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Joined 3 years ago
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Cake day: June 13th, 2023

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  • You said that we aren’t using hydrogen as a fuel source, which is patently false. You must think we’re burning those hydrogenless hydrocarbons that so famously exist. It’s not in the form that you like, but we’re literally using copious amounts of hydrogen as a fuel source and have been for decades. It isn’t suddenly not hydrogen because it’s attached to carbon when we choose to burn it. Plain elemental hydrogen doesn’t exist in abundance in any capacity that we’re capable of harnessing, which is why you have to bring up methods to create it even when it’s the most abundant element in the universe. You’re the one who chose to respond to me, in my comment about its use in cars, in response to someone else’s comment about hydrogen in cars, in a thread about cars and somehow I’m the one who’s changing the topic?


  • How are we sustainably converting elemental hydrogen into a state where it’s readily storable and transportable for use in vehicles? I’m not pushing against it as a viable energy source generally speaking, but it really doesn’t need to be in a car, where it’s used to power an electric motor in the exact same way as a battery is, except the battery can recapture energy through regenerative breaking. I was pushing back against the implication that humanity is stupid for not using hydrogen in general, because we use a lot of it.

    For the record, your all-powerful and flawless elemental hydrogen can power the grid just as readily as it could power a car. It’d be great if it were a larger share of our energy generation, for the record.


  • I’m definitely open to being wrong about the world’s impression of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, but I’m not sure it’s borne out in the data. Europe doesn’t seem to be adapting it anywhere near the rate at which they’ve adopted BEVs (I couldn’t find a 2025 report in my cursory search, but would love to see one if anyone else finds it), nor does China, which is all in on BEVs. In fact, it seems like California may have more hydrogen fuel cell vehicles alone than all of Europe combined. That’s two of the major markets accounted for, but it might be possible to convince the US to adopt hydrogen when they decide they no longer want to be left in the past.

    I’m not sure the infrastructure build out for hydrogen is directly comparable to the charging infrastructure for BEVs. At least some segment of the population has access to charging infrastructure just by virtue of having access to an outlet at their homes, which allows for trickle charging, as well as the option to install a dedicated charger at home that allows for much cheaper charging that’s also fast enough to charge from 0-100 overnight, so no need to stop at a fuel station at all. This meant that there were people who were willing to adopt the technology through the growing pains. With hydrogen, you run into a bit of a chicken and the egg problem where companies aren’t encouraged to expand infrastructure without adoption rates being high enough and consumers aren’t itching to purchase a vehicle where fuel is more expensive and less convenient to access. The refuel card incentives were supposed to get consumers over that hump, but it doesn’t seem like it was anywhere near enough. I think the conditions were ripe for an emergent technology to eventually replace ICE vehicles, but hydrogen fueled vehicles were on the back foot to begin with.


  • Hydrogen is a major fuel source, just not in the form that’s necessary to power hydrogen fuel cell cars. Regular gas vehicles are powered by hydrogen, since they’re a component of gasoline. Any energy generated by liquified natural gas (though I hate the term) is using hydrogen as a fuel source. It’s not exactly easy to create, liquify, store, and transport pure elemental hydrogen for use in hydrogen fuel cell cars, let alone the cost to develop all the infrastructure to do so. I don’t think it’s a collective action problem, and if we were going to rally around a singular transportation issue, I think it’d be far more valuable to demand robust public transit options.


  • In the US at least, I really don’t see hydrogen ever taking off. Even in California, there’s so few stations that you can’t really travel from the top of the state to the bottom without going out of your way. The hydrogen fuel stations that are in place are even more expensive than they were a few years ago, if they’re still functioning at all. We’re talking like $180 USD for the equivalent of a tank of gas, at stations that aren’t as convenient as a gas station or an outlet at home. It’s even the subject of a lawsuit, which may or may not be successful.

    It seems like hydrogen has already lost the race for the rest of the world, with BEV adoption growing substantially in Europe and China. Personally I wouldn’t want my market to rely on solely Japan and a US headed by someone blatantly antagonistic to alternative fuels.


  • When I’m sitting down with a nice single origin chocolate, it’s nice to have some fruit to compare the acidity to. Priming the taste buds really does bring different dimensions of the chocolate to the forefront. It’s not something I indulge in often, but if I’m going to be paying for it, I’m going to also go through the trouble of trying it with as many suitable seeming pairs as possible.



  • It’s the latter of the two. The focus is on a side character from the original game, but takes place in an entirely different map/kingdom. You don’t need to have played Hollow Knight, but there are little lore pieces that tickle the brain if you have (and didn’t just skip over all the dialogue). I’ve been really enjoying the game so far, and there’s only one runback that’s felt REALLY tedious, but it’s on what I’m assuming is an optional boss based on what I’ve played so far.


  • On the topic of ignoring everything else, I don’t think boot space and range tell the entire story of a car’s value. The EV6 and the Ioniq 5 both have much better suspensions and a quieter cabin than the Tesla, and both offer the option to change the baseline level of regenerative braking being applied for a smoother transition for drivers getting used to an EV platform (or anyone who just doesn’t want to use one-pedal driving). I personally disliked the Tesla software experience in my parents’ Model Y, which makes it so annoying that everything has to be done through the tablet. Both HMG cars have at least some buttons and knobs (and actual air vents!), and the option to use Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. The range thing is also pretty driver dependent. I’m averaging slightly better efficiency on my EV6 than my parents’ Model Y even with more freeway miles, probably because I’m able to frequently coast.

    If you get severe range anxiety/don’t have access to a home charger or are consistently filling up your trunk to the brim, then yeah you should buy a used Model Y. But for anyone else who might be considering an EV, I’d encourage you not to write the other 3 off (I have no experience with the Equinox, I didn’t even start looking for used ones because it doesn’t have Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, and only has an 8 year free access to Maps in their infotainment system).



  • As others have noted, the EU’s GDPR does contain a Right to Delete. Some states have implemented the right on an individual basis, but it’s going to be difficult to implement on a national basis because of the current political climate. A nationwide federal privacy law was in the works, but it contained a poison pill in the form of federal preemption, meaning that it would set a hard ceiling for data privacy that states wouldn’t be free to exceed with their own legislation.

    If you’ve got the time, I would encourage you to reach out to your representative in the state legislature to advocate for a state privacy law. You can point towards California’s CCPA or Colorado’s CPA as examples of already active privacy law. Companies are already supposed to be in compliance with these laws, but only with respect to consumers in those states. Point out that there shouldn’t be much (if any) additional burden to extend that protection to your state. Your state AG can’t enforce your privacy rights if they’re not enshrined in legislation.


  • I’ve had pretty good success with online dating in the past, and my current long-term relationship (3.5 years) is a lovely woman I met on Tinder. When we first matched, neither of us was looking for something long-term. For me, it helped to look at dating apps as just a first impression, which means you don’t want to overwhelm someone with your profile. My advice is going to be tailored to Tinder, because it’s where I had the most success. That’s probably due to sheer volume though. It also worked on Bumble, but I have no experience with FB Dating, so I can’t speak to that.

    When selecting pictures to use, there’s a couple things I would suggest. •Always include multiple pictures with friends or family. People swiping on your profile will want to know that you have a social life, and you’ll probably look happier in pictures with others. •Try to also include pictures that reveal a hobby or interest of yours rather than talk about it in your bio. I’ll elaborate on this point later. •Be honest and kind to yourself and think about what makes you attractive to others. Personally, I’ve been told that my laugh is infectious, so I went with a candid picture of myself laughing with my friends. Dates have specifically pointed that picture out as the one that sold them on me. There’s something that sets you apart, you just have to identify it. •You don’t have to completely avoid pictures of yourself alone or selfies, but you have to be intentioned when including these. Is it a picture where you look really good? Is the composition of the photo interesting or different? Does it show off your flair or sense of style? Is it one of the aforementioned hobby photos? If you can’t answer yes to at least one of these questions, it probably shouldn’t be included. A picture with just you is going to lead to heightened scrutiny of the only subject that is of any interest to someone looking at your profile: you. Make sure it showcases you well.

    I personally like to keep the bio short and sweet. The point of the bio is to give them enough information to want to know more about me. They don’t need my life story, and they probably don’t want to read a wall of text. If you match, you want to give them space to ask questions about you so that the conversation doesn’t go stale. If they can look it all up in your bio, it becomes redundant to ask. To that end, my own bio was only two lines: my height and a statement that was funny and personal. I always included my height because I’m on the shorter side (5’7) and I know it’s a dealbreaker for some. I’m fine with that, since I’m not trying to waste their time or my time. The second line was “My mom cuts my hair.” It’s true, and to me it was funny in an unexpected way. It also revealed that I have a good relationship with my mother. However, I later learned that some people just thought it was a joke, so maybe it didn’t come across the way I intended. You could definitely find something that works for you in between the wall of text and my completely barebones bio.

    Lastly, and this might not be the easiest because you mentioned having social anxiety, but you should be looking to go on a physical date as soon as possible. It’s where I really got to know the people that I matched with, and let me better figure out whether it was someone I could see myself in a relationship with. An in-person date doesn’t have to mean something serious. I prefer coffee dates, which I’ve read that some women see as a sign that you’re not serious about them or a cheapskate. I’m here to tell you that those women don’t exist, or at least never did for me 3.5+ years ago, so don’t worry about it. It’s a casual setting where either party can leave if they’re not feeling it, and many people appreciate that. If the date goes well enough, it can swing into lunch or dinner pretty easily. Dating is a skill, and it’s a pretty different skillset than being in a relationship. The only way to improve at dating is to actually go on dates, so push yourself to ask for them. Chances are, if they’re still messaging you back after a day or two, they’re interested enough to go on a date.

    I tried to be as comprehensive as possible, but please let me know if there’s anything you want further clarification on. I’d be happy to help, and I’m rooting for you :)


  • It seems like you’re making the assumption that in saying it’s disingenuous to make the claim, I’m casting some final moral judgment about the OP or their overall trustworthiness. Correct me if I’m wrong about that, you just seem to have taken issue with me potentially accidentally having called OP dishonest. To be clear, I was calling them dishonest (with regards to only the claim they made about their stainless steel pan being more nonstick than a nonstick pan, at least for the scope of my comment). It’s just patently untrue that a stainless steel pan is more nonstick than a Teflon nonstick pan, no matter what you do to the stainless steel pan (except applying a nonstick coating). I don’t have to make any unfounded assumptions about any mental state here. To make the claim requires that you are either innocently misinformed/uninformed or purposely making a misrepresentation about this particular issue.

    And, for the record, I’m not assuming that the OP is malicious or intentionally set out to mislead people. It’s exciting to achieve little to no sticking in a stainless steel pan and you want to share that achievement with others, hopefully to encourage them to achieve the same thing. All I did was correct some innocent exaggeration. And if it was malicious, well, at least I still used disingenuous correctly.


  • Unfortunately, scrambled eggs are one of those things that are a bit harder to cook in stainless. If you’ve been using oil, switching to butter can help with some of the sticking, but you might end up using more butter than you’d like and some heat management is still necessary. Honestly, a lot of people keep a single nonstick frying pan just for things like eggs, seared fish, or sauteed tofu, so don’t feel pressured to make it work on stainless.

    If you really feel compelled to move off Teflon completely, a carbon steel or cast iron pan will be much better suited to replacing nonstick for the instances where you’re getting excessive sticking, at the cost of needing to avoid acids in the pan. But if I were you, I’d just keep using my Teflon pans until there’s any flaking or chipping before making up my mind.


  • First of all, congratulations on the baby! :) If you don’t mind me asking, what sorts of dishes are you struggling to make on stainless steel?

    I’m going to be presumptuous here and make a few suggestions, so feel free to push back if you’ve tried some of these things and they haven’t worked or aren’t as easy as I’m presenting. If you do still want to transition to stainless, it’ll be easiest to start by only doing it bit by bit, rather than all at once. Dishes that naturally contain some acidic element (like tomatoes, citrus juice, vinegars, or wine) will be easiest to cook without a bunch of sticking. I’d recommend starting with a tomato-based pasta sauce. If, as it reduces, you notice bits sticking to the sides, it’s easy enough to loosen up just by stirring a bit of the sauce onto it. Once you’re more comfortable with this, you can try sauteing vegetables in the pan. Even with preheating, it’ll might result in some stuck on bits, but adding a splash of lemon juice or champagne vinegar at the very end and agitating all of the ingredients should both brighten up the overall dish a bit as well as lift most (if not all) of those browned spots you saw. When it comes to searing meats, you might also have to adjust how often you’re flipping. If it feels stuck when trying to flip it for the first and second time, waiting a bit longer will eventually lead to the meat releasing from the pan. After the initial release on both sides, it won’t be anywhere near as sticky and you can flip as often as you’re used to. I wouldn’t worry about any browned spots either. While resting the meat, you can toss a bit of wine along with some stock in, turn up the heat, and stir continuously to loosen those bits up as well as flavor your pan sauce. Once it’s reduced to about your desired consistency, you can throw a slice or two of cold butter in and stir for a relatively low effort but still tasty pan sauce. Plus, you make washing the pan much easier. I think this tends to be easier than trying to achieve a nonstick effect with stainless, and sort of demonstrates that there’s ways to work around the issues some people have that aren’t strictly heat management.

    My cat really wanted to press the submit button halfway through and force me to edit it to complete the thought as quickly as possible. Sorry if it isn’t quite helpful, and I’d be happy to follow up on any of it.


  • I’d posit that your well-loved cast iron looks even better than new. For me, moving off nonstick pans was about sustainability (and money waste, who wants to buy a 2 year subscription to cooking?), but I can’t get over how beautiful some cookware gets just from being used. The patinas on cast iron/carbon steel pans reflect the dedication of their owners to a craft, which I’ll take any day over a colorful pan whose surface flakes just from looking at it.


  • You won’t find any disagreement from me there. I just think that when you set the expectation too high (stainless steel can actually be more nonstick than Teflon), people will give up and just go back to nonstick pans when they can’t achieve those results.

    Regarding dishes that are solely the domain of Teflon, I think it definitely has a place for dishes that already have a high bar for execution. A perfect French omelette is hard enough on a nonstick that adding another layer of heat management puts it out of reach for most people. But like you said, there’s not much that I’d use Teflon for, so I just don’t have one after switching to induction.