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Thread: What is making you happy right now

  1. #5911
    I just paid $1200 for 6 months on 3 cars, 2 at full coverage.
    My high schooler can earn her permit this year.
    "In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."

  2. #5912
    I pay about $440 a year, but my car is 15 years old.
    "When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: Why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first." - Werner Heisenberg (maybe)

  3. #5913
    I was over-insured for years -- when it didn't cost much to be paranoid. haha

    I'm now paying ~ $40/month for an '08 bare bones Toyota Yaris. Haven't had a speeding ticket or accident, never made a claim, and drive less than 5,000 miles/year. But they raised my rates when I moved to a different zip code, and after I turned 60 yrs old. Auto Insurance is a mandated scheme that sucks. But I'm happy to own my car, and not have a car loan.

  4. #5914
    Quote Originally Posted by Ominous Gamer View Post
    I just paid $1200 for 6 months on 3 cars, 2 at full coverage.
    My high schooler can earn her permit this year.
    Good luck with that.

  5. #5915
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    Our HOA has voted 99% in favor of a plan to improve the energy efficiency of our building. We were getting a bit pessimistic after not hearing back from the 'meeting' on the plan 2 weeks ago. But I guess they were kist a bit slow typing out the minutes. The plan is going to cost almost €30K per appartment, but it's really going to make this place nicer. And as far as I know the raise in service fees are fully deductable
    Congratulations America

  6. #5916
    Quote Originally Posted by Hazir View Post
    Our HOA has voted 99% in favor of a plan to improve the energy efficiency of our building. We were getting a bit pessimistic after not hearing back from the 'meeting' on the plan 2 weeks ago. But I guess they were kist a bit slow typing out the minutes. The plan is going to cost almost €30K per appartment, but it's really going to make this place nicer. And as far as I know the raise in service fees are fully deductable
    Dang, sounds like a major overhaul... what exactly will they be doing to improve energy efficiency?
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  7. #5917
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    It is a major overhaul. The buildings are about 40 years old, low-rise brick buildings. When they were built ridiculously little attention was given to energy efficiency. Which means that the floors of the ground floor flats aren't insulated from cold coming up from the crawling space under the building, and I recently heard that the insulation value of the roofs is close to non-existent. The outer walls are double but poorly insulated. Finally the windows are aluminium framed with double glazing. Most of them do keep out most of the weather but don't keep in the heat. The insulation in all directions will be brought up to modern standards, and the windows will be replaced with PVC (I think) ones with triple glazing. Even the big ass sliding doors to the balcony which are about 6sqm each (2). Ventilation system will be replaced entirely and we'll replace all light with led. As you can expect there is some asbestos still on the buildings, but that's not going to be a major headache. Solar panels will be installed on all roofs.

    Energy certification goal is A for every single appartment, at the moment they are between D and G. Mine is a D. Seems like if we achieve that we're also eligible for a huge subsidy from the state.

    According to the proposals the work will start after this winter. Completion could take up to 2 years. But that's to be expected with about 800 units to be tackled.
    Congratulations America

  8. #5918
    "When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: Why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first." - Werner Heisenberg (maybe)

  9. #5919
    Oreos



    Sickly, overly-sugared American mush.
    Quote Originally Posted by Steely Glint View Post
    It's actually the original French billion, which is bi-million, which is a million to the power of 2. We adopted the word, and then they changed it, presumably as revenge for Crecy and Agincourt, and then the treasonous Americans adopted the new French usage and spread it all over the world. And now we have to use it.

    And that's Why I'm Voting Leave.

  10. #5920
    Quote Originally Posted by Timbuk2 View Post
    Oreos



    Sickly, overly-sugared American mush.
    The anglosphere in general and the US in particular is a goodie desert but we're not supposed to let on
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  11. #5921
    Quote Originally Posted by Timbuk2 View Post
    Oreos



    Sickly, overly-sugared American mush.
    I won't be talked down to by someone coming for a country that thinks pudding is a legitimate form of dessert.

    Also you're probably eating them wrong.
    "When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: Why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first." - Werner Heisenberg (maybe)

  12. #5922
    Quote Originally Posted by wiggin View Post
    I won't be talked down to by someone coming for a country that thinks pudding is a legitimate form of dessert.

    Also you're probably eating them wrong.
    Quote Originally Posted by Steely Glint View Post
    It's actually the original French billion, which is bi-million, which is a million to the power of 2. We adopted the word, and then they changed it, presumably as revenge for Crecy and Agincourt, and then the treasonous Americans adopted the new French usage and spread it all over the world. And now we have to use it.

    And that's Why I'm Voting Leave.

  13. #5923
    Quote Originally Posted by Timbuk2 View Post
    Oreos



    Sickly, overly-sugared American mush.
    Golden Oreos are best Oreos.

    Don't get double stuffed though, that's just too much.

  14. #5924
    Quote Originally Posted by Wraith View Post
    Golden Oreos are best Oreos.

    Don't get double stuffed though, that's just too much.
    I kinda enjoyed the uh oh Oreos (like Golden Oreos with a chocolate center). Not sure they actually tasted different but it felt like they did. Pretty solid dipped in ice cold milk.

    Now, one very important question: How do you pronounce 'Double Stuf' Oreos? There is only one right answer.
    "When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: Why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first." - Werner Heisenberg (maybe)

  15. #5925
    Senior Member Flixy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wraith View Post
    Golden Oreos are best Oreos.

    Don't get double stuffed though, that's just too much.
    Haven't had those. I have a weak spot for the white chocolate covered oreos.

    But let's be honest, there are plenty of much, much better colours available.

    edit:

    These cookies are the bomb:


    And organic too!
    Keep on keepin' the beat alive!

  16. #5926
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    Quote Originally Posted by wiggin View Post
    I won't be talked down to by someone coming for a country that thinks pudding is a legitimate form of dessert.

    Also you're probably eating them wrong.
    The only right way to eat them is to not eat them at all.
    Congratulations America

  17. #5927
    Quote Originally Posted by Wraith View Post
    Golden Oreos are best Oreos.
    Mint.
    We're stuck in a bloody snowglobe.

  18. #5928
    Oreo Thins are the best! Fudge wrapped Oreo Minis win a close second prize.

  19. #5929
    The other day, I successfully solved a bug in someone else's Matlab code, in a few short text messages, without ever seeing the code or the full error message. While I was at a park playing with my youngest (who was home because of a Covid scare at daycare). I'm pretty sure I've unlocked some sort of 2020 achievement.
    "When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: Why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first." - Werner Heisenberg (maybe)

  20. #5930
    A lot of things suddenly fell into place all at once, and a project I've wanted to start up since 2012 is finally taking off. Key players are on board, funding has been secured, and, pandemic surprises notwithstanding, I will be able to dedicate a lot of time to it. Just really good vibes about the whole thing right now. The little one is starting daycare in a couple of weeks, and can now say over 50 words (toddler-style). She's started ordering us around with two-word commands to feed her raspberries and mango, call grandparents etc. Bit bummed out that her 50th official word was "nas-tyyyyy" thanks to a foolish, foolish dad; hope I'll be able to undo this before the word becomes entrenched in her vocabulary. Just soaking up words like a sponge right now, and every day at home with her is an adventure. Frankly, it'll be difficult going back to the everyday grind after parental leave ends. Just gonna enjoy the present for a while.
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  21. #5931
    Bangladeshi, English and Swedistani?
    Quote Originally Posted by Steely Glint View Post
    It's actually the original French billion, which is bi-million, which is a million to the power of 2. We adopted the word, and then they changed it, presumably as revenge for Crecy and Agincourt, and then the treasonous Americans adopted the new French usage and spread it all over the world. And now we have to use it.

    And that's Why I'm Voting Leave.

  22. #5932
    My 5 year old spotted the basic flaw in socialism today. Without prompting. That was entertaining.
    "When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: Why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first." - Werner Heisenberg (maybe)

  23. #5933
    Quote Originally Posted by wiggin View Post
    the basic flaw in socialism
    Needs expansion
    Quote Originally Posted by Steely Glint View Post
    It's actually the original French billion, which is bi-million, which is a million to the power of 2. We adopted the word, and then they changed it, presumably as revenge for Crecy and Agincourt, and then the treasonous Americans adopted the new French usage and spread it all over the world. And now we have to use it.

    And that's Why I'm Voting Leave.

  24. #5934
    Quote Originally Posted by Timbuk2 View Post
    Needs expansion
    Well, she was asking if cars existed when my wife and I were born (spoiler alert: they did!). We explained that cars had been around even when her great grandparents were born. So then she asked if her grandmother (my mother in law) had a car growing up. So we had to explain that, growing up on a far left kibbutz, her family didn't own anything of substantial value. But if they needed a car, the kibbutz owned a number of cars that they could use.

    This was a new concept to her, so she immediately asked 'but the kibbutz isn't a person, how did they decide who would get a car? That doesn't make any sense'. Which, in one sentence, neatly summarized the fundamental issue at the heart of collective ownership: someone - a person - gets to make the decision about how scarce resources are apportioned, and that someone has economic power even if they don't technically 'own' anything. It's a fundamentally uneven division of power and undermines the very concept of economic democracy. This fundamental mismatch between power and responsibility leads to all sorts of issues - poor incentives, moral hazard, etc.

    In the microcosm of a kibbutz these issues can be worked out through true democracy, where the members (typically only a few hundred at most) hash out disagreements one by one and they are united in purpose by a shared ideology. When scaled up to whole economies the problems become much more acute - not only is central planning likely to be at best inefficient (at worst, actively harmful), it's also fundamentally unfair in the way it concentrates economic power in an entrenched political class (as opposed to in the hands of those who have accumulated capital, as seen in more market based systems). Other economic systems are also inherently unfair, but in the case of capitalism that is viewed as a feature and not a bug (within limits); in socialism it's a fundamental contradiction.

    Now my daughter doesn't know squat about any of this more sophisticated overlay, but she easily spotted the basic issue that most socialist systems have wrestled with.

    (BTW I mean Socialism, not bogeyman socialism like single payer healthcare.)
    "When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: Why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first." - Werner Heisenberg (maybe)

  25. #5935
    Does she have a fellowship with Cato yet?
    Hope is the denial of reality

  26. #5936
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    Quote Originally Posted by wiggin View Post
    Well, she was asking if cars existed when my wife and I were born (spoiler alert: they did!). We explained that cars had been around even when her great grandparents were born. So then she asked if her grandmother (my mother in law) had a car growing up. So we had to explain that, growing up on a far left kibbutz, her family didn't own anything of substantial value. But if they needed a car, the kibbutz owned a number of cars that they could use.

    This was a new concept to her, so she immediately asked 'but the kibbutz isn't a person, how did they decide who would get a car? That doesn't make any sense'. Which, in one sentence, neatly summarized the fundamental issue at the heart of collective ownership: someone - a person - gets to make the decision about how scarce resources are apportioned, and that someone has economic power even if they don't technically 'own' anything. It's a fundamentally uneven division of power and undermines the very concept of economic democracy. This fundamental mismatch between power and responsibility leads to all sorts of issues - poor incentives, moral hazard, etc.

    In the microcosm of a kibbutz these issues can be worked out through true democracy, where the members (typically only a few hundred at most) hash out disagreements one by one and they are united in purpose by a shared ideology. When scaled up to whole economies the problems become much more acute - not only is central planning likely to be at best inefficient (at worst, actively harmful), it's also fundamentally unfair in the way it concentrates economic power in an entrenched political class (as opposed to in the hands of those who have accumulated capital, as seen in more market based systems). Other economic systems are also inherently unfair, but in the case of capitalism that is viewed as a feature and not a bug (within limits); in socialism it's a fundamental contradiction.

    Now my daughter doesn't know squat about any of this more sophisticated overlay, but she easily spotted the basic issue that most socialist systems have wrestled with.

    (BTW I mean Socialism, not bogeyman socialism like single payer healthcare.)
    It's not socialism that's flawed, reality is flawed.
    Congratulations America

  27. #5937
    Quote Originally Posted by Hazir View Post
    It's not socialism that's flawed, reality is flawed.
    "When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: Why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first." - Werner Heisenberg (maybe)

  28. #5938
    Quote Originally Posted by Timbuk2 View Post
    Bangladeshi, English and Swedistani?
    Unfortunately, her spoken English is still limited to "papidoo" (puppydog pals) and "nas-teee", and her Bengali is similarly limited, but she understands both well enough that I'm hoping she'll be comfortably trilingual by the time she starts school She's spent half the day running around singing "andiaaaaamooo" so I honestly have no idea where this is going. Might end up speaking quaranteen cant or human/machine creole in the future for all I know
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  29. #5939
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    Season 5 of the expanse from december 16th.
    Congratulations America

  30. #5940
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    Some weeks ago I was at the dealership for a small fix that needed to be done to my car. As I was waiting I brought up the issue of winter tyres, since I bought this car on summer tyres and somehow the winter tyres never came up at that time. One of the options was a set of wheels + tyres for €950,- . I was a bit slow deciding; I couldn't make up my mind on what to go for. In the end a set of wheels seemed most sensible. But that was 6 weeks later. I go online to check out what's on offer, and at the same dealership I see they have a special offer of a set of wheels for €1.050,-. A set that is exactly like the one I had seen 6 weeks before. Before committing, I decided to make a call to ask if they still had the €950,- set. They needed to think on that, but after 10 minutes I was called back with the news that I could get the wheels for €950,-

    It's small, but I like these little 'victories'.
    Congratulations America

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