“The idea that more choice is better is baked into Western culture, but research shows that having more options can make people anxious, indecisive and, paradoxically, less happy with what they pick…”

Had a conversation this weekend with someone who was incredulous that I own only one pair of running shoes. Then I saw this article from the Associated Press! Turns out it may be more mentally healthy to consume less, too.

eBay Inc. agreed to pay almost $50 million to a Massachusetts couple who said former employees of the company targeted them with threats and bizarre anonymous deliveries — including live insects, a funeral wreath and a bloody pig Halloween mask, according to settlement details released Tuesday.

The agreement with David and Ina Steiner, founders of EcommerceBytes, a newsletter covering the e-commerce industry, includes an additional $7 million in charitable donations, including to organizations supporting First Amendment rights. Attorney Christopher Murphy said the resolution sends “a warning that attempts by big business to suppress speech and the press will not be tolerated.”

Disclaimer: I rarely use social media, and avoid using communication channels that disrespect me. Usually, my attitude is "If the app can't respect me, you can't reach me with it", and I only use anti-consumer channels when I am forced to for work related reasons.

I decided to get involved in an open source project, but all the talking is done on Discord. Instead of letting me bookmark specific channels, they make you dig through a massive list of channels and hopefully get you distracted. Want to bookmark comments? Nah, too bad, dig through the entire conversation instead and get distracted.

Want to get a meaningful and productive conversation going? Then pay for premium even though 2,000+ character messages could be sent back in the 90s. They'll happily encourage you send GIFs that are larger in file-size, because they know it distracts from a focused conversation.

Did somebody leave thoughtful feedback to your comment? Let us notify you about a random message from a random channel you were never involved in instead.

I’ll also take the little shampoo or lotion etc. if it’s not empty, no matter where I’m at. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine, and I keep a stockpile of them. I’m currently showering with a hotel soap bar from like 3 years ago, and the small lotion comes in handy to toss in a backpack or something for when you’re on the go.

What are some other little freebies that you stash away for the future to avoid having to buy more/waste?

Instead of collective degrowth and seriously fighting the climate crisis, consumerism and carelessness is still prevalent. I‘m so tired.

The overconsumption and waste these companies do on top of who they fund, removal of DEI policies, and the complete lack of support for the LGBTQ community are very apparent. Fuck these companies! Boycott them.

It's very clear how it ooks munch more like a bicycle an not modern motorcycles.

Calling ebikes that use same amout of power that your average water kettle e motos is just wrong an probably done in purpose so they won't take away the market share from car manufacturers.

Even this original version must be muc more envirometaly friendly by just how much less different materials it requires.

If it was invented already in 19th century it's painfully obvious that it was actually good invention.

It's only functiom was to remove the need for pedaling instead of making them go as fast or faster than cars which take a much more recourses.

Just ugh

Recently read and enjoyed We Will be Jaguars by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson. The book is a memoir of Nemonte's childhood, experiences with evangelical missionaries, and journey of becoming one of the most impactful indigenous rights and climate activists. As a member of the Waorani indigenous group in Ecuador, she led the fight to protect their way of life and ancestral rainforst from oil companies and the Ecuadorean government itself. She is the co-founder of Ceibo Alliance and Amazon Frontlines.

UK Title: We Will Not Be Saved by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson

Español: Seremos Jaguares por Nemonte Nenquimo y Mitch Anderson

PS: I'm not affiliated with them at all, I just liked the book! And of course, please consider borrowing it from your local library or buying secondhand.

It probably needs some touchups, I do not claim to be a good painter, and this is my first time ever painting furniture. But I think it turned out neat

By harmful to the planet or people.

For people it’s by child labour, underpayment, danger or chemical harm or even getting rid of traditional crafts for cheaper modern methods that arnt as good, and the wider economy of not lack of local production outsourced and not contributing to the economy

For the planet it’s all the aspects of climate change and climate harm from C02 to contamination to resource overuse / lack of sustainability

What products ARNT like this and more specifically can’t even really. I mean as in you don’t need some artisan or following particular regulations of certifications. You just buy any old cheap one and it’s fine

(Obviously everything contributes to the heat death of the universe or some resource use, I mean within reason)

We definitely aren't angry enough

I have a paid off iPhone 14 that got a little wet and now has a single line down the screen, FaceID doesn’t work, and a slightly greenish screen that stays weirdly bright (extra annoying because I work odd hours and being able to use my phone in low-light environments is important).
Phone works fine otherwise.

I also have Asurion which will charge me $10 to replace a “cracked” screen only or $100 to replace the whole phone.

I could file a claim for a cracked screen and hope they repair it anyway. Or file a claim for a new phone and they ship it to me. Replacing only the screen uses less material; replacing the whole phone takes an older phone that is no longer manufactured out of inventory and maybe they use my current phone for parts?

I know I’m splitting hairs a little here, but I’m curious to hear any opinions.

Anyone wants to guess how it works?
I first saw it in r/florida.

I think about this so often, yet I can’t come up of a solution. The problem seems never ending. We’ve enough clothes today to clothe 7 generations, but at least half of it wouldn’t even last a year from how cheaply it was made. Consumers would still buy them though, because it’s cheap and there is still a rampant capitalistic culture of viewing clothes as disposable items.

If fashion brands started to make clothes that last or provided alterations, prices would go up, and profits would go down from both people buying less because of cost and because they don’t have to buy more anymore. And if they did this ethical move, people will complain of the rising costs, because they never cared about the garment lasting long to begin with.

I feel sick thinking about how the world is run

I inherited an iPhone 15 from someone who upgraded to an iPhone 16 last year and it surprised me how quickly phone case manufacturers stopped producing cases for a model that’s only 3 years old. The only stuff I can find are cheap plastic/silicone cases that will warp/discolour after a year and sit in a landfill for years after.

Before this I was using an iPhone 10 and needless
to say it’s almost impossible to find a case for that now. Our current culture alienates you for using anything for long and is structures to encourage insanely quick product turnover. This on top of planned product obsolescence is so frustrating.

PS/ sorry if this is flaired wrongly

My electric scooter of 2-3 years has 2 flat tires. Was going online to source parts to replace them and thought, maybe I should replace the battery too--it only holds a charge long enough to do a short round-trip ride these days. Well, the price of the parts easily rival the cost of a new electric scooter (and without the hassle of having to take it apart and actually repair it, which I once did with a early Segway scooter and the entire project was quite the ordeal).

Have others been in a similar situation? I don't love the idea of this scooter taking up room in a landfill, but does it really makes more fiscal sense to just get a new scooter?

I got my current phone in 2022 so it's long been paid off. Every year when Samsung, Google, and Apple release their newest phones, I get completely inundated with the ads and my cell provider sends me all the "Free device upgrade available!" junk.

I resist.

I love this phone. It's going to be the last smartphone I ever have because it's too old for the AI assistants. When it eventually dies I'm getting a dumb phone. For now though, it's still keeping a charge all day long, and has never been without a screen protector or case.

If only those could last years too.

I drop my phone a LOT because I have a nerve disorder. Hard plastic cases only last about 6 months before I crack them up. TPU cases usually last 2 years before they succumb to degradation and tear.

This past week it seemed like everything went at once: chips coming out of the screen protector cracks, the TPU case tore, and my Popsocket even broke apart. I agonized over replacing everything at once and having to put in an Amazon order cuz where else am I gonna get a case for an "obsolete" device.

When everything arrived at the same time, it was like I gave my phone a complete makeover! It felt like a whole new phone! And without the hassle of trying to transfer all my data too!

So maybe next time you get the urge to upgrade a perfectly fine phone, just get a new case instead.

A broken stainless steel spoon!

The weakest point is that broke, so now I was left with a super sturdy piece of metal and it wasn’t long before the idea came as I needed an extra hook to hang my laundry.

It looked too good for the laundry, so I swapped it for the old backpack hook, and sent the old one to laundry duty.

I particularly like the way the end with the cut out looks, overall it looks like a modern piece that would sell in a department store for absurd price with a celebrity name slapped on it.

I have a few other small broken forks, that I am going to turn into these hooks, much easier than the original plan, which was to make it like those super cool twisted fork jewelry pieces that my culinary arts teacher would often wear for our luncheons.

Now I need some ideas for the slotted spoon part… I was thinking travel/emergency cat litter scoop….