Andor is arguably the best Star Wars content since the original movies

Heat pump technology has come a long way recently. In locations that stay above 0F (-18C) they’re now competitive with fossil gas furnaces for performance and cost (cost results may vary based on local incentives). Many units now work below 0F too, but they get more expensive/less efficient

Personalized mRNA vaccines to prevent pancreatic cancer recurrence after surgery have had some promising early results in clinical trials. This is one of the hardest cancers to treat, so this could be huge.

Fellow UU here, second checking them out. Wanted to emphasize that there’s no expectation to believe a particular religious text. Our services lately have been around the themes of practicing resistance (which can take many forms) and being resilient in the face of adversity. Our congregation celebrates holidays from most major religious traditions as well as secular holidays like Earth Day and Trans Day of Visibility. I’m also a big fan of the community volunteer opportunities and music program. Each congregation is a bit different based on the membership, here’s a link to find one near you. Many stream services on Zoom so you can check them out with very low commitment.

Try finding a supportive and fulfilling community that helps you achieve your life goals. I’ve found this at my Unitarian Universalist (UU) church. UU’s don’t believe in a shared religious text, instead they have a core set of shared values. My church has people who identify as atheist, Christian, several types of pagan, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, etc. We celebrate religious holidays from all of them as well as secular holidays like Trans Day of Visibility and Earth day. The focus is on being together and trying to make the world a better place. There’s active volunteer groups for hunger relief, housing support, the environment, and LGBTQ support. I also really like the music program. There’s a handy website to find a congregation near you, many stream services on Zoom so you can test them out before going in person. They can vary a lot based on the members of each congregation.

Find a supportive and fulfilling community that is trying to make things better locally. I’ve found this at my Unitarian Universalist (UU) church. UU’s don’t believe in a shared religious text, instead they have a core set of shared values. My church has people who identify as atheist, Christian, several types of pagan, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, etc. We celebrate religious holidays from all of them as well as secular holidays like Trans Day of Visibility and Earth day. The focus is on being together and trying to make the world a better place. There’s active volunteer groups for hunger relief, housing support, the environment, and LGBTQ support. I also really like the music program. There’s a handy website to find a congregation near you, many stream services on Zoom so you can test them out before going in person. They can vary a lot based on the members of each congregation.

I went to a university in a rural area, they invested in local bus services to make it free for students. It was cheaper than building more parking anyways

Universities are ideal places for investing in public transit, fuck cars

Great additions!

VSGX is a diversified Vanguard ETF with >6,000 different non-US company stocks. This is an ESG-screened fund, basically meaning that it avoids fossil fuel and tobacco companies. Since it’s Vanguard, it has a super low 0.1% expense ratio

BNDX is the Vanguard international bond ETF, with ~58% of holdings in Europe-based bonds. It has a 0.07% expense ratio and pays a monthly dividend equal to about 4% return/year

VSGX is a diversified Vanguard ETF with >6,000 different non-US company stocks. This is an ESG-screened fund, basically meaning that it avoids fossil fuel and tobacco companies. Since it’s Vanguard, it has a super low 0.1% expense ratio

BNDX is the Vanguard international bond ETF, with ~58% of holdings in Europe-based bonds. It has a 0.07% expense ratio and pays a monthly dividend equal to about 4% return/year

Mmm relaxing

Democracy Now has a decades long track record of impactful investigative journalism and posts on YouTube

There are many great organizations out there doing awesome work. The website Charity Navigator does a good job rating different organizations for their transparency and how much of their funds are actually spent on their mission. They gave the “charity” mentioned in the article a 2 star rating.

Google execs like

Agree. I think MS and Google selling more cheap “cloud laptops” could totally be a thing. The personal device would mostly be a screen and bare bones components

Thanks for sharing. I had never even heard of sweet potato pie and just assumed pumpkin pie was a Thanksgiving tradition all over the US

Agree with many of the other commenters on the multiple causes of loneliness.

I’ve been fortunate to find community at my Unitarian Universalist church. UUs don’t have an expectation to believe any particular scripture, but instead share a common set of values, the first being every one has inherent worth and dignity. My congregation has people who identify as atheist, Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, and several types of pagan. So the focus is on being in community and helping each other grow and achieve their goals. I’ve made good friends through the choir and a young adult group that organizes social activities. UU congregations vary based on their membership, and many stream services virtually so you can check them out before going in person. Here’s a link to find a congregation near you.

A lot of classical music most people are exposed to are single movements within a larger composition. Listening to whole symphonies/concertos/suites/etc gives you a consistent vibe for 20-45 mins.

Some I like:

Violin Concerto in E Minor Op 64 - Felix Mendelssohn

Violin Concerto #5 in A Major, K219- Mozart

Symphony #2 in D Major - Jean Sibelius

Cello Suite #1 in G Major - J.S. Bach

Moonlight Sonata - Beethoven

Miserei Mei Deus - Gregorio Allegri (has an interesting story)

Eh, nonprofit professional societies are the more natural home for journals, and many already do have journals. They’re less likely to be partial to a particular institution than if universities ran journals. Their revenue also goes back into the community via services for early career scientists and grants.

In case anyone needs them here are some resources to help you quit from the American Lung Association . Quitting is hard and thankfully there are FDA approved therapies that can help like varenicline/chantix, bubpropion/Wellbutrin, nicotine replacement like gum, patches, and lozenges. If you smoke quitting is the best thing you can do to improve your health!

I also have flat feet (aka over pronation). I’m a big fan of Asics brand shoes for over pronation and they make it easy to put in insoles. I typically get black ones for work settings. Their website tends to have good sales around black Friday/cyber Monday.