’t get it.

Nobody has it, so people don’t see/experience them to to change their minds.

Having said that, I tried it once on holiday. It only got rid of half the ‘residue’, so I’m not really convinced enough to spend money on one. Another issue is that the reservoir and pipes are hidden behind a tiled wall. Installing one isn’t going to be a 5 minute job.

with Lewis Hamilton apparently pointing out that he’d never seen a car have the type of accident that the barrier extension was designed to prevent.

Sure, it’s not like there have been freak accidents in motorsport that killed people. If some day it does happen, everyone is blaming the FIA for not preventing it.

Concerns are fine and perhaps the wall is bad, but this comment is ridiculous.

I use a case since I dropped it and the back (glass) is cracked. Because I don’t want to risk cutting my hand, I’m using the case that came with the phone.

Still no screenprotector though. There are some micro scratches, but no visible damage when using it.

3.5+ year old phone. No phone specific insurance either.

Rates were ridiculously low in 2020. 10 years would have been 1.3%. The mortgage rules and requirements are quite strict, so banks can keep the rates low.

I’m fine. Covid isnt causing chaos anymore, WFH is optional (thankfully, i don’t like it), I don’t really care about Twitter or Netflix, reddit is a shame but there are alternatives, my mortgage rate is fixed at 1.8% for 30 years, Trump is on the other side of the ocean…

Most of the sh*t going on the in the world doesn’t have very big impact on my life. Some do, but when I can’t influence it (on my own) I try to not let it affect my mood.

I think you’re overestimating the ADHD and safety aspects. If you drive frequently for a while it becomes second nature (hopefully) and it’s not all that scary as it seems. As a passenger you’re not in control and analyzing everything that happens around you becomes a lot more stresfull. Like when I’m driving a car I somehow know if I can overtake, have to wait for a car or have to brake for a yellow light. It’s not stresfull and the arms, legs and brain work together. As a passenger I struggle a lot more with that. So don’t think you can’t drive because traffic is overwhelming as a passenger.

Anyway, should you get a license…well that’s hard to answer. It can be very useful, but is expensive and if you don’t need it in the near future then you might as well wait. Especially as a student you probably have a lot of things you want to save up for.

The blackout caused some more media attention beforehand, so that’s part of the win I guess. Perhaps all the negative attention still isn’t enough, but it did sent a message.