I like your rule about starting on a hill or carrying up the stairs. That’s a real bike.

Having said that, I do like a throttle on an ebike for getting off the line with a heavy load of groceries. 😄

Some of this confusion seems to be created or exacerbated by the industry itself, particularly in North America. The standard European ebike is limited to 250W and 25kph. But the standard North American Class 1 or 2 ebikes are limited to 20mph, with up to 750W in the US or 500W in Canada. Some Class 3 ebikes in North America are just slightly faster Class 2 bikes, but there are an awful lot of grey-area bikes that look and feel more like e-motos, and it seems like that segment of the market is popular.

I think e-motos are part of the transportation future–I own one–but I do think it would be reasonable to exclude them from sidewalks, walking paths, greenways, etc. I’m not against better regulation of this space, so long as it continues to leave actual ebikes to be treated like other bikes.

I use CoMaps on Linux (as well as mobile) and it works quite well. It uses data from OpenStreetMaps.

This is SOP in officer-involved shootings in many departments, the supervisor takes possession of the weapon fired. Taking and securing the weapon makes sense to me. The interesting thing is the reason why he gives the involved officer his own weapon, and it’s basically to not hurt his tender little feelings by taking his gun away. (Source: many multiple depositions of officer-involved shootings.)

Ken Jennings is a surprisingly funny internet commenter and author. His books are actually pretty good, I wouldn’t have predicted that 20 years ago.

Harsh but accurate. Without Carrie Fisher to doctor his scripts (and his wife to find the film in the edit) Lucas was a director famously indifferent to dialogue or character.

I love that, of all the out-there ideas in Stranger in a Strange Land, that’s the one that sticks with you. Honestly, I think you’re right to favor it! 😄

At this point Lake Powell should be drained to consolidate water storage in Lake Mead and reduce evaporation. It’s been too low for decades, and it’s not coming back.

Reading the names of all those studios that Microsoft gobbled up, I just think how it never should have been permitted to consolidate so much of the industry in the first place.

I kinda love short games, I don’t have time to put 100 hours in every game I buy. I bought this game in part because it seemed like a bit of silly fun, and was priced appropriately.

Meet the new racist war on drugs, same as the old racist war on drugs.

I don’t get the sense that this is a Mamdani thing. The American Democratic Party leadership seem badly out of step with the majority of their party on significant issues, and have been ineffective at shoring up democracy or their policy agenda during the periods they have been in power. Mamdani is just one of few progressive in America that is walking the walk.

Dems urgently need to show they can make Americans’ lives better, and that they present a clear and more reliable counter-position on international relations and national security. The Chuck Schumers of the party have shown no interest in offering that alternative, and their time is over, whether because the left wing of the party takes the wheel, or because Trumpism succeeds completely and destroys any chance of competitive elections in the future.

What have you scored over there? I picked up WallWorld, Oblivion, and Rôki.

I’m enjoying MythMatch, the expanded match 3 gameplay and remixed Greek mythology are really fun!

I also just picked up Thank Goodness You’re Here!, which is delightfully weird.

WeWork was such a fun ride to watch, such a transparently silly company that made stupid money, it never made sense.

I thought the niche would be sort of a cheap way to cosplay as a working guy, but I think the price point is probably too high for this to be a novelty second vehicle. But who knows? People drive and love Jeep Wranglers, which are kind of awful to drive in towns, and people still like the lifestyle part.

Gator, no!

OMG this, and the breathless media reporting about that fictional title are part of the problem. Just the dumbest way to run an economy.

Louisiana taking ACAB to the next level

That’s a shame, although I’m sure it’s the right choice. Lael’s first record-breaking round-the-world ride was a lot of fun to listen to in her daily reports.

Heat waves are some of the most deadly natural disasters, particularly for older people or people with health conditions that don’t have access to air conditioning. I assume we will eventually find out the death toll for this heat wave, and I’m afraid it will be pretty terrible.