I believe the scooter spots are financed by the city. Scooter pollution was a big problem here when they were first introduced, so I’m sure the alderpeople stepped in.

We also have the racked ebikes, and those are great. I think people dislike them since they require you to have a station at your destination/position, but I think the solution to that is just to build more. The scooters require a ton of overhead to be moved and charged.

I’d be in full support of banning use of bike racks for scooters. I think they’re a useful micromobility option, but they were implemented very poorly. Hell, maybe they could even build their own racks. Then you’d be guaranteed to always have a scooter fairly well charged.

The e-scooter apps I’ve used do require you to take a photo in the app. Probably so they can ban you if you suck. Where I live, I’m fortunate enough for there to be designated scooter parking in some places. They essentially take a car street parking spot, put posts around it, and label it. Really cleans up the area.

If you aren’t somewhere that has a spot like that, most of the time I just park on the city side of the grass. Off walkways, and the worst that can happen is some dead city grass. I couldn’t imagine attempting to slide one into a bike rack.

You raise some valuable points. However, some comments seem to be conflating “making your bed” with “washing your linens”, which I want to make clear is not what I’m saying. I am a sheet-washing proponent.

I don’t think that it’s useless because it will just get “messed up” again. I just feel the “messed up” state is equivalent or even better than the “clean” state.

Folded clothes, which I’ve heard some people mention in the comments, are better than unfolded clothes for two simple reasons: They take up less space, and they can be retrieved easily. Ive lived out of laundry baskets for a time and it is inarguably less efficient and consumes more space.

This actually happened earlier this year.

I was driving with my partner in a somewhat rural area. We were driving on the interstate. It was a sunny, bright winter morning. There was not all that much snow on the ground.

I notice on the side of the road, what appears to be a bear sitting in the shoulder next to the freeway, its back is turned to us, so we see its ears. It is completely black. Not black like a black bear, but black like those character locked memes.

I literally think it’s a wooden cutout. People sometimes make those for wild animals around where we were. Although as we pass this thing, it’s clear to me it is in fact a three-dimensional bear. I get a quick glimpse of its face. It is a fully, jet-black bear. The only details I can make out are small glints from its eye and the wetness of its nose. Apart from that, it looked like a void in space.

My partner and I sit in silence, and I eventually say “did you see that?” And they say “yep”. We’ve talked about this since, and my partner stands by the fact that they think it was a 2d cutout. They didn’t see the front side, which is making me think I somehow imagined it.

There are a few logical explanations, but it’s certainly the weirdest thing ive ever come across while driving.

Did some digging, but it doesn’t appear the band compatibility with US carriers is improved at all. Am I wrong here?

May we please stop living in interesting times.

I try not to be terribly pessimistic. But a part of me knows you’re right.

I’ve long wondered why the populist democrats haven’t been pushing harder for ranked choice voting options, or proportional representation, or any other voting system than what we have. I’m no election expert, so I’m sure there’s a reason, but it’s disheartening to be trapped between two parties.

I’ve been attempting to convert as much of my digital life to open source alternatives over the last few years, and I can’t tell you how many people tell me it’s unsafe to do since “just anyone can work on it”. Most people really believe capital = expertise, and that’s a hard nut to crack.