@matigo I had wondered, during the protests in HK, if anyone would come up with an "anti-strobe strobe": a flashlight that would sync its strobing to the "off" moments of the ambient strobing, such that when both strobe and anti-strobe ran there would just be consistent light.
// @variablepulserate
@variablepulserate Well it depends on how you define "normal domestic" I suppose. My HK apartment (studio) has windows on 3 of the 4 walls and I'm used to having daylight 12 hours a day, including blindingly bright sun shining in around lunchtime; UK is certainly dim by comparison.
A flashlight with strobe is always in my backpack — really just in case I get stuck on an unlit bike route after sunset, but I have wondered if the strobe would ever come in handy.
@variablepulserate It is. I use light extensively throughout the day to focus (or not) — I have it turn on automatically in the morning before my audio alarm; it changes to a warmer tone automatically at sunset, etc.
I found when I was living in Edinburgh that the lack of light (UV, mostly, but just general light as well) had a serious effect on my mood and also eyestrain.
Though actually the tool I'm most keen to have access to again is my hammer drill…haven't been able to hang proper curtains yet as this battery drill just can't get into the concrete, and hanging 10kg off screws just going an inch into plaster doesn't work, I concluded after a few hours of trying.
Ordered a couple of 3600 lumen bulbs yesterday. It just won't do to get so little light in a day. Should be able to reach 8200 lumens in the living room without buying any more lamps and just over 10000 if I get another 2 bulb holders.
Really need my big shipment to arrive. Got a lovely wall lamp that I need to rewire to a plug, amongst other things, and there's just so much I can't do without my tools. Don't want to end up with duplicates so have avoided buying anything so far.
Received a handwritten letter from a Jehovah's Witness couple.
I was quite touched at first.
And then I read the first paragraph:
Dear neighbour,
hi we hope your well.
and then decided it mustn't have been intended for me as I don't have a well.
@variablepulserate Yes I'm quite used to buying in bulk. Have done it for years. Every few months I'll take a suitcase over for a big sack of rice, or 10L of oil, or something along those lines; otherwise it's the biweekly shop for 5kg sacks of potatoes and onions etc. on my bike.
Sometimes it can be had cheaper on Amazon and that's always convenient. I bought 6kg of tapioca pearls a few days ago, which should be a good year of bubble tea.
// @matigo
@variablepulserate Hm maybe the ones near me are just not that desperate. I almost exclusively shop at Asda and Lidl, in terms of Western supermarkets; the Asian ones are far better value, I find, for the staples like 5kg sacks of potatoes and onions (which I buy about every 2 weeks), huge bundles of garlic, and 20kg bags of rice.
Then for sauces, herbs, and canned/dried goods like pasta and tomatoes I just use Amazon and save myself carrying everything. Better selection too.
// @matigo
@hazardwarning I remember in a video Gordon Ramsay did with his mum, she said that when she was raising the children and they were poor, she never turned on the oven for just one thing, e.g. if a roast was going in then a cake would go in at the same time.
I had considered a slow cooker but decided to stick with my pressure cooker.
@matigo Ha. I'm just gamifying it whilst I'm here: since so many things get charged sales tax, the game is how little money I can hand over to the government. (Fresh groceries in general don't get taxed though, by my understanding, and buying second hand often works reasonably well for other things.)
As for meat, unfortunately I think the shelves just aren't full enough for things to expire. The meat aisles in Aldi or Lidl are hardly crammed.