Just an alternate perspective, but we have a Roborock S7 robotic vacuum and we absolutely love it. We started using it in Jan 2023 and it’s been working well since. We run it twice a week so we always stay on-top of vacuuming and it does a great job in our house with wood floors with an area rug.

When we want to run the vacuum upstairs, we carry it up, put it in a specific place and hit the “on” button and it does a good job there as well, but we only vacuum upstairs occasionally. When it’s through, we carry it back downstairs and put it on the charger.

But it’s not completely “set and forget”. We do have some very small rugs (think in front of your door or maybe in front of the bathroom mirror) that we shake out (onto the floor) and get off the floor before the vacuum runs and we have a few other things (like bar stools) that we move away from the counter to give the vacuum more room. Sort of a “pre and post vacuum process” to help ensure it can get into some tighter spaces.

And we have to clean the vacuum and it’s docking station regularly (similar to cleaning out the bag in a standard vacuum). But that’s about it. Moving that stuff takes maybe 3 minutes?

We have a dog and a cat, we have a litter box that gets litter scattered around it, and the robot seems to handle it just fine.

I think the tradeoff is this: while you do have to move some stuff to help the vacuum get into some tighter spaces (which I guess you’d have to do with a manual vacuum anyways as well), that takes just a few minutes and you can run your vacuum regularly several times per week to just keep up with the dog hair.

Edit: One more concern is that, unlike a regular vacuum, the robot vacuums share a lot of data with their parent company so if that’s a concern, then it’s not a good choice! But if you use Facebook or Instagram, maybe you don’t care?

We have a 2700 SQ FT house (250 m²) if that helps.

Scuba Diving week after next.

I don’t think this is something we have to worry about in the near future and I don’t think it will happen under Trump. What concerns me is the way the “system” is being set up so that alternative points of view or other parties just won’t have a chance to win an election or survive a lawsuit.

The groundwork is being laid so that people way more extreme than what we are seeing now can come into power and then stay in power without any way of removing them.

The current administration is setting things up where in order to “count” you have to be 1) loyal to Trump and 2) loyal to the republican party (don’t want any RINOs!). Heck, you can subscribe to typically republican principals (lower taxes, lower spending, right to bear arms, strong military, etc…) but you aren’t a “real” republican unless you un-waveringly support Trump.

But a true patriot is loyal to the Constitution. But now, you can’t be a republican and be loyal to the constitution, you have to be loyal to Trump. And that is setting things up to go very badly.

Didn’t J. Peterman go there to find stuff for his catalog? (Seinfeld reference)

I think you are generally attracted to people around your age but it changes. When you are a kid, girls your age are attractive, but so are older girls. As you get older, older women become more attractive, but younger women don’t stop being attractive.

When looking to secure your house, you should use a “defense in depth” strategy of which an alarm can be part of it but I don’t think you should solely count on an alarm to keep you safe. Many crooks can kick in your front door, get in, go through your bedroom, and be out in five minutes well before anyone can get there and do anything.

So it could help, but only as one part of a multi-pronged strategy.

An alarm that makes noise (but doesn’t necessarily call the cops) can help if someone breaks in and you are home (which, IMO, is the best argument for it) or even to encourage them to get in and out quickly as they know they’ve called attention to themselves.

You want to do several things that will deter a burglar so most just decide that your house is not worth the effort. This is no guarantee (as there are some stupid but opportunistic criminals out there) but for example:

• not having hedges that hide entry points to your house
• getting a dog that barks
• not establishing routines that say “I’m not home” (like, for example, your garage door is always open when you are home but only shut when you leave)
• don’t leave boxes out front that had expensive things, etc…
• Make sure your house is well lit
• Lights on a timer when you are away
• Security Cameras or even fake alarm signs
• Don’t leave your garage door open unattended
• Don’t leave valuables in your car
• Good locks and a strong doorframe

None of these things will stop a burglar, but a combination of things may make them think that your neighbor is a better target. And, regardless, have good insurance.

If someone does break in, don’t keep valuables in your bedroom/main closet or bath as that is the room most likely to get tossed. Have a safe in an obscure place that bolted down (like under the sink in a bathroom), or maybe have something a little valuable out in the open so they grab that and run.

In the U.S. this has changed a bit over the years. I believe, based on watching Mad Men, that it used to be super common for people to drink and have alcohol at work, let alone at lunch. A friend of my dad used to take his Playboy subscription at work because he didn’t want it to be available to his kids. Try that these days!

In the 90s, I worked at a job were it wasn’t uncommon to have a drink with lunch, especially when we were out with our Managing Director.

In the 2000s it was essentially something you’d get fired for.

Now? My current job (IT in the aviation industry) wouldn’t allow it but there are apparently a lot of start ups that bring beer around to people’s desks on Friday afternoons.

First, I agree with your comment about the room. It’s the most important part of how good a system sounds, neck and neck with speakers.

Second, while I don’t have a wide variety of experience with studio gear or a variety of audiophile speakers I can say this: I have been a Magnepan guy for decades and currently have the 1.7i’s. But I recently got some Yamaha HS7s for my computer and I have really been enjoying them.

Maggies are legendary for how well they reproduce female vocals (and they deserve that reputation) but I was listening to Cowboy Junkies this morning and just really enjoyed how Margo Timmins voice sounded as well as the imaging (and they aren’t set up really well for imaging given I have three monitors on my desk).

So, yeah, try studio monitors if you are looking for powered speakers.

Have you tried filtering the home page? I’m very new to Lemmy so my advice may not be the best, but on the home page (I’m’ using lemmyusa), there is a “Location” option and I changed it from “All” to “Subscriptions”. This way I only get the sub communities I’ve subscribed to.

I have not found a way to hide a sub community (i.e. hide “politics” or something) from the main feed.

If someone with more experience with Lemmy can sherd some additional advice for focusing content I would appreciate it!