@ernie I'm biased because, having looked through there my thoughts seem nearly perfectly aligned with the OP, but tbh there's a lot of people living the "this is fine" meme over here, and at this point being blunt might be necessary.
@ernie I'm not sure I'm seeing what you're seeing. Could be that ol' Fedi goodness but other than a few back-and-forth arguments, I'm not picking up on surprise.
At this point, I know I can't be critical of this place without taking shit which is why I've stopped. But that's kind of the whole problem, as I see it.
Confidence is "I know how to find that out" and "I know how to learn new things" and most importantly "I know when I don't know what I'm doing, so I stop and find someone who does"
Obnoxious blowhards rely on people not understanding this distinction. And they amplify it by framing actual confidence as weakness.
This may be a useful thing to talk about with certain people in your life who are being fooled by fascists.
WBEZ just had a pledge drive and didn't meet their goals.
NPR has its problems, but your local station does really valuable journalism for your area and it's accessible to all.
If you haven't listened to your local affiliate or checked out their website, see what you think of their work. If you find it valuable, and you have the means, I think it's good to support such work. Especially now, good, accessible journalism covering your local area and not just national news is important to preserve
Our electric code is designed to make tripping the main breaker almost an impossibility. So when load calculations are done, they are assuming someone will be cooking a meal, using the dryer, running hot water, and blasting the heat all at the same time.
This rarely ever happens, but the code presumes people aren't smart enough to manage their power draw. Unfortunately I think that's correct.
I don't know who needs to hear this (that's a lie: ~80% of drivers) but when you're in a turn lane or an exit only lane, you should still signal to confirm to those around you that you are aware of the lane you're in and where it's about to go.
This is precisely what I meant earlier by "resist the urge to fill those holes"
Only subject-matter experts can see those holes in the first place. Many of your fellow humans do not have the skills or affordances to become the subject-matter expert you are. Remember that before you assume your voice is needed and you make an enemy for no reason.
"These words I'm reading aren't precisely 100% in agreement with my mental framework of the thing I believe you're talking about and I need you to know that" describes a solid two-thirds* of replies on Fedi.
No thought is ever complete. There will always be holes to fill!
RESIST THE URGE TO FILL THOSE HOLES
If someone has said something which you largely agree with, especially if what they said aligns with your understanding of and goals towards an issue, then the LAST thing they need from you is someone playing devil's advocate. Nitpicking is annoying at best and, in a world where people are looking to drive wedges between allies, dangerous at worst.
@konradmb And sealioning isn't at all what I'm talking about, here.
Frankly I'm kind of stunned at how many people are interpreting me to mean what you've suggested. I'm not saying nobody should ask questions - I'm saying people need to give a little more thought into whether those questions are even relevant. Because weaponized questions are a thing, and some folks don't realize this or don't believe they could ever unwittingly do this.
@konradmb Yes, because this is directed to the question-askers. Not the answer-providers.
But, if you believe someone is in fact asking questions in bad-faith, I don't believe you're under any obligation to engage. Because that's what they want.
I'm that snarky, sometimes cranky YouTube person who told you about how dishwashers work.I post many things which should not be taken too seriously (on account of the cranky snark thing). If you think I'm mad at you, I'm almost certainly not!Friendly and helpful, if strongly opinionated.