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Joined 11 months ago
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Cake day: July 26th, 2023

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  • The actual text concerning religion says that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;…”. It’s arguable that requiring publicly funding schools to display a specific religions moral code is establishing their religious views as a standard others must follow.

    The second part of that (prohibiting the free exercise thereof) is not affected. They are free to do whatever they want in their private homes and institutions. They just are not free to force those practices on others or other’s children. You don’t have the freedom to “exercise” if exercise means forcing your will on others. And anyone that thinks that should be the case is specifically calling to remove that constitutional freedom from our society.

    It’s un-American… by definition…





  • It’s more complicated, but you can still use crowd-sourcing to recognize the ads. Then use an algo to analyze the ad, frame by frame, and reject that when it shows up.

    It’ll take a bit of time, but their strategy isn’t going to last. It’s ‘arms-race’ style escalation on a digital front. Eventually, the crowd sourcing will be replaced by AI/ML tools. Ad companies, like google, will always try to fight back, but open-source will always respond.

    You can’t beat nerds that are skilled and passionate about not getting fucked.





  • If you have any way to charge at home, it’s a huge money saver and convenience. You’ll only get about 3 miles per hour off a normal 120v wall outlet, so maybe 20-30 miles over night. If you commute more than around 200 miles a week, you’ll have to have supplementary charging once a week or so.

    If you can install a 240v charger, you’ll get between 25-35 miles per hour of charge, so you’ll easily get a full charge over night. It’s usually around $500 for the equipment and $500ish for the install, depending on the area, but it makes up for it over time. Imagine never having to factor time in to stop for gas on the way to work in the morning.

    If you don’t have access to a wall plug and can’t install your own 240v charger, it may not be the right decision for you. If it is manageable for you, it’ll be a huge convenience and a big money saver.

    Bought mine for around 40k 4 years ago and have saved around 8k in fuel costs… but I drive a lot.




  • The only time that trip is going to be an issue is if you are going 250-300miles away from an interstate. Even then, a few pigtails and you can charge at any campground or RV park nationwide. Charging is a lot less of an issue than the media wants you to believe. I’ve been traveling around the country in an ev without problems for 30k miles. Pull up a map of just Tesla Superchargers and you’ll see a huge amount of roadtrip coverage… and that isn’t bringing in all of the other manufacturers charging networks or the rv/campground charging possibilities.


  • I’ve had a used ev for 4 years and have about 110k miles on the battery. I drove for years in Houston, with 110 degree summers and recently drove a season in Winter Park in the -10 to 0 degree weather for the season and didn’t have any issues with range or charging. You do notice minor differences, but nothing is a surprise and nothing is unmanageable. There is a lot more FUD out there than is warranted from actual performance.


  • Depreciation is a concern. If you buy something while the technology is improving, the resale value is going to tank as the technology matures. What you have to look at is what the cost is per mile you drive, minus the cost you can sell it for. But, fast-forward another 5-10 years and consider what an ICE vehicle will sell for on the used market. When EVs reach maturity, you won’t be able to give an ICE vehicle away without paying to dispose of it. We aren’t there yet, by a long shot, but it’s coming.

    Just make sure you time it right.



  • How long should a battery last compared to an ice engine… and how much should it cost to replace? If you actually look into the statistics, battery packs (at least on Teslas) last longer than ICE motors by a factor of 2 to 5. And their replacement costs are currently around 2x, but will come down over time. Regardless, I’d never replace a battery pack, just like I’d never replace an ICE motor.

    If you run the numbers down to a per mile cost, EVs… especially Teslas… outlast and are significantly cheaper to operate than any ICE vehicle on the market. There is a huge amount of disinformation out there around EVs.

    That’s not to say everyone can afford to spend the money (or get the loan) to go electric up front… but if you can manage it, it will pay off in the long run. I’ll never buy another ICE vehicle as long as I live. It‘d feel like I’m flushing money down the toilet.


  • I mean, you eventually need to replace the motor in an ICE car, but most people won’t… they’ll buy another vehicle instead. Most EVs lose a minimal amount of range over time… around 10% over 200k miles. Battery replacements are expensive, but not much more than replacing an engine on an ICE vehicle, unless you do all the labor yourself, and no one should be kidding themselves into believing they will actually replace a battery before they’d replace the vehicle… much like a car whose engine shits the bed. And the amount of savings you have in fuel and maintenance offsets the difference significantly, especially if you get to the 200k mark without trading up for a newer vehicle. Not to mention that there are Teslas on the road with over a million miles on them. You may not be as lucky, but 500k without replacing batteries is not uncommon.

    I’ve driven a used Tesla for the last 4 years and have 110k miles on it. It’s still humming like the day it came off the line. It’s quieter, faster, has more torque and power, and I get more compliments on it than I ever did on the ford trucks, vw coupes, or Buick sedans I ever drove. I’ve only replaced tires, windshield wipers, wiper fluid, and the 12v battery and haven’t had any maintenance issues. I drive a lot, all over the country, and save around $2k a year in fuel costs compared to when I drove a Buick. I travel all around the country and have few problems finding charging stations (mostly when way off the grid… like Great Basin national park off-the-grid… but still found a charger) and have never been stranded or ran out of mileage on a given drive. A few pigtails and I can charge at any RV park or campground nationwide.

    There is far too much misinformation about EVs and concerns with range or charging infrastructure or whatever the oil companies want you to be afraid of, and the savings in fuel costs outweigh any inconveniences I’ve experienced 10 times over.

    Take the leap and you’ll never look back. I’ll never buy another ICE vehicle again. It feels like throwing money away.

    I get that Elon is a bipolar asshole at times, but the mission to provide the infrastructure for a more sustainable future is what we need and the user experience is far better than reported.


  • This is how free speech works. You are allowed to say anything you want and the government can’t stop you. You are, however, accountable if what you say is false and causes harm to others.

    Unfortunately, because of the way our media cycle works, the damage is done way before the perpetrator is held accountable and the corrective action is not broadcast well enough to reverse the damage from the original action. Especially, when the correction gets shrugged off while the perpetrator goes on another round of disinformation.

    It’s a big problem.


  • I make a lot of different sandwiches before I hit the road… I guess I interchange them with wraps/burritos, too. Not just cold cuts, but leftover curries and stews smashed between bread, eggs and sausage/bacon, salad wraps… mixing and matching with different sauces and spices helps a ton. If you have the time to toast the bread or tortilla, it makes a big difference. I pick a different cuisine to use as a base for every drive… Indian, Asian, American, Italian, Mexican… you can keep it fresh.

    It’s mostly just about preparing a transportable meal. I guess I also carry soups, curries, chili, gumbo, and stews in a thermos. I usually try to stay in airbnbs or suite hotels that have a kitchen, but often just use a microwave. Sometimes i use microwaves at gas stations to heat up a meal, but that’s not always an option.

    The only thing I make sure to do is have something to prevent me from giving McDonald’s or Taco Bell $20 for garbage.