Exactly, is just straight up for fun. I’d argue they’re safer too. You pay way more attention in a stick shift, looking ahead timing shifts with traffic flow, leaving space and coasting to red lights, and the extra speed control on steep windy mountain roads is amazing especially in the winter.

Was lucky to get a 2021 Crosstrek in a manual, which I guess Subaru doesn’t do in Canada anymore, so it’ll likely be the last ICE car I have. If I’m joining the zombie horde of alternating mashing gas or brake depending what’s happening 10m in front of me I better at least get some torque out of it.

Knocking on the door of 40. I spent this week moving into my own new place after a decade of toxicity, so this one resonates with me as well.

Nice view! Curious, what kind of insulation you’re adding? To the interior it exterior?

I don’t see why not, provided you have the geography to make it work.

So a water source heat pump tapping into mine shafts, neat. Run the heat pump off wind or solar, have a decent thermal envelope to lower overall demand, voila emission free heating and cooling. Sounds promising to me.

It’s like the odd time I drive an automatic after decades with a manual … always mashing the floor and popping it in neutral by accident.

Film photography. With smartphones having taken over the roll of point and shoots and covering the majority of people’s photography needs, it’s quite a different experience breaking out a half century old camera. Everything is more tactile, your shots are finite, and the result is a 100% determined by your decisions. Different films produce different results, and if you get into developing your own film you get to play mad chemist in the bathroom.

There’s a learning curve, but if you’re already into photography and understand the basics it’s really not that hard. Labs still exist to develop for you if you’d rather not go down that rabbit hole. The results may surprise you!

A few more for you that I don’t think I’ve seen mentioned: Kalaido Tycho Worakls The Cinematic Orchestra

I’m sure the picture I’m creating in my head is way more majestic than the reality was, but It’s beautiful. Sounds like after the fanny pack and socks he just said fuck it and leaned into it hard.

Same here. Have yet to find a reason to consider anything else.

Split boarding! It’s a snowboard that splits in half and lets you ski uphill, then snaps back together to ride down. Takes a lot of physical fitness and training for avalanche safety/rescue, but being able to make turns down an untouched wild mountain is an experience like no other. Maybe not super niche but outside of a mountain town probably moreso.

Also, film photography. So special taking pictures of my kid with a camera that’s been in three generations of the family. The camera, lenses, everything just so much more tangible and enjoyable. Then developing it on the bathroom with some science magic and holding a physical image at the end gives a sense of a accomplishment that can’t be found with a smartphone! Also not super niche, but maybe 1% of people use a proper digital camera instead of just their phone, and maybe less than 1% of those play with film as well.