Likewise, the last time I can recall a notable increase in my own enjoyment from a new GPU was my GTX 660. It ran all the games I was playing back then (TF2, Skyrim, Civ V, Bioshock Infinite...) on mid to high settings. The newer cards I've bought since then have only felt like marginal improvements. Yeah, the graphics have more detail, more effects, better lighting. So what? Do the games actually look better, aesthetically? Are the worlds more immersive? Is the gameplay any better? Nope.
1030 DDR5 is as good as the 660 but at 30W instead of 140W.
I can still play all games, the only games that struggle are the ones that hit their head in efficiency roof because of engines or pushing the boundaries too far.
There aren't even wagons for sale in America anymore. There are a few crossover-wagon options, with lifted suspension and plastic cladding a la Subaru Outback; there are a few overlarge hatchbacks, e.g., the Honda Civic; but, look for a normal wagon with traditional four-pillar proportions and normal car handling and styling and the only option you'll find for sale here is the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo, which is not an affordable family vehicle. Gone are the days of the Volvo 240 or VW Golf wagons; long gone are the big old American wagons.
To me, the North American passenger car manufacturers' changeover from ladder-frame to unibody construction was the death knell for the kind of station wagon you've described, with four-pillar proportions and normal car handling and styling. With the 1970s fuel price crisis, those giant dinosaurs were terribly impractical, but a full sized mid-1970s ladder-framed station wagon could pull a large trailer without being twisted into a pretzel from the forces at play. Nowadays a full-sized pickup truck or SUV with proper towing ratings is needed for the same.
Station wagons in North America were hit with a stigma about carbon monoxide poisoning in the rear seats. The term ''Station Wagon Effect'' is still used in relation to industrial and residential ventilation systems as well as in boating and of course the automobile industry. When mini-vans surged in popularity starting in the 1980s they had better ventilation at the rear, and today any wagon would need to stringently protect against CO inhalation. Still, the stigma remains.
My family had at least one station wagon--Jeep Wagoneer, Ford Falcon, Ford Ranch Wagon--for most of the 1960s and 1970s. I don't remember ever hearing a concern about carbon monoxide. When did this start being talked about?
but I'm remembering that concerns about it started coming up in the 1960s when vehicle safety regulations were becoming a thing. Sorry, I don't have a historical reference at hand.
Except that the Toyota Yaris has been cancelled entirely in the US market, along with the Prius C, the Honda Fit, the Nissan Versa hatch, the Ford Fiesta (and all Ford cars except the Mustang), the Fiat 500, the Smart Car, the Mitsubishi Mirage, and every small hatchback except the (overpriced and controversially styled) Mini and a couple of electric models.
Back in the 90s, there was a push to pass legislation banning or limiting legacy admissions, coming from a staffer in Ted Kennedy's office IIRC. Lobbyists from Harvard went nuclear and scared Democrats into opposing it.
I barely even need to point out that Republicans didn't need to be scared into opposing legacy admissions, as they eagerly supported them, for people who might be taken in by their meritocratic facade from the decision yesterday.
Effective communication is absolutely something I'm looking for in a candidate. The ability to communicate clearly and succinctly in writing is critical. I've worked with far too many people who'll respond to a question with paragraphs of narrative and reasoning and background information without actually giving a clear answer to the question.
