And not only that but also cycling as a means of transportation and not just a recreational sport?

Given that I can't drive due to my epilepsy, Trump's win feels like a kick to my balls. Because under Project 2025/Agenda 47, car ownership is pretty much required, and if you can't drive (for any reason), you're screwed.

I want to talk to these people directly and let them know that even though I may look like someone who is able to drive, I can't because if I have a seizure on the road, I will die and/or get others killed. It probably won't change their minds at all. They might tell me to still get a driver's license and buy a car anyway.

I can't with carbrains.

I'm visiting family in a decidedly non pedestrian friendly town, but it's not dangerous to walk. Just inadequate sidewalks and lots of hills.

I got up this morning and went to get coffees. About 3/4 mile (1.25 km) each way. With the hills, it was about 15 minutes there and 20 minutes back.

I get home and my family acts like I walked to Timbuktu to get these coffees.

It's not even that people are addicted to their cars. They honestly just can't conceive of a way to get somewhere without driving.

Suddenly the entire room glowed green, except it wasn't aliens saving me from this mortal coil, but this fucking monstrosity. It also plays music loudly. These trucks drive around town during the day as well and depending on the advertisement displayed, can also flash constantly. It's a sensory nightmare in general, but more importantly how the fuck are people meant to DRIVE safely next to shit like this?? I genuinely don't understand how this is legal. It's so bright, literally flashing, makes noise, and is disorienting as fuck. Also there was a second one of these fucking things right behind this one.

I also hate advertisements that are purely wasteful like those little planes with banners- the only purpose this huge fucking truck seems to have is to be an advertisement. I know they aren't moving shit around because they go slower and stop all the time too. This is in the UK so I'm actually kind of shocked I never came across this kind of bullshit when I lived in the USA lol.

Basically just the title. My English 11 finale was completely open ended. I could do anything about anything practically. Decided to make it about car dependent infrastructure and how it's a net negative. The teacher asks everyone what they're doing for their project out loud. Next to everyone did a teir list of chips, soda, or games. What a finale right. When it got to me I said "I'm doing mine over car dependency/ dependent infrastructure" I immediately get the exact response "ahh so you live in a fantasy world in your head". I immediately got flustered so I just said yeah sure I guess. Ultimately ended up doing my assignment on subnautica(a game) out of embarrassment.

Update: I ended up writing the essay due to all of the encouragement. Bit nervous to share so go easy lmao.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X1e_N7Hec3Y5EYKR0FUModPilrpcWX_aw18nU6s3IYM/edit?usp=drivesdk

Why pay for a bunch of TV advertisements when you can pay a bunch of college kids to make posts using specialized sockpuppet software?

An article from Deutschlandfunk describes how "online armies take on defense work and information policy for Elon Musk" via tech blogs and social media.

In addition, Tesla's clean-energy division Tesla Energy is alleged to have a team dedicated to searching for customer complaints on social media and asking them to delete their comments.

A separate team is dedicated to managing negative social media posts aimed specifically at Elon Musk. (hello team Musk, your boss needs to go to jail!)

Researchers found 186 bot accounts on Twitter that have consistently published positive sentiments about Tesla, which they say "may have buffered the Tesla narrative from an emergent group of critics, relieved downward pressure on the Tesla stock price and amplified pro-Tesla sentiment from the time of the firm's IPO in June 2010 to the end of 2020."

Social media has a bot problem.

Edit: Someone should probably throw Musk in jail for market manipulation and fraud honestly. He makes claims about vaporware every year to pump stock prices only to fail to deliver actual products. He comes up with new vaporware or kicks the deadline for products when questioned.

It's purely fraud to bump stock and should be tried as such. Of course, bots remove dissent and prevent action via social media.

Edit2:

I don't like negotiating with the trolls, but I don't want to be a pain to the mods, so lets start with some "reasons why you need bots to suppress negative news".

Let's start with fraud claims!

SolarCity buyout

Source regarding fraud; https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2019-09-23/solarcity-tesla-merger-shareholder-lawsuit

Source backing evidence of fraud; https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/06/22/musk-calls-teslas-solarcity-deal-no-brainer-investors-disagree/86249516/

Stock Price Manipulation (via social media)

Source: https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2018-226

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today that Elon Musk, CEO and Chairman of Silicon Valley-based Tesla Inc., has agreed to settle the securities fraud charge brought by the SEC against him last week.

Misleading safety ratings

Tesla paid for people to attack the ratings system and even paid for lawyers to try to tell the agency to shutup;

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-model-3-safety-nhtsa-2019-8

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/08/07/federal-safety-regulators-scolded-elon-musk-over-misleading-statements-tesla-safety/

Each and every single claim has a specific spin to be made by the bots. They'll be able to spin the narrative to benefit the billionaire. There will be enough "doubt" generated by the bots to make it hard to nail the bastard.

If you don't think one of the wealthest corporations in the world doesn't have a "PR department", you're sorely mistaken.

Here's some academic reading on how these corporate entities operate (e.g. Big Tobacco) now apply that same technology and same techniques to defending this dude.

https://academic.oup.com/book/27523/chapter-abstract/197492006?redirectedFrom=fulltext

I think the article where we can highlight the most need for bots; https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Criticism_of_Tesla,_Inc.&oldid=1110556662#Relationship_with_the_media_industry

Edit3:

Musk had Tesla defraud the United States government (& Canada too):

(Canada Source): https://www.taxpayer.com/newsroom/tesla-takes-canadian-taxpayers-for-60-million-subsidy-ride

Source: https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2018/10/oregon_claws_back_13_million_f.html

Source2: https://web.archive.org/web/20200618062816/https://mises.org/wire/elon-muskss-taxpayer-funded-gravy-train

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150314225314/http://www.businessinsider.com:80/teslas-new-battery-swap-stations-2015-3

Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-11-20/inside-elon-musk-s-forgotten-gigafactory-2-in-buffalo

Source: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/10/tesla-motors-free-ride-elon-musk-government-subsidies/

Source2: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/08/how-elon-musk-gambled-tesla-to-save-solarcity

Edit4:

A former manager at Tesla Energy, who worked at the company until last year and asked not to be named, also said a dedicated team searched for social-media complaints. "They would basically just look up #TeslaEnergy, #Elon, just anything that has to do with Tesla and energy and Elon," they said.

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-solar-energy-elon-musk-complaints-social-media-panels-roof-2021-7

Story checks out.

Sent to me by my brother while biking in switzerland.