The ID.4 Pro has been great to me. I had still been driving my paid off car from college, so all the newer “smart” features were a bit of a shock. Things like lane assist and sound alerts when backing up I turned off because they were too much/annoying. For instance, the lane assist had a hard time with some curves, or if there was an error in the road paint, or sometimes just hiccuped for no reason. It had trouble with snow on the roads as well.

I wouldn’t buy one without having the ability to use an at home charger. My commute is about 65 miles a day and I don’t often drive much further than that. I live in a cold state where in the winter it can get well below 0 fahrenheit. Battery is heavily impacted, and I do get more anxious about it general when it is very cold like that.

I have read some reports that Volkswagen wants to move away from touchscreens and back to analog buttons/knobs so maybe look for that in the future?

If it makes you feel any better I came back from an international trip at some point when this was all being reported on and neither myself, my partner, nor anyone I saw had their phones searched or was pulled aside. They asked what kind of trip it was, how long we stayed, where we went and if we had any alcohol, tobacco, or food.

We were traveling from Europe back to a “blue” State if that means anything. I would imagine the process would be more stringent depending on where you’re coming from.

If you do end up going you should definitely still consider encryption + backups and logging out of or deleting apps you are signed into. You could also bring a cheap barebones burner or work phone if you have one. There are plenty of articles online that describe the process of protecting your privacy when traveling abroad and returning.

Good luck!

Mine was to grab a big bag of the cheapest rice at the Asian supermarket and a bulk bag of black beans. Cook rice and beans then mix with soy sauce/black pepper. If I had eggs I would add a fried egg for breakfast or hard boiled for lunch / dinner.

While the stove was broken I would poke holes in potatoes with a fork and microwave them until soft. Salt & pepper or whatever seasoning you had. Butter was a great addition to this if it was around.

For a side dish or snack I would often do ramen coleslaw. Smash up the ramen noodles and pour over a whole bag of Cole slaw. Pour the seasoning packet on top of that. Toast almond slivers then at the end add some sesame oil to warm up the oil. Pour the almonds and oil into the slaw and mix.

Their plant based meatballs are good too. I pan fry them then toss them into a slow cooker with some bachans barbecue sauce, green onion, and sesame seeds for parties and potlucks.

Yeah, to be fair I didn’t know what I was doing really. They were smaller and specialized so I am guessing they are pretty tight knit and selective.

I had been browsing without an account since Reddit banned third party apps. After a few months of testing the waters I had applied for a few tech focused instances because I thought that would be fitting since it is my career. I got rejected so I just stuck with the one that approved and let me comment on posts.