pedz

joined 3 years ago
[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

What's been helpful recently is having a different native language than English. Coupled with the no translation extension that prevents YouTube's AI from dubbing stuff I already understand, I sometimes get interesting and specific recommendations.

Otherwise, stick to known channels.

EDIT: The downside of speaking multiple languages with YouTube's AI push is that it's gonna try to translate everything to you as if you were monolingual. Set YouTube in English and it will translate everything in English, even if you speak French or German. Set YouTube In French and it will translate everything in French even if you can speak English. This shit is horrible.

[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago

Huh. This happens to me in a different way with OpenRun headphones. They don't auto shutdown when disconnected. You have to turn them off because they just stay on until the next time you want to use them.

And then you pick them up a few days later thinking they should be fine, but no, they spent days idling and only have a few minutes of use left.

[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

Sure. Driver's licence, insurance, maintenance of a used car, and endless payments for gas. It saves a ton of money to own a car, sure.

I live in Canada and come from a rural town with no public transit. I moved to a bigger city with public transit. As a bonus it also has a superior bike network compared to other cities of the region. And I'm very glad not to have to pay for tires, to store the winter tires somewhere, oil changes, parking fees, parking tickets, and unexpected issues.

You know what saves more money than an old car? Not having any car at all.

[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 week ago (8 children)

Funnily having a car is an excellent way to get in debt.

[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

There's a traditionalist/conservative band in Québec that made a very popular song about this about 20 years ago called "Dégénération". The song is pretty good but I always hated it because at some point they whine about some young woman that's always with a different partner and "saves herself" with abortions, saying she secretly dreams of having 14 kids, like her great grandmother. The rest of the lyrics are pretty bang on, but they're really insisting on the traditionalist aspects and it sours the song for me.

But essentially, the first bits are going like this:

Your great-great-grandfather, he cleared the land

Your great-grandfather, he worked the land

And then your grandfather made the land profitable

Then your father, he sold it to become a civil servant

[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 weeks ago

A few months to a few days. And they leave notices on the bikes before taking them anyway. But the point is, a pole is my least favorite option to lock my bike. It's dead last in the list of choices.

It's an "illegal" last resort that means there's no bike racks near my destination, or they are all full. So just like the meme says, I'm at the stage where if I can't securely park and lock my bike somewhere, I'll turn around or won't go. If there's space for an ocean of parking for cars, there's space for a bike rack somewhere.

[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 weeks ago

I'm from the previous generation so to me it wasn't Timon & Pumbaa, but rather Baloo (and Mowgli) signing in French about the bare necessities: Il en faut peu pour être heureux. Vraiment très peu pour être heureux. Il faut se satisfaire du nécessaire.

[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 weeks ago

I've only heard shōganai by westerners describing life in Japan, and then while watching videos of the tsunami in 2011. And as others have said, it may be a reference for you, but isn't it just a common saying? Common enough that someone from the other side of the planet knows it, but not your reference.

[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 weeks ago

Yes, and no. Theft can be a strong possibility, but not "all the time". It depends a lot on where you lock the bike, its value, and how you lock it.

I have had two bikes stolen twice in about 10 years. One was a hybrid worth about $1k. It was locked with a cable by the side of a Walmart in a neighborhood of questionable reputation. It took me about 15 minutes to get in and out and the cable was cut when I came back. The other was also a hybrid worth about $1k. It was stolen while locked with a cable, in the underground garage of my building. However I have another "cheap" bike from a big retail store locked with a very cheap cable lock in the same garage, and nobody stole it.

So now even if my contract says I can't bring a bike in the apartment, my "expensive" hybrid takes the elevator with me and stays in my living room. I also now use a thick U-lock because cables are risky. But even then I know very well that leaving it locked with a U-lock outside for any prolonged period of time is also risky.

If you have a "nicer" bike than average, you have to be mentally prepared to have it stolen at some point. Not "all the time", but maybe a few times in your life, depending on your luck and locations.

[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

It's illegal where I live to lock a bike to "urban furniture", and a pole is also often not the safest place. If not stolen, it will be removed by the city.

[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 12 points 2 weeks ago (13 children)

I don't drive a car and hate them very much, but I have this in common with motorists. Only what I'm looking for is a secure place to lock my bike. Which is somehow often rarer than a parking space for cars.

I got my bike stolen while it was locked by the side of a Walmart, so now I'm much more careful about the "parking situation" and I use a bike share or public transit if I fear for the safety of my vehicle.

[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 month ago

I was in vacation in Guadeloupe, trying to rent a bike on a small island, when the guy at the rentals asked me what I was doing for a living. I stayed vague and just said I worked in IT but it was enough to move the conversation about his broken printer and the fact that he had to buy a new one. He asked if I could take a look at the broken one, I replied that I was on vacation, and he said that it wasn't very nice of me. There was no language barrier as we both spoke French natively, but I'm socially awkward and maybe it was just a joke. I'm still not sure if he was just making small talk, or expecting me to check the printer.

I obviously didn't, and I recommend touring the island of Marie-Galante on a bike, it's worth it.

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