The 90s were a great era for innovation in bicycles, just like in computing.

One of my personal favorites is the Cannondale Super V Raven mountain bike, particularly with a Lefty fork: https://www.bikeflip.com/bikes/67792

It's great to see someone adapting an innovative classic to modern standards, just like a classic car body on a modern chassis and drivetrain.

The next 5 years are going to be crazy exciting.

I don't want exciting. I want a stable, well-paying job that allows me to put food on the table, raise a family with a sense of security and hope, and have free time.

Tech salaries today are higher than they were back then

Maybe at FAANGs or in the hottest spaces like AI, but I've been looking and listed salaries for senior positions are now lower than what I got paid my first year out of college in 1998, adjusted for inflation. My first job was for a small hardware manufacturer, not a Microsoft or a Google, and not in the Bay Area or Seattle.

You mentioned it, but I'll go deeper: the dog park.

In reality, this applies to any third place, but we'll go with the dog park.

I've been going to my local dog park nearly every day for the almost 14 years. Over time, I've met many of the best friends and best humans that I've known in my entire life. I have a group of regulars that evolves over time, and we're all good friends now. I also regularly see acquaintances who show up less often. This has been fantastic for my mental health.

So, again, this really applies to any third place. Go to church, a lot, if that's your thing. Join a bowling club and get deeply involved. Join a climbing gym and go all the time, and strike up conversations with people. Join a martial arts organization and get seriously involved.

The keys are to socialize and to fill up your time.

My pet theory is that NYPD Blue and 24 paved the way in the American public mind for authoritarianism via the "good guys bending the rules and using violence because they know this guy did it" theme.