A sidenote about unhomogenized milk, it's delicious. I don't know if it actually tastes any different, but something about shaking it up before using it just makes it feel different.
It is not editorial censorship. The platform is still free to post what they want. It's just legal liability for what the users post.
In my opinion, Section 230 should go away. If you're going to make money off the ads, you shouldn't then be allowed to hide behind being a platform to avoid liability for what users post.
My interpretation might represent an existential threat to social media business models, and I have absolutely zero sympathy.
Petrodollar creates demand for dollars. This is demand that no other currency gets. That's why US production is expensive vs other countries. China labor is cheaper and it is less regulated, but the petrodollar exacerbates the problem.
I'm as big of an Elon-hater as you'll find, but I kind of have to disagree. Working on the habitat before the rocket is cart before horse. The rocket is a prerequisite to even an experimental trip to Mars.
If we ever do actually colonize Mars, the progression would look something like:
1. Experimental missions
2. Small but permanent settlement made out of Starships cobbled together
3. New construction with increasing proportion of in-situ resources until fully independent
IMHO, to achieve anything close to the timelines Elon has publicly stated you need to do both at once. The habitats are a decade long development effort at a minimum. The capacity and dimensions of the launch vehicle are known, there is no reason to not be working on the prototypes now.
There is so much foundational technology that has to be developed first to even make them a possibility. Even your step 2 requires them to be fully developed and reliable, because there is no flying in spares from Earth if something breaks down. If I were to give Elon the benefit of the doubt this would be one of the factors in the refocus on the Moon base, but even that is dubious. I still think the "make humanity multi-planetary" talk is a diversion.
Why did you feel the need to add this statement before saying something which might be taken as agreeing with something the man said? Why does it always have to come down to who said something instead of what that person said? Just say you agree with the statement, don't mention who said it. If the knee-jerk-downvote brigade comes to punish you just eat the downvotes in the knowledge that the downvoters just can't cope with dissenting opinions.
Maybe there are but I see far more sufferers from MDS who just have to let everyone know they really, really don't like the man. I don't know him so I don't know whether I'd like him or not. I do know he's achieved a number of remarkable things but he also seems to have a tendency to overestimate what can be achieved within a given time frame and budget which seems to make him promise more than he can deliver. There's plenty of business people who promise more than they can deliver though while there aren't that many who have managed to initiate large-scale pie-in-the-sky projects which more or less turned fantasy into reality like he's done. When it comes to things like space exploration I think it is a good thing that someone with some vision of what can be and the means to make it work is set on achieving his goal of going to ... well, whether it be Mars in the end or a permanent lunar base we'll see. Out into space at least. I think we need new frontiers to explore, something to look forward to instead of the nihilistic doom and gloom 'humans bad, they destroy the planet' narrative which has been pushed for far too long.
The US's voltage issues make installing powerful electric stoves more expensive than it is in Europe, AIUI; for anything decent you need three phase there.
I have a tabletop induction burner in my apartment which I can cook 95% of my family meals on to eliminate the use of the gas stove. Takes up counter space, but research increasingly supports this.
Also, with a special pot you can make hotpot at home too!
I've lived in the Midwest most of my life and after living in the East for a year, chose to move to Twin Cities and stay. Weather sucks, but the cost of living is good. Opportunities are good, schools are good. If I can take a vacation to somewhere warm in February I can make it through the winter just fine.
It's not 'cool' like NY, CA, but we've got good food, fun things to do, and can realistically build the life we want.
I hope more people move here. There's plenty of room for more of the 5 over 1 apartments everyone maligns but are affordable. There's room for more sleepy suburbs, bike paths, and you-pick orchards.
I have a kid and it's the greatest joy ever but I am very lucky. It's totally okay to grieve that, but I often tell other childfree folks: there are many things you can do to feel a similar kind of joy. Mentoring, volunteering, caring for friends etc. Having the joy of working for others and emotionally investing doesn't have to be exclusive.
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