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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: June 12th, 2023

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  • Do labels like “Gen Z” really span the globe? I know they start out being defined as an age range and obviously there are young and old people everywhere.

    But the way we name generations and refer to them as groups with shared characteristics is, I think, culturally specific.

    Are 80yo people in India actually “boomers?” Did they experience a post-WW2 baby boom, a sexual revolution, a “me” movement, explosive divorce rates etc? I’m sure that there are inter-generational tensions everywhere and I’m sure young people in India sometimes roll their eyes at their elders. That doesn’t make them “boomers.”

    In general I always thought these were western or specifically American generational labels that don’t necessarily translate globally (though I suppose for younger generations the internet has made the experience of growing up somewhat more globally shared).














  • This saddens me greatly. I was in Lisbon about a year ago and rode one of these.

    If you don’t know what a funicular is, it’s a very short-range tram that’s specifically designed to take you up or down a certain hill. Lisbon has a lot of steep hills and even cliffs. There is at least one vertical pedestrian elevator that takes you up from one street to another.

    Because each hill is different, each funicular is a little different. The incline differs so the shape of the tram car body differs, and the track may curve up the hill or not. They go for different lengths and have different sizes. So each is special and they end up being quite charming and emblematic of the city. If you know the celebrated cable cars of San Francisco, it’s not far off.

    Really terrible to hear this news. And as far as I can tell, I rode the very one that crashed with my brother and 8yo son while I was there. My heart goes out to the city and to the families of the victims.