Yep. The indie boom that PC gaming experienced would not have been possible without early access funding, full stop.
Not every early access title has gone perfectly and there are some studios that have gamed the system.
Still, the stuff that managed to make it through the process and become successful has been some of the only stuff saving us from a live service hellscape
I'd argue that debates aren't useful without a neutral, mutually trusted media source that listeners from both sides would refer to for fact-checking. The US has debates but the soundbites that partisan media air are the main way people consume them. Few people watch the whole debate, and few want to because they're mostly just hot air.
Plus, one candidate can use the debate to lie out of their ass and at least one media source will follow that up by spitting out misleading info to support the lies.
I don't mean to both-sides this, obviously right wing media is more egregious on this front. But their captured audience tuning out fact-checks from other media is maybe the bigger problem.
All of this happening on the sidelines fundamentally alters the purpose of a debate. For example, changing the tone and style of interaction; people aren't trying to come to an agreement or win over new supporters, just shout over someone to get in soundbites that can be replayed by their team.
Dragon's breath is a pretty common name for incense scents, but it seems to vary a bit between different brands. The only common ingredient I saw was that most of them have musk or "white musk"
General strike/protest? Get enough people making noise on the street and people will have to listen. With a presidential election coming up, Dems won't be able to fully ignore it either.
I always found it easier to basically automate the process as much as possible. "spend" every recurring expenditure and also set aside the most aggressive savings/investments possible using separate bill pay and savings accounts or buckets. Everything is taken out of the main account as soon as your paycheck hits, so it means everything you see on your spending account is a free dollar that you can use for fun or food.
Some people might operate better with a set amount for groceries too, but I personally found that too restrictive.
A good budget is one that you stick to, helps you achieve your goals, and crucially, allows you to enjoy your life to at least some extent. Whatever method works for you, it's important to give yourself permission to spend some money on fun. However small.
Yep, it's quite tempting. There are a lot of mini companies that sell .stl files so that you could make proxies for Warhammer armies or just make tons of cool display pieces. Small studios can even publish whole game systems online with just .stl and .pdf files.
The problem is just finding people to play them...
Do it! The characters make great display pieces even if they're not being used for anything. You can also try looking into 3d printed stuff, which is much cheaper, if you don't care about it being tournament legal or anything.
Increasingly, mini painting has been eating my life. I tried to fight off 40k obsession but it's been slowly pulling me in for a while now. But probably the weirder part is, I haven't actually played the game yet. Still trying to get everything tabletop ready.
When you can't afford a Big Mac, just eat the rich