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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bazkie 👩🏼💻 bitplanes 🎵 likes this.
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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Found these cute old sheds (still in use!) in Woodland Park while exploring a new route with the knobby-ish gravel tires on my Soma Stanyan. (1)
Definitely getting better with the color calibration tool in #Darktable. Having the flexibility to pick any hue for the illuminant is very nice! :)
#photography #photog #photos #photo #mywork #Seattle #seabikes #cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter
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. @clover finally rode her scooter on the street! :O (1)
She's doing great in her #motorcycle journey so far. :D
#photography #photog #photos #photo #mywork
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A nice little spin over some familiar roads while I wait for Chinook Pass to open. This bike is so much fun! (Album (more photos)) #motorcycle
#photography #photog #photos #photo #mywork
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Some photos from when @clover and I went to Roozengaarde a few counties away from home to see the tulips. (Album (more photos))
I'm still working on my raw editing, so please bear with me. :)
#photography #photog #photos #photo #mywork
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Had a blast riding over Stevens Pass, Blewett Pass, and Snoqualmie Pass over the weekend! I finally became comfortable with counterleaning allowing me to put my CBR650R to good use on twisty roads, and the Corbin saddle with 2" extra height over the stock seat saved my knees and wrists. This bike is so much fun! (Album (more photos))
#motorcycle #photography #photog #photos #photo #mywork
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My first longer ride on the new bike! While I had a ton of fun, this ride also taught me that the bike really needs a higher seat to make my knees and wrists happy. The pain became unbearable at times. (Album (more photos))
Thankfully, I had ordered a custom taller seat a little while back and it wouldn't be long until it arrived.
#motorcycle #photography #photog #photos #photo #mywork
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Took my new CBR650R on a spin through the Cascade Foothills to see the new Oso Landslide Memorial. The memorial was cool, but riding at 40 MPH north of Monroe was honestly pretty boring! (Album (more photos))
#motorcycle #photography #photog #photos #photo #mywork
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. @clover and I stopped in Snohomish while running errands to get food, explore some shops, and get ethanol-free gas from the Snohomish Co-op. (8 photos attached here, 17 photos in the album)
While editing this, I discovered that the yellowish-white light filtering through the shades in the window adjacent to my monitor was messing with my color perception, even though I blocked out the lower half of the window as best I could. I ordered some blackout curtains to take care of it once and for all, but they won't be here for a while. :( In the meantime, I can only edit photos at night, after my eyes have been tired out from the day, so I won't be able to make much progress for now. #photography #photog #photo #photos
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Went on a little spin over Snoqualmie Pass, through Yakima Canyon, and back over Chinook Pass on the way to SoSo Cycles in "Tacoma" (really Fife). Riding my #Triumph Bonneville with the aftermarket scrambler bars really hammered home how awkward the bars were, so I wanted to talk to someone familiar with cafe racers and so on. Mark at the shop gave me some great suggestions and sent me on my way. (Album) #motorcycle #photography #photog #photo #photos #mywork
I was worried that Chinook Pass might be closed, and the lack of traffic heading east as I headed west didn't help. Thankfully, it ended up being open and not too busy.
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Finally convinced @clover to ride with me after not having done so in what feels like years. I did a reprisal of a recent ride, albeit with a couple of added detours and without a stop in Coupeville or at Deception Pass. The weather was touch-and-go in places, but I feel like we had a good time. (And I'm sure the heated jacket helped her!) (Whidbey Island (2024-04-01), Album (51 photos), 9 photos attached) #photography #photog #photos #photo #motorcycle #mywork
(I've been riding nearly every weekend in March, but I've been spending time refining my photo editing skills.)
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Take care, have fun!
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My original plan for this ride was to have @clover along for it, but she wasn't feeling well and wanted to rest at home instead. I didn't feel like doing anything big since I hadn't made a backup plan, so I did a basic ride around south Puget Sound instead. (Kitsap Loop (2023-03-25), Album (12 photos), 6 photos attached) #photography #photog #photos #photo #motorcycle #mywork
(I've been riding nearly every weekend in March, but I've been spending time refining my photo editing skills.)
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The allure of Eastern Washington became too much, so I headed over there via Snoqualmie Pass (the least likely route for snow). Rather than sticking to the Interstate, I also checked out the old highway (US 10) east of Cle Elum, which was exactly the kind of riding I look for. Only when I hit Moses Lake did I turn back, after exploring the mid-century downtown. (Moses Lake (2023-03-18), Album (85 photos), 15 photos attached) #photography #photog #photos #photo #motorcycle #mywork
My #Triumph was plenty powerful enough to handle the nearly 100 MPH traffic speeds on I-90 in Eastern Washington, but the wind buffeting made me miss my Ninja.
(I've been riding nearly every weekend in March, but I've been spending time refining my photo editing skills.)
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With the memories of snow and cold in the mountains, I decided to ride up Whidbey Island instead. This also gave me the opportunity to check out the part of Deception Pass State Park that I'd missed during the wedding, as well as Kayak Point Regional Park. (Whidbey Island (2023-03-11), Album (74 photos), 17 photos attached) #photography #photog #photos #photo #motorcycle
(I've been riding nearly every weekend in March, but I've been spending time refining my photo editing skills. These are some of the earliest photos from my practice.)
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My second attempt to visit Mineral went significantly better, though it was super quiet since it's mostly geared towards folks enjoying the adjacent lake. (Mineral II (2023-02-11), Album (35 photos), 12 photos attached) #photography #photog #photos #photo #motorcycle
And on the way back, I was passed by a huge pack of sportbike riders who had zero chill.
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I wanted to finally check out the town of Mineral in Lewis County, and the roads seemed fine everywhere, but they ended up getting snowier the further up in elevation I went. By the time I hit the last road to get to the town, it was covered in slush and I went down maybe 100 feet after turning onto said road. (Blog Post, Album (7 photos), 7 photos attached) #photography #photog #photos #photo #motorcycle
A local helped me get the bike up on the slick surface and I headed straight home after. Mineral will have to wait until the weather warms up a bit.
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@clover and I went on a day trip to go see the recently opened Beverly Bridge on the Palouse to Cascades Trail. She wasn't too impressed with it, but both its classic design and what it symbolized for #cycling in Washington inspired me. (Album (62 photos), 12 photos attached) #photography #photog #photos #photo #mywork
While I've gotten a decent handle on white balance, I'm still working on getting a good overall exposure. Photos in my past albums were far too bright, so I'm working on finding a good level.
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Went on a trip to Aberdeen with @clover last month. The ride to the city was enjoyable, but when we got to our motel, the rear tire was flat due to a shiny new nail in it. For the duration of our stay, we hoofed it, which really hammered home the poor state of the city. It was pretty cool to see the tiny park dedicated to Kurt Cobain, though.
Thankfully, it was all resolved by midday the followinng day (see the blog post for details) and we were able to rush back to the ferry terminal and get home not too late. (Blog Post, Album (102 photos), 20 photos attached) #photography #photog #photos #photo #motorcycle
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bazkie 👩🏼💻 bitplanes 🎵
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Neil E. Hodges
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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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