The smartphone is definitely better than equipment that an average person has no idea how to use, yes.
On the other hand, you need pre-downloaded maps that show trails and landmarks, as well as a general sense of the terrain and some basic preparedness.
The fact that they didn't even realize they were on the wrong trail shows an absolute failure to plan ahead and navigate correctly. That is really the larger problem - a 17 mile hike is not a light stroll through the woods. If I were doing such a trail (and I'm hardly a seasoned outdoors enthusiast) I would have pre and post hike arranged check-ins with emergency contacts, backup batteries, suitable clothes, 2 light meals worth of food and water, and a rough mental map of the area. None of these things are hard to do or require spending tons of money at sporting goods stores, they are just common sense.
Because everybody is paying for it, when they (mostly) don't use it?
I live in a city with decent buses, 3 street train lines and a commuter rail, and use the street lines frequently. Unless your departure and destination are right on the train line, you're still looking at a 1 hour - 2 hour commute with possible missed connections every step of the way. To canvas the city thoroughly you would need buses or trains running every 10 minutes, on every 3rd or 5th block. They would also need to be preferable to the alternative (a personal vehicle with no disruptive passengers, controlled climate, that is available when and where you need it).
Do I love taking the train into the city center for a night on the town, or out to the airport to avoid parking? Absolutely. Will I sacrifice 3 hours out of my day just so that I can say I'm saving the planet? Probably not.
The only way it would work would be some giant weave pattern of train lines where 1 car continues on, one departs left, and one departs right every stop. The budget and logistics of that would make it prohibitively expensive and prone to failure. There are also loads of reasons why people can't take transit (kids, cargo, late night / early morning schedules) and if they're not 80% solved, it will never catch on in the states.
I understand what you're saying, but that just isn't really how any society works. You pay for schools you don't use, libraries most people don't use, healthcare for the old and poor, faraway parks you'll probably never visit, community colleges you'll never attend, etc. etc. etc. In return, your community and life gets remarkably better as you reap the indirect benefits of everyone around you receiving these services. In addition, people without cars pay for your roads and snowplows and pothole fillers, anti-vaccine activists pay for the vaccines you take, and so on. It's all a beautiful mutually dependent circle that makes the world go round.
As someone who works in construction, I have to say that rolling a few sheets of barrier or framing a couple extra walls really doesn't take that long or cost too much. It's on the order of $5k or less and a couple days work, for both materials and labor.
What does cost time and money is getting permits, planning approval, inspection, etc. Not that those are unimportant, but any delays are certainly not on the construction crew's behalf.
I'm not certain that's the biggest reason, I think it's more about the number of local farms, butchers, etc. Middle / upper-middle class health-conscious customers who are passionate about high quality food are a big part of it too, and there's plenty of them in Western MA and close-by NY towns.
In GB (Western MA) the co-op competes with two other cheaper supermarkets. What sets them apart is 2 day old (max) Atlantic seafood and local produce that hasn't been subjected to long distance transit (and the flavorless ripening process). Not having the "beige tiles and fluorescent lights" atmosphere is a huge plus as well.
Having grown up in western MA I'd highly recommend it. There are lots of small towns with back roads for biking. There's also loads of state forest land and great hiking, as the Appalachian Trail passes through the region. The ski mountains are smaller than those to the north, but they're fine for kids and the bigger ones are a short drive away. It's a bit less rugged and outdoorsy than ME, NH or VT but the schools are the best out of the lot if that's a concern for you.
It's also almost evenly centered between NYC and Boston if you want to do weekend city adventures. You'll probably still need a car but if you live in the center of town you won't use it except for longer trips.
> but the schools are the best out of the lot if that's a concern for you.
That is how I became aware of western Mass, actually. FWIW education is a major driver for us since we have 3 young kids. My thinking waffles a bit because there's a list of criteria in my head, like being walkable, bikeable, having a downtown area, in addition to the more major concerns we have as a family around education, local economy, and affordability. I appreciate the reply!
If you've been away from the game for a while (even 1 or 2 years) a lot has changed. Unless you've written it off, I'd recommend playing with your friends versus bots and practicing some heroes, strategies, builds, and playing from the Dire side. Depending on how many players there are, putting someone on the opposing team who can point out your mistakes can be useful too.
I would recommend that you carve out an hour once a week to try cooking some new recipe and try to get it into your routine.
Preferably something healthy, but it doesn't really matter. Do the shopping on a different day than the cooking at first. Start simple, you're not trying to impress Gordon Ramsay here.
As someone who was in that exact situation previously in life - discovering new cooking techniques and finding small local grocers and ethnic food stores around me was eye opening. Local farms (or farmers markets if you're in a city) will have fresh, high quality nutritious products that you can work into ordinarily boring meals. Hell, even a BLT with locally butchered bacon, fresh lettuce and heirloom tomatoes is miles above anything you could get delivered or find at a chain store.
After that look into meal prep (doing bulk prep for multiple meals which saves loads of time), more ambitious recipes that require planning, and upgrading your kitchen tools and skills. Weed isn't that bad in the big picture, but going through life eating sub-par delivery food is no way to live.
While the SawStop is definitely impressive, almost any modern table saw is safer than one from the 60's due to the standardization of riving knives. For those who don't know, it's the metal fin behind the saw blade, and it's thicker than the body of the blade but thinner than the teeth. It reduces the chances of wood binding on the saw blade (and resulting kickback) by a large amount. They're a required component by many countries and standards bodies.
Add in cheap 3d-printed push blocks, push sticks, and feather guides and almost no one is losing digits these days unless they're willfully ignoring safe practices or using the wrong tool for the job. Tracked saws and 3d printed router jigs have also added options when a piece would be awkward or unsafe to table saw.
Thanks for sharing this: I'd never even heard of riving knives. Wild to think of how many technological improvements like that have made the world safer/better without schmucks like me having any idea.
You can summon Solaire which eliminates the hardest part of that fight, which is both bosses chasing you at once. While it's true that you need to defeat them eventually you can detour through the Painted World to get some levels and items.
It's funny you picked the Asylum Demon as an example. At the first encounter with it you don't even have your class-specific weapon. Anyone who would try to fight it for more than a few attempts with the starting weapon (broken sword that does almost no damage) is just not treating it like an RPG.
Lowering the difficulty is not going to fix that. If the devs cater the game to players who can't be bothered to explore or read their own characters stats, it will ruin a lot of aspects that most fans enjoy. After seeing so many franchises release boring, easy, focus-grouped games (where the difficulty is just HP and damage multipliers) time and time again, can you really blame fans for saying "No, don't change it, we like the game how it is"? Almost all of the From Souls games are highly regarded classics, and sticking to their guns on design philosophy is a big part of that.
PS run through the grate door, pick up your weapons and plunge attack Asylum Demon, or pick Black Firebombs as your starting gift (only takes 4-5 to kill him)
On the other hand, you need pre-downloaded maps that show trails and landmarks, as well as a general sense of the terrain and some basic preparedness.
The fact that they didn't even realize they were on the wrong trail shows an absolute failure to plan ahead and navigate correctly. That is really the larger problem - a 17 mile hike is not a light stroll through the woods. If I were doing such a trail (and I'm hardly a seasoned outdoors enthusiast) I would have pre and post hike arranged check-ins with emergency contacts, backup batteries, suitable clothes, 2 light meals worth of food and water, and a rough mental map of the area. None of these things are hard to do or require spending tons of money at sporting goods stores, they are just common sense.