You may have noticed foldable stop signs placed at intersections throughout the streets. In my community these are very common and can be found at most busy intersections. You might wonder why they are there or what they are for? Apparently they are there so that if the stop light goes out, the sign can be unfolded to become a stop.
The problem is, most of the time these signs get opened up unintentionally by the wind. In fact, in all my years of driving, I have never actually seen these being put to use properly, but I see them opened up all the time when they are not supposed to be open. They are supposed to be secured closed by a tie or a lock, but often these are missing so the signs end up opening up on their own.
When a stop light goes out, it usually switches to the flashing red mode which means it is to be treated as a 4 way stop. So when drivers see this, they know they have to stop. They don't need stop signs to be opened up as well.
So I find these signs to be pretty much pointless and not only that, they are expensive! Upon looking them up an average folding stop sign sells for about $200! That's $800 per intersection! Think about how much money is being spent on these signs when they are at every busy intersection. It seems like an incredible waste of taxpayer money.
I have a feeling the sign companies are taking advantage of the situation marketing these products to villages and public works as a way to make things safer when really they are unnecessary and actually more problematic than they are helpful. If you are considering adding these kinds of signs to your town, please consider if they are actually worth it.
It's that time to announce the best Youtube channels of 2020. Like last year, the best Youtube channels list will focus on channels that have not yet been featured in previous years. This year the list has a nice mix of channels from Youtuber's that really stood out this year. So without further ado, here are Connected Isolation's picks for the best Youtube channels of 2020:
1. Esther Club(podcast / variety) Esther Povitsky is a stand up comedian, actress, and most recently tie dye clothing designer. Esther Club is her channel where she posts podcast style videos each week. At this time it has a relatively small but loyal fan base. She talks about whatever is on her mind and sometimes has guests join her on the show. Esther has a likable personality and makes you feel like you are part of the club. Here is a recent episode where she had comedian Annie Lederman on the show.
2. ReuBekah Vidz (pranks) Reuben and Bekah are a couple who play pranks on each other post it on Youtube for our enjoyment. They have a good relationship but that does not stop them from pranking each other whenever they get the chance. In this video she gives him swim trunks that dissolve at the seams when they get wet and well you can imagine what happens when he unknowingly ventures into the water on a public beach.
3. Melissa Villaseñor (podcast / variety) Melissa Villaseñor is a comedian and impressionist and is also on Saturday Night Live. She currently has a channel where she does a podcast style show called Laughing With Myself. Each show has a mix of comedy, impressions, and talk about whatever is on her mind. I actually did feature this channel a few years back but I decided to make an exception and feature it again this year because the content is different with the show.
4. Jim Browning (scammer justice) Jim Browning is on a mission to stop scammers from taking advantage of people. He uses his computer skills to track down individuals trying to steal money from people online and over the phone. He is very good with computers so often he is able to see exactly what they are doing in real time and then warn the victim that they have been talking to a scammer so they do not give them any money. In this video he actually manages to get access to the security cameras of the building where some of the scammers are working.
5. Reponut (vehicle repossession / life) Matt from the Reponut channel works in the line of vehicle repossession where he tracks down cars of owners who are not making their payments. The channel has a lot of information on this topic but he also gives a lot of helpful advice on life in general in each of his videos. In this video he tracks down a couple cars and also talks about life after prison.
6. Curious Cars (car reviews) Bill from the Curious Cars channel (previously Auto Europa Naples) reviews cars, but his style is a lot different from most car reviewers out there. As he puts it, you get tangents, history, sarcasm, non sequiturs, outrage, and even the weather report. It's always great to hear what he has to say about not only the cars but whatever else is going on at the moment. In this video, he reviews the Hummer H1.
7. Miranda Sings(funny) Miranda Sings is a character and channel created by Colleen Ballinger. Miranda sees herself as incredibly talented in singing, acting, dancing, magic, modeling etc, but in fact she is not as talented as she thinks which makes it funny. Her channel is very popular and doesn't need the extra promotion but I have not featured it here yet and I have to give credit where credit is due. I love the character and her videos are very funny. She even has a Netflix series and a couple books based on Miranda. Here is one of her videos where she switches lives with her baby Pinto Bean for 24 hours.
Check out the best Youtube channels from previous years here: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.
Recently I was checking out some of the
offerings available on Amazon Prime video and I noticed Tig Notaro
had a show called One Mississippi. Tig has been one of my favorite
comedians for some time now so of course I had to check it out. I
didn't know much about the series going in, I just kind of jumped
right in to it.
The show is based on Tig's real life
and it goes over some of the topics which she has had to deal with in
recent times such as sickness, cancer, and the sudden loss of her
mother. It may sound kind of depressing but it is not. There is some
humor throughout but I would not consider it a comedy necessarily.
The first season is 6 episodes that are
about 25 minutes each so it goes very fast. I really enjoyed the
first season. Tig is very much herself which makes the acting easy,
but even playing the role as herself, I found her acting to be very
impressive.
We also meet Tig's step father Bill who
is probably my favorite character. He has that personality where
everything in his life has to be very particular and controlled the
way he wants it. I found his character to be very relatable. His
acting is so good, I had to keep asking myself, “Wait, is he an
actor or is this real?”
Other characters we meet along the way
include her brother Remy as well as some of the relationship
interests of the characters.
The second season is also 6 episodes
and picks up where the first season left off. I enjoyed the second
season as well but I think the first season was better. The first
season just seemed so real and authentic while the second season
seemed more like it was written like how most shows are.
Overall I would highly recommend
checking out One Mississippi. If you are a fan or Tig's, you are sure
to enjoy it and even if you are not familiar with her, I think you
will enjoy the show.
