> wie heute telefonisch vereinbart, kommen Sie bitte am 15.10.2026 um 11.00 Uhr zur Abholung der Bescheid und Urkunde in unsere neue Dienststelle des Rechtsamtes

"Urkunde" implies that it's approved???

Turns out they're burying the highway that was cutting our neighborhood in two (restoring the connectivity between the previously split parts), and building a green park on top, and while they're at it also revitalizing the green areas around the river; and the new highway bridge across the river (the only bridge within 2km; there used to be a pedestrian one but it got destroyed in the floods) will also have bike lanes and sidewalks?
And apparently at least "burying the highway" part is supposed to be finished in a few months?
Nice.

Less nice is that they're extending the highway from two lanes to four apparently, with our windows looking over it...

Trying to find information on what's going on with tips at eateries in Germany, found this in google:

It’s a debate that comes up every few months: those pesky little card readers that nudge you to add 10, 15 or 20 percent before you pay. Whether it’s just a takeaway coffee or a multi-course menu with wine pairing – many guests feel pressured by the machine’s invitation to tip. Some even call it manipulation. And yes, we get the reflex. Perhaps it does feel a little different when the machine pushes it on you, rather than when you follow your own impulse to leave something extra, in recognition of great service.

[...]

Be that as it may: without tips, the numbers don’t work out – at least not under current conditions. At the same time, we’re well aware of the downsides for staff. A low official salary also drags down pension and unemployment benefits in Germany. It’s also a problem when you’re applying for an apartment or a loan.

That’s why at [restaurant name] we even considered scrapping tips altogether and putting everything through payroll. What stopped us? Simple: if we priced tips into net wages, our menus would be prized so much higher than other, comparable restaurants that we might have well-paid staff – but far too few guests.

​​checks their menu​ a minimum payment for food alone is 120 euro per person??? 🤯
​​looks at review, sees receipt photos​ couples leave there 500 euro before tips??? 🤯

Are you telling me that getting 120-250 euro per visitor is not enough to pay decent net wages?
Are you telling me that people who leave 500 euro at the restaurant in a single evening, choose based on prices and would go to another place if this one had prices 10% higher?

I would understand these claims from places where the typical receipt is around 10 euro per person...

(And so, the question stays unanswered: what is it with payment terminals recently forcing you to choose a tip or explicitly press on "Kein Trinkgeld" button (and with waiters in some places pressing on "Kein Trinkgeld" themselves before giving you the terminal); and where do the money actually go if you press "10%"; and are the staff actually not paid enough that they need tips, or is it something payment terminal developers just copied from the USA where waiters don't even get minimum wage?)

Two days ago Lain became old enough to go to the gay bar and I totally forgot about this.

So here is the reminder for everybody else, two days late https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq0_ApTwNH4

Applied to the local Rechtsamt via NamÄndG two and a half months ago, they confirmed that they received the application, and then sent a snail mail asking me to prepay 330 EUR in advance fees, so I did that over two months ago, and the last I've heard from them was this letter asking me to prepay the fee. Even though I did send them emails a couple of times since then (the application process was all over email), there was never even a receipt acknowledgement.

Not sure whether I should try to call them or not...

Oh shit, I shouldn't have done that

I have to say that I'm very disappointed in all you weirdos

Pissing when in the filled bathtub

Pissing when in the shower

Mods are asleep, post market OS

On the one hand I should learn a sign language.
But on the other hand, which / what is even the point? With only 0.1% of population knowing it, and with immigrants only knowing their own languages from our language families, realistically even in extremely rare situations where knowing some sign language would be useful, it is likely to not be the one I would learn...

I wish they were more widespread and more widely used.

How does one wash blue sharks in the washing machine? Asking for a (soft) friend.

TIL that in Berlin, a collection of signatures for "making (parts of) Berlin (somewhat) car-free" referendum is going on (for half a year already), and it's its last week. They need to get 7% of all eligible voters to sign, in order for there to be a referendum.
Website of the initiative has a lot of information about why I should want (parts of) Berlin to be (somewhat) car-free, as if I needed any convincing.

It seems to be impossible to find any information on how do I add my signature to the list.

Does it even matter who I will give the first vote to, if not a single candidate in my district sparks joy or anything?

(The second vote goes to Die Linke)

Pity that this is not in my district (mine only has candidates from CDU, SPD, greens, die Linke, AfD, FDP, BSW and some nobodies (without even any online presence apparently; cannot find want into on them besides their names) from Tierschutzpartei and Volt).

Their posters are good, but I didn't think to take photos until seeing this one.

Incidentally how are people using these when half-sitting? With back grating against these decorative elements, and pillows not being large enough to cover the entire "backrest".

2022 in Germany: oh these metal beds are difficult to find, especially in large sizes, have to look on kleinanzeigen... after one month of monitoring ads, I finally found someone selling their 200x200 bed for just 150 euro! And ikea doesn't have 200x200 mattresses, and there are none on kleinanzeigen either there are these bett1 and emma matratzen brands which do have springless 200x200 mattresses but for 500 euro, luckily after a month of waiting emma started a promotional action with 20% discount!

2026: wait, you can just buy a new metal 200x200 bed on vidaxl for under 200 euro? And amazon has springless 200x200 mattresses from multiple german brands for under 150 euro?

Biking when bi queen shows up

Hmmm

New MR just arrived and it's

.flat_map(|lis| lis.iter())

many such cases.

Would you iterate a lis?