Nothing makes you hate cars more than living on a busy street, forced to listen to their din day in and day out. >:(
Cities Aren't Loud: Cars Are Loud — Not Just Bikes
Urban noise is a common problem, and the vast majority of it is created by motor vehicles. Noise is far too often dismissed as a minor nuisance, rather than the legitimate health issue that it is.The book "Curbing Traffic" has a chapter about the health impacts of noise pollution. I explore the research in the book, and visit Delft, the city that is highlighted in the book as being a shining example of what can happen when noise pollution is taken seriously.
This video explores the problem that farting cars, farting motorcycles, and farting mopeds create in our cities.
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From here:
There is no 'free' market, and there never has been. The 'free' market is predicated on the belief that all players will act honestly, and make informed choices based on available information. This is a completely false assumption, and has been proven so time after time.It completely ignores human nature whereby someone will always lie, cheat, and steal to achieve their own ends -- this is what we see here.
Industry players will always form cartels and collude in anti-consumer behavior -- price fixing being the prime example.
Without someone to keep corporations in line, the market would steadily skew to all of the power being in the hands of a few.
There is no such thing as a 'free' market, and there simply never has been. It's a utopian myth which can never be true.
People who go around spouting about the 'free' market are either naive, self deluded, or actively lying.
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damn, so we've had 11 years of this very thing getting worse.
when will people get it?! people keep voting for these pro corporate parties and it's depressing
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well, the same is happening here in the Netherlands. people have been voting the neoliberals into power for decades, despite things going to shit, and other parties being available here.
it's the propaganda that's working; most people still believe that free market capitalism is great, and it will take a lot more downfall before they understand it's shit.
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@bazkie about 10 years ago when I had learned just enough Dutch to read sites where younger folk hung out (and chat to them) I learned a fair few thought all the bicycles, good public transport (which folk in UK often envy!) and the high cost of learning to drive (which is same as UK) was imposed by "big government/EU" and they wanted to have cars just like young people in UK, enjoyed watching Top Gear and thought folk in UK and USA had more "freedom" (and those youths would be 30-40+ by now, many with families of their own)
At least you are highly unlikely to get Nexit as everyone can see the mess the UK is now in 5 years later..
@vfrmedia UK has been a lovely warning sign for us indeed!
..tho people have been voting far right the past few years despite Trump, so maybe most people don't really understand warning signs 😅
and about that dutch youth; keep in mind we've had neoliberal rule for decades now, so the whole "free market good, nationalization bad" has been really hammered in.
not sure if we'll get rid of it in my lifetime tbh. but most of the lovely social policies we have left stem from the more progressive governing we had before I was born 😅
btw why did you learn dutch? (maybe I asked before)
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I love pirate radio!
I don't know if it's actually a pirate station, here's an FM broadcaster near Quinault Lake here that plays all kinds of odds and ends with weird stuff in between. It might fall under LPFM, but I doubt the FCC would hassle them anyway since it's in the middle of nowhere and low power.
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@vfrmedia what's LPFM?
I wonder if maybe the FCC is a bit more relaxed these days since people listen to FM radio less (or well, I imagine that they do)
the "free market" is to economics what the frictionless spherical cow is to high school physics.
The very existence of corporations means there is no free market. Corporations are a legal construct of governments that grants a business (and later even a mere collection of assets) status as a district entity separated to some degree from the owners and workers within.
As such, there is no choice between "government vs corporations" because they are *two sides of the same coin*...it is all one big hegemony.
We have all been thoroughly conditioned to think otherwise for a couple of centuries now. It is thoroughly ingrained the minds of everyone in the "free world" that corporations are the capitalist free market and government is the socialist planned economy but that is pure BS.
The biggest economies in the world have arrived in the same place from two different directions...the US being a corporatocratic regime and China practising state capitalism.
As such deregulation just means re-regulation.
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The debt collection agency my spurious medical bill has been transferred to is getting desperate. They're offering reduced rates. All debt must go. Etc.
Collection agencies are bullshit. Credit ratings are bullshit. Medical debt is bullshit. The financial system is propped up by bullshit.
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Wishing everyone safety and some degree of calm in the face of weather and current events.
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https://www.ft.com/content/b6ad9dde-d034-4cfa-a9d0-e799f8360d9d
Prediction: this is DOA just like #NEOM in #SaudiArabia
#MiddleEast is a dying region for all except the #billionaires #monarchs #oligarchs #plutocrats
Folks from that region should cut a deal with the likes of Kushner - here is our land, in return for a place in the higher latitudes in #Europe #Russia #Canada - Deal?
#climate #climatechange #climatecrisis #survival #extinction
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🚨 LAYOFF ALERT – 🌎
Shopify will lay off an undisclosed number of employees from its partnerships team as part of a restructuring announced on January 22, 2026, according to employee posts and company statements.
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Worth saying this to people out there who may not know how surge protection works:
Most “surge protectors” are not surge protectors. Not because they’re worthless, but because of a simple fact:
Most are just power strips in the same housing (dishonest, but they don’t care). Especially Amazon QUANGZSHIZZZI specials. Especially eBay (why would you buy brand-new electronics off eBay). AliExpress purchase? That’s asking for it.
Most sold online are power strips literally LYING or hoping you don’t notice or care. Most literally say “power strip” and hope you didn’t pay attention.
Even the ones at the store. Especially the ones at the store. Walmart “power strip” specials but it LOOKS like a surge protector so you think “I’m protected.” You are not.
For power strips, I do not mean “there is some protection” I mean “we rely on God and the user to ignore the label.” They’re relying on you going by shape and “it looks the part.” Like a North Korean Kim Jong-Un lookalike, not the real thing but looks convincing enough for the media.
Is it illegal? Arguably no. Nobody who matters has died yet, and people who matter don’t usually buy cheap shit. Cynical but true.
Power strips can be fine, if you know what they are and they’re reputable: copper, not protection. Same level as “I plugged it into the wall.”
The ones that DO protect you:
* Should say “surge protector” not “power strip”
* Protection can range from “robust, fail open” to “eventually fails closed or degrades or dies one day” (MOV protectors are like this) to “it might eventually blow open or just shunt a lot of current and trip the breaker eventually… or blow a fuse if it has one… or the poly fuse will trip if it has one...”
* Often won’t protect you against things like lightning (which is a bastard)
* Most rely on rare events being rare and you replacing it before you realise the sins they committed
Now what I usually say is “trust certified surge protectors and check what they are.”
As for certification:
* I prefer UL certified. UL usually means “won’t burn your house down” and “it’ll do what it says, mostly.” UL are pretty reliable and ferociously protective of their trademark. Like “they’ve shut down Chinese factories” level of protective. In store you can usually trust it. But online… “UL listed” can often be a lie. And they know you won’t check. And Amazon’s business model is less “we don’t wanna get sued” and more “caveat emptor.”
* Intertek can be good but sometimes I have seen shit certified by them that shouldn’t have been… trust but verify
* “CE” is unfortunately close to meaningless due to uneven enforcement and self-declaration
* Check reviews and listings. Always. If it’s a no-name, look it up.
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"DHS lied.🚨This guy wasn't on the loose in MN when they raided a US citizen's home w/o a warrant. He was in prison. #DHS would know this info.
In a stmt explaining Thao’s #detention, #ICE🚨officials say they were looking for 2 undoc Laotian men with criminal records, Moua & Kongmeng Vang, who they say lived w Thao. They also said Thao matched the description of those men.
Family mems said they'd no knowledge of either..."
Compare pics:
-D Bier
24/7 DHS: #LIES
#PoliceState #Evil #Protest #USPol
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No problem for the maintenance. I get it. But, using a pedonazi website as status page. eew.
#boardgames #boardGameArena #tabletop
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someone else will figure it out
does not a plan make
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TIL that there's an #openstreetmap feature that shows #fediverse instances.
Edit: Adding thanks to @jaz for making the map
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/fediverse-near-me_828094#3/46.86/-46.58
Fediverse Near Me
A curated selection of well-moderated Open Social providers that are are open for registration and serving specific countries, regions or cities. [[https://jaz.co.uk/projects/mastodon-near-me/|Project Home/Message me]] [[https://jaz.co.uMap
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Boxes. Soap. Ballot. Bullet.
You know how the saying goes.
And you know the first two boxes are doing nothing at all.
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Under Trump’s #deportations agenda:🚨"ppl with no criminal history: now: largest group in #ICE #detention."
Trump admin: suspended visa proc for ppl from 75 Cs *nations with the most visas issued in 2024 -now on the banned-C list.
Job growth stalls, #inflation:🚨⬆️: Trump was ushered into office on his promises of improving the #economy. Job growth: lackluster.
Many workers🚨are locked up in ICE detn or were deported, can't contribute to the #GDP, fill jobs: needed.
#USPol
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/22/trump-first-year-second-term-charts
Deportations up, job growth down: Trump’s second term so far – in charts
Tracking data from a chaotic year, from ICE detention and job growth to inflation and the president’s popularityAndrew Witherspoon (The Guardian)
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🦀 Discovery turns household plastic recycling into anti-cancer medication
https://phys.org/news/2025-12-discovery-household-plastic-recycling-anti.html
#materials #plastics #recycling #pet #cancer #pharmaceuticals #drugs #chemistry
Discovery turns household plastic recycling into anti-cancer medication
A discovery led by the University of St Andrews has found a way to turn ordinary household plastic waste into the building block for anti-cancer drugs.University of St Andrews (Phys.org)
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Trump has the backing of the richest people on the planet & they bought a corrupt SCOTUS.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/us/politics/koch-network-2024-election-trump.html
Stephens Miller has funding from Elon Musk & anonymous contributors to America First PAC.
https://www.axios.com/2025/03/08/stephen-miller-dei-outside-trump-white-house
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/stephen-miller-elon-musk-judge-tweet/
Billionaires want American democracy ended & are publicizing ICE's actions.
It's why Jonathan Ross made a video of Renee Nicole Good's assassination -- to advertise it.
1/
Elon Musk’s Government Legacy Was Enacting Project 2025. His Ties Go Back Years. - DeSmog
The billionaire rescued the right-wing plan to dismantle the government while at its most toxic moment. Enacting its vision at DOGE, Musk was Trump’s enabler and fall guy.Joe Fassler (DeSmog)
Content warning: epstain files
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Content from tend2wobble is collapsed
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New, by me: Under Armour says it’s aware of data breach claims after 72M customer records were posted online.
A spox. told me a "small percentage" of customers had sensitive information compromised, but wouldn't say what kinds of data Under Armour considers "sensitive," nor provide an accurate figure of affected customers.
Under Armour says it's 'aware' of data breach claims after 72M customer records were posted online | TechCrunch
TechCrunch obtained a sample of the stolen data, which contained names, email addresses, dates of birth, and the user's approximate geographic location. Under Armour confirmed some sensitive information was taken in the breach.Zack Whittaker (TechCrunch)
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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/22/stacey-abrams-10-steps-anti-authoritarianism
Know Hope! Go #StaceyAbrams !
#progressive #liberal #democrats #democracy #authoritarianism
Stacey Abrams’s campaign to fight authoritarianism gains steam: ‘We are a force multiplier’
Exclusive: Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate has brought together a wide tranche of civic groups to build a groundwork to defend democracyGeorge Chidi (The Guardian)
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Ancient DNA Rewrites the Origins of Syphilis - EUROPE SAYS
Syphilis has a long and contested history, but its true origins remain unresolved.EUROPE SAYS
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Remembering Gladys West: who used Einstein to create GPS
RIP to Gladys West: the "hidden figure" most people have never heard of, but whose work is second only to Einstein's in enabling and developing our modern GPS.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/gladys-west-einstein-gps/
Remembering Gladys West: who used Einstein to create GPS
Two main contributors enabled our modern global positioning system (GPS): Albert Einstein and Gladys West. Here's how she made it happen.Ethan Siegel (Big Think)
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#AureFreePress #News #press #headline #Musk #Twitter #socialmedia #Starlink
30 Years of ReactOS
https://reactos.org/blogs/30yrs-of-ros/
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A gemtext doc type for gopher would be my preferred landing point I think, we might still get there.
With the caveat that I’ve changed my mind a few times, so publish on both.
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bazkie 👩🏼💻 bitplanes 🎵
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Daniel
in reply to Neil E. Hodges • • •every time I contemplate "upgrading" the stock exhaust on my bike, I remember it's already louder than a car exhaust.
Most car exhausts, anyway. Not the M3 that my neighbour across the road drives.
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Mira
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