Iâ(TM)m writing this in Costa Rica, courtesy of my Airalo eSIM. I didnâ(TM)t need to register a local SIM with my passport and itâ(TM)s less than half the price of the daily roaming passes from my provider back home. I currently have six travel eSIMs in my phone, although some are expired and I should delete them. The OP isnâ(TM)t so niche. That said, I appreciate having a physical SIM in my phone because I do swap it out and put it in an old âoegigâ phone that I wonâ(TM)t cry over if it gets lost in a mosh pit.

I remember cars in Canada when I was first living there 25-30 years ago with plugs hanging out of their front grills because they had engine block heaters. Itâ(TM)s not like Canadians donâ(TM)t have experience keeping their vehicles warm enough to use if they really want to. My colleagues in Siberia tell me that these arenâ(TM)t required anymore, even when the temps are below -40, but this is another story.

Iâ(TM)ve been in Moscow in December when it was below -9. According to Wikipedia, the mean low in Moscow in January is colder than in Regina (-21 vs -20), and the daily mean is -9 vs -15). Swings and roundabouts.

Funny, it all depends on the question you ask ChatGPT: Have electric buses been successful in Canada?

Yes, electric buses have been making significant progress in Canada and are becoming more common in several cities. Many Canadian cities have been adopting electric buses as part of their commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, and transitioning to more sustainable transportation options.

### Notable examples of electric buses in Canada:

1. **Vancouver, BC**:
      Vancouver has been a leader in adopting electric buses. TransLink, the region's public transit system, has been integrating electric buses into its fleet as part of its goal to be fully carbon neutral by 2050. Vancouver launched its first electric bus pilot project in 2018 and has since expanded the program. The city plans to have 100% of its bus fleet run on clean energy by 2040.

2. **Montreal, QC**:
      Montreal has also made significant strides in electrifying its public transit system. The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) started introducing electric buses in 2020. STM aims to have a fully electric bus fleet by 2040. They have been testing different electric bus models and building the necessary infrastructure to support them.

3. **Toronto, ON**:
      Toronto has also been investing in electric buses, though at a somewhat slower pace compared to Vancouver and Montreal. The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has been working on pilots and plans to gradually introduce electric buses. The city has also been focusing on improving infrastructure, such as charging stations, to ensure that electric buses can run efficiently.

### Successes:

* **Environmental Benefits**: Electric buses produce zero tailpipe emissions, which contributes to better air quality, especially in urban areas where traffic congestion and pollution are major issues.
* **Operational Savings**: Though electric buses are more expensive upfront, they have lower maintenance costs and energy expenses compared to diesel buses. This can lead to long-term savings.
* **Government Support**: The Canadian government, both at the federal and provincial levels, has provided financial incentives to support the transition to electric public transport. This includes funding for the purchase of electric buses, charging infrastructure, and research into new technologies.

### Challenges:

* **High Initial Costs**: Electric buses are generally more expensive to purchase than traditional diesel buses. This can be a barrier for some cities, although the long-term savings help offset the initial investment.
* **Infrastructure Needs**: Building out the necessary charging infrastructure for electric buses (like charging stations and maintenance facilities) can be expensive and time-consuming.
* **Battery Life and Range**: While electric bus technology has improved, range and battery life remain considerations, especially in cities with large, sprawling transit networks. However, advances in battery technology are gradually addressing these concerns.

### Future Outlook:

Canada is continuing to make strides in adopting electric buses. Many cities have set ambitious goals to transition their fleets to 100% electric within the next couple of decades, and the federal government has pledged funding to support the transition. The success of electric buses in Canada seems to be on a positive trajectory, with both environmental and economic benefits driving the shift toward greener public transportation.

Why are Canadian cities having such a hard time with EV buses? London has about 2,000 of them and is continuing to increase the number.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/me...

Especially when that property is his Turnberry golf course. I love that this is in another country and he canâ(TM)t do anything about it.

I work with Germans, believe me, you will get another understanding of commas (and capital letters). Point is, you need to know what you're doing with any punctuation. There are plenty of situations where a semicolon is more appropriate than a full-stop.

Teachers these days use green pen because itâ(TM)s less confrontational. Youâ(TM)re clearly traumatised! No idea what their problem was, but semicolons are very useful.

What youâ(TM)re missing is monospaced text and fixed line lengths that are longer than the mobile view by a few words on their own line and annoyingly too short for a computer display. The holy warriors of the Usenet will then be very happy.

It's going to collide with their bilateral agreement with the EU that provides freedom of movement between Switzerland and the EU. Will be interesting to see how that works out.

So the great monocultured unwashed masses will be ruled by diverse or wealthy foreigners? What could possibly go wrong?

$40 in 1995 is equivalent to over $85 today after adjusting for inflation.

You learn a lot of other new things about life and what you really believe in by meeting new people with different ideas or participating in activities you never had an opportunity to previously. There's more to university than you what you get in the lecture hall or library (or the modern equivalent). Probably more so if you don't do it from your parent's basement!

Yes, I totally agree, you have to pick a reasonable length of time for depreciation. Three years is clearly too short for a lot of devices now, although I wouldn't suggest 18 years is appropriate either!

Indeed. I learnt recently that one of our GitLab VM hosts for Linux build runners is is hardware from 2012. The dev team discovered this when a vendor sent us an updated library that dropped SSE4.2 support and required AVX2, causing our smoke tests to fail and thus fail the builds. Why throw away hardware that is still working and performant?