iPhones tend to have pretty shit cameras compared to Samsungs - it’s not just purely a question of pixels but lense quality as well.

I’d double down on those difficulties - my partner has mobility issues and the metro is a nightmare to navigate if you have a cane… if you have a wheel chair it’s pretty much impossible.

Didn’t go for the Olympics - we’ve been a few times as it’s easiest for us to fly in there and then train through Europe… it’s fucking awesome, the food is good, the markets are amazing, and the people are nice!

Oh, I’m well aware. When I say “Rob Musk” I was thinking of forcing a stock transfer rather than going after his pocket change.

You’re thinking small fries…

Rob Elon Musk.

I don’t know why someone would get mad at you but I personally dislike multiple posts on the same topic because it dilutes and confuses discussion.

Mistakes certainly happen though.

Fifteen years tops. Fifteen years is just under half of the average number of years you’ll be in the workforce and if you put your heart and soul into something amazing I feel like it enabling you to skate through at most half of your life is reasonable.

Provide a high enough standard of living that extremism costs an individual too much to engage in. This may sound a bit dystopian but a fat and happy populace is much easier to govern than a starving and desperate one.

Also, education - not like nationalistic bullshit education but a general education that leads people to nuture their empathy and social awareness. When people see desperate situations and no effort to address them they’re more likely to turn to extremism then if they’re aware of an effort (even if it’s ineffective) because if there’s an effort ongoing the politically active will be more likely to join the effort rather than fighting the establishment.

Lastly, a non-shitty election system that makes everyone (not just swing state voters) feel like their voice is being heard. If you don’t think you’ll be able to effect change within the system you’re more likely to turn to extremism.

And sponsorblock!

On windows it’s grepWin - it is an excellent utility implementation.

Also, segregating by gender poorly by forcing a binary choice is shitty and exclusionary in this modern world.

Air is an excellent band that seems to fit your bill and if you don’t mind a darker dream there’s always the OG of shoegaze Portishead.

I have strong music association with memories so most of my feelie invoking music is pretty fucking random (like associating wanderlust with Beck’s Guero).

For the phone component - immensely… when I vaguely said that “your phone tracks you” most of what I’m talking about is Google/Facebook/Reddit/TikTok/Mobile Ad Networks doing it… I don’t believe carriers tend to engage in that bullshit very often (though AT&T has been caught a few times) due to laws around being a communications carrier… it’s mostly the social media folks.

Yes they can and, unfortunately, even if you start paying by cash you’ll still be tracked to a certain extent. It is extremely difficult to avoid any kind of purchase tracking because everyone from the private company that manages the lot you park in before going inside, to the retailer, to your bank, to the smart screens in the store, to your fucking smart phone (whether by GPS or wifi network identification) is working together to identify and track you.

It’s really fucking hard to go incognito theae days.

Anything Indian or Ethiopian put between two slices of bread is absolutely amazing. The next time you order in Indian make a sandwich of some saag, vindaloo, korma, whatever and fucking enjoy.

Tomato sandwich, it sounds simple but it kicks fucking ass. This sandwich lives or dies on having good flavorful tomatoes so its only for in-season times of year.

You want to make it with plain white sandwich bread - toast it lightly. Apply a light layer of real (not miracle whip) mayonnaise - preferably full fat. Then slice a beefsteak tomato into slices that let you retain all the guts of the tomato but are otherwise relatively thin. Make sure to cut out the stem joint (I usually do this after slicing because it’s easier). Assemble your sandwich with a reasonable amount of tomato but as you put slices on salt your tomato. A modest size tomato is usually large enough to make 2-3 sandwiches.

Enjoy a fucking treat!

It’s a really good point though - if you’re lonely becoming religious is sort of a free ticket to getting a community… but there are other ways to form a community (D&D and boardgames being some of my favorites).

Religiosity is a rather minor factor in happiness and will effect different people differently.

It’s an affirmation that’s usually pulled out when someone’s statement goes against mainstream thinking.

Based.