WTB: an extremely nice LS430 or LS400. Low miles a plus, but has to be in VERY good condition all around. Prefer brown, silver, or white. Closer to Trinidad CO the better, but of course I'm willing to travel or ship. I'm buying it for my Dad - it'll probably be his last car as he's 87 now, but still loves going on road trips.
It's to replace my old LS400 he stole from me ten years ago (when his Buick was down for something) and somehow never gave back. It's now well over 300k miles, and he plans on refurbishing it, but I'd rather buy him a near perfect replacement.
I've eyed one floating around for sale, I think on auto trader here in Connecticut but that's quite far. May be worth prowling around Florida Lexus dealers or Autotrader. Lots of old folks with LS's in good shape down there, especially gold ones.
Thanks. I've been keeping an eye on autotrader and such. There's a perfect one here in Denver but it's black, and my Dad has never been much for washing his cars, even less so now that it's harder for him to move about.
Go for the black if it’s local, have it ceramic coated, and just hose it off when you stop by to see him. (I’m assuming he’s close by and you see him frequently enough)
I'm a good four hours away, but seeing them more often would certainly be a good thing, and that would be a good excuse. It's so odd to be feeling a bit old myself yet contemplating the end of Mom and Dad. At 65k miles I probably should just pony up for it and get it coated as you suggest. Thanks, again. And thanks, Jack, for pinning this - appreciated.
Morgan, Orlando Classics has an 2003 LS430 with 60k miles and is in great shape (senior citizen original owner), sorry I can not post a link as I am on my phone. If you are interested talk to Dave the owner of the business. I can vouch for him and his cars as he operates a stand up local business. Just google Orlando Classic Cars the lexis is on page 4 of his inventory. Let me know if you want me to put eyes on the car and test drive it. My place in Florida is an hour away and I will be there next week.
It's unfortunate you aren't into Nascar. What Kyle Larson did last Saturday should make every other driver embarrassed when they bitch about the cars all being too even. If they are so even, then how did he open up a 7 second lead at freaking Bristol, while working through traffic, and lead 90% of the laps? I'm admittedly a Larson fan, so for me it was a fascinating race to watch. For everyone else, I'm sure it was boring.
Kyle Larson is a generational talent. He will drive anything, anywhere, any time and can win. Dirt, pavement it doesn't matter. He was running 5th I think at Indy this year, but his inexperience got him a speeding penalty on pit road. I don't think he had anything for the Penske cars at Penske's track, but he certainly held his own for his first Indycar race.
I'll make the argument that Mario Andretti is the best racecar driver ever because he drove just about everything and won in just about everything he drove. Has anyone else won at Indy, an F1 championship, and in NASCAR? Yeah, I know it was a different era, but if Kyle Larson is a generational talent, Mario is a talent for the ages.
If he's right, he needs an F1 tryout. So many wheelbarrows of cash available there with global sponsors and fan base! I, too, would love to see an American succeed on the grid.
Hey I’ve been wanting to ask you something, and or Jack, namely this: how do we feel about corps rolling up all manner of businesses; all the time? What does this mean for small businesses, what does this mean for the American middle class? Is it economically and socially sustainable, in the sense that single people can continue to build companies, innovate, live off them, supporting themselves and small groups of people?
Cause in point, one of my pet companies, Kuiu, was bought a couple of years ago. It’s not hard to imagine that the same entity that bought them also owns/buys 3-4 other major players, and now the wool market is owned by 2-4 players. If we stretch this out into HVAC, auto mechanics, etc, then what? Retail is basically already there, with Home Depot and Lowe’s, and the big chain grocery stores, and Costco/Sam’s. I spend a couple hundred dollars extra a month just to buy some groceries at a small local chain, but that’s not an option for a lot of folks, certainly not nationwide…
I daydream of building a company and then selling it to someone for millions and then going ranching, so I’m not opposed to the concept, just wondering about the long range ramifications.
Roll-ups are *generally* beneficial for several reasons in my opinion:
0-The prospect of a compelling near-term exit spurs more people to start a new business that can be sold to a sponsor who is rolling up the space. It’s not just the cash on cash return, it’s the IRR. You’d rather start a business today and sell it for $X million in 3 or 5 years rather than the same price in 10 years. After you’ve exited, you can live on passive income or you can do it again (and speed run through the timetable since you’re already experienced AND know the buyer set) once your non-compete is over with.
1-Roll-ups as a business (i.e., you’re a private equity type who can buy a few widget operators at a reasonable multiple (with some acquisition financing against the purchase), scale up, operate more efficiently (i.e., at scale), and exit at a higher multiple) affords a terrific pathway for wealth creation. It also bids up prices on widget companies, thereby rewarding the people who started or own those in the first place.
2-Markets are large. I don’t think that consumers are unduly hurt by consolidation in, say, the car wash space.
3-It’s not great in the hospital space, for example, but I believe the fundamental problem there is insurance.
All good points, well reasoned. I can agree with all. #3 spurs some thought, and I would say that perhaps my concerns are not so much with the consumers as they are with the American workers. This is a more extreme example, but the Bass Pro/Cabela’s merger put like 2500 people in one town out of work, tanked a local economy and destroyed both a housing market and a lot of personal wealth at the same time. You could say that a merger like that would have happened eventually, or we could debate the pros and cons of it and both make good points. I suppose the element of consolidation that concerns me is the people that could be shut out of the markets. Like Walmart says they are a net good, and I don’t know, but it’s easy to see that they have murdered hundreds of small, local department stores and also some mail order shops as well. This is a parallel problem to the idea of autonomous semi trucks; that industry employs a ton of convicts, and those people need jobs too.
I'd be curious as to thoughts on the meat packing industry? That seems to be a hot topic on some economic discussions I've seen, especially as it relates to groceries. While there are numerous small meat packing plants regionally, something like 80 percent of all meat comes from just 3 meat packers which "reduce competition" which I'm told. These companies got large when smaller companies sold. The large meat packers will sell to the public that they can provide meat cheaper due to economies of scale, all the while detractors will show article after article that economies of scale don't work.
It just scares the absolute fucking shit out of me!
We’ve started using Otter.ai at work, a piece of software that will eavesdrop on a Teams or Zoom meeting and take notes. I’ve seen the results, and it’s an interesting thing, but scary as well!
i still want max to win this year but im genuinely curious to see how well colapinto will do after watching him beat the brakes off logan who might go on to be completely mid in indycar
the nuclear power thing rankles me because in a way canada could have capitalized power hungry ai craze on this with our fairly successful candu reactors that we already had the capability to build a few decades ago and we also have the space for it but nope gotta double down on useless and ugly wind turbines and photovoltaics while the cost of hydro keeps going up
still not a fan of forged carbon fiber because its kinda like the chopped strand to the woven mat fiberglass but made to look cool out of cf scraps even though it has some useful properties
has anyone made a magnesium or ultralight alloy watch
I have a titanium frame bicycle by Litespeed (with the most beautiful welds imaginable). It's arguably the purchase I have made with which I am most satisfied. Rides like silk.
I live about 30 minutes from Three Mile Island. Every year (up until they shut it down), the local energy company would send us an "Emergency Planning for the Three Mile Island Area" evacuation map. If they ever get Unit 1 up and running again, I expect to start receiving those maps in the future...
Brian, we must be neighbors. I toured the TMI visitor's center with school in January of 1979, just a few short months before the event.
My elementary school kept us inside during recess on that day in 1979 to limit our potential radiation exposure. A classmate of mine (who had numerous head X-rays a few years prior due to a sledding accident) went with his parents to visit extended family in the coal regions of upstate PA for a few days as a precaution.
I have a friend from church who worked at TMI up to its shut-down. He was then transferred to another local Excelon nuclear facility where he still works today. I am currently traveling for a few weeks but look forward to getting the inside scoop from him upon my return.
In “The China Syndrome,” the movie with Jack Lemmon (the head of operations at the fictitious Fontana nuclear power plant in California) and Jane Fonda, wasn’t she (playing a reporter) visiting the Fontana plant to do some sort of puff piece, when she witnessed a “trip” of the reactor shutdown mechanism in which many of the safeguards failed? (I Googled the characters, but I didn’t want to read the plot notes.) That dovetailed with your story about visiting TMI before it almost went Fukushima/Chernobyl.
We discussed this a few weeks ago, IIRC..Toledo, Cleveland, and even Toronto could have gone glowing if the 💩 would have REALLY hit the 🪭, in addition to Detroit.
Yes. That is the plot. During the puff piece, the were was a turbine trip and they SCRAMed the reactor. The operators thought that the water level was high due to a malfunctioning indicator and they didn't check the secondary indicator. In response, they dumped feed water and lost a ton of water. Michael Douglas filmed the whole thing clandestinely.
The second half of the movie revolves around the conspiracy aspect of it. Namely, Michael Douglas was trying to blow the whistle. Eventually, Jack Lemmon (control room manager) started digging and realized that the construction company falsified x-rays of the welds. Thus started intimidation on behalf of the construction and/or power company.
Even though its propaganda, it's a very good movie IMO. It's a good period late 70s LA piece.
Jane Fonda was a TV reporter, right? The cameraman drove an orange Chevy Vega, and got run off the road by someone in a power company truck, if memory serves.
I didn’t check IMDb, and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn last night!
"The rest of the time he’s strongly resembled the fiercely unexceptional seat-filler who bumbled through Renault and McLaren rather than accept a formal second-driver designation against Max Verstappen, a driver whose talent against his is akin to Lee Ritenour’s mastery of jazz chords compared to mine".
^^ this is the asinine take of a dilettante who just likes to stir shit up. Daniel Riccardo has been the only driver to drive on nearly even terms with Max Verstappen in the same car. That Renault was the worst car on the grid when he chose to go drive for them, and it only got worse. Still he got results in it. I don't really care if he's gone, I'm not particularly interested either way, but the record shows he was a competitive driver until learning to drive that POS Renault fucked him up for good.
You may resume your wet dreams about Yuki Tsunoda.
"I’d be cautious about spending any real money on a piece of jewelry". Fixed all your watch obsession for you. (half j/k)
"he was a competitive driver until learning to drive that POS Renault fucked him up for good"
does this mean that his rep as a decent driver was crushed when he got behind the wheel of an awful car or that trying to figure out how to drive that renault made his skills worse in a kind of incorrect learning way
it became fairly clear that with enough of the right info i might have the potential to really catapult myself to a much lower laptime than had i not had access to that
As a compelling piece of entertainment, it’s hard for me to recall F1 having been a better product than it has been lately. This season may end up eclipsing 2021.
I may be an idiot, but I am not a newbie! I attended the USGP when it was at Indy, multiple times. I own one of the rear wheels from a 2003 Jordan, bought at the end of that season. I had dinner with Peter Windsor 20 years ago, even!
Danny Ric has always been less than top tier. Max was schooling him before Max was old enough to drive in New York State.
From 2016 to 2018, Max has a better record than Ricky despite starting as a kid who ran into everything and everyone else on the track. But don't take my word for it: look at Ricciardo bailing out rather than face another beating.
I don't think DR is the same level of talent as Jenson Button or JV, much less Verstappen. Maybe Eddie Irvine.
He took a chance. Much like Alonso. It didn't work out... You can call it bailing. That is your opinion, much like the 'journeyman' epithet you keep applying.
You also have to remember he was the one that DEVELOPED that Red Bull before Max showed up to drive it.
His failures of learning bad techniques and not being able to revert back to what made him a multiple race winner are on him, but your continued name calling is unjustified...
And Yuki hasn't really achieved anything of note yet... We'll see once he's paired with someone hungrier like Lawson. I expect a Colapinto/Albon type dynamic to form quickly.
I think Ricciardo's early reputation was mostly based on the 2014 season where he outclassed the reigning four-time champion.
But by that point Hamilton had the rocket car and was taking all the wins, Vettel was unhappy with the Red Bull and already whispering with Ferrari, so maybe ol' Seb was not exactly giving his best effort, making D-Ric look better than he really was.
he also strikes me as so competitive that he couldn't give less than his best. I don't think those guys are capable of thinking, "eh, I'll phone it in today."
This will likely cause you to express some more withering contempt, but I think Vettel has some sort of minor but impactful mental illness and/or concussion trauma. He visibly disintegrated during his F1 career and appears to spend a lot of time smiling vacantly and/or feeling really deep emotions about The Current Thing.
As an 18 year old he was brilliant. Ten years later he appeared to be feckless at best.
It's like you make a novela in your head about every small little thing. It's not contempt but amusement at this point from me. Not everything has a special meaning just because you make one up in your head.
I don't think he forgot how to drive it left his killer instinct at home after his championship wins.
You're showing contempt for the guy's commitment and efforts just because you AND I disagree with his politics.
Far more likely explanation, much like DR is he was much more a Master of driving those off throttle blown diffuser cars than 2014+ complex whales that wouldn't turn.
"Far more likely explanation, much like DR is he was much more a Master of driving those off throttle blown diffuser cars than 2014+ complex whales that wouldn't turn"
The racing press loves to talk about stuff like this but there's rarely much in it from a data perspective. The closest it comes to being reality is that drivers are typically most competent in the F1 ruleset they encounter when they are youngest, for obvious reasons.
I like Vettel and I don't mind his politics, I think they are heartfelt. If you look at the changes in his demeanor, expressions, and even posture over the years, they are somewhere between interesting and troubling. He went from being willing to put Mark Webber in the hospital to being frankly deferential towards Lewis, like they BOTH would prefer that Lewis win.
Agree that drivers tend to be most comfortable in the ruleset they debut in, which is why the champions that last across multiple ones are the greatest in my opinion, atleast in the modern era.
I completely disagree about Vettel wanting Hamilton to win, that's just pure bullshit. Had he not been done in by a couple of unforced errors and been Ferrari'd, he'd have another championship in this turbo hybrid era as well.
I think as they mature in F1 everyone becomes LESS cut throat towards their teammates, and you're seeing that even with the most cutthroat of them all - Max these days.
I have enough self awareness to know this might sound really dumb, but in regards to Sargent’s Indycar at Thermal I can’t help but think a big motivation behind this is giving members of that paved country club a opportunity to see a current year F1 driver ripping around their turf.
It's a homecoming of sorts. He DOES have an F1 point, he did make it into Q3. We used to have a reader around here who would bristle when I said stuff like this, but: he's likely top half talent in IndyCar.
As Bentley did it... with actual piano black finish over wood with gloss on top of that... it's great. I had a piano black Bentley wheel in one of my Phaetons. Lovely material.
Agreed for sure. I own a car that’s so notorious for annoying shiny chrome bits that the aftermarket offers precut stickers to cover them up. In, er, fake carbon fiber pattern. Sad all around.
Porsche is notorious for having the accent strips that bisect the front interior made from chromed plastic. Then you have the option of paying up for a nearly identical but not shiny accent strip made from brushed metal or CF or even wood. If you didn't specify that $700 change during ordering, or happen to buy an already specced car without it, they will happily sell you the new strip for $1000 or so, more in CF.
My Boxster DEFINITELY looks better with my $1000 brushed strip.
You're right except my 23 S4 didn't have any interior options and the CF all over the console and cowl looks great. I thought I'd be meh but I've liked it from the get go.
I figured why not go all the way so I got the tail lip spoiler and mirrors in CF too. It's a retro look now in a new car.
-Lewis was against the tire (tyre?) strategy that Merc foisted upon him; recall that he started next to George, and only one of them is going to be there next year.
-New rumors surfaced that Perez will announce his retirement in Mexico, which then allows Horner and Marko to put Liam Lawson next to Max next year (provided the Kiwi does very well as Ricciardo’s in-season replacement - deja vu from last year), or keep Lawson as Tsunoda’s teammate next year. If Perez retires and Lawson gets the RBR seat, Ricciardo could return to VCARB.
I think you missed on key angle on Microsoft's deal to reopen Three Mile Island, they can sell it to their ESG folks and internal Sustainability folks as "carbon free power." Microsoft has some sustainability goals, and remains committed to them across the board.
This could also be a shrewd business move, locking down fixed price power, going forward as we push towards a German style renewable plan in many of the blue states where Microsoft operates.
Happy to add, I've worked with MSFT a bunch and know folks on the sustainability side there. It always surprises me how they can elbow into some real business decisions.
On the other side of it, I do think Satya and current management are quite savvy at selling exactly what enterprise execs want back to them. I'd say AI is definitely in that stage now, where it hasn't jumped the shark but all the lizard people who buy Microsoft think it'll make their employees more productive.
I use copilot to write emails to PMs that I don't like. You can tell that they're AI-Generated. It's a very subtle (and passive-aggressive) way to say "fuck you, you're not worth my time."
I see it all the time. It's especially irritating when the question is always something that should be sorted well before it gets to my lab; it's more common they want a schedule slot and date quotes before they even start filing the request though.
But I thought that nuke power is the ULTIMATE harm to the en-VIIIII-ronment! Weren’t the late-blooming Boomers throwing their hippie-dipshit selves in front of the entrances to TMI and other nuke plants by the time the clock struck 1980?
This is in the dictionary under “hypocrisy,” right?!
Asking modern left-environmentalists to understand even basic mathematical concepts such as Energy Return on Energy Invested just appears to be asking too much.
Relatedly - and I’m sure you already know it - but I’ve seen compelling evidence that entrenched interests in coal and oil/NG paid to astroturf the “environmentalist” argument against Nuclear. I think in this effort they succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. (Would love to read more if anyone has refs or book recs.)
might be repeating myself but in the late '40s there was an article or 2 in the l.a. times about nuclear power being too cheap to bill people for; the gov't would give huge payouts to defuncting power companies and their stockholders as they replaced 'fossil' fuels forever, step by step.
A problem has been detected and radioactive gas has been released to prevent damage to your containment vessel.
ERR_PRESSURE_READING_MISMATCH
If this is your first time seeing this Release screen, restart your reactor and contact an estate attorney.
If this problem has occurred before, discontinue driving or operating machinery and move to a secure location in your home where your radioactive, decaying corpse will cause minimal impact to others.
re Forged CF: "it’s claimed to be stronger than traditional weave carbon fiber" this claim is at very best very misleading and basically rubbish. I've worked with aerospace grade CF materials in many forms for 40+ years. The "forging" process, which is just a form of compression molding, is actually more expensive than traditional CF layup, as it requires a matched die tool rather than a single sided tool.
Having worked repairing carbon rowing shells, and now as a racing cyclist who's job is in strategic go to market for tech, let's just say all carbon strength measurements and "what's better" come from the marketing department.
It's all about using the right process for the right part, or in the case of Tissot, the one that will make the most cash
Layups (and to a degree weaves) do have a point, and are critical in building most carbon moulded parts correctly. However, the way they're communicated to you, the customer, is 95% marketing...
(From the recent wreckage footage it seems the failure was at the CF-titanium interface and not due to CF weakness, although it wouldn't be surprising if the hull was the next weakest link. Rescind your zinger!)
Yeah I don't see how it could be the case... I remember all the drama about early CF tubing being very delicate with any forces that weren't exactly parallel with the weave.
Re the Rolex Daytona: for many years I wanted one because (a) I'm a watch nerd, and (b) I go to the Rolex 24 in Daytona Beach every year. I never thought that owning one would make me either a Rolex 24 winner or Paul Newman, so go easy on the poseur remarks! I never bought the steel version, because I refused to pay the ridiculous gray market prices I would be expected to pay.
I used to live in Key West, and bought a Rolex Submariner new at MSRP (actually, MSRP minus $100 - local's discount!) from an authorized dealer there in 2005. I asked the dealer later what it would take for them to sell me a new steel Daytona at MSRP. The response was that if I bought around $200K in watches or other jewelry from them, they would deign to sell me a steel Daytona at MSRP. For a man in my tax bracket, that clearly never would happen. Plus, I'm not totally insane.
In 2019, I realized I could buy a new white gold Daytona at MSRP from an authorized dealer at not much more than what the gray market wanted for a steel Daytona. An easy decision; I bought my white gold Daytona at MSRP from the authorized Rolex in Daytona Beach. It truly is a lovely watch.
Gold has a unique position as an anti-inflation hedge because it's so widely accepted, and it's also easy to authenticate. Platinum is rarer, but not nearly as accepted globally, so it doesn't rise against the dollar to the same extent.
White gold is heavier than stainless steel, and has a different shine to it. If you put the two together it's easy to tell, but in isolation very few people can see the difference. Platinum, on the other hand, is SHINY.
Cease your childish frivolities OR ‘get ur money up bro’
Then you can get a Patek 5811 (I prefer it to the 5711) or a white gold Aquanaut (partial to the blue dial and strap). I also really like the AP Code 11:59 Perpetual Calendar in white gold (and prices are SOFT on those).
Or take your pick of any JLC in white gold. No one ends up with one of those by accident.
my father has a fastener distribution company but its infinitesimally tiny and basically unknown so i suppose trying to grow that might reap some rewards
either that or develop something from scratch into a viable business
Being a real estate developer is fairly easy, as well.
-Operate in a growing geography (i.e., Sun Belt)
-Learn by working for someone who is an experienced developer; you will either get paid peanuts or literally nothing while you do this
-Develop relationships with “equity partners” who fund deals; they get paid their contractual return, and the developer gets what’s left over (typically)
Real estate is a very social business, but if you are successful, it doesn’t matter if you have all of the “right” signifiers (family in the industry, right high school, right college, right MBA, right appearance / lifestyle) or none of them. People will know your track record and it will speak for itself.
A couple years after school, I remember seeing a few people regularly wear their nautilus to the gym while I was worried about dinging up my random microbrand... really sunk in the lifestyle gap
No one would recognize it for what it is, either, which is nice.
A secondhand story made its way back to me several years ago: “Oh, Sherman McCoy has a FAKE Rolex! The real ones always have a bubble over the date.” (This was in reference to my very real Daytona).
The same person who was spreading that story also said:
“Oh my husband (against whom she was cheating with various men) said that Rolex is simply not at the quality level of TAG Heuer.” Naturally, her husband owned a TAG Heuer Carrera.
And I agreed that that statement was factually correct!
That would make it a Radical SR5, which was K20 powered! Nobody bought them because the compromises required to fit the engine made the car look bizarrely out of proportion in person.
50% of the SR8's charm is the V-8, but if I can't afford to keep it going I can also look at using the 2.3 Ecoboost Ford, basically doing my own SR10 conversion.
I'll have you know that there *is* going to be a heck of a race engine built in the shop this winter, but not for me...
I must admit I have been debating a Patek Calatrava 6119G, also in white gold. I need to see one at a jeweler’s first. It certainly would be a very fine classic dress watch, although I also must admit I rarely have the need to actually wear a dress watch. Oh well, there’s always funerals!
I’m in Florida, just south of Daytona Beach. No Patek dealers near me, but my girlfriend’s daughter lives in Miami, so I might look at one the next time we’re there.
You might not be totally insane, but if you can afford a white gold, you'd also be able to "afford" the purchases to get a steel at MSRP especially if given a few years in which to make those purchases, lol.
I love that Mazda is a popular choice for racing, its light on its feet, handles well and is relatively inexpensive, with lots of support.
Regarding the forged carbon fiber, my g-shock Mudmaster has some on its bezel, and I have a square with the strap made of carbon fiber and titanium, Enjoy wearing them, they don’t feel cheap, nor does my titanium square. The watch Jack mentions at 995 might be a better deal than the full carbon fiber square, G-Shock is proud of that one.
Reminder to all the ACF folks who are of an age to troubles seeing things up close (or just do things that can lower actuarial table averages), do some estate planning. Helping deal with the sudden passing of a sister-in-law this week who didn't do any, and it is a mess for her family (sister and father) to clean up. If you are in good health, it doesn't even need to be real formal. A simple list of what you want done (burial, cremation, composting?), where you want it to happen, and do you want your parts donated that some family member knows how to find will do wonders to simplify a tough situation for your loved ones. A second list of your non-material assets located somewhere safe is also a big help. That's before we get to something like a will. Of course unless there is a lawyer involved none of your lists will pass legal scrutiny, but it will at least give everyone a clue to your intentions.
I need to do that too, since I’m unmarried and probably will be for life unless something big happens to find me (or vice versa); probably even one of those wills you can fill out online, then have it certified by a lawyer is better than nothing: split the assets 50/50 among my niece and nephew. Done.
Thanks. Passing was sudden and unexpected, but not hugely surprising given her health issues.
Learning far more than I want to about the process. Difficulties are compounded in this case by distance and a lack of available vacation time in the last quarter of the year to get all the issues dealt with. It can be fairly simple if everything is documented and nobody wants to fight over stuff. What can get hard is if their is no spouse, children, or legal Will. Then it all has to go through the probate process which can take months even if the next of kin doesn't have any desire to fight over anything. Of course getting to start the probate process requires you figuring out what the probate assets are. Which can be tough for those left behind to figure out without some sort of list.
Sorry to hear about your SIL. Sadly most of us only find out about the necessity of estate planning until an event like you’re going through occurs. Having a trust is the method used to avoid probate.
Thanks. Not the first time I've been through the process, but the first time everyone was so unprepared and the first time I've had to be "the adult in the room" to this extent. Definitely the first time I've seen the state of the estate quite so chaotic.
More critical than the will is granting medical and financial power of attorney to someone so that they can handle your affairs seamlessly if you’re incapacitated. Or pull the plug when necessary. Being incapacitated is the worst case scenario, not dying. You’ll also want a trust to dovetail with your will, and put your house in your trust.
One more thing. Having had to clean 40 years worth of stuff out of my parent’s house, when you get older, throw all your stupid shit away! Nobody wants your accumulated junk, and it’s just rude to leave it for someone else to sift through or throw out when your dead.
Yes, we all have the worthless old crap we love! And it is all about happiness. I didn’t have much growing up, either, so I get it. My brother and I joke that we are the last vestiges of the Depression Era, because of the habits we saw from the elders in our family. Can’t throw something out if you might need it someday! However, cleaning out my parent’s house cured me of that mindset. Plus it was unexpectedly emotionally taxing to clean their house out, and I’m not an emotional person at all.
Sadly my parents weren't close / loving etc. so they both died far away .
I am trying to clean up and out but I'm still doing what I do, working on old junk because I get great satisfaction from fixing things .
Of late I'm identifying things I know I'll never use / get to and before sun up today I set out three wheelie bins fully loaded and a pile of scrap metal .
Some of the things I'd love to sell but due to internet swap meets are no longer much good .
I figure as long as I keep my hands & mind busy I won't get the mental fog that affects so many .
-Nate
EDIT : dang ~ the scrap guys used to come at sunup, it 3:30PST and the pile is still there, I even put a battery in it to sweeten the pot so to speak .
If nothing goes I'll load it into my recycling bin for next week .
Boy, if my brother and I could have convinced my Mom and Dad of that! Mom’s in memory care, and Dad won’t leave the four-bedroom, two-story colonial with 40 years of accumulation! They only had one garage sale in that time, and half the stuff went back into the basement. To be handled by us when they’re gone. 🙄
It was a victory for me just to get my parents to set up a will and trusts. I also tried to get them to move to an area where houses were appreciating, but I was shot down, in retrospect because they didn’t want to clean out their stuff. The shortsighted part was that their house depreciated, and it would have been nice to have more money for my Dad’s memory care. Then, instead of being able to spend weekends with my Dad, I was in the damn house cleaning it out so I could sell it to pay for his care. This was also when I was working a lot of hours. I don’t think I’ve ever been as exhausted as I was during that time.
karen told me a must-do when a death occurs in wealthy circumstances but i'll just tell people in oerson, not in print. don't mean to be a tease but ask me when you see me. many people already know about it anyway
Having just spent four months dealing with various complications related to the death of my wife's not-old first husband, I can attest that this applies to EVERYONE.
I would like to add that if you're dealing with international relations getting the documentation done in advance is very important, and probably easier than dealing with the local govt.
I imagine that the start up cost will be amitorized over a number of years, most likely decades and will only have a marginal effect on individual rates. Also, Microsoft will most likely use such a huge quantity of kilowatts that they will pay a bulk rate.
WTB: an extremely nice LS430 or LS400. Low miles a plus, but has to be in VERY good condition all around. Prefer brown, silver, or white. Closer to Trinidad CO the better, but of course I'm willing to travel or ship. I'm buying it for my Dad - it'll probably be his last car as he's 87 now, but still loves going on road trips.
It's to replace my old LS400 he stole from me ten years ago (when his Buick was down for something) and somehow never gave back. It's now well over 300k miles, and he plans on refurbishing it, but I'd rather buy him a near perfect replacement.
I've eyed one floating around for sale, I think on auto trader here in Connecticut but that's quite far. May be worth prowling around Florida Lexus dealers or Autotrader. Lots of old folks with LS's in good shape down there, especially gold ones.
Thanks. I've been keeping an eye on autotrader and such. There's a perfect one here in Denver but it's black, and my Dad has never been much for washing his cars, even less so now that it's harder for him to move about.
Go for the black if it’s local, have it ceramic coated, and just hose it off when you stop by to see him. (I’m assuming he’s close by and you see him frequently enough)
I'm a good four hours away, but seeing them more often would certainly be a good thing, and that would be a good excuse. It's so odd to be feeling a bit old myself yet contemplating the end of Mom and Dad. At 65k miles I probably should just pony up for it and get it coated as you suggest. Thanks, again. And thanks, Jack, for pinning this - appreciated.
I'm just trying to buy the SECOND best suggestion!
I see a nice one on my commute to Denver very early AM
For sale?
I don’t know I can never catch up to it
For the OP it would be better to prowl the Phoenix or DFW areas' used car outlets.
Morgan, Orlando Classics has an 2003 LS430 with 60k miles and is in great shape (senior citizen original owner), sorry I can not post a link as I am on my phone. If you are interested talk to Dave the owner of the business. I can vouch for him and his cars as he operates a stand up local business. Just google Orlando Classic Cars the lexis is on page 4 of his inventory. Let me know if you want me to put eyes on the car and test drive it. My place in Florida is an hour away and I will be there next week.
someone needs this 82 LeBaron convertible with 2100 miles
https://www.orlandoclassiccars.net/vehicles/1085/1982-chrysler-lebaron
I expected to hate that, but the Mark Cross interior really works!
They were nice cars and deservedly popular.
Jon Voight's car?
Wow, just wow! I hate convertibles, but wow!
Thanks. That's perfect, if pricey. If I can't find something local I may take you up on that.
It's unfortunate you aren't into Nascar. What Kyle Larson did last Saturday should make every other driver embarrassed when they bitch about the cars all being too even. If they are so even, then how did he open up a 7 second lead at freaking Bristol, while working through traffic, and lead 90% of the laps? I'm admittedly a Larson fan, so for me it was a fascinating race to watch. For everyone else, I'm sure it was boring.
isnt that the same guy that thinks hes faster than verstappen
Yes, and for all we know, he's not wrong.
wait really
it feels like there should be a much larger gap between the two
Kyle Larson is a generational talent. He will drive anything, anywhere, any time and can win. Dirt, pavement it doesn't matter. He was running 5th I think at Indy this year, but his inexperience got him a speeding penalty on pit road. I don't think he had anything for the Penske cars at Penske's track, but he certainly held his own for his first Indycar race.
guess i should look forward to seeing him race max then
maybe he can replace logan as the american on the grid
bring back IROC. put them all in Miatas with street-legal tires and turn them loose at Mid-Ohio and Laguna Seca.
Maybe it's time for another Tradin' Paint!
As I recall, Gordon didn't embarrass himself.
I'll make the argument that Mario Andretti is the best racecar driver ever because he drove just about everything and won in just about everything he drove. Has anyone else won at Indy, an F1 championship, and in NASCAR? Yeah, I know it was a different era, but if Kyle Larson is a generational talent, Mario is a talent for the ages.
If he's right, he needs an F1 tryout. So many wheelbarrows of cash available there with global sponsors and fan base! I, too, would love to see an American succeed on the grid.
I think he did expand on that and say that maybe he would be lacking in F1 specifically, but would beat Max in anything else.
Stick them both in an Indy Car and see what happens.
a pro on ovals vs a pro in openwheelers
that would be interesting
I wish I were going to live to see the day when the quest for AI is as scoffed at as alchemy is today.
OF COURSE IT COULDN'T WORK! WHAT WERE THOSE IDIOTS THINKING?!
you mean now
We're deep in the thick of alchemy is possible amongst those who fund it and chase it, so it's still far off....
START UP
CASH IN
BRO DOWN
SELL OUT
**insert underpants gnome meme here**
Hey I’ve been wanting to ask you something, and or Jack, namely this: how do we feel about corps rolling up all manner of businesses; all the time? What does this mean for small businesses, what does this mean for the American middle class? Is it economically and socially sustainable, in the sense that single people can continue to build companies, innovate, live off them, supporting themselves and small groups of people?
Cause in point, one of my pet companies, Kuiu, was bought a couple of years ago. It’s not hard to imagine that the same entity that bought them also owns/buys 3-4 other major players, and now the wool market is owned by 2-4 players. If we stretch this out into HVAC, auto mechanics, etc, then what? Retail is basically already there, with Home Depot and Lowe’s, and the big chain grocery stores, and Costco/Sam’s. I spend a couple hundred dollars extra a month just to buy some groceries at a small local chain, but that’s not an option for a lot of folks, certainly not nationwide…
I daydream of building a company and then selling it to someone for millions and then going ranching, so I’m not opposed to the concept, just wondering about the long range ramifications.
Roll-ups are *generally* beneficial for several reasons in my opinion:
0-The prospect of a compelling near-term exit spurs more people to start a new business that can be sold to a sponsor who is rolling up the space. It’s not just the cash on cash return, it’s the IRR. You’d rather start a business today and sell it for $X million in 3 or 5 years rather than the same price in 10 years. After you’ve exited, you can live on passive income or you can do it again (and speed run through the timetable since you’re already experienced AND know the buyer set) once your non-compete is over with.
1-Roll-ups as a business (i.e., you’re a private equity type who can buy a few widget operators at a reasonable multiple (with some acquisition financing against the purchase), scale up, operate more efficiently (i.e., at scale), and exit at a higher multiple) affords a terrific pathway for wealth creation. It also bids up prices on widget companies, thereby rewarding the people who started or own those in the first place.
2-Markets are large. I don’t think that consumers are unduly hurt by consolidation in, say, the car wash space.
3-It’s not great in the hospital space, for example, but I believe the fundamental problem there is insurance.
All good points, well reasoned. I can agree with all. #3 spurs some thought, and I would say that perhaps my concerns are not so much with the consumers as they are with the American workers. This is a more extreme example, but the Bass Pro/Cabela’s merger put like 2500 people in one town out of work, tanked a local economy and destroyed both a housing market and a lot of personal wealth at the same time. You could say that a merger like that would have happened eventually, or we could debate the pros and cons of it and both make good points. I suppose the element of consolidation that concerns me is the people that could be shut out of the markets. Like Walmart says they are a net good, and I don’t know, but it’s easy to see that they have murdered hundreds of small, local department stores and also some mail order shops as well. This is a parallel problem to the idea of autonomous semi trucks; that industry employs a ton of convicts, and those people need jobs too.
I'd be curious as to thoughts on the meat packing industry? That seems to be a hot topic on some economic discussions I've seen, especially as it relates to groceries. While there are numerous small meat packing plants regionally, something like 80 percent of all meat comes from just 3 meat packers which "reduce competition" which I'm told. These companies got large when smaller companies sold. The large meat packers will sell to the public that they can provide meat cheaper due to economies of scale, all the while detractors will show article after article that economies of scale don't work.
4- You get your cut.
I feel like this is the makings of an Always Sunny episode.
Agreed
It just scares the absolute fucking shit out of me!
We’ve started using Otter.ai at work, a piece of software that will eavesdrop on a Teams or Zoom meeting and take notes. I’ve seen the results, and it’s an interesting thing, but scary as well!
oh boy
mandatory spyware
Dear god, its a short lead to that AI auto generating to do items for people that they never agreed to nor knew they had. Grrrrrrrrrrr.
i still want max to win this year but im genuinely curious to see how well colapinto will do after watching him beat the brakes off logan who might go on to be completely mid in indycar
the nuclear power thing rankles me because in a way canada could have capitalized power hungry ai craze on this with our fairly successful candu reactors that we already had the capability to build a few decades ago and we also have the space for it but nope gotta double down on useless and ugly wind turbines and photovoltaics while the cost of hydro keeps going up
still not a fan of forged carbon fiber because its kinda like the chopped strand to the woven mat fiberglass but made to look cool out of cf scraps even though it has some useful properties
has anyone made a magnesium or ultralight alloy watch
Titanium?
ive heard of those but wondered if there was some watch made of a trick alloy out there
Titanium is the trick fancy/light/strong metal, and the marketing keeps it there..
Magnesium has some really challenging properties, and can ignite really easily.
Israel could gift some of those magnesium watches to Hezballess operatives!
Magnesium cases for pagers!
suppose a watch could be made of titanium aluminide like compressor wheels in a turbo
that would be a trick tie in for a manufacturer
Citizen has a bunch of ‘super titanium’ watches light and look pretty good. https://www.citizenwatch.com/us/en/collection/mens-ecodrive/?prefn1=featureFilter&prefv1=Super%20Titanium™
That maize/blue and black dial Garrisons sure look cool
When can I get the Inconel watch?
That would be one heavy watch.
Inconel looks really cool at 1100c. Looks like matte orange powder coat.
yeah but that would hurt to wear
I have a titanium frame bicycle by Litespeed (with the most beautiful welds imaginable). It's arguably the purchase I have made with which I am most satisfied. Rides like silk.
https://www.ming.watch/products/ming-17-03-gmt-blue
Bonus: starts at "0."
Mag is kinda soft and kinda flammable...
correct on both but in an ultra low stress environment i dont know if any of that would matter at all
watches still have to deal with the odd impact here and there though, I wonder how dent resistant it would be
probably way more than enough to survive the bumps and dings from regular wear
Dear Jack,
I am in your debt for "Synecdoche."
Which has nothing to do with Douche Bags.
SINN-ECK-DOUGH-KEE
Also, "Pre-Preg" makes me think of my marital history.
OK! If I disappear: "My Ex Did It!"
john
"Pre-Preg" = marital history.
lolz
Baie Dankie!
(That's Afrikaans.)
john
Sounds German, but then I guess Dutch is mostly German!
Perhaps but it instantly identifiable as Dutch.
Edit. Geez, when discussing language at least use correct syntax.
Perhaps, but it's instantly identifiable as Dutch.
I live about 30 minutes from Three Mile Island. Every year (up until they shut it down), the local energy company would send us an "Emergency Planning for the Three Mile Island Area" evacuation map. If they ever get Unit 1 up and running again, I expect to start receiving those maps in the future...
Brian, we must be neighbors. I toured the TMI visitor's center with school in January of 1979, just a few short months before the event.
My elementary school kept us inside during recess on that day in 1979 to limit our potential radiation exposure. A classmate of mine (who had numerous head X-rays a few years prior due to a sledding accident) went with his parents to visit extended family in the coal regions of upstate PA for a few days as a precaution.
I have a friend from church who worked at TMI up to its shut-down. He was then transferred to another local Excelon nuclear facility where he still works today. I am currently traveling for a few weeks but look forward to getting the inside scoop from him upon my return.
In “The China Syndrome,” the movie with Jack Lemmon (the head of operations at the fictitious Fontana nuclear power plant in California) and Jane Fonda, wasn’t she (playing a reporter) visiting the Fontana plant to do some sort of puff piece, when she witnessed a “trip” of the reactor shutdown mechanism in which many of the safeguards failed? (I Googled the characters, but I didn’t want to read the plot notes.) That dovetailed with your story about visiting TMI before it almost went Fukushima/Chernobyl.
I don't know about the puff piece, but yes the clip of the trip is on YouTube
It's a cool song but we actually didn't almost lose Detroit.
We discussed this a few weeks ago, IIRC..Toledo, Cleveland, and even Toronto could have gone glowing if the 💩 would have REALLY hit the 🪭, in addition to Detroit.
if that happened i literally wouldnt exist
awful to contemplate
Yes. That is the plot. During the puff piece, the were was a turbine trip and they SCRAMed the reactor. The operators thought that the water level was high due to a malfunctioning indicator and they didn't check the secondary indicator. In response, they dumped feed water and lost a ton of water. Michael Douglas filmed the whole thing clandestinely.
The second half of the movie revolves around the conspiracy aspect of it. Namely, Michael Douglas was trying to blow the whistle. Eventually, Jack Lemmon (control room manager) started digging and realized that the construction company falsified x-rays of the welds. Thus started intimidation on behalf of the construction and/or power company.
Even though its propaganda, it's a very good movie IMO. It's a good period late 70s LA piece.
Jane Fonda was a TV reporter, right? The cameraman drove an orange Chevy Vega, and got run off the road by someone in a power company truck, if memory serves.
I didn’t check IMDb, and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn last night!
That’s right. He had the falsified x-rays and they ran him off the road when he was bringing them to a license hearing for another NPP.
Michael Douglas had a sweet Bronco in that movie too.
If possible, and if you're willing, that scoop could be worth sharing!
Q: Why did the thing with 17 eyes, three legs and a beak cross the road in Harrisburg, PA?
A: To get to the other side.
It's difficult to have too many NOAA All Hazards Radios
"The rest of the time he’s strongly resembled the fiercely unexceptional seat-filler who bumbled through Renault and McLaren rather than accept a formal second-driver designation against Max Verstappen, a driver whose talent against his is akin to Lee Ritenour’s mastery of jazz chords compared to mine".
^^ this is the asinine take of a dilettante who just likes to stir shit up. Daniel Riccardo has been the only driver to drive on nearly even terms with Max Verstappen in the same car. That Renault was the worst car on the grid when he chose to go drive for them, and it only got worse. Still he got results in it. I don't really care if he's gone, I'm not particularly interested either way, but the record shows he was a competitive driver until learning to drive that POS Renault fucked him up for good.
You may resume your wet dreams about Yuki Tsunoda.
"I’d be cautious about spending any real money on a piece of jewelry". Fixed all your watch obsession for you. (half j/k)
"he was a competitive driver until learning to drive that POS Renault fucked him up for good"
does this mean that his rep as a decent driver was crushed when he got behind the wheel of an awful car or that trying to figure out how to drive that renault made his skills worse in a kind of incorrect learning way
The latter, very much so
thats interesting
i didnt know that driving bad cars would make you a worse driver
something else to consider when tuning my car i suppose
I find quite the reverse but I don't ave access to real race cars .
-Nate
It's a very very rare thing. What blows my mind is he can't seem to have unlearned it with all the data in the world.
That is his real failing.
when you put it like that it really is something
when i was looking at dataloggers and analytic software for my own personal driver and car development suite of hardware
https://team-plus.com/product/turtle-pro-wheelbrake-cangate-bundle/?v=3e8d115eb4b3
it became fairly clear that with enough of the right info i might have the potential to really catapult myself to a much lower laptime than had i not had access to that
interesting stuff regardless
DR had a very strong second season for Renault, but then it all fell apart when he went to McLaren (notwithstanding the Monza victory).
I'm aware, the difference between me and Jack is I've been paying attention prior to the last two or three years as well.
As a compelling piece of entertainment, it’s hard for me to recall F1 having been a better product than it has been lately. This season may end up eclipsing 2021.
I may be an idiot, but I am not a newbie! I attended the USGP when it was at Indy, multiple times. I own one of the rear wheels from a 2003 Jordan, bought at the end of that season. I had dinner with Peter Windsor 20 years ago, even!
Danny Ric has always been less than top tier. Max was schooling him before Max was old enough to drive in New York State.
And yet he's the only driver in the same car that has beaten him. Fancy dinners and memorabilia notwithstanding.
From 2016 to 2018, Max has a better record than Ricky despite starting as a kid who ran into everything and everyone else on the track. But don't take my word for it: look at Ricciardo bailing out rather than face another beating.
I don't think DR is the same level of talent as Jenson Button or JV, much less Verstappen. Maybe Eddie Irvine.
He took a chance. Much like Alonso. It didn't work out... You can call it bailing. That is your opinion, much like the 'journeyman' epithet you keep applying.
You also have to remember he was the one that DEVELOPED that Red Bull before Max showed up to drive it.
His failures of learning bad techniques and not being able to revert back to what made him a multiple race winner are on him, but your continued name calling is unjustified...
And Yuki hasn't really achieved anything of note yet... We'll see once he's paired with someone hungrier like Lawson. I expect a Colapinto/Albon type dynamic to form quickly.
I think Ricciardo's early reputation was mostly based on the 2014 season where he outclassed the reigning four-time champion.
But by that point Hamilton had the rocket car and was taking all the wins, Vettel was unhappy with the Red Bull and already whispering with Ferrari, so maybe ol' Seb was not exactly giving his best effort, making D-Ric look better than he really was.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Formula_One_World_Championship#World_Drivers'_Championship_standings
I'm not sure Vettel was not giving it his best that early in the season. I think he's a professional, even if he was looking elsewhere.
he also strikes me as so competitive that he couldn't give less than his best. I don't think those guys are capable of thinking, "eh, I'll phone it in today."
This will likely cause you to express some more withering contempt, but I think Vettel has some sort of minor but impactful mental illness and/or concussion trauma. He visibly disintegrated during his F1 career and appears to spend a lot of time smiling vacantly and/or feeling really deep emotions about The Current Thing.
As an 18 year old he was brilliant. Ten years later he appeared to be feckless at best.
It's like you make a novela in your head about every small little thing. It's not contempt but amusement at this point from me. Not everything has a special meaning just because you make one up in your head.
I don't think he forgot how to drive it left his killer instinct at home after his championship wins.
You're showing contempt for the guy's commitment and efforts just because you AND I disagree with his politics.
Far more likely explanation, much like DR is he was much more a Master of driving those off throttle blown diffuser cars than 2014+ complex whales that wouldn't turn.
"Far more likely explanation, much like DR is he was much more a Master of driving those off throttle blown diffuser cars than 2014+ complex whales that wouldn't turn"
The racing press loves to talk about stuff like this but there's rarely much in it from a data perspective. The closest it comes to being reality is that drivers are typically most competent in the F1 ruleset they encounter when they are youngest, for obvious reasons.
I like Vettel and I don't mind his politics, I think they are heartfelt. If you look at the changes in his demeanor, expressions, and even posture over the years, they are somewhere between interesting and troubling. He went from being willing to put Mark Webber in the hospital to being frankly deferential towards Lewis, like they BOTH would prefer that Lewis win.
Agree that drivers tend to be most comfortable in the ruleset they debut in, which is why the champions that last across multiple ones are the greatest in my opinion, atleast in the modern era.
I completely disagree about Vettel wanting Hamilton to win, that's just pure bullshit. Had he not been done in by a couple of unforced errors and been Ferrari'd, he'd have another championship in this turbo hybrid era as well.
I think as they mature in F1 everyone becomes LESS cut throat towards their teammates, and you're seeing that even with the most cutthroat of them all - Max these days.
I have enough self awareness to know this might sound really dumb, but in regards to Sargent’s Indycar at Thermal I can’t help but think a big motivation behind this is giving members of that paved country club a opportunity to see a current year F1 driver ripping around their turf.
It's a homecoming of sorts. He DOES have an F1 point, he did make it into Q3. We used to have a reader around here who would bristle when I said stuff like this, but: he's likely top half talent in IndyCar.
I’m just waiting for something, anything to replace “piano black” in auto interiors.
BMW seems to be moving towards a bunch of brushed metal to go with it...
i think they eliminated piano black entirely, even as an option. on the 2025 M2. thank god.
As Bentley did it... with actual piano black finish over wood with gloss on top of that... it's great. I had a piano black Bentley wheel in one of my Phaetons. Lovely material.
As black plastic, it's TRASH.
Piano black is at least better than chromed plastic. Nothing worse than bright chrome trim interior bits on a center console on a sunny day.
Agreed for sure. I own a car that’s so notorious for annoying shiny chrome bits that the aftermarket offers precut stickers to cover them up. In, er, fake carbon fiber pattern. Sad all around.
especially when, as in this Ford Expedition loaner I am stuck with, it's foil tape that's beginning to bubble and lift.
My buddies Touareg Prestige is doing that. Pretty sad, as that has been a really nice car.
My 2018 Mustang GT did that at like 8k miles. Like most Fords, I miss that car and how much of a magnificent pile of shit it was…
Porsche is notorious for having the accent strips that bisect the front interior made from chromed plastic. Then you have the option of paying up for a nearly identical but not shiny accent strip made from brushed metal or CF or even wood. If you didn't specify that $700 change during ordering, or happen to buy an already specced car without it, they will happily sell you the new strip for $1000 or so, more in CF.
My Boxster DEFINITELY looks better with my $1000 brushed strip.
The wood option is intriguing
we ordered our '14 rs7 audi with piano black because to me carbon fiber was a cliche 10 years ago
hey now! Carbon fiber and Alcantara will always be cool!
/sarc
You're right except my 23 S4 didn't have any interior options and the CF all over the console and cowl looks great. I thought I'd be meh but I've liked it from the get go.
I figured why not go all the way so I got the tail lip spoiler and mirrors in CF too. It's a retro look now in a new car.
you mean you don't like the best way to show off dust, fingerprints, and scratches??
-Lewis was against the tire (tyre?) strategy that Merc foisted upon him; recall that he started next to George, and only one of them is going to be there next year.
-New rumors surfaced that Perez will announce his retirement in Mexico, which then allows Horner and Marko to put Liam Lawson next to Max next year (provided the Kiwi does very well as Ricciardo’s in-season replacement - deja vu from last year), or keep Lawson as Tsunoda’s teammate next year. If Perez retires and Lawson gets the RBR seat, Ricciardo could return to VCARB.
not like he could be that much worse than checo
Perez said today he is gonna drive two years more unless someone stops him. Which could easily happen.
That sounds more like opening shots to negotiating his exit than commitment... Someone will likely "stop" him.
If RBR drops him, there’s only one seat left - Audi.
I think you missed on key angle on Microsoft's deal to reopen Three Mile Island, they can sell it to their ESG folks and internal Sustainability folks as "carbon free power." Microsoft has some sustainability goals, and remains committed to them across the board.
This could also be a shrewd business move, locking down fixed price power, going forward as we push towards a German style renewable plan in many of the blue states where Microsoft operates.
Your insight on both counts feels correct to me. Thank you.
Happy to add, I've worked with MSFT a bunch and know folks on the sustainability side there. It always surprises me how they can elbow into some real business decisions.
On the other side of it, I do think Satya and current management are quite savvy at selling exactly what enterprise execs want back to them. I'd say AI is definitely in that stage now, where it hasn't jumped the shark but all the lizard people who buy Microsoft think it'll make their employees more productive.
I think the real truth is that they "think it'll make their employees redundant."
I use copilot to write emails to PMs that I don't like. You can tell that they're AI-Generated. It's a very subtle (and passive-aggressive) way to say "fuck you, you're not worth my time."
malicious compliance vibes
When the same people ask you the same questions for EVERY project, you tend to lose patience.
I see it all the time. It's especially irritating when the question is always something that should be sorted well before it gets to my lab; it's more common they want a schedule slot and date quotes before they even start filing the request though.
But I thought that nuke power is the ULTIMATE harm to the en-VIIIII-ronment! Weren’t the late-blooming Boomers throwing their hippie-dipshit selves in front of the entrances to TMI and other nuke plants by the time the clock struck 1980?
This is in the dictionary under “hypocrisy,” right?!
no, it's in the dictionary under "baseline load."
This late blooming Boomer always laughed at the sign that said:
Ted Kennedy 1
TMI 0
Asking modern left-environmentalists to understand even basic mathematical concepts such as Energy Return on Energy Invested just appears to be asking too much.
Relatedly - and I’m sure you already know it - but I’ve seen compelling evidence that entrenched interests in coal and oil/NG paid to astroturf the “environmentalist” argument against Nuclear. I think in this effort they succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. (Would love to read more if anyone has refs or book recs.)
might be repeating myself but in the late '40s there was an article or 2 in the l.a. times about nuclear power being too cheap to bill people for; the gov't would give huge payouts to defuncting power companies and their stockholders as they replaced 'fossil' fuels forever, step by step.
Lets not forget Mr. Gates massive investment in small modular reactors. Which might be his second great idea.
I think his TMI strategy fits in with working on the certification process for his next generation plants.
A problem has been detected and radioactive gas has been released to prevent damage to your containment vessel.
ERR_PRESSURE_READING_MISMATCH
If this is your first time seeing this Release screen, restart your reactor and contact an estate attorney.
If this problem has occurred before, discontinue driving or operating machinery and move to a secure location in your home where your radioactive, decaying corpse will cause minimal impact to others.
ACCEPT RISK (Y/N)?
<Clippy has exited the chat>
<Microsoft Bob has entered the chat>
<tay has entered chat>
Every time I see the word “assistant” in a computer program or application, I see Clippy in my head..and throw up a little in my mouth!
I liked the little dog version of Clippy, whatever his name was. Pleasant, quiet company while working. I would not actually use it for anything.
re Forged CF: "it’s claimed to be stronger than traditional weave carbon fiber" this claim is at very best very misleading and basically rubbish. I've worked with aerospace grade CF materials in many forms for 40+ years. The "forging" process, which is just a form of compression molding, is actually more expensive than traditional CF layup, as it requires a matched die tool rather than a single sided tool.
Having worked repairing carbon rowing shells, and now as a racing cyclist who's job is in strategic go to market for tech, let's just say all carbon strength measurements and "what's better" come from the marketing department.
It's all about using the right process for the right part, or in the case of Tissot, the one that will make the most cash
Agreed
yes thank you
decades of figuring out weaves and layups and somehow all of that is inferior to chucking shit in a mold and drowning it in resin
Layups (and to a degree weaves) do have a point, and are critical in building most carbon moulded parts correctly. However, the way they're communicated to you, the customer, is 95% marketing...
It worked for Titanic site visitation subs!
Oh, wait!!!
It worked!
Until it didn't!
(From the recent wreckage footage it seems the failure was at the CF-titanium interface and not due to CF weakness, although it wouldn't be surprising if the hull was the next weakest link. Rescind your zinger!)
But I like Zingers! (Still a Hostess product.) The frosted vanilla ones are really da 💣!
HO-HOs and the Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls are even better, though!
Yeah I don't see how it could be the case... I remember all the drama about early CF tubing being very delicate with any forces that weren't exactly parallel with the weave.
Yes, but: once you have the tooling, a la Lamborghini, can you just spray, smash and trim to your little heart's content?
Yes. The cost trade depends on the number of parts that will be made.
And its not a "spray" process. The composite is chopped up prepreg material that is dumped into a mold, the mold heated and closed, forming the part.
Yeah those “chunks” are a lot bigger than the ones in fiberglass, the mix and dump makes sense.
Re the Rolex Daytona: for many years I wanted one because (a) I'm a watch nerd, and (b) I go to the Rolex 24 in Daytona Beach every year. I never thought that owning one would make me either a Rolex 24 winner or Paul Newman, so go easy on the poseur remarks! I never bought the steel version, because I refused to pay the ridiculous gray market prices I would be expected to pay.
I used to live in Key West, and bought a Rolex Submariner new at MSRP (actually, MSRP minus $100 - local's discount!) from an authorized dealer there in 2005. I asked the dealer later what it would take for them to sell me a new steel Daytona at MSRP. The response was that if I bought around $200K in watches or other jewelry from them, they would deign to sell me a steel Daytona at MSRP. For a man in my tax bracket, that clearly never would happen. Plus, I'm not totally insane.
In 2019, I realized I could buy a new white gold Daytona at MSRP from an authorized dealer at not much more than what the gray market wanted for a steel Daytona. An easy decision; I bought my white gold Daytona at MSRP from the authorized Rolex in Daytona Beach. It truly is a lovely watch.
Oh, that is quite enviable! I've always wanted a white gold watch. The new "Platona" is also quite desirable.
My girlfriend’s best friend has a boyfriend with a Platinum Daytona. Very nice, but way out of my price range!
why is platinum cheaper than gold these days?
The Democratic Party.
How's that? Genuinely asking. Also genuinely asking what the point of white gold and platinum are because they look the same as polished stainless.
The more money gets printed -- and more money has been printed lately than ever before -- the more gold is worth.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M2SL
Gold has a unique position as an anti-inflation hedge because it's so widely accepted, and it's also easy to authenticate. Platinum is rarer, but not nearly as accepted globally, so it doesn't rise against the dollar to the same extent.
White gold is heavier than stainless steel, and has a different shine to it. If you put the two together it's easy to tell, but in isolation very few people can see the difference. Platinum, on the other hand, is SHINY.
Cease your childish frivolities OR ‘get ur money up bro’
Then you can get a Patek 5811 (I prefer it to the 5711) or a white gold Aquanaut (partial to the blue dial and strap). I also really like the AP Code 11:59 Perpetual Calendar in white gold (and prices are SOFT on those).
Or take your pick of any JLC in white gold. No one ends up with one of those by accident.
"get ur money up bro"
would love to have nautilus money
how do you get there from nothing though
Among the people I know who own or have owned a Nautilus:
-Start / own a business (doesn’t have to be sexy at all)
-Commercial real estate development (strip malls, triple net lease, etc.)
-Investment banker / corp dev executive
i guess the first is more doable than the rest
my father has a fastener distribution company but its infinitesimally tiny and basically unknown so i suppose trying to grow that might reap some rewards
either that or develop something from scratch into a viable business
Being a real estate developer is fairly easy, as well.
-Operate in a growing geography (i.e., Sun Belt)
-Learn by working for someone who is an experienced developer; you will either get paid peanuts or literally nothing while you do this
-Develop relationships with “equity partners” who fund deals; they get paid their contractual return, and the developer gets what’s left over (typically)
Real estate is a very social business, but if you are successful, it doesn’t matter if you have all of the “right” signifiers (family in the industry, right high school, right college, right MBA, right appearance / lifestyle) or none of them. People will know your track record and it will speak for itself.
A couple years after school, I remember seeing a few people regularly wear their nautilus to the gym while I was worried about dinging up my random microbrand... really sunk in the lifestyle gap
The good news is I had the money for a 26394BC. The bad news is that I wear a $4500 tudor while I drive what I did with it.
No one would recognize it for what it is, either, which is nice.
A secondhand story made its way back to me several years ago: “Oh, Sherman McCoy has a FAKE Rolex! The real ones always have a bubble over the date.” (This was in reference to my very real Daytona).
I was spreading that story.
The same person who was spreading that story also said:
“Oh my husband (against whom she was cheating with various men) said that Rolex is simply not at the quality level of TAG Heuer.” Naturally, her husband owned a TAG Heuer Carrera.
And I agreed that that statement was factually correct!
Try having a 5-digit Seadweller, that really blows the newbs minds.
I keep waiting for you to grenade your fancy Radical bits, give up and swap in some K-stuff, and then go faster.
That would make it a Radical SR5, which was K20 powered! Nobody bought them because the compromises required to fit the engine made the car look bizarrely out of proportion in person.
50% of the SR8's charm is the V-8, but if I can't afford to keep it going I can also look at using the 2.3 Ecoboost Ford, basically doing my own SR10 conversion.
I'll have you know that there *is* going to be a heck of a race engine built in the shop this winter, but not for me...
https://fab9tuning.com/2-4l-engine-builder-kit-the-scalpel-the-de-stroked-powerhouse/
MDG's racer?
Those prices are downright joyful when viewed from the Porsche side of the house... I really should get a cheaper toy.
NEAT
really wish stroker kits for bp miata engines were remotely as affordable
https://www.maruhamotors.co.jp/miata/parts/bp21lkit.php
doesnt even use ots rod bearings or rods even though that absolutely could have been done to cut costs despite not being optimal
very annoying
You made the right choice!
I must admit I have been debating a Patek Calatrava 6119G, also in white gold. I need to see one at a jeweler’s first. It certainly would be a very fine classic dress watch, although I also must admit I rarely have the need to actually wear a dress watch. Oh well, there’s always funerals!
I personally don’t like small seconds hands, so that wouldn’t be “my” Calatrava of choice.
As I recall, you’re in Georgia, right? There is a Patek AD opening imminently by Le Bilboquet in Buckhead Village, if you weren’t already aware.
I’m in Florida, just south of Daytona Beach. No Patek dealers near me, but my girlfriend’s daughter lives in Miami, so I might look at one the next time we’re there.
I like small seconds on a dressy watch.
agree, I feel a dressy watch should be pretty quiet. Just hands and no markers is fine too. Also moon phases, so maybe I contradict myself?
As long as I’m spending YOUR money …
Vacheron Historiques 1921 would be my choice for a dress watch (with small seconds). Available in whatever shade of gold you prefer.
FWIW ;
You are many things, a poseur isn't one of them Ronnie .
-Nate
You might not be totally insane, but if you can afford a white gold, you'd also be able to "afford" the purchases to get a steel at MSRP especially if given a few years in which to make those purchases, lol.
I love that Mazda is a popular choice for racing, its light on its feet, handles well and is relatively inexpensive, with lots of support.
Regarding the forged carbon fiber, my g-shock Mudmaster has some on its bezel, and I have a square with the strap made of carbon fiber and titanium, Enjoy wearing them, they don’t feel cheap, nor does my titanium square. The watch Jack mentions at 995 might be a better deal than the full carbon fiber square, G-Shock is proud of that one.
Yeah I'm not sure the full carbon G square is even close to worth the money, even for the "nebula" variant.
Way off topic, but it's open thread......
Reminder to all the ACF folks who are of an age to troubles seeing things up close (or just do things that can lower actuarial table averages), do some estate planning. Helping deal with the sudden passing of a sister-in-law this week who didn't do any, and it is a mess for her family (sister and father) to clean up. If you are in good health, it doesn't even need to be real formal. A simple list of what you want done (burial, cremation, composting?), where you want it to happen, and do you want your parts donated that some family member knows how to find will do wonders to simplify a tough situation for your loved ones. A second list of your non-material assets located somewhere safe is also a big help. That's before we get to something like a will. Of course unless there is a lawyer involved none of your lists will pass legal scrutiny, but it will at least give everyone a clue to your intentions.
/end PSA
Sorry to hear that.
I need to do that too, since I’m unmarried and probably will be for life unless something big happens to find me (or vice versa); probably even one of those wills you can fill out online, then have it certified by a lawyer is better than nothing: split the assets 50/50 among my niece and nephew. Done.
Thanks. Passing was sudden and unexpected, but not hugely surprising given her health issues.
Learning far more than I want to about the process. Difficulties are compounded in this case by distance and a lack of available vacation time in the last quarter of the year to get all the issues dealt with. It can be fairly simple if everything is documented and nobody wants to fight over stuff. What can get hard is if their is no spouse, children, or legal Will. Then it all has to go through the probate process which can take months even if the next of kin doesn't have any desire to fight over anything. Of course getting to start the probate process requires you figuring out what the probate assets are. Which can be tough for those left behind to figure out without some sort of list.
Sorry to hear about your SIL. Sadly most of us only find out about the necessity of estate planning until an event like you’re going through occurs. Having a trust is the method used to avoid probate.
Thanks. Not the first time I've been through the process, but the first time everyone was so unprepared and the first time I've had to be "the adult in the room" to this extent. Definitely the first time I've seen the state of the estate quite so chaotic.
More critical than the will is granting medical and financial power of attorney to someone so that they can handle your affairs seamlessly if you’re incapacitated. Or pull the plug when necessary. Being incapacitated is the worst case scenario, not dying. You’ll also want a trust to dovetail with your will, and put your house in your trust.
One more thing. Having had to clean 40 years worth of stuff out of my parent’s house, when you get older, throw all your stupid shit away! Nobody wants your accumulated junk, and it’s just rude to leave it for someone else to sift through or throw out when your dead.
But, but, I like looking at and using it still ! .
I had nothing growing up and now I have piles of worthless old crap that makes me very happy .
I told my son to burn the place to the ground, the house is worthless and he doesn't want anything I have .
-Nate
Yes, we all have the worthless old crap we love! And it is all about happiness. I didn’t have much growing up, either, so I get it. My brother and I joke that we are the last vestiges of the Depression Era, because of the habits we saw from the elders in our family. Can’t throw something out if you might need it someday! However, cleaning out my parent’s house cured me of that mindset. Plus it was unexpectedly emotionally taxing to clean their house out, and I’m not an emotional person at all.
I feel you .
Sadly my parents weren't close / loving etc. so they both died far away .
I am trying to clean up and out but I'm still doing what I do, working on old junk because I get great satisfaction from fixing things .
Of late I'm identifying things I know I'll never use / get to and before sun up today I set out three wheelie bins fully loaded and a pile of scrap metal .
Some of the things I'd love to sell but due to internet swap meets are no longer much good .
I figure as long as I keep my hands & mind busy I won't get the mental fog that affects so many .
-Nate
EDIT : dang ~ the scrap guys used to come at sunup, it 3:30PST and the pile is still there, I even put a battery in it to sweeten the pot so to speak .
If nothing goes I'll load it into my recycling bin for next week .
A can full of gas, and a hand full of matches...
Boy, if my brother and I could have convinced my Mom and Dad of that! Mom’s in memory care, and Dad won’t leave the four-bedroom, two-story colonial with 40 years of accumulation! They only had one garage sale in that time, and half the stuff went back into the basement. To be handled by us when they’re gone. 🙄
It was a victory for me just to get my parents to set up a will and trusts. I also tried to get them to move to an area where houses were appreciating, but I was shot down, in retrospect because they didn’t want to clean out their stuff. The shortsighted part was that their house depreciated, and it would have been nice to have more money for my Dad’s memory care. Then, instead of being able to spend weekends with my Dad, I was in the damn house cleaning it out so I could sell it to pay for his care. This was also when I was working a lot of hours. I don’t think I’ve ever been as exhausted as I was during that time.
karen told me a must-do when a death occurs in wealthy circumstances but i'll just tell people in oerson, not in print. don't mean to be a tease but ask me when you see me. many people already know about it anyway
Having just spent four months dealing with various complications related to the death of my wife's not-old first husband, I can attest that this applies to EVERYONE.
I would like to add that if you're dealing with international relations getting the documentation done in advance is very important, and probably easier than dealing with the local govt.
Guessing Microsoft won’t be paying the restart costs but the rest of the utility users will?
I imagine that the start up cost will be amitorized over a number of years, most likely decades and will only have a marginal effect on individual rates. Also, Microsoft will most likely use such a huge quantity of kilowatts that they will pay a bulk rate.
It looks like they are being charged all of it and more.
By they I mean Microsoft.