So are Europeans just more honest and ethical than Americans? Or do all gas stations have better theft prevention systems? In the US, there is often 1 cashier managing 12 pumps AND ringing up vice sales (cigarettes, lottery tickets, junk food). In some states there a pumps with no human on site at all.

What’s to stop someone from driving off after filling up in the EU?

Read without the paywall at https://archive.is/dTRiO

The good news is that there are plenty of great deals to be found for those in the market, as long as you’re only looking to live there yourself. In the Gene Autry neighborhood, one listing warns potential buyers: “Property can not be short term rented as there is a STR permit cap in the neighborhood.”

While the article explains how some investors will lose hundreds of thousands of dollars, the fact that these policies make homes more affordable for people who want to live in them is why more cities should implement caps.

https://www.clever.com/ is used to handle single sign on and providing a dashboard for hundreds of other education apps/services. It can be used to build a solution with FAR more functionality than what Google offers, but it’s $$$ to do that and requires someone with some technical skill and UX experience to do well.

which shouldn’t be difficult as the “rest of his life” will likely be just a few days

I appreciate the effort, but this version ends with…

took his children to protect them from the occupation’s missiles, but

But what?

I don’t own a timeshare. Feel pretty good about that decision.

The numbers they were showing us seemed to make sense. If we spent an average of X on vacations for Y years compared to the cost of the timeshare and fees, the timeshare was cheaper AND we could trade our week in a ski area for timeshares anywhere in the world. How could we not buy into this? Might have signed, but when they told us we couldn’t take any of the information with us and had to decide NOW, I knew something wasn’t right. Had to say no for almost an hour, but but we were eventually allowed to leave the “no obligation presentation” required for our “free” weekend.

When I did more research, I found dozens of people trying to unload their purchases for far less than the company was selling weeks to new members.

I’ll NEVER own anything using that kind of sales strategy.

I think the best way to deal with the issue includes education, digital skills, and parental oversight of Internet use including the use of personal filters or blocking tools if desired.

As a someone who works in technology and is a parent to 2 kids < 10, I’m already aware of what a niave statement that is.

I keep my kids’ iPad locked down and have a router with some basic parental control features, but as the number devices in our lives that are able to browse the web increases along with the number of wireless networks my kids can connect to, trying to police this myself is futile.

And I’m not even concerned about them occasionally seeing “normal” porn. As a former Reddit user, I’ve seen some things I wish I hadn’t. Things I’m not able to fully process as an adult.

I can handle the conversation about…

“you know how people drive in Fast and Furious isn’t how people drive in real life? That’s what porn sex is like compared to the sex you are going to have.”

I cannot explain some of the darker corners of Reddit.

If you applied Geist’s logic to alcohol, it would be up to parents to keep kids from going to liquor stores. Sure I can stop my kids from drinking the alcohol I have in my own home, but I rely on laws to make it very difficult for them to do something as a community we’ve agreed they aren’t mature enough to make good decisions about.

Why can’t we apply the same policies on to internet services?

Enjoyed the begining of the game, but the cancer story line was way to depressing. Not fun at all. If I could give it 0 stars I would. Would not recommend.

we don’t have the kind of political system YET…

Roughly 50 American voting jurisdictions — from small cities to states — have now moved to a ranked choice voting system, according to tracking by the advocacy group FairVote, and it’s shaping up to be one of the political subplots of 2024.

Advocates say ranked choice voting could help take some of the toxicity out of American politics while giving voters access to a broader swath of ideas.

https://www.npr.org/2023/12/13/1214199019/ranked-choice-voting-explainer

Princess Bride

I always thought a sequel where the roles are reversed and Fred Savage is reading to an ailing Peter Faulk would have been a great way to start a sequel.