2,560 karma · joined April 14, 2021
Edit: when I say the experience was novel, I mean I had only heard the faintest of news that I was going to this amazing show. I had no prior visual information on what to expect -
That said, I have a lot of situations at work where I am asked to simplify something I am an expert in or convey something for a different audience, particularly as I prepare for presentations and I do find it helpful in helping me step down my writing or work. YMMV.
I also skip words a lot and can miss that even after 2-3 editorial passes and it's very helpful at that vs. say normal spellcheck.
I’m consistently amazed at the depth this setting offers a sandbox-curious referee and a creative table. It is well worth exploring. It is also a masterpiece of information design and the easiest tool I’ve used at the table.
My session notes for my current campaign are here if you are interested in what is achievable.
https://publish.obsidian.md/generallyobservable/Dolmenwood+S...
1. They do not have robust self-driving capability. At this level of expense I expect hands-free major highway driving.
2. They’ve removed a lot of physical buttons that improve quality of life, the level of technology in the cabin is simply overwhelming.
3. They’ve done a great job with the driving experience of the EVs but they have poor range relative to the competition.
I’m not anti-EV but the electric Macan and Cayenne look awful. They are under equipped technologically relative to their Chinese peers (heck basically anything).
Porsche sort of sold its soul for this tech-forward design but it doesn’t deliver any meaningful benefits, these cars don’t even have level 2+ highway cruise control. In the meantime I get a bunch of crap screens and lose all the glorious physical buttons and I don’t even have a fun engine rumble to make up for it?
So, the cars are ugly and uncool (I grant a matter of taste), aren’t selling in their target market (China) won’t sell meaningfully in their backup market (US) and they’re behind GM, Tesla and BYD in all regards on quality of life stuff.
Not a recipe for endurance.
This is the Trinity College Choir’s advent concert - really puts me in the mood for the season, a remarkable performance and service: https://www.youtube.com/live/MsUd-twzG2U?si=1HMiaD2-Le70-fch
Before anything else, ask yourself two things:
Would this person possibly benefit from (A) an automatic external defibrillator (AED) or (B) Narcan[1]?
Can the person safely get into a car and be driven to the hospital?
If the answer to 1A or 1B is YES: Don't drive. Call 911, clearly state "cardiac arrest," or "overdose" give your exact location, and start effective CPR if required. A police officer with an AED will likely arrive quickly. Getting the location right is critical—this is life-saving information.
If 1A/1B don't apply and you can answer YES to question 2: You have some thinking to do. I suggest doing it now, in advance, whenever you move—think through how you'd handle massive bleeding, heart attack, or stroke symptoms.
It's worth briefly considering emergency scenarios and the risks you're willing to accept. Ambulances or fire engines sometimes can't reach you quickly: logistical issues, mechanical failures, dispatcher problems, insufficient volunteers. In rural settings during a cardiac event, waiting thirty minutes for basic EMS care—followed by a 30-60 minute hospital transport when you have alternative transportation—may not be your best choice. Even in a volunteer live-in program with career-grade response times, I found it could take 20-30 minutes to reach people at the edge of our territory. That's not counting the 2-3 minutes to get us awake and out the door at the station, plus another 2-3 for dispatch.
My household is minutes from two decent suburban EDs (we're lucky). Certain situations would lead us to skip 911 and drive straight to the ED: massive hemorrhage or an obvious heart attack when another adult is present to drive. This requires nuance. Time saved by skipping the ambulance can easily be lost to an incompetent admissions screener. You need to use the magic words: "heart attack," "chest pain," "think I am going to die." If you're having a stroke, you may not be able to drive at all (and you shouldn't). You'll also need to choose the right hospital—challenging in the moment, potentially impossible if you're impaired. The wrong hospital can be as lethal as waiting for an excessively delayed ambulance. In large cities with saturated EDs, this strategy often doesn't work: too many false alarms and just overall volume mean you won't skip the line.
I have direct experience managing and assessing these issues. You may not—consider getting meaningful first aid training. It helps.
The general rule: If you're confident in your department and know a nearby fire station generally has a paramedic-engine or paramedic-staffed ambulance with reasonable response times, wait for it - paramedics can do a lot for you on the way to the hospital and most critically get you to the best facility for care. You could crash your car or deteriorate en route to the point where you can't drive. But if you're fifteen to twenty minutes in and don't hear sirens (admittedly, not all departments use sirens properly), it's time to consider leaving—and how you're going to do it.
[1] Regarding Narcan: I won't engage in broader discussion about police possibly asking about circumstances requiring it—that's your business. IANAL. But many cops and almost all ambulances carry it, and the person will be alive after they administer it.