Multiplexer

Schöner Beitrag, fand ich gar nicht so sehr cringe, eher positiv begeistert.

Cold-War era strategic Autobahn segments in West Germany had covered shafts at regular intervals.Rumors had it that they were supposed to be fitted with small tactical nukes in the case the Sowjet tanks were on the verge of crossing the border...

Edit:Found the relevant Wikipedia article (only in German, though...):https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra-Paket

What kind of page are you talking about?If you mean a simple no-fuss webpage for some topic, I used Neocities for that in the past:neocities.org

Oh ja, die Altgewinner fahren bei uns auch rum.Und der Kartoffelmann mit seinem offenen LKW: "KAAAARTOFFELN! KAAAAARTOFFELN!" :-)

Ok, plötzlich kein Zugang zu Trinkwasser is aber auch wirklich eine heftige Sache...Irgendwie ist man doch so ein bisschen von dem Zeug abhängig ;-)Kann mir gut vorstellen, dass das eine echt krasse Situation war.

I'm not convinced the fucking has declined. :-)I guess it is more that by now it is decoupled from family planning, which combined with more rational considerations (tied to higher education levels) lead to reduced family sizes.

Housing prices in the last few years have exploded in Germany, but the reduced birthrate preceded that rather recent effect.When looking at the statistics, main reason is less that parents decide completely against children, but more that they have less children. So the average nowadays is just 1.35 children per woman compared to 2.5 children in the 60s.Main driving factor here seems to be more self determination of women and a more rational approach to family planning overall, tied to increased levels of education.

I totally understand that.

But I personally like watching videos (instead of reading about the related topics) even less than I like using AI.So for me summarizing transcripts is the lesser evil.

And if I do it anyway, I might as well share the result and spare people with similar views the effort.Does no harm and might help.

In many municipalities child care is even completely free of charge.(Only for low-income families where I live.)From society's standpoint it is also a good idea to let pedagogues mentor young kids and give them social interaction with same age peers. Also best way for foreign kids to learn the German language and customs, reduces possible later social problems.

Nice!Ich habe die Telekaddi-Podcasts gerade erst entdeckt, gestern den Zauberer-von-Oz-Teil zu Ende gehört.Schön, dass weiterer Nachschub eintrudelt! :-)

War glaube ich auch Teil vom Zivilschutzkonzept bei uns.Wäre mit dem Fall des Ostblocks ab 1990 wohl hinfällig geworden.Aber hey, vielleicht kommt es ja demnächst wieder... 🫤

Wow, so hartes Zeugs war das bei uns dankenswerterweise nicht...Mehr so Alltagsinfos, Ankündigung von Versammlungen, Straßensperrrungen oder so was in der Art, wenn ich das noch grob richtig im Kopf habe.Der Inhalt war für Kinder nicht so wirklich interessant, ein aufregendes Ereignis war es jedesmal trotzdem ;-)

Seid jedes Billig-Handy mit NFC daherkommt ist die eID tatsächlich eine feine Sache.

Hat für mich einige Sachen einfacher gemacht, von Bankkonto einrichten, über neue Telefonkarte registrieren bis Behördenzeugs (da brauchte es aber noch extra Umwege, Bayern kocht da teilweise mal wieder sein eigenes Süppchen).

Ich bin aber auch routinierter Password-Safe-Nutzer, stolpere also nicht über die Pin-Vergessen-Problematik.Streichen des Pin-Versands bei Verlust ist da imho echt ein Schuss ins Knie...

Personally I agree with his assessment of bicycling here in Germany where I live.

And for all of you who prefer reading to watching videos, I let AI generate a transcript summary.

1. Montreal: Small changes build over time

The Lesson: Incremental improvements accumulate into significant transformation.
Context: The speaker describes Montreal as the city that changed their perspective on cycling. Unlike the "battle" mentality of car-centric commuting, Montreal offered safe, separated infrastructure.
Key Details:
- The city has been building bike lanes since the 1980s.
- Regular visits show constant expansion of the network, better connectivity, and the addition of pedestrian spaces.
- It represents a gradual reprioritization of public space away from automobiles.

2. Paris: It is about priorities, not space

The Lesson: Cities do not need to find new space; they must reallocate existing space based on new priorities.
Context: Paris underwent a rapid transformation from a car-clogged city to a bike city.
Key Details:
- Transformation involved reallocation rather than "nipping and tucking."
- Example: Rue de Rivoli was converted from car dominance to mostly bike use, with only one lane for taxis, buses, and deliveries.
- This demonstrates that rethinking the use of existing space can create "magical" urban environments.

3. New York: Political courage is essential

The Lesson: Changing the status quo requires political will to fight entrenched paradigms.
Context: Changing infrastructure in New York is uniquely difficult due to it being a media capital where everything is amplified.
Key Details:
- Improvements like bike lanes and congestion pricing challenge 75 years of car-centric habits.
- Example: The congestion pricing debate showed how political capital must be invested to achieve results (reduced traffic, increased transit use, quieter streets).

4. London: Benefits extend beyond transportation

The Lesson: Cycling infrastructure improves the city for everyone, not just cyclists.
Context: London’s "cycling superhighways" have catalyzed broader positive changes.
Key Details:
- Safety: Separated lanes make streets safer for motorists too by calming traffic and reducing speeds.
- Economy: Businesses benefit as it is easier for customers to stop at shops by bike than by car.
- Health: Central London saw a 53% drop in harmful nitrogen dioxide levels due to low emission zones and reduced traffic.

5. Edmonton: Better cities can happen anywhere

The Lesson: Even cities historically designed around cars can transform themselves.
Context: Edmonton is a sprawling, postwar North American city with a cold climate, often assumed to be resistant to change.
Key Details:
- The city is a leader in undoing car-centric damage through zoning reform, removing parking minimums, and investing in transit.
- These changes have contributed to affordable housing and better public spaces, proving that change is possible regardless of a city's starting point.

6. Seattle: Think creatively about space

The Lesson: Overlooked or forgotten spaces can be transformed into vital public amenities.
Context: Seattle is rainy and hilly, yet ranks highly for cycling.
Key Details:
- Example: The Burke-Gilman Trail was created from a decommissioned railroad in the 1970s.
- Instead of selling the land off, it became one of the world's first "rail trails."
- This demonstrated the vision to see forgotten infrastructure as a way to transform daily life and connectivity.

7. Oulu, Finland: You can build winter cycling cities

The Lesson: Climate is not a barrier; infrastructure commitment is.
Context: Located near the Arctic Circle, Oulu is snowy and dark for much of the year yet is a world-class bike city.
Key Details:
- The network prioritizes bikes over cars and is well-lit for dark days.
- Maintenance is prioritized: plow crews maintain a packed snow foundation for traction.
- Users are "normal" people (families, students, elderly), not just hardcore cyclists.

8. Ottawa & Washington D.C.: Progress is local, not national

The Lesson: National character matters less than specific local decisions.
Context: Comparing two national capitals revealed unexpected results.
Key Details:
- Washington D.C. was surprisingly bikeable with a solid network, whereas Ottawa had a patchy network outside of scenic corridors.
- This proves that cycling success depends on specific city council decisions, local advocates, and political courage, rather than national culture or funding.

9. Victoria: You can build a family bike city

The Lesson: Infrastructure should support "mobilities of care," not just commuting.
Context: Victoria focuses on families rather than just the typical "commuter" demographic.
Key Details:
- The city sees high usage of cargo bikes for transporting children.
- Planning focuses on trips related to domestic responsibilities (school runs, shopping, daycare) rather than just downtown employment centers.
- This creates a calmer, safer bike culture.

10. Berlin & Hamburg: Normalizing cycling is not enough

The Lesson: Cycling must be prioritized, not just accepted as normal.
Context: In Germany, cycling is a normalized mode of transport, but the speaker noted a hesitation to prioritize it.
Key Details:
- Cycling is socially acceptable, but infrastructure and laws still prioritize the automobile ("normalized but marginalized").
- This limits the potential impact of cycling because it remains less safe than it should be.

11. Calgary: Build on what you have

The Lesson: Cities can leverage existing recreational assets for transportation purposes.
Context: Calgary is a car-centric city with a massive network of multi-use pathways originally built for recreation.
Key Details:
- The pathway system was intended for leisure (Sunday rides) in a low-density city.
- The city is slowly integrating this recreational network into a functional transportation network by filling gaps and connecting pathways to street bikeways.

* in the US

We currently pay something in the range of 250€ a month for after school care of our 2 kids, including lunch; full kindergarten care for both was around 500€ before in Germany.Funny thing though: birthrates here are dropping even worse than in the US...

Yes, OP clearly hasn't been to (or read any memes or news about) Germany during the last few years...

Nicht über das nächste Quartal hinaus denken kenne ich hauptsächlich von börsennotierten Firmen, wo es schon oft fragwürdige Resultate liefert.Bei Staatsregierungen ist es komplett fehl am Platz.

Comment was not about what is, but what the rest of the world thinks it to be.And that is not fancy West Coast craft beer or so, but Bud Light and Coors, I am afraid...

TBF, this doesn't look like a security feature, but just a convenient way to span the chain taut.