Thanks for making this AMA, I not too knowledgeable in this area so please forgive me if I am insensitive in asking this:

What kind of strategies do you employ to fulfil your need for attention, without acting rudely to others?

I know it’s a lot to ask of our media overlords PostMedia, TorStar, Rogers and Bell, but if you want to be protected from persecution from America, you’d better be sounding the alarm bells now.

It’s one place that the Canadian legal system has gotten one-up on the US system (Johnson v. Grants Pass), between this and the City of Victoria case. Unless cases in other provinces rule differently (i.e. Prairies’ Bench courts say its no problem to evict, Cour Supérieure de Québec okays it as long as displaced residents get 3 packs of smokes and a 2-4 of beer each etc.), I could see that any appeal could eventually see the federal supreme court ruling along the same lines.

It shows that we have a robust set of Rights given to us by the Charter, but it is easier for cities to overlook them if they aren’t asserted.

Work together and be nice to each other? Sure.

Solving problems? Eh, not really a thing here. Kicking them down the road is a popular sport at every level of government here.

Yes, the same media campaign that has gotten the public at large (including young previously ‘liberal’ generations) to believe Trump’s lies is happening in Canada. Aside from a neutral reputable public news source that is CBC, we are hardly insulated from it.

Sorry, I can’t hear your talk about long-term consequences over the sound of my short-term profits and savings! Cha-ching, cha-ching!

I identify with the raccoon… call solid waste management if you find me like that.

Kamloops, BC?

It’s got mountains around, it’s not completely caught in the Conservative trap, you’ve got decent amenities of civilization around without the big city or suburb vibe of Metro Vancouver, (I still think it pales as a “city” compared to Toronto), but as a day trip you can head there to sightsee or pick up big box stuff.

If you want something more laid back I second Yukon.

In Nunvaut, every person who volunteered to provide input was mauled by a polar bear before they could? Is that what that map colour represents?

You probably know most of it so just some advice: Don’t format the Partition table (MBR to GPT etc.) on the disk whose data you wish to keep.

Shrinking a partition or moving it carries a small risk of data loss and will take significantly longer than creating a new partition (since data needs to be cut and pasted from one area of the disk to another). If your old laptop has an empty slot for another SSD or NVME drive you can plug that in, and still dualboot and having the new drive Linux only.

Also to deal with the occasional Windows cockups, just carry a boot-repair USB, the auto repair has fixed the Windows issue for me 90% of the time (the other times are usually boot order priority or other BIOS setting)

Yep. Big corps are going to have their payday. Fixing Trumpism and the whole, “I got mine, fuck y’all else” American attitude is a problem I have no solution for.

Rampant capitalism and corporate feudalism, there are many different solutions to resist it. Some are violent, but the ones I would prefer are starting more collectivism in the local community. Just like how in the Fediverse and FOSS communities, like-minded individuals share thoughts, knowledge, crafts, media. This can be expanded to all fields, some easier than others. There are obviously pain points (moderation, doomscrolling, poor default filtering, clashing ideas and just straight up trolling, limited features, reliance on tons of unpaid volunteer work and so on), but what we’ve got here is impressive despite all that.

Community gardens with shared harvests, municipal and community-owned broadband networks, employee-owned grocers and retail, slowly and broadly expanding outward with a federated and negotiated supply chain model between interested parties.

It’s difficult, will encounter lots of problems as it grows and would cost more time, effort, and money, but this would bring power back to the people rather than those at the top.

Bracing for impact on Canadian elections.

Upon hearing the news, I felt despondent and a pit in my stomach… I went to do a bit of karaoke and my mood has recovered from that at least.

Clearly political con-artistry is effective. Ford, Smith, Moe, Poilievre and any wannabe dictators of Canada who may emerge in the future, are all taking down notes.

States that think the feds will actually be hands off are in for a rude awakening.

The Ford brothers have had a massive vendetta against Toronto for the longest time… they try to screw the City over at every turn.

If you’re in Ontario, please comment on it before Nov 20, 2024

Douggie ran on “governmental efficiencies”, this is about as inefficient and counter-productive a method to reduce traffic as there can be.

One correction:

It would, not could…

If you have gas motor equipment in your garage (mower, snowplow, leafblower, boat), you should try to winterize it with specific stabilizers, otherwise you will have a hard time starting it in the spring.

Wear layers, layers, layers and a proper winter jacket on top. Winter mittens or gloves, a hat, scarf, neck warmer, balaclava or face covering, ear muffs, snow pants, could all be stuff you need depending on how far north you go and how thick the snow piles up. Almost universally in cold climates you will need proper boots.

Similar to Humidex, there’s a value called wind chill, because the layer of heat you radiate gets blown away making you feel colder. Pay attention to that, and remember that hands and ears left exposed will get frostbite after some time. You can find charts online (Celsius and Fahrenheit).

Watch for black ice on roads and sidewalks, it looks just “wet” but it is very slippery ice. Use road salt or other de-icing compounds on your walkways and driveways so that you and others don’t slide around or fall.

A bunch of driving stuff:

Do NOT go posted speed on roads that aren’t fully cleared. In reduced visibility conditions like blizzards you might have to go half the usual freeway speed or less, with flashers on and follow the car in front. It’s best to avoid driving in snowstorms.

Winter tires may be required in some areas, but they are strongly recommended even if not. Leave a safety kit and brush in the car, because in remote areas it may be an entire day before a tow can even get to you. Have blankets in the car in winter.

Test recovery out of a slide in a safe place so you know what to do in a pinch. You don’t have to go too fast, just somewhere that doesn’t get cleared well with no obstacles to crash into like a rarely cleared parking lot. Two modes are: brake fail going straight (with my old car you needed to be light but steady on the brakes for best effectiveness), and a turn going wider than you expected. The car will not respond to sudden maneuvers like you would expect on a clear surface.

He’s from Papineau, Montréal so French only - Fuck Trudeau could mean people thinks he’s sexy for all he knows.

But Trudeau ultimately fell back on the idea that the next election will be a choice — and on the belief that Canadians haven’t started to think about that choice yet.

Well the time to act is short, the Conservatives have been making the decision for many people - by brainwashing them with endless amounts of fossil-fuel funded ads.

Sure I think so overall, but “drugs” is a broad category, so I’ll try to hone in on it.

If you are normally healthy, if you feel sick from a cold, flu, fever, allergies, motion sickness etc. there’s little reason that you shouldn’t take OTC medication to help you get through recovery and purposely abstaining is needless suffering. When you feel you’ve recovered is when you stop using them.

If you are prescribed medication by a physician then you take it as prescribed. If taking it doesn’t feel like it is effective or it makes you feel worse, you talk to the doctor to make adjustments or switch medication.

For casual recreational drugs (ranging from caffeine, alcohol, cannabis, tobacco) occasional use is fine, but my opinion is that you would rather have the default be without it, if the default is with it in excess then you should consult a doctor.

For abuse of OTC drugs, prescriptions and illegal drugs, it’s a sign of a problem if you’re on them and can’t get off. They are a trap that is very easy to fall into and hard to get out of.

I don’t hate people that have been caught in that trap but I think they deserve a lot of helping hands, so that it would be possible for them to live a healthier life and have that be their normal rather than being on a drug trip be their normal. At the same time I don’t blame many such folks, a drug trip sounds like a way better life than just sitting on the street sober as a homeless person. They are victims of their circumstance. People need to have a normal living space if we want people to live a normal, sober life. Drugs are great but they break our brains and bodies if used improperly.

Please. It could cost $300B by the time it’s built but we need this. I think we can put 21st century investment in what’s currently an early 20th century system.