Interesting that drop kits are an easily-sourced thing nowadays, I’ve looked at modern trucks and genuinely wondered how one is supposed to access the bed without a stepladder as they come from the factory. I think it’s subtly damning that GMC, among others, has been marketing their multi-position tailgate’s ability to function as a bed step. They’ve made trucks so tall as a vanity thing that it negatively impacts the their ability to actually work as a utility vehicle.

I’ve been begging (sometimes literally, I know a guy who works at Ford) for a small Maverick or Ridgeline-sized PHEV pickup for years now, and the Big Three seem to be specifically avoiding making such a thing. I don’t need to be able to tow a guided missile cruiser, I don’t need to sit ten feet in the air to feel safe, I don’t want dual 30-gallon fuel tanks in case I need to drive to Cape Horn without stopping for some reason. I just want to be able to commute in town on electric power, handle small home-improvement hauling tasks (mulch, appliances, lumber, etc), and still be able to road trip or pull a small trailer in a pinch. And there are dozens of us, at least! I see people asking “PHEV Maverick when!?” anytime I search the Net for news on the topic. But nope, no PHEV pickup for you, unless you want to buy a Ramcharger – and deal with being associated with the kind of person who drives a Ram product. No thank you!

Sorta yes and no. T-Mobile US is its own corporate entity, but their majority shareholder is Deutsche Telekom, and they take their name from that company’s mobile service brand.

Architect, so in the neighborhood… I mostly interact with UL in the context of fire-rated assemblies, though.

I recently switched phones and forgot I didn’t have an adblocker installed yet. Clicked on an article and holy shit the modern mobile web is a toxic hellscape without it…