Weekly "everything else" If it's in the spirit of prepping, but not "news" or "intel"
Posted by AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit | PrepperIntel | View on Reddit | 199 comments
This includes but not limited to:
- Prepping questions
- Rumors
- Speculative thoughts
- Small / mundane
- Promotion of Sales
- Sub meta / suggestions
- Prepping jokes.
- Mods have no power here, only votes, behave.
This will be re-posted every Saturday, letting the last week's stickied post fade into the deep / get buried by new posts. -Mod Anti
No_Routine2905@reddit
Big wildfire about 10 miles away from me here in Southeast USA.
Smoke everywhere. The area affected burned houses, destroyed electric lines, and over 1500 acres of land so far. The fire is still not contained. Emergency crews and firefighters everywhere. Mandatory evacuation of the small town nearest the fire, those people don't know if their houses will make it or not. I feel bad for them, unfortunately I don't have a way to help.
It hasn't rained in over 3 weeks here, and no rain expected for at least another 10 days.
LowBarometer@reddit
Massachusetts - The US postal service seems to be collapsing in my area. It is suddenly taking up to 16 days for items shipped USPS Ground Advantage to be scanned into the USPS tracking system.
Any_Needleworker_273@reddit
I went to mail two letters yesterday, and they wanted to charge my like $7 and make it a package, because my letter was not a standard weight/size that would fit through some measuring slot they had. I've been mailing full/heavier letters for 30+ years, and we used to just weigh them, pay whatever the postage was ($1-3) and move on, but this is crazy. I know there were a lot of changes last year, and I am pissed at every step that has been taken to undermine our USPS, its employees, and it's services.
Educational-Desk8758@reddit
Mail has suddenly started taking much longer for me as well, sending and receiving. My local post office just permanently shut down with no warning that I knew of
SmartCollar5034@reddit
Maybe it's my area but delivery seems to be randomly skipping a day a week. I track incoming mail by email notices from the post offices and some days what should be in the mailbox is not there.
More_Potential5539@reddit
What I hate is when I see that an item I ordered or mail came to my local post office only to be shipped three hours away to another post office so it can then be shipped back here to be delivered. Makes zero sense.
RhythmQueenTX@reddit
Large city Texas mail has been collapsing as well over 2 years now. I dread getting anything in the mail or having to use the mail. Non-profit had their P.O. Box changed with no warning, all mail returned undeliverable then no explanation why this happened. My check is out there “ somewhere”. Had to stop payment.
angrytetchy@reddit
Damn and people think it's badly run now... wait till they can't even get their mail! (only half a joke)
My SO is a mail carrier (Big Island, Hawaii) - we've discussed this a few times and our conclusions are as follows:
Privatization: if this occurs, everyone is absolutely fucked with the unlubed dildo of consequences. 1) Consumer side costs will skyrocket to prohibitively insane amounts of money because the post office is not supposed to run a profit, it's more like the military and runs at a continual loss. 2) Rural mail will go bye bye. And "rural" could mean anything outside a certain radius of a major city down to only Podunk Towns, USA. 3) UPS/FedEx/Amazon will not want to run any of the "last mile" stuff, it eats into their profits. Privatized USPS would be shut down within a year, there's no way to run the thing at a profit.
Drones and AI are on the horizon and it has people concerned for their jobs. But at the same time, they likewise aren't perfect and major cities (LA, NY, DFW, etc) will get to train them before massive roll outs. Good luck y'all.
Most likely scenario for us here on the Big Island and in most places in the US: continued enshittification of services whilst Amazon and UPS continue to pile on all the packages into USPS that would take their trucks too far out. Cause they don't wanna be paying for that gas. Or time.
splat-y-chila@reddit
Strangely enough, mine is running *better* now. Packages show up a day before expected on the regular. Mid-Atlantic region.
MsCalendarsPlayaArt@reddit
This is eerie 😬
These two thing seem related (just posted this):
"Recently got an ad in my mail saying that the US Postal Service is hiring for US postal inspector federal police? There's a photo on the ad with a guy in a bulletproof vest and the vibe of the ad is... weird.
I know postal inspectors are not new, but this felt so weirdly militarized that it was hard to ignore. It seems related to the other changes with usps mail that keep taking place specifically to fuck up elections."
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit (OP)
This was posted a few days ago, allegedly in a coastal city in China. anti ship missiles?
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit (OP)
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
Condom shortage coming?
https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/1srt3ii/condom_maker_raises_prices_as_iran_war_puts_a_cap/
mystery_biscotti@reddit
The weather was nice today, so my stupid torn calf and I wandered outside to plant peas in one garden bed. Added some sacrificial radishes and a nice bunching onion.
Live_Slice354@reddit
I have a strained calf. I tore it a few years ago so I stopped as soon as I started feeling something wrong. I understand how much it sucks.
mystery_biscotti@reddit
Oooh. My condolences!
Does PT actually work? Didn't seem to do much for my horribly messed up ankle.
Live_Slice354@reddit
PT can help, kinda depends on the injury. I've had good results in the past for my calf and shoulder. It did little when I had wrist pain.
pvssylips@reddit
My stupid broken arm just barely healed so I got a broadfork that had been a game changer🤣
splat-y-chila@reddit
We had a week of 90F weather again and it's going to hit freezing again Monday night. Weather is whack and the plants are taking the hits. Looks like I'm setting an alarm for 3am Tuesday to get up and employ the old FL-orange-farmer strategy and hosing down all the fruit buds and tree leaves that I don't want to lose before it hits freezing for a few hours.
After that it looks like clear coasting. Had to get cages to put over my seedlngs while I harden them off outside the squirrels are tossing the dirt so hard this year. Thanks, but I don't need 35 black walnut trees in my yard.
iloveschnauzers@reddit
In the Little House on the Prarie books they did this! I never knew it actually worked, so thank you.
The whole family got up in the night to wet each seedlings in the ground , and it had to be done before dawn. This was even more critical when that’s your only source of food, of course!
Caelista_x@reddit
I was in Germany years ago in an area with lots of apple orchards. All the farmers were out watering down the blossoming trees to protect them from frost. That was the first time I’d ever heard of the practice.
LankyGuitar6528@reddit
I had an AI tell me my vet was wrong. It read the X-Rays directly - not the report - and said the Vet had misdiagnosed the Xray. He said don't put the puppy down (as the vet suggested) but rather go with a 3.5FR gastric feeding tube and increase attempts to defecate and increase gastric mobility.
AI: 1, Vet: 0. The pup is here right now with his mother instead of in a box buried in the back yard.
AI isn't a smart version of clippie. And it's not a human being either. But whatever it is, damn it's smart and this is just the beginning. Law, Medicine, Vets (obviously), logistics, military... AI isn't coming. It's here. Now. Get an account with Anthropic for $20/month and see for yourself.
How you prepare for an AI Tsunami that will change everything? No idea. Maybe ask the AI? But one thing for sure... when Anthropic drops the IPO you buy as many shares as you can and then some.
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit (OP)
I view it as a fast second opinion.
I've seen AI cite MY OWN POSTS on highly technical university level engineering subjects... that "were on the right track" 15 years ago... but not the true answer today. It was weird seeing seeing my old forum posts / username being used as "the answer" in a search.
But... thats the problem and beauty with AI... it does a ton of searching and sorting for an answer drawing comparisons from a ton of sources to pick a direction often based off "the wisdom of crowds." Often it's right in the accepted POV... but in highly technical situations and niche applications, it can easily be blatantly wrong. Often gaslighting the user.
ItsAllAboutThatDirt@reddit
The only problem with that is if you treat it as the end solution. But that's like using Google and clicking the "I'm feeling lucky" button to take you to the first result.
While there are cases where it can be confidently wrong, using it properly takes out at least 90% of that error rate. And obviously on actual niche topics where you have more knowledge than what it standardly has access to, that's an entirely different story.
One question, one answer = "I'm feeling lucky"
But a dozen follow-up questions, a conversation, and 3 rabbit -holes later and you can get yourself a decent baseline set of knowledge. At least to the point of now knowing which questions to really ask and how to drill down into the parts of a topic that matters.
But even with all of that, if you do truly have a better grasp of a topic than the information base that it has access to you can usually start directing it to the appropriate thought-process-logic-steps and begin to get it to understand. For a degree of the word "understand".
They're still LLMs and not AI. But also once you get into niche applications and your topics of expertise, you can't really denigrate an entire model just because that's not it's use case.
hera-fawcett@reddit
which 80% of ppl do. esp those who are younger.
k12 is having to thrust ai into curriculums bc its so prevalent in kids lives and how they approach school work. handing out 'district approved' llms to educators and students bc, at least that way, they can say theyve tried to contain things.
the general populace doesnt want to research and learn the shit theyre asking. thats why they ask llms in the first place. they want the quick dirty ez answer so they can move to the next thing.
ItsAllAboutThatDirt@reddit
Then let's stop with Google and go back to the library.
This is a tired argument and I've heard it all before back in the 2000s
You know what? Let's smash the printing press while we're at it. It's oral communication or nothing.
Fox News and propaganda exists so let's ban TV news as well.
And these young kids keep trying to hammer in screws. Let's ban hammers. It's all the fault of the tool.
hera-fawcett@reddit
its not at all the fault of the tool. its the fault of having a bunch of idiots using the tool improperly.
at some point if 85% of ppl are buying a hammer and using it improperly, w hammer companies marketing ways to use it improperly, its on the companies for causing harm and encouraging consumers to engage w it the way they do.
if llms were actively marketing and encouraging ppl to engage 'properly', it wouldnt be as much of an issue. but they want as many ppl hooked and using it as they can-- so they dont take care to encourage proper use.
ppl using llms as google and trusting the first answer it gives, bc it gives sources (that most dont look at), is an issue. llms continually pushing themselves at the public in order to hook them, same way social media did, is a problem. if the main way ppl engage w llms is stupidly, its a problem.
we dont need to outlaw and ban llms, at all, but we should be rallying to make these companies more accountable.
ItsAllAboutThatDirt@reddit
Tl;Dr — doesn't matter. You get idiots on any tech. The sprint to enshitification with this tech sucks. But none of that validates the critiques. Use it properly and it's an accelerated level of knowledge acquisition and topic-understanding. The companies directions suck, but again, that doesn't negate the tech or validate the direction of the critiques. Idiots gonna idiot.
When it gives sources, those are actual sources though. And the information it gives is actually reliable enough even at first pass. Or at least reliable enough in a general consensus sort of manner. Everyone has their beloved example to jump in with at this point - and that's all negated by the "not using it properly".
But you can't also just lazily say "85% of people using it wrong" because that's nowhere near the case.
You also can't just lament its use in schools and with students when every business is using it just the same. And those people are worse than the students.
And, again, this is exactly the same thing that was said about Google. And the Internet. I was halfway through highschool when Google came out, blowing away the previous search engines. And it was all the same exact talking points.
You can't trust what you read online, you have to go to the library, online citations don't count.
You ask a question on reddit and you can (and do, and will) get wrong answers. Just because idiots take those answers as gospel means the entire platform is shot? No.
You also aren't questioning Google as if googling something is better than going through an LLM. "If you Google something you will get the right answer", which is fully not the case.
All of you on this viewpoint have not used LLMs enough or properly and it shows. It's the same tired arguments, and the majority of them are discounted if you actually interact with them enough.
Although I agree on the premise that people are idiots and use them wrong. But that's the way with every tech. And yeah I don't like the direction most of the companies are going in. Although half of that problem is attempting to idiot-proof the tech and just sprinting the enshitification of the entire thing.
But none of that negates the beneficial side. Nor does it validate any of the typical arguments against it.
I'll tell you my life is enriched, my thinking is not declining, and my ability to obtain, process, parse, and understand new topics has been greatly accelerated. I'll query an LLM recursively down dozens of different viewpoints and rabbit holes over going through the same amounts of blogs, forum posts, and studies any day.
You can get the main consensus of the different major viewpoints on whatever topic du-jour (blog/forum equivalents) and then dive into studies and peer reviewed research. Then go into the setup and experimental design flaws and limitations and biases. Then go back through the main blog/forum style viewpoints and see which line up the best, then go back to the research focus and narrow down things even more.
Idgaf if some people try and write an essay or email with it. People drive crazy and crash because they're idiots as well.
hera-fawcett@reddit
you are in the minority. this is not how the general populace uses it. their cognition is declining, curiosity is low af, the willingness to engage w their material is at an all time low.
i work in education. aside from chronic absenteeism (at an all time high, even up from the pandemic), students phoning it in due to ai is the biggest problem. ppl arent learning, theyre regurgitating. it becomes a problem when they pass their college courses due to ai and are now working w zero knowledge. they actively refuse to engage w even being in the building, let alone engage w the material being taught.
for instance, young kid i work w and mentor, used ai for her whole ass degree, landed a job in social services, is wildly unqualified and incompetent. spends her day using ai to get by. was then fired bc she put the team in a bad legal spot due to ai use (she gave some bad regurgitated ai advice; the family sued bc it wasnt right lmao).
that is normal. ppl who havent learned shit and are going on to take up careers where they actively accidentally fuck up ppls lives.
people are lazy. people want their quick fix. while this has always been a problem (i.e. 'tv is rotting their minds'), theres evidence that short form content (i.e. tiktok and youtube) and device access has changed how these kids act and learn. fuck, theres evidence that tv was rotting our minds and eroding our attention span.
google replaced reading dozens of books and looking for the info u needed. w google, u could narrow down to the specific books that had the info. ai narrows that down and gives u the info from those books. u could go read them, if u wanted, but why would u? u have no incentive to. the answer is right there.
u say i havent interacted w llms enough-- you havent interacted w the general public and how they use llms enough. you havent interacted w kids k-12 and undergrad to see how they use llms enough.
your usage is a minority. its great how u use it-- and god itd be amazing if everyone used it that way. but they dont.
its to the point where school districts are pivoting back to pen and paper bc ai abuse is so rampant. and w pen and paper the students are forced to try. (ofc that usually leads to an increase of students skipping that class and/or student absenteeism in general)
ItsAllAboutThatDirt@reddit
You can do that same exact thing with an LLM. And this is again the same exact argument that came out against Google and the Internet. If you can just "Google" something and it gives you the info, why would you bother reading the books? And what if that information you are reading online was written by someone with a bias or is just plain wrong?
On pivoting back to pen and paper - good on them. Because physical writing activates different regions of the brain. More active regions on the same information = better retention. Which should have been the case as it is, because even just on the laptop/computer you have these same effects.
But what schools should be teaching is the proper usage of the LLMs, because I can tell you that in the workforce they will be needing to use them as well. The same way as schools should have been (and at one point finally started to a degree) teaching how to Google and parse through biased or incorrect sources. How to cross reference multiple sources and see what themes repeat.
But for that to be happening, the teachers need to understand it as well.
But again, this is all the same arguments as early Google and early Internet. If you are fine with the students googling and accepting answers off of Wikipedia or reddit or even .edu sites, you just be fine with LLMs as well. Even searching through a book and citing a source is just "regurgitating information".
On an LLM you can find books, research topics, studies conducted. You can then query about different aspects of the study rather than just reading the overview. And let's face it - people aren't reading half the studies past the title in the first place. That's all news articles do. Cite a study to back up their article or misquote a title - you then go and read the study and it will not only not back up their POV, it will also fully contradict it.
This happened long before LLMs.
I also have to agree with you though. A friend who left her husband/kids and I cyberstalk the new guy out of curiosity. He's got this whole sappy thing written about them being fated to be together (he left his family from the affair as well) and it's fully GPT written. Like obviously and will all the hallmarks. GPT was his therapist and had all the details and then he popped in some specifics and went right to Facebook with it. And of course all the positive comments - without the side of the story from spouses and children and years long affair and breaking up families. Nope, just them living their most authentic, fated, red-stringed lives. Write it yourself I could respect it, but it's classic sappy hero-story GPT.
So yeah. But even with all that? I don't think people would be better even without access. People graduating and not learning shit and fucking up careers and others lives is nothing new. Blamed on LLM now, Google prior, Internet in general prior to that. And prior to that I'm sure it was something else.
Probably take it back to when we had to stop fearing lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) and idiots could proliferate.
pvssylips@reddit
Yep and if you don't know what you're talking about/looking at you would really not know how wrong it is. Especially if you aren't aware of how it works, aren't fact checking, asking for sources, using critical thinking, etc. I've completely stopped using it, but before I would catch mistakes ALL the time and when you question the machine, it's like oops my bad you got me. I can't imagine that it's healthy, safe, etc. spreading mistruths, even by accident has negative consequences.
revan12281996@reddit
This kinda reads as advertisement
MsCalendarsPlayaArt@reddit
Sounds like an ad specifically written by AI.
LankyGuitar6528@reddit
Now you are simply being rude. I'm a fan of AI (which, saying it out loud, is a guaranteed downvote on Reddit) but I'm very human.
LankyGuitar6528@reddit
Fair enough. It does sound like one. But what would I have to gain? No - this is an endorsement and a warning and a prediction all wrapped into one.
notabee@reddit
This is no different from people visiting some quack alternative medicine practitioner that happen to get better. Suddenly real medicine is fake because of their one anecdote. And those quacks make tons of money exploiting gullible people, so yes AI does obviously have a bright future of tricking people. It's a godsend for scammers especially.
Intelligent-Cruella@reddit
I'm glad your puppy is okay, but
deerfawns@reddit
Yeah. What a weird comment
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
Disabled veterans arrested for protesting the war. As a human, also veteran, it pisses me off. https://www.latintimes.com/video-disable-veterans-arrested-capitol-during-anti-iran-war-protest-596754
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit (OP)
Young Chinese people are becoming homeless, because they are Blacklisted by Social Credit System. Once you are blacklisted, the digital wallet WeChat immediately bans you from spending your own digital money, or receiving salary..So you become homeless.
hera-fawcett@reddit
the comments are impt in this one. social credit score does blacklist ppl (esp those who default on payments) but it doesnt force ppl into homelessness. it does restrict them in some ways--- but not from getting a paycheck lmao.
its more like american credit scores than it isnt.
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/EyesOnIce/comments/1sq0yoj/cool_theyre_just_casually_texting_me_now/. Thought this was interesting.
HabaneroShits@reddit
It's alarming how many people in the comments don't realize that's a scam.
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
The grifters in charge have inspired so many other grifts.
HeavySigh14@reddit
My fiancé and I will make the most money ever as a couple this year, but we are not feeling it. It’s not just plain life-style creep either, because I’m very closely watching the budget. I cancelled nearly every subscription. I only shop with coupons. (Rip Krogers delivery I miss you dearly) I shop around for insurance/phone bill/utilities yearly.
We should be thriving as a household, but we’re not. Our discretionary spending goes down every month now. I’m thinking of getting a second job, which I feel like I shouldn’t need to do, in a household that makes $100k+ a year.
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
I am so sorry for this for you both. It is so true and it stinks.
For me, every few years I write down every penny I spend, everything from gas to $2 to the kid collecting for band, etc. I do that for one month. It helps me see where the money is going. IN January of every year I write down on a large index card what our fixed expenses are expected to be: average utility bill, health insurance costs, property insurance real estate taxes. This also helps me assess when we discuss the plan for the year's spending ahead (repairs, etc.). Since I am the money person, this also helps my spouse understand what it costs, as I also include at the top of the card what we are bringing in each month. It helps us understand our choices.
HeavySigh14@reddit
Have you ever checked out Monarch Money? If you ever wanted a system like that automated, I use it and it’s nice.
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
Oh, I have not, so I will! She usually likes to tuck it into her day planner for reference. Pretty old school, but whatever works, right?
Drink_Gravy@reddit
Our regional medical group, which is large, is laying off over 200 IT workers and is getting rid of other people in positions that do not provide direct services. We are not a rural hospital system.
TopSignificance1034@reddit
Unity?
https://corridorbusiness.com/details-of-unitypoint-layoff-plans-revealed/
Drink_Gravy@reddit
Yep!
MsCalendarsPlayaArt@reddit
I don't know how to politely ask this question, but, are those 200 IT workers needed? I have no idea what region you're in, but the state I live in is so phenomenally bad with the tech for multiple hospital systems that sometimes you never get the doctors notes (certain doctors put the notes in a place that doesn't alert you to having a message and isn't even possible to find in the two seperate (why two seperate ones you ask? No clue) message centers in one app. I've talked to multiple secretaries and nurses and the tech is making all of their jobs more difficult than it ever was before because it's just so terribly put together. Essentially, no one is being able to successfully pass along medical info, scheduling info, etc., and entire system is almost completely useless (if not worse than whatever they had before when messages actually got passed to the correct person).
Maybe the issue is that we don't have enough IT people, but if I found out that this entire time we'd had 200 IT people and it was still this bad, I'd be livid
No_Possible_7108@reddit
I wonder if that is more of a management issue - them trying to push the new hotness onto their workforce even if it isn't needed
Chickaduck@reddit
18 dead grey whales have washed up on the west coast so far, mostly in the last two months.
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
What is happening to the oceans makes me so sad some days.
MsCalendarsPlayaArt@reddit
Recently got an ad in my mail saying that the US Postal Service is hiring for US postal inspector federal police? There's a photo on the ad with a guy in a bulletproof vest and the vibe of the ad is... weird.
I know postal inspectors are not new, but this felt so weirdly militarized that it was hard to ignore. It seems related to the other changes with usps mail that keep taking place specifically to fuck up elections.
Serious-Ad2573@reddit
could it be for some movie or game? they did something like that before for the fallout game and a movie about a mailman, I think Kevin Cosner starred in it.
More_Potential5539@reddit
They do do stuff related to drugs and drug dealers using the mail. I really think it's just a "be tough" image that the present regime told the ad agency they wanted.
SecretSquirrelSquads@reddit
I got the same ad and also get ICE recruiting ads here on Reddit (!)
Rustie_J@reddit
I report those for violence & hate.
bigdopaminedeficient@reddit
i haven't got one of these myself yet, but I still have informed delivery on for my mom's address and saw this in the email. i thought it was an ice/border patrol ad at first.
https://i.imgur.com/GU3OmdH.png
MsCalendarsPlayaArt@reddit
That's the one!
More_Potential5539@reddit
lots of agencies have these. The VA has its own federal police force for clinics and hospitals.
rmannyconda78@reddit
Getting ready to up my prepping, going to get 5-10 gallons of water this next paycheck and some more canned food. Got a bunch of tobacco plants(8) started. Also growing sunflowers, corn, beans, squash, beets, carrots, peppers, herbs, and collard greens. Definitely going to get my canner going on this next harvest. Another thing I’ve noticed is how much similar this sub has gotten to r/collapse state of the world ain’t good that’s for sure.
deiprep@reddit
This sub hasn’t obsessed itself over the fact the climate is collapsing (not disagreeing with them)
Pretty certain about 50 other things will cause the world to collapse before the climate does lmao
Serious-Ad2573@reddit
we are in a midst of a polycrisis (economy, biosphere, fuel/supply lines, population, social implosion, civil unrest)..its "interesting times"
HummousTahini@reddit
r/canning is awesome. They taught me that you need to use specific, approved recipes from places like Ball or university extensions to can safely - didn't know this and was making up my own recipes.
If you're interested, David the Good (gardening YouTuber) has a short book he put out on tobacco growing. He's funny and in the vein of prepping, calling himself a "Survival Gardener." Check him out if you're interested : )
dalek_999@reddit
Interesting thread in AskReddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1socssd/anyone_else_in_us_noticed_food_quality_degrading/
Lots of talk about the poor quality of vegetables right now.
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit (OP)
Cross Post this.
pvssylips@reddit
The quality of all food goods started decreasing after covid but I got more alarmed when I noticed what I perceived to be an influx of recalls that were pretty serious. Now with the trend of deregulation I genuinely worry about food safety especially for processed foods like meats, salad, etc. But almost worse than that has been the slow decline of quality ingredients in foods, for example almost all the dairy products I've been buying for years now have extra ingredients they didn't have before, like thickeners, gums, etc. so the price is increasing and I'm getting less of the actual dairy product than ever. Yogurt, ice cream, heavy whipping cream, etc. The snack foods are disgusting, they leave oily residue in your mouth, I assume it's the palm oil (which also causes deforestation in the Amazon, fr little Debbie cakes are more important than the Amazon rainforest???), chips have almost no seasoning and volume has drastically dropped. I even noticed the rice Krispies have less marshmallows and are dryer. Luckily we started eating less processed foods years ago and I learned how to make everything from scratch, but these changes keep me from even craving a bag of chips as a treat because they're so nasty and disappointing now. I have no clue how they're still selling them at this point because they're so expensive and taste so bad.
dalek_999@reddit
I’ve started making stuff from scratch as much as possible lately, too, but when even the base ingredients are starting to be modified to their detriment or are really poor quality, then what are we supposed to do?
Every time I visit Europe, I marvel at the quality of their food, especially dairy. We are getting seriously shafted here in this country.
throwawayt44c@reddit
Great thread. Good intel there, thanks.
No-Artichoke-6939@reddit
Wow, this was pretty interesting and validating really
bigdopaminedeficient@reddit
i work for a large supermarket chain and their produce selection is usually pretty bad, but recently I feel like it's been especially lackluster. aside from our sweet potatoes, which are huge and veiny? (not joking)
Dumbkitty2@reddit
That’s just where the potato grew off the root system. The “veiny” portion was still moving nutrients while the rest of the spud grows delicious. Can vary by soil/weather conditions or genetics.
SpacemanLost@reddit
There have been a number of small comments about supply/quality of produce here in this and related threads for weeks now.
As we move into summer, I expect the impact of this year's highly erratic weather, fertilizer supply woes, labor availability being ICEd, domestic harvest and transport costs, water supply issues and tariffs on imported foods to create the kind of 'perfect storm' on the availability and quality of food that get's nearly everyone's attention.
For as long as I can remember, our distribution and production systems have run so well, that they have hidden transient issues with our food supply such that for most of the US population, while prices might bounce around a bit, their local grocery stores would always have most everything year round and in decent shape. The set up for a classic "Everything worked until it didn't" situation.
guaranteedsafe@reddit
I live in Maine, had a regional hospital close down about a year ago due to too much non-payment from insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid. The bigger hospital that had all of those patients funneling into it is now getting majorly hit with providing care without payment for services rendered, and my tiny town’s ambulance service cost just increased 4x with only a 3 month deadline until we’re considered non-compliant for payment. (Not the cost per call/drive, but the fee to have my town in the hospital ambulance system at all for someone to respond to medical emergencies has jumped 4x in price.)
So now my town manager contacted 4 other surrounding towns to create our own ambulance system and have an EMT stationed at our firehouse 24/7 in case they’re needed. It’s pretty scary to watch the breakdown of a local medical system happening so rapidly.
SecretSquirrelSquads@reddit
3 of my providers have left their practices ( 1 retired and 2 who knows where) in the last year or less, a 4th is scaling back her practice - I can’t seem to find good doctors, lots of mediocre ones
Central Texas/Dallas area.
guaranteedsafe@reddit
It’s so widespread, it’s awful. The one GP in my town also closed her practice saying that she couldn’t spend 80% of her time anymore on the phone arguing with insurance companies, and the few “providers” taking new patients in my area are LPNs, not even RNs. My kids’ first pediatrician in Maine transferred to NYC then the second straight up quit, so their new “doctor” is a nurse. There aren’t MDs anywhere in my area taking new patients.
SpacemanLost@reddit
Income and Profit for nearly all the Major Health Insurance Companies failed to grow as much as anticipated in 2025 while still remaining profitable. Not losses, just not 'enough' profit. Clearly this problem needs to be fixed before addressing payments to hospitals and medical providers.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
For-profit services will be the end of us all
MsCalendarsPlayaArt@reddit
Too much non-payment specifically from Medicaid and Medicare or from other insurance companies, as well?
What do you think is going on? I could see government misuse of funds regarding Medicaid & Meducare, that said, It's not like the insurance companies are just out of money.
guaranteedsafe@reddit
All 3–Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance are refusing to pay for a lot of care. As of last year, the hospital CEO said they’re bleeding $600k per week due to non-payments. The insurance companies are making record profit and they’re doing so by not paying for services rendered. As far as repercussions, we’re seeing nickel and diming like with the huge increase in ambulance fees, and the hospital is shutting down satellite locations. They used to run an urgent care in a nearby small town and they closed that. My kid also used to go to a children’s clinic for speech therapy but it mostly catered to children with severe autism and Down’s syndrome; they closed that clinic as well. It’s so fucked.
MsCalendarsPlayaArt@reddit
Wow. Do you think this is happening all across the US or only in your state?
hera-fawcett@reddit
nationwide 100.
last few yrs have been brutal, comparatively. its a fight to get shit paid for.
guaranteedsafe@reddit
As far as I know this is happening everywhere. I’m originally from CT and in that state as hospitals are struggling to pay their doctors and keep the doors open, they’re getting bought up by bigger networks. Not sure what happens when even those networks don’t have enough money to operate properly.
More_Potential5539@reddit
so is this new ambulance system considered "in network" by the area health insurance carriers? If not users will get an ugly surprise after their ER visit.
guaranteedsafe@reddit
From the way my town was talking about it, the ambulance would be a municipal service (all the towns paying into buying an ambulance and staffing it) so patients wouldn’t pay anything for using it as transportation to the hospital. Just like how my town and the surrounding regional towns pay for a few vans and drivers to pick up elderly and disabled to bring them to doctors appointments; it’s at no charge to the people needing service, but it’s paid for with property taxes and grants.
More_Potential5539@reddit
That's the way to do it. It's actually good because it disarms the argument from people "well I don't have kids why should my property taxes go up? I don't get any benefit"
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
I basically can’t afford to run my clothes dryer anymore(I technically can but I refuse to have a power bill that high). Line drying for me.
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
I have never owned a dryer and hung out exclusively for several decades. I absolutely love it, it gets me outside, I watch the weather, I get to appreciate my surroundings. The key is to get a good place to hang things set up and good pins that you like. I also enjoy having a nice laundry drying rack and an inside line for bad weather days in the basement. Welcome to the club.
hera-fawcett@reddit
another basement line person!
ours is a fulltime use--- but it comes w the draw backs of drying clothes in the dark cold basement, which sometimes leaves the clothes a bit musty.
any tips for smth like this?
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
Our foundation is stone and moisture is a thing. We run a dehumidifier year round for that. Our pantry is down there and tools, so less humidity is needed. Also, we installed a small ventless NG freestanding fireplace on one wall. In the winter, if electric is out, it helps keep the pipes warm, as well as the first floor floors. There is a vent from the forced air we could open but prefer all to go upstairs. Another option in milder weather is using the screen door at the basement entry.
The dehumidifier is the key. We set it up to drain into a basement drain, so no container to empty.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
I used to do it all the time but I had another baby and got lazy
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
Be kind to yourself, keeping a child alive and well takes full attention.
Zestyclose-Piano-908@reddit
I doubt you got lazy. I’m sure you’re exhausted and incredibly busy.
fragrant-final-973@reddit
God I'm jealous.
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
I do know I am lucky. But also know, this is decades fixing up an old house to make it what we wanted. It all takes money and time.
Serious-Ad2573@reddit
you may also want to invest in manual washer/dryer. just diy it into a bike's rear end and you can exercise and wash/dry at the same time.
lustforrust@reddit
An easier way of creating DIY pedal power stuff is to start with a stationary exercise bike.
guaranteedsafe@reddit
Scrub board in a tub with the sudsy water & soap, rinsing the cleaned clothes in a tub with fresh water, and you’re all set!
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
Might be a way to keep the kids busy 🤔
Serious-Ad2573@reddit
for upper body exercise there is the butter/ice cream churn
fragrant-final-973@reddit
This would be a zero sum game for me 🤣
Serious-Ad2573@reddit
think of the ice cream as a reward
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
Directions unclear, exercised for 12 hours a day for a week, made 100 gallons of ice cream, no weight lost.
loveshercoffee@reddit
I actually love my clothes line. The smell of the outdoors, especially on my sheets is like a luxury.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
My husband is going to hate. His whole side of the family throws a fit if anything “smells like outside”. Whatever that means🤷🏻♀️
guaranteedsafe@reddit
Definitely depends on where you live. I grew up urban with a tiny backyard and my mom line dried sheets to save money. They would smell like dirt and some kind of putrid smell (maybe from all the cars?) when they came inside and I’d have to rewash them. But now that I live in farm country with lots of trees and grass around, items dried outside smell like fresh air and not filth.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
His family is very rural. Just trees/woods for miles.
guaranteedsafe@reddit
Hmm, could be the composition of the outdoor elements then. If his land has the same issue as where I grew up, most of the scent could be coming from the soil rather than blown through the air. Especially if the family’s in a non-pine forest which smells more earthy.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
They just want everything to smell like Gain
Intelligent-Cruella@reddit
Almost instinctively downvoted this 😭
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
I hate Gain so much.
randylush@reddit
Not everything needs explanation. Some people are just weird for no reason.
loveshercoffee@reddit
It must be very location-specific because I live in the city, just a block off a main thoroughfare and our line-dried stuff smells amazing.
I guess it is also likely that people just have different smell-sensitivies!
loveshercoffee@reddit
You can mitigate it somewhat by using liquid fabric softener if you normally use dryer sheets!
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
Nah, I do the whole nontoxic thing(no fabric softener or fragrances). He can get over it.
loveshercoffee@reddit
You are definitely my kind of spouse!
OBotB@reddit
So jealous of you (cries in family with lots of allergies that wouldn't be able to breathe with all the pollen in the air sticking to line dried things, and neighbor who smokes - I can't even leave open windows overnight in nice weather)
HummousTahini@reddit
We still air-dry clothes in the house in winter (mostly because I don't like how dryers shrink my shirts). It's doable with creativity. We hang stuff on curtain rods between chairs; I also learned to hang my wet shirts up on hangers, put those on the rods, and just wait until dry. Makes putting shirts away easier! : )
SpacemanLost@reddit
Was about to write something similar to u/52BeesInACoat 's excellent comment:
The important thing to realize is that you don't actually need heat to dry fabrics - it's the evaporation that does it, and heat just accelerates the evaporation, but heat also damages/shortens the lives of many fabrics.
We air dry a lot of our clothes, especially dedicates and my nice shirts (which I get many years of use out of), by hanging them in our laundry room, pointing a fan at hanging clothes, running a dehumidifier, and closing the doors.
If you have not tried it, the speedup in drying by adding those two things (air circulation, dehumidify the air) is really significant.
If you make such a setup, you don't need a big dehumidifier, but don't get a small / Peltier or thermoelectric dehumidifier either - they really don't work well enough for that task. Use a rotary dehumidifier ($100+ on amazon) and along with a fan for circulation, and when the RH gets below 40-45% the clothes will dry rather quickly.
52BeesInACoat@reddit
We do this!! I hung some clothesline and also invested in several drying racks.
One of the drying racks fell apart, so I hung the sections of it from the ceiling as well.
We have a dehumidifier in there and it makes everything dry so much faster.
My main reason is because lots of things shouldn't go in the dryer, and because I can get through a week's worth of laundry faster if I only have to put half of it in the dryer, so I can alternate dryer and hanging loads and not be slowed down by the dryer taking twice as long as the washer. But also, I've had enough experiences with broken appliances that took weeks or months to get fixed, that I need to have backup laundry systems the way I need to have extra toilet paper. I can hand wash if necessary, but I need to have drying infrastructure available in my house.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
No such thing as winter here
Wytch78@reddit
I’m putting my clothesline back up too. If you use it consistently for a month you WILL see that bill come down. I did it before and it dropped by $50. YMMV
on-oh-wanna-boogey@reddit
We use a line and our garden fence. Pop them in the dryer for a couple minutes after a day on the line.
No_Branch_5083@reddit
I'm very fortunate to have a ridiculous washing line in my garden, around 20 meters long. In nice weather I can dry three loads at once, which is good because our drier doesn't work well.
suchdogeverymeme@reddit
Central Appalachia, the Spotted Lanternfly that was just hitting my area last summer fall, is now in nymph form and EVERYWHERE
pvssylips@reddit
My kids are trained assassins of those bastards 🤣 we went to a wedding and my kids spotted some, they showed all the other kids how to stomp them out. Just two toddlers telling the other kids "they're invasive baddies who kill the trees" which was enough justification for them to crush the "pretty bugs".
No_Possible_7108@reddit
I take it this means they are quite a bit ahead of their normal schedule?
splat-y-chila@reddit
I noticed a robin's nest in my yard today. I think I'm gonna feed them lanternflies in turn with the parents, if the parents don't feed them to them.
ExpressAppointment96@reddit
Step on them.
fragrant-final-973@reddit
With fire.
ExpressAppointment96@reddit
No actually. There are a ton at my office. We step on them on the way in and on the way out.
Serious-Ad2573@reddit
unconfirmed report of outbreak of asf/fmd/bird flu in China causing people to check into buying additional food/water etc.
Impossible_Range6953@reddit
how about n95 shortage? that would be the biggest indicator like in January 2020...
pvssylips@reddit
They could also be more prepared and have more on hand this time too. You would assume that most governments would have seen the lack of preparation last time and improved. Especially when we are projected to increasingly deal with outbreaks like this as the planet heats.
Serious-Ad2573@reddit
nothing yet. this has pre c19 feels.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
"so, yeah, if they could just stop having outbreaks, that would be great." - channeling my inner Office Space
Serious-Ad2573@reddit
they seem to be uncooperative since 2019
Ok-Web-2657@reddit
Austria: police find rat poison in baby food amid country-wide recall
7o7A1@reddit
well, the hormuz is closed again.
fragrant-final-973@reddit
AirborneGeek@reddit
I don't know how I'm going to make it without Colbert.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
No Craig Ferguson and now no Colbert either? 😢
Coolbreeze1989@reddit
He has truly kept me alive during both is the mango’s terms.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
It opens and closes more than a saloon door
PrairieFire_withwind@reddit
Of course it does. That is where all the oil is going... To oil the hinges on the gate to the straight ;)
HummousTahini@reddit
Yeah, I was curious was the stickied post on the Iran Invasion was removed. When I heard about the "peace" talks, I thought, "This is *not* over."
Someone else on this sub posted this outstanding video - reposting it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nt1CgQsgpI
AccordingWarning9534@reddit
I've been on a quest for energy independence. We power the house with 7.8kw of panels, when 30 kwh battery storage. We an EV with a smart charger that directs excess solar into the car, letting us drive that on free energy. This keeps us self sufficient except in June and July due not having enough sun in winter.
I'm looking for other renewable options for an urban home? Wind? What other options do I have to generate more power in winter?
TrekRider911@reddit
My parents had a windmill. Didn’t make as much as they wanted. They just added two more rows of panels.
DeadCamelBaroness@reddit
Yeah, the wind turbines are definitely meant to supplement your power system. If we didn't live in a wind prone area, it wouldn't be worth it.
I would describe it like a trickle charger when it is just breezy, which huge help in the winter, when the days are shorter, and the solar doesn't have as long to charge the batteries.
There are days, when we have wind storms, and it is cloudy that the wind turbine really shines.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
Good at supplementing power but you do want to be careful being around those things for too long because they can give you a nasty case of cancer!
/s
Wunderlasting@reddit
In a somewhat similar vein - I’ll be moving from a rental to a rural home soon (New England). Are there any resources folks would recommend for learning about solar? I’ll have a decent amount of land to potentially put an array on. I’ve never had solar before.
AccordingWarning9534@reddit
It has more of an australian context but many of the principles are universal - the book "my efficient electric home" was my starting point.
throwawayt44c@reddit
r/solardiy is a good place to start.
Wunderlasting@reddit
Thank you!
throwawayt44c@reddit
You're welcome. Helpful people there if you are at an impasse.
dawn_thesis@reddit
if it's snowy where you live, vertical bifacial panels might be effective in winter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-Fz5T5c0OQ&t=67s
SpacemanLost@reddit
June & July? Australia?
I have a friend who installed a small wind turbine a few years back, and it was successful for him. He lived in an area of Texas where there was a 10-20 kph southerly wind pretty much the entire year.
DeadCamelBaroness@reddit
We are in the high desert of Northern Nevada, so wind of some sort is almost always in the forecast haha. A normal breezy day is probably 15 mph/24 kph. We get some wild wind storms for sure.
DeadCamelBaroness@reddit
If you live in a windy area, a wind turbine can be quite helpful to supplement power. We have lived totally off grid in the high desert for 26 years, and you honestly couldn't pay me to hook back up to the grid.
The turbine we use can put out 1800+ watts of power in a good wind and gusts, and when it is breezy, I would say it is more like a trickle charge, but helpful nonetheless. There have definitely been cloudy, stormy winter days where the wind turbine kept the house going.
Our turbine is from Missouri Wind and Solar, if anyone is interested. They also sell other off grid stuff. They have had the best, most consistent turbines that require near zero maintenance. Our current one has been up for 9 years, and has needed zero maintenance. During wind storms, we can gets gusts of 75+ mph, so the turbine has definitely been tested.
xyatropos@reddit
Biofuel?
No_Possible_7108@reddit
I heard r/AntiSonOfBitchamajig smells like dirty gym socks🤣
throwawayt44c@reddit
Careful. He might remove that.
xyatropos@reddit
Work in retail sales. I've had so many people asking me if we're hiring and a huge drawdown on traffic in general. I've been doing this for a long, long time, and it's been highly unusual. Multiple age groups.
hera-fawcett@reddit
ppl are out of work and getting desperate. spending habits are 100 shifting.
i think summers going to be a madhouse as this continues.
Bigtimeknitter@reddit
What region or state if you're comfortable? Thank you.
xyatropos@reddit
Chicagoland
missbwith2boys@reddit
Grabbed a couple of groceries at several stores early this morning. My first stop was Winco, and their produce department had noticeably slimmer pickings. They usually have a bunch of produce on their end caps but most of those had one box of one item and that’s it.
Costco seemed well stocked, picked up a few more paper goods.
Unusual_Specialist@reddit
There is a palpable economic shift happening on the ground here. The job market has become a gauntlet of ghosted interviews and roles being offshored, leaving people like myself in a multi year limbo. This reality is physically changing the city: transit use and biking among 20 to 30 year olds are at a ten year high, and e-bikes have become the primary mode of transport for those priced out of driving. The most sobering evidence, however, is at the checkout line, where I’ve heard seniors forced to choose between basic utilities and groceries. When Social Security doesn't cover a food bill, you know the downturn has reached a breaking point. Shooting range was packed as well & my local gun store has been selling through ammo! We have tons of Navy supply ships in port which is very unusual for us including a littoral combat ship that arrived for maintenance. You get a sense of tension is in the air.
notabee@reddit
I thought those littoral combat ships were always having to return for repair, which was a big part of why that project failed?
Unusual_Specialist@reddit
True, but it’s very unusual for us to see them in Portland, Oregon especially with Bremerton yard up north in Seattle.
missbwith2boys@reddit
I think Vigor is still in Portland - they probably got the repair contract.
guaranteedsafe@reddit
Has anyone used a vacuum sealer for mason jars (for storing dry goods) and if so, is it any better to use the vacuum sealed jar for preserving pasta, rice, cereal, and dehydrated produce than using food saver sealed bags?
I do have and use a bag sealing machine, typically for bulk bought cereal that I know my kids will eat over the course of a few months, but I’m wondering which method will keep dry goods fresh longer—the jar or the bag? I’m looking for what’ll be shelf stable for a couple years instead of a few months.
SquirrelyMcNutz@reddit
I dunno how good the stuff inside tastes, but I sealed some stuff that way at the start of covid. The jars are still sealed, so it's lasted at least 6 years.
The bags, unless you can find something that doesn't rely on that heat sealing strip thingie, will eventually run out. A mason jar and lid will last for far longer. A bag also has the downside of being easily cuttable. Sure, you have to worry about breakage with jars, but if you have a proper storage area, that shouldn't be a big worry. Bags also tend to be very...oddly shaped...which can be a hassle for storage.
Bags are better for on-the-go as they are lighter and more easily tossed into a backpack. But for home storage, I'd go jars over bags any day of the week.
guaranteedsafe@reddit
Thanks for the advice!
Dumbkitty2@reddit
I’ve kept rice up to two years in vacuum sealed jars. Never had a problem. We use about 25# of rice every 12-18 months but have less than ideal storage. The glass jars solved a lot of problems.
Personally I wouldn’t attempt keeping cereal. Even in an air free environment there may be ingredients that break down/lose quality.
AirborneGeek@reddit
The bags are ever-so-slightly permeable to air and moisture, whereas the jars are not, if sealed well (which, admittedly, is a bit rocky when pumping them down dry).
Source: Freeze dryer-related R&D
randylush@reddit
I am not an expert at all, but the advantage of the bags, is you can instantly see if any air leaked in.
blt88@reddit
Florida, budget cuts in my district leading to a lot of educators / staff being non-renewed. Even though, the higher district board positions are still making a great salary.
BuckyRainbowCat@reddit
I'm not sure if this counts, because it's difficult for me to tell if this is truly an economic move or just a political statement, but Air Canada has announced it is suspending flights from Toronto and Montreal to New York JFK until October due to jet fuel prices. Air Canada is Canada's flag carrier, I don't know if it's the only airline serving the TO and Montreal markets (in Western Canada we also have a regional carrier, WestJet). Apparently JFK is only one of three airports in NYC and Air Canada hasn't said anything about stopping service to the other two, so maybe this is all less dramatic than it sounds.
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
It doesn't help that travel to the United States has really been cut back from Canada in general.
BuckyRainbowCat@reddit
Well, Canadians have been cutting back on our voluntary travel to the States for a while now, for a combination of political and economic reasons. So based on what u/WinterFilmAwards says below, this is pretty much just a reduction in seat capacity to align with current demand. Headlines, and commenters in some subreddits, are making this seem pretty dramatic, but I am going to downgrade my assessment to "business responds to existing trend in market"
WinterFilmAwards@reddit
"Those cuts affect one flight from Montreal and three from Toronto, the airline said, noting that Air Canada will still offer 34 daily flights between Canada and LaGuardia Airport in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey."
BuckyRainbowCat@reddit
Ok so in that case my read is - much less dramatic than the headlines make it sound, travelers from TO and Montreal to NYC still have plenty of daily options for getting there and back.
chrs_89@reddit
My 20 something coworker asked if it was lay off season because all his friends were getting laid off. I just hope it doesn’t get worse than what I remember from 2008, I was just out of high school at the time and it was frustrating not being able to get a job yet getting berated for not becoming an independent adult. It does mildly amusing me though that I recommended to them that they attempt to get a couple weeks of food and water stored and he called me a doomer
Impossible_Range6953@reddit
smh...covid was just 5 years ago but I guess they were still living with their parents who took care of everything.
2008 is what made me a prepper. I saw a run on a bank in real life (northern rock England). Then in 2011 the london riots closes businesses and banks in my area.
Bigtimeknitter@reddit
What industry or region? I had that kind of happen to me around 2022 in and around housing.
TrekRider911@reddit
Every other gas pump is out of service at multiple gas stations in town. I swear there is a shortage of some kind.
iloveschnauzers@reddit
New Zealand? Egypt? Africa? North America?
TrekRider911@reddit
Midwest, USA.
LadyDenofMeade@reddit
We got our absentee ballots in the mail this week. Huge insert saying the BOE needs it back by 730P on election day and to make sure you mail it back early or it won't be counted.
That part won't be an issue for us, as we drive by BOE and physically turn them back in.
The weird thing?
The political mailers for this week all have a section talking about how we recieved our absentee ballots and need to turn them in on time, and of course, vote for their candidate. We've only gotten Republican mailers.
Playful_Possible_379@reddit
Oh wow republicans
demonslayercorpp@reddit
They have cut all overtime at my work, every manufacturer in my area is in hiring freezes, two largest in my state shut down
ambular1018@reddit
I work for a small city municipal in SoCal, we were officially notified we are on a hiring freeze.
Ok-Web-2657@reddit
I learned a useful space-saving trick for freezing veggies without a vaccuum sealer.
loveshercoffee@reddit
It also works to submerge the bag upright in water really close to the top. The pressure of the water forces out the air and you just zip it closed.
Ok-Web-2657@reddit
Wow that's cool! Thank you.