simonsquiff

Noise benefit isn’t marginal. Central London average speed is 7 to 10 mph (11 to 16 km/h) so engine noise is significant. There is lots of idling traffic: traffic lights, taxis at cab ranks, buses at bus stops, everyone in a jam - removal of idle noise is particularly significant.

100%, and not just due to no emissions / minimal break dust. The noise reduction is a massive dividend. I used to live in london 10+ years ago, and when I come back I’m stunned by the noise difference, it really is so much quieter especially in central london. EVs everywhere especially replacing the horribly noisy diesel black cabs and buses. Very noticeably different and much more pleasant, and improving all the time as EV adoption continues to accelerate, hooray

The same number of people, but on the way up and growing, compared to on the way down and shrinking, is very different.

It’s only x4 more expensive to use electricity with old methods like immersion / resistance heaters

Heat pumps are 400% efficient or more, so have parity or better with gas prices

I had my first at 42, second at 45, and about to have my third at 48. Honestly it’s been fine - thinking that people might find this unimaginable is so far from my reality. It really feels like I’ve had the same experience as those in their 30s.

Part of this might be that 40s life is a bit more chill anyhow - I no longer go and get smashed every weekend, or even have the FOMO that I’m not doing that. And work life, whilst more junior, was ultimately more extreme in my 20s and 30s. So any physical drop is probably balanced by a slight drop in general burning the candle at both ends. But yeah, don’t think 40s parenting is a no go. Go for it!

The iOS keyboard is buggy - correctly recording your stroke but supplanting with a different key.

There is no UK wealth tax - just your normal income / capital gains tax etc. Dont know what your 2% is meant to be referring to here.

If you don't use your solar, it is pushed to the grid (or batteries, if you have them), so really its about the collective solar that exists in the grid and not a house specific view. As solar rollout increases, the greenness of your EV increases even if you don't charge from your rooftop.

It’s undoubtly a brilliant show for parents - in fact I’d describe it as a show about parenting. But it’s much more than an adequate kids show, it’s certainly top tier for my kids. My 4 year old has been enormously influenced by Bluey, in a positive way. She’s very playful, and Bluey is all about fun and silly games. She wants to play all the Bluey games, and will riff off them too, it’s been a huge source of inspiration for lots of fun together. She loves the show, it’s definitely right up there for many kids too.

I also fully agree with the other posters saying how it’s an excellent model of top-tier fathering. It’s definitely helped me up my game, I’ve leaned much more into daddy-fun silly games, partly because Bluey gives you a bunch of games that you can copy (and your kids will understand), but also because it helps encourage spontaneity and improv. I think my best advice for dads with 3+ year olds is ‘watch Bluey’

Oh yes the music is amazing. ‘Rain’ is a particularly lovely original composition. The soundtracks are on Spotify etc and well worth a listen

Is it still a 60hz screen? If so, pass. I’ve got an old gen 1 pro, which has 120hz and can’t go back to 60hz - it’s even more needed in an iPad than a phone. All the other Pro features are not worth it for me, and really this mid tier should have 120hz. I’ll hold on to my current iPad until that’s that case (I can’t justify paying the high price for a new pro)

What’s sad about the Air is that it’s only a 60hz screen. I’m spoilt now with 120hz on the first gen iPad Pro, the iPad needs it even more than phones (and they need it). So I’m not a demanding user in all other ways but the Air is not satisfying to me, yet.

I got special acoustic double glazing for my flat. Each pane is a different thickness so they vibrate at different frequencies. Seems to make a decent difference over standard double glazing.

Yes I’ve been having the same thoughts - essentially ‘reincarnation without the woo’.

It starts with: why do you have a first person experience from the creature that is reading these words? Why are you not having a first person experience from the body of Elon Musk (maybe you are, hi Elon!) or a particular sparrow in the New Forest?

And then, when your body dies, does that mean no more first person experiences again for ‘you’? Or, will some other creature create a first person experience for ‘you’ again (for whatever reason this current creature is creating a first person experience for ‘you’?)

There is no need for a ‘woo’ part ie no memories are retained, no ‘new game+’, no element of karma. Just the concept that first person experiences may not end with death of this current creature.

If this is correct - and we perhaps we should act in a way that assumes it is - what would be the implications?

Many creatures have minimal agency over their experiences. Humans are different, not just with more agency of themselves but of others - at a minimal level of their family and pets and immediate connections, but wider too esp in more developed countries and moving up the influence and power in society.

If you were a cow, you would look at humans and saying ‘if I was one of those I could impact this shitty situation’. Well congratulations, you are! How do you, as a first world human, use that power to mean that if you do have a first person experience from another creature, that future experience is…not utterly horrific?

That idea if embraced ties all living things together. Selfishness disappears - you might literally be in anyones (or anything’s) shoes in the future, so do anything you can to not deliver horrible experiences to anything. It’s to your own benefit! But it’s also a bit of an info hazard - you don’t want to be born into an unpleasant experience, and the thought of that possibility is unsettling.