GrindingGears

Honestly I don't really know, and don't really care. I enjoy sporadically using it, and I've enjoyed making both useful, and some useless things.

Trust me, I've spent far more on dumber shit that I use half as often.

Canada here. Fuck off US Copyright Groups.

Canada out.

This looks shit. Certainly not up to 5th generation console standards, that's for sure.

Once Banff burns, hopefully this province will wake up and realize the arrival of climate change. Hopefully.

You know what really sucks though about the bikes and commuting? Its not even the drivers or the infrastructure, it's the damn theft. They gotta get that figured out. I'd have one of those cargo bikes in a heartbeat, as our driving is 95% just daycare and back and/or groceries. But the theft in our city is insane, I can't even run into the grocery store without a not-insignificant chance the things not there when I come out.

Our city is struggling with the opiod crisis (like many other cities), and the stolen bike trade seems to be one of the many primary sources of funds for that sort of thing. You'll see homeless people downtown riding on super expensive mountain bikes, I saw a guy wacked out of his mind on a Pivot Firebird once. Clearly stolen, but the cops just allocate token resources to it, while people walk around openly downtown with battery powered die grinders. I watched a guy a few years ago go through one of those New York kryptonite locks like it was a bar of butter, before I could even act on it (plus I was in a skyscraper a few blocks up). We called it in, but I mean buddy was probably back at his encampment before that call even reached a cruiser.

So I've got a rule with my bikes (I've got a high end eMtb and a fairly high end road bike), if it's not in my line of sight or I'm not on it, then it's not outside. I had a job a few years ago that allowed me to bring it into my office, but my last job that wasn't possible. I work from home now, so it's moot, but I just don't trust leaving it anywhere, which rules out most in-city bike use. Big problem.

This province and it's people are completely fucked, and frankly are now finally reaping what they sow. Problem is you and I, and all the other people who didn't get their degrees on Facebook, we are all caught in the crossfire of this friggin mess.

The people who progressive policies and governments best serve, are ironically the ones who fight it the most.

The Jasper fires are kind of all unrelated to this, the situation up there started years ago. But don't be looking for any positive change with this situation, or any common sense with this government. Everything they touch immediately turns to ashes, pun intended.

Full time commuting is pretty dangerous. I've been riding bikes for years, and all of the issues I've run into over the years almost all came on commutes.

I just treat it as a special treat every now and then. If you do it everyday it gets old pretty quickly. I mean if you have a nice commute then maybe it's OK. I used to commute into downtown in a city where the war of Bikes vs Cars was very much alive though, and I just decided ultimately it wasn't worth it. I mostly just ride outside of times when everyone is overfilled with rage, and it's more enjoyable. Sucks it has to be that way :/

Is this game still a borefest? I played it for a week last year, and it just didn't do it for me. Is it worth jumping back in yet, or should I wait another year or two?

With everyone using those god damn earpods now, I think you could literally have an air horn attached to your bike, and they still wouldn't hear it. I just have a little plastic bell attached to my bike, and I have about a 20% success rate with it. It always gives me pause when someone acts startled, and shocked, yet I've rang my bell 4 times, and my 108 tooth hub freewheeling is literally roaring like a swarm of bees. Yet it's naturally my fault I've startled them.

A democratic bank? It's a monopoly in Calgary, one "credit union" owns them all now. Modern day credit unions simply exploit tax advantages, they aren't this touchy feeling cooperative thing anymore. They are very much for profit in all but name and are as rotten as the other banks. Should get your hands on the executive payroll.

As for Calgary Coop, yes you get to elect the board. They play favourites, and you can have your choice between Corporate Bob, Corporate John or Corporate Margaret. You can run, but they play favourites and heavily promote their choices of the ideal candidates, which of course are slightly different versions of themselves. They've made some pretty controversial choices the last 5 or 6 years too. They aren't even part of the Federation Coop anymore, Calgary Coop is just branding now. They overprice everything and then offer you the so called rebate. Its a joke.