gnu

In terms of actual daily use the oldest thing that I can actually date would be the table my computer sits on - that's been in the family since at least the 60s (when one of my uncles scratched his name into the drawer). It's just a basic solid wood desk, still holding up fine and unless abused will continue doing so for quite some time yet.

Aside from that some of my dinner plates are over 30, the motorbike I usually commute on is a '97 model, and the butter knives I like are not dated but I believe could be anywhere from early 1900s onwards (faux bone handles, made in England with various Sheffield makers marks).

I do have a few tools, cameras, and telescopes around which are also reasonably old but they aren't daily use items.

Focusing on the reverse camera probably does make you worse at reverse parking because it puts your attention on a small part of the overall situation. They're a nice thing to have as an additional viewpoint in tighter spaces but it's better to use your side mirrors primarily while also checking regularly on the front of the car and the reverse camera.

With all of them I'm at a real disadvantage due to not speaking any local languages, considering you basically need the locals for long term survival that puts one on the wrong foot to start off with.

Surviving A would require a lot of luck, B would be a bit more achievable as that would give me some clothes and a multitool but still very hard going as I know nothing substantial about the local bush food and dangers.

C is where I might actually have a chance as I have a lot of tools, camping gear, some food, and some books which might help (albeit nothing specifically on Peru except whatever's in the Encyclopaedia Britannica). Given luck I could probably manage solo for a while with this. What'd probably happen is the locals come along and make off with everything though so I wouldn't give good odds on long term survival.

Brake fluid is hygroscopic and will accumulate water over time despite being in a nominally sealed system. Water in solution with brake fluid noticeably lowers the boiling point which leads to issues under repeated braking (e.g. down long steep hills) as the fluid boiling means you lose braking capacity in that circuit.

You should ideally be changing the brake fluid every few years (2-3 being the typical recommendation) and that applies even if the brakes are used less often.

Electric cars do have oil that will ultimately need changing but it's less exposed to contaminants than the engine oil in a internal combustion engine and therefore will last a lot longer. EVs typically have a reduction gearbox and differential and these will require oil changes in a similar fashion to a manual gearbox or differential in a ICE vehicle - i.e. barring exceptional circumstances it will last long enough to get out of warranty but don't believe it will never need changing.

Best if one develops the habit of putting the drink in the freezer then immediately starting a timer on the phone for half an hour or so. Doing that before you do anything else means you actually get to have the nice chilly drink after the inevitable distraction.

Signalised lead ins are helpful to solve flow issues caused by an imbalance in traffic direction at certain times of day. When you get too much traffic building up that can't enter the roundabout due to no gaps you activate the red light before the entrance dominating traffic flow to give a period where the other directions can move through. The actual roundabout works as per normal and you don't have to deal with lights during non-peak periods.

Lights on a roundabout make it not really a roundabout but an unholy mishmash of intersection design. I've got one near me and the only thing going for it was that converting a roundabout was significantly cheaper than the flyover intersection it really should be made into.

One of the work trucks used to have one that said "Go straight through the roundabout". It was pretty tempting sometimes to take it at its word...

I have one in my wallet - they are quite handy for cleaning lint out when the phone charging port inevitably collects enough to be annoying.

The basics are easy - half an hour with someone who knows what they"re doing should be all you need to get out and about. Getting to the point where it's instinctual and you don't have to think about shifting is probably beyond the limits of a short trip but depending on how much driving you do you can be fairly smooth within a few days.

The main risk you run with learning manual is that once you get the hang of it it spoils automatics for you - you might end up having to buy yourself a manual car to avoid being annoyed by the missteps autos tend to do.

Depends on the type of cable but some do - all but the lowest of the bottom end of USB-C cables for example will have some sort of chip in them to negotiate charging rate, and those that support fancier things like Thunderbolt will have a more complicated chip.

If you're setting out to install more potentially nefarious things on a cable it's definitely possible to make them fit in - see this cable sold for pen testing for example.

Old petrol engines do have something making them worthwhile though - they're easier to run on wood gas. A gasifier would open options for fuel availability considerably as wood is a lot more likely to be accessible.