Exactly, is just straight up for fun. I’d argue they’re safer too. You pay way more attention in a stick shift, looking ahead timing shifts with traffic flow, leaving space and coasting to red lights, and the extra speed control on steep windy mountain roads is amazing especially in the winter.

Was lucky to get a 2021 Crosstrek in a manual, which I guess Subaru doesn’t do in Canada anymore, so it’ll likely be the last ICE car I have. If I’m joining the zombie horde of alternating mashing gas or brake depending what’s happening 10m in front of me I better at least get some torque out of it.

Where do you live, Chilliwack? Lol. I get it though heat sucks. I’m in Kelowna and bike whenever I can, but I’m not showing up to dinner or a meeting drenched. Errands or casual hangs though sure why not. It is a little less soupy humid here so even 40° isn’t awful as long as you’re moving and have a breeze.

Absolutely go do it! Riding a bike is one of the simplest joys in life once you get the hang of it. I live ripping around doing all my errands on it. I have a reasonably nice vehicle but really I only drive in the worst of the winter, or to get out of town to do some activity. In the summer that activity is usually mountain biking, go figure!

Knocking on the door of 40. I spent this week moving into my own new place after a decade of toxicity, so this one resonates with me as well.

There are also many ways to build a more efficient building envelope and insulation is one of the cheapest things that goes into a house. That makes the heat pumps even more viable in more climates.

I also love how people love to hate on heat pumps when there’s so many shit box homes with electric baseboards wasting tons of power.

I’m an architect. It’s nice having the project I’m actively working on always active on one screen, with design sketches, marked up revisions, email with comments from client, renderer etc. active on the other. Sure it only saves a second not having to tab back and forth, but if you’re doing it non stop all day it makes a big difference. Also just less effort.

Check out Fenix. I was super happy with my Fenix headlamp, so when the time came for a new bike light I was pleased to find they make solid options. Removable battery, good brightness, good adjustability to not blind others, used it road and mountain biking at night. Easily unclips from bar when you’re leaving your bike locked up somewhere.

A bit vague but there’s a handful of areas that more or less meet that description around Canada.

Fine, Israel’s leader/government, as elected by its population, is on record. Does that make it better?

1% of the population is a lot of people. That’s tens of thousands of lives cut short. Kids who’ll never grow up, families torn apart, etc. Should that not elicit emotion? There’s plenty of videos of children and unarmed people trying to surrender or otherwise being shot. Seems like anyone and everyone to me.

Fun fact! Hysteria was originally thought to be a condition that only applied to women, hence the Greek root “hyster” for womb, as if that were the source of irrational emotion.

That’s a very good point, I’m sure most Israelis are lovely wonderful people despite the government and atrocities being committed. I bet most Palestinians are equally wonderful. Maybe we should be against indiscriminately killing them?

You mean the organization that Israel influenced the creation of through decades of mistreatment and mishandling of the situation? The same one Israel is on record saying it’s a good thing as it allows Israel to treat Palestine as a hostile state? Basically exactly what they’re doing now, killing anyone and everyone and just shrugging and saying “because hamas”?

“gluteal crease” that’s a new one for me, well done.

Nothing wholesome every seeps lol love it. With you on the hovering around zero and wet though, that was my last big camp for three nights in Kootenay National Park. No problems staying cozy if it’s dry and cold, but the seepage gets to you.

Got my grandpa’s Minolta XE7 in the bag on my way to visit my daughter for the holidays. Not my oldest camera, but he’s not around anymore so there’s some nice sentiment capturing family moments with his camera. Security hand checked the film, no questions asked, so that’s nice. Couple rolls of HP5 to push for inside, and some Gold 200 if we get some sunny weather.

Canada, and yeah when it comes to how we build we are definitely behind. Oil and gas is so entrenched in the economy, especially western provinces, that any going against that is blasphemy to a significant chunk of the population. It will get better though. We can already do better, the incentive just isn’t there.

I’m a certified passive house designer and I’m always jealous of all the products and materials available in Europe!

It’s not a distraction so much as it’s the bait. Gas cooking gets the utility serviced to the building, which enables the gas furnace vs electric heat pump conversation. Gas furnace is cheaper up front, so that’s what goes into suburbia.

Builders and developers will always do the absolutely cheapest thing possible to stay competitive, and will only do better when they’re either legislated to or consumers demand it. Home builders associations lobby to keep minimum requirements … minimal, and most consumers just see pretty showers and big kitchen islands, so this is why we still build houses like it’s 1980.

Always amuses me how many people care about gas mileage on a $50k car but couldn’t give two shits if their $2m home is efficient.

Source: I’m a home designer who frequently has this conversation and that’s usually how it goes down.

Yup, aka Shaggy Manes! Definitely edible, but they really do start to disintegrate into that inky black grossness soon after picking. Luckily they pop up in my yard all the time, so if I happen to notice they’ll find their way into whatever I’m frying up. One of the few wild mushrooms I’m comfortable with eating since it’s so distinct.

So a water source heat pump tapping into mine shafts, neat. Run the heat pump off wind or solar, have a decent thermal envelope to lower overall demand, voila emission free heating and cooling. Sounds promising to me.