Currently I've been using these to deal with fungus gnats in my indoor plants; they are quite effective, just put one in my watering can, keep the watering can full so it can steep, and water as normal. It kills the larvae in the same way and after about a month I had no more fungus gnat problem (after trying many other things with no success)
I do wonder about the eventual mosquito adaption to this if it is employed on a large scale though.
Readit NewsSpagbol commented on Try the Mosquito Bucket of Death energyvanguard.com/blog/t... · Posted by u/almuhalil
Spagbol commented on A.I. Is Making Sure You Pay for That Ding on Your Rental Car nytimes.com/2025/07/09/tr... · Posted by u/pseudolus
I've always been told while renting a car that any dent/ding smaller than a golf ball was considered wear and tear, and I've never had a problem over at least 50 car rentals.
However, I've always noticed that Hertz is very dependent on the particular branch you rent from, and I generally avoid them unless I have met the general manager for the location and gotten to know them. In that case, it's been the _best_ company I've used. Otherwise, I stay far, far away. Enterprise seems more consistent.
I personally had a terrible experience with Enterprise. They were great right up until they tried to pass off preexisting damage as something I had done (it was odd damage to the roof, which I couldn't see prior to taking the car without a stool or something), based on no evidence. They wanted me to pay over 2k for repairs, and I fought and fought to see their "evidence" and get it overturned all while they said "the investigation is already complete" and insisted I pay the damages immediately. I managed to find an agent that finally showed me there was no evidence. When I told them I would file a complaint to the Better Business Bureau I got an email within hours dropping the claim with many apologies, and a personal call from the manager who had been impossible to get a hold of prior to this. It was a relief but I am disgusted by the whole debacle. The nice salesperson front drops away quickly when they say you owe them a claim, then they become a nightmare to deal with. Personally I will never rent from them again.
If you ever do rent a car, make sure to take a good video around the car, of the roof, and the underside and inside for good measure.
I often think about this; I keep a journal and would not want my loved ones reading it because you naturally show different parts of yourself to different people. For example, it would be weird to read intimate details about a sibling's love life. However, I wouldn't mind a great grandchild or other descendants reading it because they didn't know me personally.
Spagbol commented on Doge plans to fire nearly all CFPB staff cnbc.com/2025/02/28/cfpb-... · Posted by u/belter
It saddens me that so many voted for Trump thinking he will be some sort of savior, when all I see is an opportunistic billionaire that does not have their interests in mind anymore than needed to maintain popular support...
I fear consumer protections of all kinds will be gutted, the wealth gap will grow even wider, more wealth will be concentrated in fewer hands, and the US will be dealing with the fallout of these guttings for the next 20 years or more
Spagbol commented on Nintendo Obtains New Anti-Palworld Patent and Seeks Even More gamerant.com/nintendo-ant... · Posted by u/jarsin
I found this explanation of Nintendo vs Palworld to be enlightening:
https://youtu.be/8apzrwv75i0?feature=shared
There are many interesting points in this video for me but most saliently:
-Nintendo is not as litigious as it could be given how many possible infringements it could potentially persue
-It is well aware that it loses fan goodwill whenever it shuts down some innocent fangame, but the way that patent and copyright law is written it is apperently a significant risk diluting their brand if they don't take actions to protect it, so it is a balancing act they have to calculate
-Sony's backing of Palworld is the particularly alarming part for Nintendo that is likely spurring them into action in this case
This isn't a defense of Nintendo, but I think it's interesting to see some deeper systematic reasons for why they do what they do
I had never heard of Enver Hoxha until I listened to the episodes about him on the Real Dictators podcast. Very wild stuff. I find it really fascinating and rather sobering that these invasive authoritarian governments can one day take root and control most or all of the rest of your life. I fear that people's complacency or thoughts that "surely it can't happen here" are part of what lets them rise in the first place, and I wonder just how quickly you can find yourself inside of one.
As a consumer outside the EU, I honestly appreciate much of the effect it has done for my everyday life:
-the USB-C standard chips away at Apple's proprietary walled garden, which I see as a win for consumers and the environment, and personally I like the simplicity of having one useful standard cable. The other day I charged the iPhone of a person on the train who needed a charge; in the past they were out of luck because I use an android phone.
-their cookie directive isn't perfect, but I prefer it to the previous status quo of websites tracking with your average user completely unaware of the vast network of the "partners" privy to their data by default. For me, clicking "reject all" or just leaving those websites altogether is not a big issue.
-their restrictions on single use plastics have cascading effects outside the EU
-the fining of huge tech conglomeretes for anti-consumer behaviour with GDPR fines (Meta, Amazon, Google, etc.) provides at least some roadblock to their behaviour in my view.
Most of the comments seem to focus on the effect of their policies on smaller scale startups and entrepreneurs, which may certainly be a problem to adress, but as a consumer I see the EU at least taking some action on issues I care about.
I have not done significant research, but the more I have read about Jimmy Carter the more I am convinced he is very underrated, and the more I read about Reagan the more I beleive he was a bad choice for the average U.S. citizen long-term (e.g. destroying the U.S. lead on climate tech, and creating policies that ultimately eroded the wealth of the middle class)
Reagan was certainly charming, but I beleive he didn't have the integrity of Carter. While Reagan let dictators like Pinochet commit heinous human rights abuses so long as they were anti-communist, Carter put actual pressure on the regime and sought answers. I consider him a long-term thinking leader rather than your average short-term thinking politician.
I think that history will end up being much kinder to Carter in hindsight.
-It's a big win for the elderly and out of shape who otherwise would not be getting that exercise and fresh air at all. I have a friend who's Aunt has a heart problem and apperently otherwise wouldn't be unable to bike without an e-bike.
-It brings many new people into the orbit of biking that otherwise wouldn't. The more bikers the more demand for good bike infrastructure, and the fewer cars on the road, and the more attractive biking becomes as a means of transport in a virtuous cycle. This could be huge.
Though I do worry about a few things:
-I think with its battery an e-bike is significantly more of an issue when people do stupid things like throw bikes in rivers/lakes/ponds. Even if this weren't common in places it still needs a good end of life for recycling.
-I do think maybe some people will be so used to an e-bike smoothing out the ride that they will never go to a full bike, but this may be a relatively low number (e.g. many people choose to bike over driving because they want to exercise)
-Many people on e-bikes in my area are a bit of a menace. Because it takes no effort to use, people fly around at max speed (well above the limit posted on our bike paths) and e-bikes are heavy; if someone gets hit it might seriously injure them. I think it may end up giving them a bad reputation if they aren't managed well.
Edited for formatting