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Cake day: July 9th, 2023

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  • MethodicalSpark@lemmy.worldtoMicroblog Memes@lemmy.worldOutstanding idea.
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    12 days ago

    The Boca Chica test site in Texas is built immediately adjacent to a protected wildlife preserve. This is the site where SpaceX has been working on the Starship launch vehicle.

    The second part about failing is extreme hyperbole. SpaceX is the most successful launch company in human history by any reasonable metric. I’d argue Musks distance from the company in recent years has helped.





  • This has been floating around the internet for some time.

    The funny part is that heritage zoning is the reason the addition looks the way it does. The upper floor was inaccessible and stairs needed to be added. Local regulations state that any additions must be visually distinct from the original structure so this monstrosity was the result.

    Look up Caldwell Tower in Scotland for more information.





  • I’ve owned a lot of different vehicles over the years.

    1998 Ford Taurus, 2002 Ford Mustang, 2012 Honda Civic Coupe, 2016 Honda HRV, 2017 Yamaha FZ-09, 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata, …and finally… 2023 Ford F-150 Tremor

    My two favorite vehicles out of that list are the Miata and the F-150. I’ve lived both lives and they’re not comparable.

    The Miata was a blast to take out into the country and find a series of twisty corners while banging through gears with the top down. I do miss having the wind in my hair and no particular destination in mind.

    The F-150 is great because I’m building a house and need to haul loads of lumber and plywood. It’s also fantastic because I can take it off road and camp in the bed on vacation, getting to places the Miata could never go. It’s also pretty fun to drive with a lot of power.

    Admittedly, when you get spirited with the pedal, you can hear the echos and screams of dinosaurs as their remains are incinerated expeditiously by the twin-turbo V6. Not the most environmentally conscious thing I’ve owned, but I disagree that trucks aren’t fun.







  • I spent my childhood in a very rural area. I couldn’t wait to get away. I went to college and moved to a small-to-medium sized US city where I’ve now resided in the downtown area for over ten years.

    The public transit is limited and the bus system is poor. Riding a bus to my job would take two hours each way, when driving takes 20 minutes. The jobs in my field are concentrated in the suburbs so I have no choice but to own a vehicle. Owning a vehicle in the city costs significantly more than in the suburbs or rural areas. I am unable to perform vehicle maintenance myself due to the unaffordability of homes here with garages or even off-street parking. My vehicle has been broken into multiple times. My insurance is higher and the cost to repair glass is a huge dent in one’s monthly income.

    I have homeless people who jump the fence into a shared courtyard for my condominium and setup camp, leaving trash and other dangerous objects behind. The police come hours late if at all for these issues. My girlfriend gets catcalled and harassed by men who seem to spend all day propped against a building at the nearest street corner.

    The most difficult thing for me to come to terms with is the fact that I’ve always dreamed of starting a business. My expertise is in physical industries. The kind where having a workshop or some land to keep equipment on goes a long way toward your success. Living in a city longterm would make that dream impossible.

    Nothing in the city is free. It is impossible to exist here without each and every activity costing you something. Having everyone live in cities and use public transit is a wonderful thought, but it isn’t perfect.

    I’m moving back to a rural area in a few years and building a house. It’ll be nice to walk outside, look up at the sky, have some peace and quiet, and just exist without being charged for it.



  • I agree with your logic. It makes perfect sense to rent a vehicle for edge cases.

    However, I disagree that you’re going to encourage mass adoption by asking people to change their lifestyle. A large amount of the US population views their vehicle as more than a tool to get to and from work. It’s an extension of their personality. Road trips might be part of that personality.

    They’re sold on the marketing ideals of luxury, comfort, or adventure. They buy accessories for these vehicles like roof-racks for their luggage or campers/trailers to help them travel across the country while keeping that comfort of home. Tens of thousands of campers are still sold in the U.S. every year and EV’s are a nonstarter for towing more than 75 miles.

    No one enjoys renting an unfamiliar Honda CR-V where the seat doesn’t feel quite right for long periods of time, there’s something sticky on the shift handle, the previous driver smoked in it, and you hear a plastic creaking sound coming from the back seat. You can’t quite figure out from where and it’s driving you insane.

    Until EV’s can match the convenience and capability of ICE vehicles, adoption is going to be limited.