I have a few non-logo leather purses from the Coach outlet store, and they’ve been great. They’re all at least seven years old and have held up really well despite constant use. They basically look like new.

If I’m a passenger with said libertarian who goes unbelted due to personal choice, does Ayn Rand’s ghost keep their unsecured body from cracking into and injuring mine in an accident?

Yes! This!! I hated everything about my Econ department head, but he was on the money putting this book in the syllabi. I’m reminded of Fussell every time I see a car logo bumper sticker on a car... next to the logo...

I put it in the group of middle class people who have enough disposable income to spend on an expensive bag, but not enough income to buy a real nice one like Chanel etc., but wants something “name” for you know, conspicuous consumption.

(Signature patterns—those using initials particularly—are generally tacky as hell, in my can’t afford this bullshit anyway opinion.)

If you haven’t read it, there’s a book that was written in the early 80s called Class, by Paul Fussell, that describes the purchasing habits based on their class.

The plain leathergoods are nice—especially the vintage stuff! It’s when they went for overprivileged teens that they really tanked the aesthetic. Those Cs on canvas are horrifyingly ugly.

I feel like Coach is the ugly stepsister of LV (another brand I loathe). I like some Kate Spade items, since it’s more simple and classic, but I really despise Coach. UGH.

I’ve always thought Coach was insanely overpriced for how basic and sometimes downright tacky their bags are. I also just on principal won’t spend money on a designer handbag unless I score one secondhand. I got a beautiful Bally leather saddle bag for like 12 bucks and it’s served me really well for the last year.

Hot take alert...

I have no experience with Tesla, but 9 times out of 10 when a company complains that they can’t find qualified workers, what they mean is they can’t find qualified workers who will work for the pay and benefits they’re offering. Seems like they should have to suck it up and pay what the market demands.

I guess I’m the only one who appreciates the new tech. I had an instance a few weeks ago where I looked over my shoulder for two seconds where two highways merge, and at the same time the cars in front of me all jammed on their brakes. My car beeped and slowed me down enough to where I avoided slamming into anyone. …

3rd Gear: If Tesla paid their engineers more, I’d consider applying (again). I applied in the past and was offered an engineering position but laughed at what they wanted to pay. If they paid competitive wages they wouldn’t be short workers.

I went to lunch with a guy the other day who didn’t put his seat belt on. I asked him why and he said it was because the government required him to. I did a straw poll back at the office and this thought process was more widespread than I thought.

IIRC, the largest portion of deaths are still related to being unrestrained in a vehicle (AKA, no seatbelts on). All this technology is only as good as the person using it until we’re 100% autonomous.

1st gear: Truth be told, I’d rather have my car be totalled if in a crash. Any insurance involved crash history makes resale nearly impossible nowadays, even if the damage is minor.

I’d personally like to avoid the tech as much as possible. Not because I’m a Luddite, but because I’ve driven vehicles with lane departure assist and don’t enjoy the feeling of the car resisting leaving the lane or even correcting itself momentarily because I’m trying to avoid debris/potholes.

I have consumed every Fyre Festival form of media possible, so I have to wonder: why the bloody mattresses? There were mountains of mattresses that were soggy but blood free all over the island. Where did the bloody ones even come from?! The lack of A/C is no surprise given everything else, and it means they didn’t do…

Yeah, I know I’m late on mentioning this, and I’m probably not the first one to come up with it, but my personal mental term for the enjoyment I feel at reading about every aspect about this whole thing is Schadenfyre.

I was kinda getting tired of so many stories with the same details rehashed over and over as outlets realized the entertainment value....