"Take the lead" is certainly an expression used in the UK to denote guiding people, as in "I'll take the lead". I assume both come from ballroom dancing.

I'm sure it's used elsewhere but it may also simply be a conflation of the two.

Very much so - it's why I came into the comments.

Unfortunately, you violated the law slightly by asking a question!

Cunningham's Law states "the best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer."

I don't read many, but Geraint Thomas' autobiography, 'The Tour According to G' is really enjoyable.

I think you're underestimating the intelligence of average people. There's definitely a lack of knowledge, but average people are plenty smart to invent everything you've listed. It just takes time and is an iterative process.

Definitely yes, but like all philosophies your understanding will develop as you age and your perspective changes.

Consider the book Happy by Deren Brown. It's a great summary of Ancient philosophies and then a good 'entry level' introduction to Stoicism.

Be careful with the cable tension barrel adjuster. As you turn it, watch the brake caliper: is there is any movement, stop turning the caliper and back off.

It should only be used to remove slack in the cable on installation - it shouldn't be used to adjust the brakes.

This is because a disc brake caliper only has a few mm of travel. So if use of the barrel adjuster "removes" 1mm of that travel, you end up with far less modulation available.

Yup, hard agree with you on that last point.

That's an interesting example, but note that in Europe, at least, WhatsApp is king. I only mention it because the walled-garden approach Apple favours isn't necessarily a guaranteed outcome, and third-party apps can happily become the norm among non-tech people.

I can't help but love flip phones, but definitely wouldn't go near the folding-screen variety for a lot of generations. I hope one day to have something as robust as the old dumbphones.

Just want to say I read your username as Northum-Brian-Lad at first. Now I'm intrigued whether it's a masterful play on words by someone called 'Brian', or actually Northumbrian-Lad.

There might be a craft space somewhere in your town - they're becoming more common. Someone there would likely do it for you for the fun of it!