Arthur's recent activity
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Comment on Give me your culture clash stories in ~travel
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Comment on Test your medical knowledge with daily clinical scenarios in ~health
Arthur (edited )LinkThis was fun! I have no medical training but was impressing my friends (and myself) how I'm weirdly good* at this! We were going through the archive and I was getting, I would estimate, around 30%...This was fun! I have no medical training but was impressing my friends (and myself) how I'm weirdly good* at this! We were going through the archive and I was getting, I would estimate, around 30% correct (My friends had no clue, even by the last clue).
Essentially, whenever I had heard of the illness I could guess it right, and normally by the second or third clue. So the remaining 2/3 tended to be illnesses I'd never heard of (eg Internuclear Ophthalmoplegia). And to my credit I was normally pretty close even when I didn't know the exact name. Still, it was pretty fun authoritativey declaring; "Oh but of course! He has sickle cell anemia!" Or ' well that's a classic case of Delirium tremens!' While my friends looked on in awe (horror).
*for somebody who has zero formal medical knowledge
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Comment on UK: Social media ban for under-16s to be introduced in 2027 in ~society
Arthur Link ParentThe government has correctly identified that the well is poisoned, but instead of going after the companies throwing poison into the well, they have decided instead to simply ban children from...The government has correctly identified that the well is poisoned, but instead of going after the companies throwing poison into the well, they have decided instead to simply ban children from drinking the well water.
This legislation badly misses the mark. Not only because it simply won't work (70% of Australian parents say their kids are still on social media - the real number will of course be higher, many parents won't know what kids are doing on their phones anyway), it is dangerously isolating.
As a queer child who grew up in a very isolated and homophobic environment, it isn't a stretch to say I would be dead if it weren't for social media. I know the opposite is true too, social media has claimed the lives of thousands of children. But that's why governments need to crack down on the companies poisoning the well- not banning young people from drinking.
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Comment on Tildes Survey #2: What country do you live in? (Results) in ~talk
Arthur Link ParentThank you, highly clarifying :) I'll be sure to do so when I answerThank you, highly clarifying :)
I'll be sure to do so when I answer
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Comment on Tildes Survey #2: What country do you live in? (Results) in ~talk
Arthur Link ParentNot that I'm being pedantic (I'm totally being pedantic), but I don't actually think the instructions are that simple. Like I realise the UK is a bit of an exception, but as per the instructions...Not that I'm being pedantic (I'm totally being pedantic), but I don't actually think the instructions are that simple. Like I realise the UK is a bit of an exception, but as per the instructions to 'include the full country name', should I be writing: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland? Or just United Kingdom? Or The United Kingdom? Or just Great Britain? Or just England (the country (within the country) that I actually live in)?
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Comment on British Columbia announces it is making daylight time permanent after years of promises in ~society
Arthur (edited )Link ParentYep, where I live in the UK, and honestly not even that far north, at the height of winter the sun rises at ~8:30 and sets around 3:40. For anyone working a 8-4 (surprisingly common in my social...Yep, where I live in the UK, and honestly not even that far north, at the height of winter the sun rises at ~8:30 and sets around 3:40. For anyone working a 8-4 (surprisingly common in my social circle), they simply spend their entire day in darkness, waking up in the dark, and travelling in the dark on both ends. Even for people on the more traditional 9-5, almost all will have to wake up in the dark, and most will still be traveling at least in part in the dark.
I always think we should prioritise a later sunset because almost everyone is awake from 5-6pm, especially on weekends, while fewer people are awake from say, 7-8am.
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Comment on YouTube is awful. Please use YouTube, though. in ~tech
Arthur (edited )Link ParentI think we disagree on a simple and basic premise, and without agreement here, we won't agree on anything else in this conversation. So, I want to bring it back to one simple question. Is a...I think we disagree on a simple and basic premise, and without agreement here, we won't agree on anything else in this conversation. So, I want to bring it back to one simple question. Is a consumer obligated to view ads?
I am certain that you will agree with me, in at least some of the below examples that consumers are not obligated to view ads. If you do agree, I think it is far more mental gymnastics to justify ads as a valid form of payment than not.
- I'm watching cable/live TV with adverts. The adverts come on and I get up to make a cup of tea. By the time I come back the programme has resumed. Should I have not done this? Have I broken the terms of viewing the show? Have I stolen income from the show creators and the network?
- I'm listening to the radio in a foreign country. An advert comes on in a language I don't understand. Am I still obligated to listen to the ads?
- I'm blind person, who has asked my family member to read the newspaper to me. They read the text and skip over the advertisements. Should I ask the reader to go back and describe each advertisement as they show up lest I rob journalists of their income?
- I'm on a website with banner ads. I minimise the page so that the banner ads are out of sight. Have I stolen from the website owner?
- I'm playing a mobile game and click on a button to get a reward for watching an ad. As I do this, I turn my phone screen down for 30 seconds are turn the sound off. Was this wrong?
- I'm watching TV and the adverts come on. I change channel.
- I arrive early to a cinema screening. I wait outside, perhaps order popcorn, or use the bathroom until the adverts are over.Have I failed to “pay” for the film I’m about to watch?
8a. An advert comes on advertising a service I think is morally reprehensible. Am I still required to watch it?
8b. An ad comes on that I find distressing. Perhaps it is triggering to an eating disorder, or depicts violence, or maybe I'm a recovering alcoholic and an ad for beer comes on. Would it be wrong for me to choose to 'opt out' of this advert?
9a. I have no money. I cannot possibly pay for the service or good advertised. Should I still view the advert?
9b. I receive an advert for a good or service that I cannot possibly use. Perhaps I am a lifelong prisoner watching a McDonald's advert. Perhaps I am a child watching an advert for cigarettes.
10a. YouTube provided me with a skip button 5 seconds into the ad. Would it be wrong for me to skip this advert without viewing the full address, especially if the creator does not get paid unless I view the full address?
10b. If the creator is not getting paid unless I click the advert, am I obligated to click on it? Buy the item/service??
The point of these examples isn’t to claim that ads are useless, or that creators shouldn’t be paid. It’s to show that we already accept, almost universally, that ad viewing is voluntary and non-obligatory.
If avoiding ads through perfectly ordinary behaviour isn’t immoral in these cases, then arguing that using software to do the same thing suddenly is immoral is, in my opinion, mental gymnastics.
Ads are an optional monetisation strategy, not a debt incurred by consumption. If this is the case; if viewing and engaging with adverts is not an obligation, then YouTubers are essentially placing their content in public, in a free to view location, and are not in my opinion, owed anything by my viewership. They are welcome, as YouTube is, to paywall their content. But most do not fully do so as this is less profitable, even with adblock.
Declining to watch ads is not a contradiction, not theft, and not a denial of creators’ worth. Rather, it is a refusal to accept an obligation that consumers are not, and never have been, required to accept.
Edit: just a final note to say, it's Christmas here, and having a debate about adverts online is not how I'm choosing to spend my Christmas! I'll happily read any response(s) to this, but probably won't be replying! Hope you have an absolutely wonderful Christmas, if you celebrate - and if not, I hope you have a wonderful day nonetheless!
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Comment on YouTube is awful. Please use YouTube, though. in ~tech
Arthur (edited )Link ParentI don't really think this is a fair assessment. In my opinion, the first incorrect assumption is that content creators are owed income because they have created and shared something. I don't...I don't really think this is a fair assessment.
In my opinion, the first incorrect assumption is that content creators are owed income because they have created and shared something. I don't believe this is the case. Don't get me wrong, I think YouTube is work, and that many YouTubers work hard. But how hard they work realistically has nothing to do with how much money they make. A mass production slop channel (e.g. 5 minute crafts) can churn out absolute trash and generate buckets of income. I could spend 40 hours a week generating heartfelt content for a year and end up with less than minimum wage, if I received any money at all. YouTube, and any associated career is a Celebrity competition. How popular are you? How much do people like you? How lucky have you been?
Now here is the part you may disagree with me, but it is why I used adblock with no reservation. I firmly believe that Celebrity is a privilege and not a right. For many, YouTube is the vehicle that makes them Celebrities. But it is the people that are what make them 'valuable'. Not YouTube, not advertising, and not their income. This opposes other jobs, say for example, being a waiter, where your (economic) value is defined by the work that you do. On YouTube, your (economic) value is defined by how many people like you.
With this in mind, I do not believe YouTubers are 'owed' anything. This is an industry where the terms and conditions are clear: your labour does not define your income. People do.
Perhaps we can compare the job of a Youtuber to that of a busker. It's nice that a busker is playing music in a public space for me to hear. They are sharing their talent with the world. Perhaps I will stay a while and listen to them play. It would be nice, if I did so, to throw a few pennies into their guitar case, maybe even expected. But I don't have to. While their music is playing publicly and freely available, the terms and conditions of payment are on me. They could work their ass off, play 40 hours a week, and I still wouldn't be obligated to donate. Or maybe they're playing 80 hours a week in the middle of a desert, where nobody can hear them. You still owe them nothing. They are doing this because they want to do this.
This is the nature of a YouTubers job, and they know this. Because of this, many have found ways to secure additional income. Pateron, Nebula, merch, tours, etc.
In the same way, a busker might decide that in order to earn some guaranteed income, they might sell CDs of their musicor they might hire a venue for a show. And even if they have a concert show that evening, if they decide to busk that morning, I still don't owe them anything for listening in on them. This is the nature of the industry. Just as musicians are only valuable if people want to give to their art, YouTubers are only valuable if people want to watch them. To be a celebrity in this situation is a great privilege.
Some YouTubers, for example, Khadija Mbowe I believe, may decide to move off YouTube entirely and produce content to a paying audience only. This is entirely their prerogative. Most do not, and this is because content creators are aware that they need YouTube to build and grow their audience, to build and grow the share of fans who like their content enough to pay for it. Many people won't, and will stop consuming content if it is placed behind a paywall. But these non payers are still valuable to YouTube, and YouTube knows it. Last year, YouTube proved it had the capacity to ban users who were using adblock. Yet mysteriously, they still haven't done this. Alternatively, YouTube could paywall it's entirely service, as Netflix have done. But they haven't. Because non paying users are still valuable to them (likely though data harvesting). In this sense, all people watching YouTube, adblock or not, are paying customers.
I suppose the last point to address is this. While I earlier compared the job of a YouTuber to the job of a busker, I don't think this is an exact 1:1 comparison. While buskers play in public, YouTubers kinda don't. They play on YouTube, which might be considered YouTube's privately owned land.
But here is the important question. Are consumers obligated to view adverts? I firmly believe the answer is no, and to say yes is horrificly dystopian (for further reading see 10,000 Merits). Just as if I listen to a busker playing in Times Square I am not obligated to view the ads on the building around me, if I watch a YouTuber, I am not obligated to view the ads around them. Adverts are not valid currency. If I can close my eyes and plug my ears when an ad comes on my TV at home, I should also be able ask a machine to help me with this. When viewed in this context, almost all of us can agree that advertisements are not, and should not be required viewing. If YouTube wants to stop me viewing their content if I refuse to view their ads, this is their right. If YouTube wants to put a fence around the busker on their land, this is their right. But they haven't. And until they do, I will continue to proudly use adblock. If or when YouTube kick me off their platform for this, I will humbly bow out. But as discussed earlier, I think this is unlikely to happen, because if it was going to it would have happened already.
Edit: Just an addendum to say, if you want to support your favourite YouTubers, please do! Your support will allow them to create content. If you don't support them, they might not be able to create content. If you choose not to support them, that's fine. But be aware that they may no longer make the art that you love. If they go bust, you'll only have yourself to blame.
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Comment on I need to tell you why coffee makes you poop in ~food
Arthur LinkWhat I haven't seen here is a mention of how this isn't universal. From a quick Google it looks like only ~30% of people reported having 'a compelling urge to defecate' after drinking coffee,...What I haven't seen here is a mention of how this isn't universal. From a quick Google it looks like only ~30% of people reported having 'a compelling urge to defecate' after drinking coffee, which means a supermajority don't. Which I think in a sense is more interesting. Why is this limited to only around a third of the population?
From personal experience, coffee has never made me need to poop. I mean sure, I guess I poop in a similar time window to drinking coffee, but that's only because I poop when I wake up in the morning, and usually drink a coffee right after (although sometimes before).
I had a friend who almost couldn't believe this recently. We were on a walk in a fairly remote area, and found a small takeaway coffee van, and I happily ordered one. She told me she couldn't because there was no toilet for miles around. I assumed even if you felt the need to go, she should be able to hold it in but... I guess not haha.
I'm an avid coffee drinker and drink coffee at multiple points in the day, none of which result in an urge to defecate, presumably because I've already gone in the morning. When I have my second poop of the day, usually after work, this also seemingly has no relationship to coffee.
I wonder if this is because I generally consume a high fibre diet, and am very 'regular'. I invariably have a 'compelling urge to defecate' at the same time twice a day which is maybe stronger than any urge that coffee could give. Curious to hear from the other 70% of people like me, especially if you don't poop on a regular schedule like me.
That's enough poo talk in one comment for a year though so I'll leave it there!
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Comment on Reselling tickets for profit to be outlawed in UK government crackdown in ~music
Arthur (edited )Link ParentIt sucks and I'm honestly not sure which system I prefer. On multiple occasions a friend or family member, once even a friend of a friend, has been unable to go to a show very last minute for...It sucks and I'm honestly not sure which system I prefer. On multiple occasions a friend or family member, once even a friend of a friend, has been unable to go to a show very last minute for perfectly legitimate reasons. They gave their tickets to me for free, or once at a reduced cost, because they just didn't want the ticket to go to waste. It was lovely - it meant I could go on their behalf, take photos or videos, and helped them feel like they still got something out of the show. It feels so harsh to not to allow this to happen.
Another time, I was going with a friend to a concert for somebody I didn't know that well but my friend loved. We both tried to get tickets, and I managed to get one but my friend didn't. The only reason I was going was because my friend loved them and wanted somebody to go with them, so of course I gave them my ticket instead. They went by themselves and had a great time. I realise this problem was partially caused by scalpers, but I can't help but think the solution to scalpers isn't penalising the vast majority of innocent ticketholders.
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Comment on McDonald’s is losing its low-income customers in ~food
Arthur Link ParentInteresting, if you don't mind me asking, where do you live? Where I live in the UK, I would still consider McDonald's to be amongst the cheapest restaurants. For me, a meal ranges from £5-£12,...Interesting, if you don't mind me asking, where do you live? Where I live in the UK, I would still consider McDonald's to be amongst the cheapest restaurants. For me, a meal ranges from £5-£12, where £12-14 is what I would expect to pay for a main (no drinks or side) in a fast casual restaurant. Admittedly a £5 is becoming less and less frequent but if you're being careful it's definitely doable.
Service is also pretty fast, if picking up at the counter I've rarely had to wait more than 5 minutes for a meal for one, and never 20.
To be clear, I'm not really saying McDonald's is cheap and more saying that in my experience in the UK at least, it is one of the cheapest consistent options for a hot meal out. (But food and restaurant prices in the UK are a wild anomaly at this point so I'm very aware that this might not be the case at all elsewhere)
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Comment on Johnny Depp to star in ‘Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol’ at Paramount with Ti West directing; Andrea Riseborough also joins movie dated for November 2026 in ~movies
Arthur (edited )Link ParentThanks - I appreciate your input here - I'll get round to watching the video you provided when I have some time. I suppose what I mean when wanting a fair and nuanced approach is one that goes...Thanks - I appreciate your input here - I'll get round to watching the video you provided when I have some time.
I suppose what I mean when wanting a fair and nuanced approach is one that goes beyond 'Johnny never hit her' and examines motivations and actions from both sides. I don't doubt that Heard carried out numerous unjustified behaviours (whether that be DA, faking injuries, lying etc.) I wonder what behaviours are justified in light of certain experiences. Eg. What behaviour is justified when your partner is drunk/high and causing physical damage your house and immediate surroundings? With hindsight we know that he (probably) didn't hit her, but would she know that in the moment?
On the flip side, was Depp's behaviour justified in the face of abuse against him?
This is speculation, of course, and I'll stop before I go to far into it because it is uneducated speculation. But from what little I do know I would feel uncomfortable deeming one party wholly innocent or wholly guilty. If however, that is the case, I do believe a fair and nuanced examination would reveal this.
The other question for me is: Is the kind of person that Depp is ie. a person who has severe substance abuse issues, anger issues, ect the kind of celebrity I feel comfortable supporting socially or financially (by consuming media with him in)?
I strongly feel that celebrity is a privilege and not a right, and that as an audience and consumers we ought to hold celebrities to a high standard. In my opinion this means disengaging with celebries that are individually or socially destructive. That's not to say that I wish them ill - I truly hope that Depp can get the support he needs to address his issues if he hasn't already. In consideration of this, I think the answer is no. I feel uncomfortable supporting Depp socially and financially because of his behaviours. But I may reconsider this after doing more research. And I don't expect everyone to land on the same conclusions as me. I'm sure most celebrities wouldn't hold up to my high standard of scrutiny, and perhaps my expectations are unreasonable. But I also feel that any individual is entitled to their own opinion to support or not-support any public figure as they see fit. At the end of the day, celebrities are only important as long as the public want them to be.
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Comment on Johnny Depp to star in ‘Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol’ at Paramount with Ti West directing; Andrea Riseborough also joins movie dated for November 2026 in ~movies
Arthur (edited )Link ParentCould you or @cfabbro or anyone who knows about Depp/Heard trail point me towards a balanced/nuanced take on the whole situation? The vast majority of my 'woke' and leftist friends (not used here...Could you or @cfabbro or anyone who knows about Depp/Heard trail point me towards a balanced/nuanced take on the whole situation? The vast majority of my 'woke' and leftist friends (not used here as a pejorative, I consider myself woke and leftist) severely dislike Depp even after the trail, with opinions ranging from:
Depp used his influence, wealth, power and Hollywood fame etc. to manipulate proceedings/public opinion away from Heard towards a mysoginistic view that she is hysterical/malicious ex-wife stereotype and that she remains the victim in this case.
To:
Heard was a perpetrator of abuse but this was alongside or perhaps because of similar abuse by Depp both previously and at the time of proceedings.My understanding of the court case was essentially the latter: paraphrasing here but - both parties were in the wrong but there was more evidence and consistency with Depp's claim. Combined with a more money/power/public backing, Depp came out on top although this does not mean he was 'innocent' as it were. (And thus he is still 'cancelled' and I am soft-boycotting his work).
I'm very happy to be challenged on this and would love a (as much as can be within reason short and consise) resource to take to friends who have different opinions if there is something that is a nuanced and fair approach.
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Comment on Make new friends here! in ~life
Arthur Link ParentNo, NTU. My Chinese is passable but not enough to take classes in Chinese, so most of the courses I did were in English (barring language classes), so I'm sure I didn't get the full experience but...No, NTU. My Chinese is passable but not enough to take classes in Chinese, so most of the courses I did were in English (barring language classes), so I'm sure I didn't get the full experience but I really enjoyed it!
I know it's a major drawback for many but honestly one of the things I miss the most is the weather. That and the bubble tea I think haha. Fortunately I've made a few great friends there so always have a good excuse to go back.
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Comment on Make new friends here! in ~life
Arthur Link ParentI honestly think Taiwan is the hidden gem of Asia, and I'm torn between wanting more people to know about it and enjoy it and wanting to keep it all to myself! I lived in Taipei for a year as a...I honestly think Taiwan is the hidden gem of Asia, and I'm torn between wanting more people to know about it and enjoy it and wanting to keep it all to myself! I lived in Taipei for a year as a student and I fell in love with it. I was fortunate to be able to travel most of the island and while I loved Kaohsiung, Tainan, Qiao Liu Qiu and other places, Taipei has such a special place in my heart. It's hard to describe, but I visited again last year and just felt like I was returning home, somehow.
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Comment on Make new friends here! in ~life
Arthur Link ParentI'll be perfectly honest, from this list we have absolutely nothing in common, except that Taiwan is our favourite country. What drew you to Taiwan/ what do you love about it??I'll be perfectly honest, from this list we have absolutely nothing in common, except that Taiwan is our favourite country. What drew you to Taiwan/ what do you love about it??
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Comment on ‘Sex reversal’ is surprisingly common in birds, new study suggests in ~science
Arthur Link ParentDon't worry, I'm not! This really was more of a light-hearted expression of joy over how wild and unique nature is. As a non-binary person, sex and gender are a topic I'm particularly interested...Don't worry, I'm not! This really was more of a light-hearted expression of joy over how wild and unique nature is. As a non-binary person, sex and gender are a topic I'm particularly interested in, and as somebody with no real understanding of why I'm non binary, I find do find it interesting to look to the mystery of nature. I don't think anyone should be using this research to make any real decisions about sex and gender in human culture, something that (to other people, apparently) is invariably important.
I suppose my main point is that I can't quite fathom how, in a world so full of exceptions and variety, TERFs can only imagine one without any.
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Comment on ‘Sex reversal’ is surprisingly common in birds, new study suggests in ~science
Arthur (edited )LinkThis is a bit of a step away from birds, but I do find it really interesting to consider sex in nature. It's facts like this that really makes me not understand gender essentialists. Don't get me...This is a bit of a step away from birds, but I do find it really interesting to consider sex in nature. It's facts like this that really makes me not understand gender essentialists. Don't get me wrong, I know we're not even in the same Class so it really isn't comparable, but it's absolutely remarkable to me that humans have such a strict and binary understanding of gender.
Even if you ignore the very existence of intersex people (something that 'gender criticals' are very good at), theres so much evidence to suggest that even in humans, sex isn't this solid binary thing.
Looking at the animal kingdom, we have so much evidence to suggest that sex is often a suggestion and not a rule. From hermaphroditic slugs (the true non-binary icons) to genderbending fish, and now transgender birds, nature is alive with animals that haven't quite figured out their sex: why shouldn't we be the same?
Granted, this phenomena seems to be far less common in mammals, but we still have intersex whales, bixexual monkeys, and homosexual lions! Sometimes it seems like the more we know about the world, the less we know. TERFs will argue all day long that sex is permanent, immutable, and binary. Everything we see in nature, and our own scientific research within humans, suggests this isn't the case. And that's not even getting into gender: something that for now, we assume only humans have, though I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't true. Plenty of animals seem to have their own sex/gender roles and rules.
Again, I know this is a bit off topic and I really didn't mean to go into an anti-TERF tirade, but I really do just think it's fascinating to see how complex and surprising the world can be sometimes.
Edit: I should say, before somebody comes for me about the genderbending fish and transgender birds: I know. Please, just afford me this tiny bit of joy!
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Comment on What is your silly or (kinda) useless talent? in ~talk
Arthur Link ParentThis is one of my odd talents too! I used to impress my housemates a lot by setting a timer on our smart speaker while cooking, forgetting about it entirely, and asking how long was left when I...This is one of my odd talents too! I used to impress my housemates a lot by setting a timer on our smart speaker while cooking, forgetting about it entirely, and asking how long was left when I remembered. Almost always the answer was 'you have less than 10 seconds less on your timer'. Interestingly though, I am entirely incapable of doing this if I try. I always end up asking a few minutes too soon. It's a pretty rubbish party trick if I can only do it when I forget I can do it.
I put it down to doing a lot of cooking and being familiar with the times it takes for things to finish, but also probably receiving subliminal clues like the smell or sound of a pot boiling down to the right moisture level.
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Comment on Scientists estimate European heatwave caused 2,300 deaths last week in ~enviro
Arthur (edited )Link ParentThis article seems to suggest that research has shown that mass installation of AC in Paris could warm Paris by up to 4°F (~2.2°C* for us normal folk). On why Paris authorities are reluctant to...This article seems to suggest that research has shown that mass installation of AC in Paris could warm Paris by up to 4°F (~2.2°C* for us normal folk). On why Paris authorities are reluctant to encourage uptake of AC:
...Third is the urban heat island effect, which is more severe in Europe’s denser, grayer cities than it is in America’s more suburban metropolises. Even if they rely on clean power, A/Cs heat the air outside as much as they cool the inside. That means the comfort of those with air conditioning feeds the discomfort of those without. Researchers at the French National Center for Weather Research have concluded that if Paris doubles its A/C use by 2030, it could raise outdoor temperatures in the city by 3 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, policymakers have been very reluctant to encourage A/C adoption except in vulnerable places like nursing homes.
To be clear, I have no real stakes in this discussion. I don't know all that much about climate science or policy. I can't read French either, so really can't speak to the validity of the source, but thought it was interesting and would be interested in hearing your thoughts.
*Edit: revised from 2.7°C to 2.2°C, which I think is now correct (feel free to let me know if I'm wrong). I don't understand this cursed unit of measurement ;p
As of 2024, the Sinosphere still hasn't really got to grips with (edit: I should say, for clarity, a Western concept of) vegetarianism, which to me is especially weird as I even had this problem when I was in Taiwan, which has a large Buddhist population. I describe myself as a convenience vegetarian ie. If it is convenient for me not to eat meat, I will avoid eating it. What this looks like is, I won't buy meat, I don't cook with meat, if I'm attending a pot luck, I'll bring a veggie dish. But if I'm the only vegetarian attending, I'll eat what other people bring to be polite. Or maybe I'm visiting a friend for dinner and I forgot to mention I don't usually eat meat. I'll happily eat whatever they have prepared, and probably won't even say anything.
In Taiwan, I was eating with a group of vegetarians at a Chinese hot pot restaurant. As the only Chinese speaker, I asked if the base soup had meat in it, as the table "不吃肉” (directly, don't eat meat*). The waiters confirmed that this would be fine.
Anyway the food came out and we quickly discovered that there were small chunks of meat in the soup (and that it was made with meat stock). I asked the waiters about this and their reply was: we thought you "不吃肉”, not "不碰到肉” (directly: don't encounter meat). They had assumed our problem was with the actual act of eating the meat, not merely eating vegetables that had been in contact with the meat (broth).
I have since learned to say 吃素 (eating a vegetarian diet), rather than 'don't eat meat'. This is complicated a little though, as somebody else pointed out, that many vegetarians in Taiwan are Buddhist and also don't eat alliums eg onions or garlic which I love. There is also the problem that, to my understanding, there isn't really a term for vegan in Chinese (Google suggests 纯素 -pure vegetarian, but this has been disputed by my Chinese language tutors who don't agree), and that many Buddhists wouldn't consider eating eggs as they are not vegetarian. So all that to say, even when I do describe myself as a vegetarian in Chinese, it's still a little of a rollercoaster as to what I might end up with. This works for me as I'm very flexible, but as was the case in the story above, I got a whole hot pot to myself!
*This is further complicated by the fact that colloquially, 肉 can be used to refer to both meat generally, and specifically pork. It is entirely possible you tell somebody that you don't eat 肉 and they serve you chicken or fish instead, as after all, it is not pork.