It's tough because sometimes these things can feel like a "tax", i.e. the general public does not need this item so they don't purchase it, but I now have to since there are no longer any alternatives. Seems like perhaps an inconsequential amount for a straw, but it's just another cost most people don't need to consider and shoulder (mobility tools like wheelchairs, maybe specific medicines, etc.). It all adds up.
Shipping these back and forth seems to add much more waste (and cost) to the equation.
I'd rather see grocery stores expand their "bulk sections" (where you self-serve just the amount you need and pay per weight) more. In its current iteration it's generally limited to nuts, oats, and grains and it uses a lot of plastic bags, but I know some stores that offer glass containers to purchase or you can bring your own.
Imagine being able to get almost anything in this way at the grocery store. Just want a pint of ice cream? Bring your glass jar and have the attendant scoop it for you (like at a real ice cream shop). Just want a few chips as a snack instead of the normal bags? Bring a reusable container and grab just a couple.
I feel like this offers a lot more flexibility and would truly reduce waste. A drawback though is that you have to remember to bring all your containers when shopping, but with enough practice it becomes second nature (like bringing reusable bags nowadays).
In addition to that, AirBnB takes a lot of the headache out for hosts in regards to local laws.
In San Francisco for example, AirBnB collects and remits the local hotel tax on behalf of hosts, making that a non-issue for hosts. But when I used AirBnB in Italy I had to meet the host and they needed to charge me the tax, print a receipt, and had me sign something...all which I imagine was because at the time or in that locale AirBnB had not set up that convenience for hosts yet. And in SF, they only do this if AirBnB is the sole platform you use--if you use multiple then you'd have to collect/remit taxes yourself I believe. Probably not an issue for someone who rents out multiple units and treats AirBnB as their main job, but for the little guy that just wants to make a few extra bucks from an extra couch, room, etc. here and there AirBnB navigating the tax stuff is huge.
Without lines/borders, where does one nation end and another begin? If you are suggesting no nations, what laws are you subject to and what protections do you have?
"Imaginary" doesn't mean useless or meaningless. Let's take a look at this at a smaller scale: property lines. Assuming one has a front yard within their property lines, that line too is "imaginary" in that it may not be explicitly demarcated or labeled. Would you be fine with anyone and everyone chillin in your front yard? If you want to make the argument that border lines are imaginary, can you even call your front yard "yours"?
We can abolish borders, but that doesn't seem like a future rooted in reality. Who governs who? Sounds like you want everyone to live under one "nation"...like are you really advocating for world peace?
What laws are you subject to? What protections do you have? These are all dependent on which side of the border you land, therefore you have to set where one side ends and where another begins.
Some readers are asking what's the point since germs are everywhere? I was actually quite interested in this. As a practitioner of BJJ, a common rule among schools/dojos is to not allow you to train with dirty gis, and a lot recommend washing it as soon as possible after sessions. Staph is an ever-present (though not incredibly common) concern with all the sweat, rolling around, and close contact. A bit grossed out to read that washing doesn't do all too much to reduce germs and therefore chances of staph.
Though germs are a concern, body odor is a very practical reason to always train with clean clothes, and for some people it requires enforcement through peer pressure.
That's just good practice in general, the salt & sweat come out easier when they haven't fully dried yet, and the bacteria won't have as much time to grow their numbers and make the garment permanently smelly.
I am anosmic who does laundry every 3 weeks. How much time does it normally take to become permanently smelly? Do you have to be drenched in sweat? Will the smell transfer to other clothes in the basket?
2) also depends on the fabric, but usually you have to be pretty sweaty, at least to the wet-armpits level. Just think of the level where you will be depositing salt on the clothes.
3) Not often.
If you don't want to do laundry right away, you can soak the salty clothes, squeeze them dry, and hang them.
Staph isn't fun, but you should also be worried about HIV, hepatitis B, and other bloodborne pathogens.
Not all blood pathogens can be killed by traditional disinfectants, even bleach. You need to soak the affected article for 10 minutes with a caustic sterilizer such as Sporicidin or CaviCide (which unlike disinfectants will kill bacterial spores)
No training center I have ever seen cleans their mats this way. Roll at your own risk...
There is absolutely 0% chance of contracting HIV through a mat at a martial arts studio, unless you eviscerate someone with a knife, stab yourself, and roll around in their blood thirty seconds after the evisceration.
I'd be surprised if there are any documented transmissions of those pathogens, especially given they need more complicated uptake.
The issue with Staph is that skin-to-skin contact, or the indirect version mediated by a mat, is more than enough for it go to "Yeah, I live here now..."
According to doctors/nurses I've talked to, smooshing a mucous membrane or open sore onto material which came into contact with infected blood can be enough for transmission. Which is why competent BDSM dungeons clean their apparatus with cavicide before/after use, and why they recommend a barrier between a person and the apparatus.
I'd absolutely suggest it for those environments, but that's because, to be blunt, there's a lot more exposure of mucous membranes in those environments than your average dojo.
The open sore is honestly a risk for both - S. aureus loves it some open wounds.
Would you say this course would help learn languages? I'm currently self-studying Japanese, so adding another "class" would be difficult time-wise. But if this Coursera course would help, it might be worth the time for me. Thanks!
Self-taught Japanese, Chinese, etc. Course changed me. Wouldn't be a programmer without it.
Sidenote, there's no PM function here, but my email's in my profile. Shoot me a note if you want any tips on Japanese etc. Got decks of anki flashcards for daaaays.
Too late to edit, so, summary of what I sent OP in my email:
1. Taking the coursera course probably a valuable use of time, alongside more general "meta-learning" about personal psychology. Books such as "How to Win friends..." "Power of Habit..." "Wherever you go, there you are..." etc
2. Use "anki" or "ankidroid" depending on platform. Get public decks "Hiragana with stroke diagrams and audio," "Kana (katakana)," "Core 2k/6k optimized Japanese vocabulary," and use following youtube video to then create forward/backwards cards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnbKwHEQ1mA
5. Create and write down a clear reason for learning Japanese, and potentially book a flight (well ahead of time, and if economically viable) to set a concrete timeline for learning.
EDIT: By the way, the "Core 2k..." cards have example phrases for every word. I don't recommend trying to memorize these, but I do recommend reading the sentence out loud for every card. Muscle memory, further familiarity with grammar, helping sort whether a given verb is a ru- or non-ru verb, etc.
Anki is a lovely piece of FOSS, but its best to create your own deck(s). The process of making them, allows you to learn the content, and you're immediately familiar with the content as well. Pretty much like reading a book for studies the first time.
Devil's advocate: are you really paying them for a service? I guess it depends on if you pay your bill in full each month, but for those that do pay in full, credit cards provide so many "free" benefits (travel perks, cash back, loss protection, extended warranties, so on). So for those, credit cards provide excellent services requiring no payment at all--it could almost be seen as a club with benefits that one joins, and if that's the case why not impose their moral compass onto its members (like most clubs do)?
None of those things are free to me. It's something in the range of %1-%3 of all I spend. Despite the fact that a lot of the time those charges are hidden in the price of the items I purchase, I pay them even if I use cash.
Yup. Fill with corn halfway, butter, then shake the bag. Fill to the top and butter again. Don't butter with less than half the bag filled or you will soak the bottom and get soggy corn. If the theatre won't do this, go to an independent.
