SwizzleStick

I miss heated mirrors now that you mention it. My 2003 Civic had them but the 2012 Corsa does not. Joys of poverty spec - I’m lucky to have electric windows.

With good climate (not a rust belt) and being fortunate enough to not blow an engine, it should do well with diligent maintenance.

Mostly why mine still goes. The bodywork is utter crap - full of scratches, dings, dents and the front end looks like someone dropped a running belt sander on it. Ex write-off. Mechanically though it is sound.

My worry is the timing chain. Chains last longer than belts, but they are a dog to change and generally not worth the labour. It will be that or a crash that sends it to the great scrappy in the sky.

Mid-90s a bit too early for me. I am fond of ABS (mandatory here since '04) and airbags ('98) at the very least. Not always a guarantee on cars of that era. Love the looks though.

Best of luck with your teenager.

It’s a good point.

I’d hazard a guess that they are more in the minority than before though. Closest I have seen is friend-of-a-friend referrals for nominal cost pirate IPTV services that provide cable channels & movies. Even then they are paid, and most invite trouble by just going at it without a VPN. Current going rate is £50 for a year here - bring your own Fire stick.

Funny you should mention Synology though, ours is running an Emby server for media here. Having everything properly catalogued (and presented with flair) is fantastic.

Indeed.

Safety systems are just fine.

ABS, lane deviation warnings, automatic braking and the like all actively prevent accidents - without being an annoyance to the driver, if implemented well. That tech is mature now and generally ok across the board.

I dislike all kinds of cruise and attempts at self driving though. More of a personal preference, but I think it makes the driver cede too much of their control to the vehicle - allowing them to become more easily distracted and less able to notice incoming hazards that the vehicle might not.

Yes please.

I don’t know how much longer my button & dialled up 2012 shitbox is going to last. Being able to buy new without the crap is something to look forward to.

Then again, there’s the whole ‘car phones home/connected services’ thing to consider as well. I like my car safe, but dumb as rocks otherwise.

Agree.

Wikipedia is one of the giants that could easily geoblock a country and call it done.

If the general populace of the country in question has a problem with that, they can address it with their government or find alternative ways to access it.

Maybe there is a middle ground to be had that I can’t see, but kowtowing to the unreasonable demands of a pushy foreign government is idiotic.

Yep.

For about the past decade, I’ve only ever upgraded because the current broke (and beyond economic repair), or otherwise became untenable.

Using a refurb S10 now. The S8 prior had a bust screen. Only had that because I needed it to play nice with Bluetooth LE hearing aids. Probably my only recent upgrade that went from one working phone to another.

Tend to only buy flagships, as they are better supported by alternative software - good if they live long enough to age out of official updates.

In short, people with the money to spend can’t be arsed to inconvenience themselves with self hosting or ‘alternative’ sources.

Folk without the money find a way through perceived necessity and maybe learn something on the way.

Then there’s people with the money and the know-how who are just looking to save or do so on principle.

Younger generations grow up with subscriptions and black boxes that are not ultimately under their own control, and lack the knowledge to change it.

It’s a sad state of affairs, but their tolerance for ads and subscription slop keeps attention away from people like me.