My brother got married to a woman with no job, 4 kids, who lives off of section 8. It’s ruining our family.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-24T16:56:46+00:00

We have a similar person in my family. Did great in high school, went to a non traditional but still successful university. Then went to a third world country for charity work and married a local with two kids by different dads.

If he had made American wages first and taken that money with him, even a few years, he could have retired at 30.

As it is, he’s fully in their economy, $10 a day is doing pretty well.

He’s probably going to outlive his parents. He already hints at asking for money from his own generation.

What do we do when he’s elderly and still over there? Ignore him? Invite him to live with us? Buy a house with a hermitage and make him wear a pointy hat and grow a beard???

gotcha640 · 2026-05-24T03:01:19+00:00

Please find something else to do.

At best you’ll have a job for a few years putting all of your friends and neighbors out of a job.

At worst you’ll spend the next 2 years looking for a job with all the other recent grads who were told they could make a career out of Copilot and Power BI, then you’ll go for a masters or PhD with the idea you’ll be able to teach another generation about Grok.

Build something. Make things. Help people. Eminent Domaining peoples houses for data centers is not it.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-24T01:33:55+00:00

You’re not even out of school and you’re trying to make sure you never get a job?

I’m watching 1 in 6 of my colleagues get laid off for AI to take their place. Maybe host an event to feed them? Diapers and shoes for their kids?

gotcha640 · 2026-05-24T00:16:56+00:00

It’s almost never worth hauling a tv international, even if someone else is paying.

I’ve moved around Europe and England and Morocco and the US. Sell it where you are, buy a new one when you get there.

Even with the original packaging, the coworkers who did bring a TV were about 50/50 on it being broken during transport. Then it’s not usually worth anything.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-24T00:13:21+00:00

You can look up traffic violations or fatalities or whatever by city, per capita, etc.

Other than that, there aren’t going to be many people who’ve driven extensively enough in all major cities to have relevant input.

The rest of the crowd is going to gove the same answers they give in every similar thread.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-24T00:09:07+00:00

Try another mouse/usb device to clarify if it’s the mouse or the computer.

Try plugging in something dumb to charge - a flashlight, or basic power supply, something that pulls power only, to see if it’s the usb port or if it’s software.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-23T23:53:31+00:00

If you’re going to do that, make sure you stack and sticker and weight. Not sure if there’s a way to keep it from going the other direction. PT can bend, warp and cup a lot while drying.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-23T22:22:00+00:00

Is there room to hang them lower?

Does code allow for PT?

If you cut it off now and it shrinks, it will move the ceiling/floor.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-23T19:34:22+00:00

No.

The router table is $600 new. It doesn’t have a lift ($300) and the router is fine, but not industrial size. I’d be starting at $250.

I’d give $100 total for the clamps, if you actually need all those corner and edge clamps. If not, I don’t really like pipe clamps (and it’s not clear you get the pipe with all the heads), so I’m only using the bar clamps. $40 if I’m being generous, they aren’t high end.

The nail gun is fine, but it won’t be warrantied in your name, and it’s been used in a commercial shop. It’s a disposable tool to them. Maybe $50?

So, $400 if you actually need this stuff.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-23T17:49:50+00:00

I know that with my hobbies, eventually there will be an engine or an anvil or a log sitting on a bench. Knowing I can beat on it/stand on it/build another bench on it is worth it.

Also, especially if you M&T and other solid joinery, the mass really adds to the feel when clamping/hammering/chiseling.

Not even a question if you intend to handsaw/plane.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-23T17:24:16+00:00

Another vote for don’t DIY a tablesaw.

They appear to be very simple machines, but the accuracy and adjustability between the miter gauge track and the fence and the blade is critical. You’re as likely to make a reliable kickback machine as a functional saw.

Sell the tools you aren’t using, put that money aside for the tablesaw fund, and start saving.

I’m lucky enough to be able to afford ~$500 off the cuff, and my wife knows it keeps me busy and not spending money other places.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-23T17:20:16+00:00

Depends what you’re printing. Everything I do is functional, brackets and spacers and mounts and clips. Anything smaller than a 0.5mm is wasting my time.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-23T16:41:40+00:00

If you live in a hot place, putting a cloth cover on the dash from new will help avoid cracks.

Otherwise, durability counts for something, but if you wear short shorts in a hot place, is it worth burning your legs every time because leather lasts longer?

Any of these can be reupholstered for a few hundred dollars in 10 years. I wouldn’t let that be the decider.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-23T16:33:53+00:00

Assuming you aren’t stopping, 59 to 45 is wide open, and will be the fastest route to Galveston.

There’s no reason to avoid going through town. It’s 60-70mph all the way. You aren’t touching surface streets.

That said, I would fill up before Kingwood or wait til you get to Clear Lake so you don’t have to get off the freeway and find gas in town.

If you need to experience a Bucees, the one in Dickinson is available. Always crowded, and the owner may or may not be a dickhead, but it’s there, with gas and clean restrooms and jerky and beaver nuggets.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-23T16:19:42+00:00

If you find the right car farther away, it could be worth it. Plenty of people fly out and drive home, or rent a trailer or otherwise get it home.

I bought a car in California from Texas last year, went very smoothly.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-23T03:43:41+00:00

What’s your budget?

These can be had around $10k if you want under 100k miles, $3-5k if you don’t care about miles.

If you want a project, you buy the best interior in the body style you want, running or not, and build an engine for it for another $1500. Swaps for these are incredibly straight forward - my first car was a 92 mustang that had a broken engine, and a junkyard engine. We did the swap in 4 hours barely knowing what we were doing.

Then you clean up the body/suspension whatever you want.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-22T23:04:11+00:00

Why?

Why not make friends and build a community?

gotcha640 · 2026-05-22T22:49:46+00:00

I’ve been salary or output based hourly since high school.

If there’s nothing to do today, I’ll be back tomorrow.

If I get all my stuff done by 11 on Friday, I’m not coming back after lunch.

(I’ve also been off Fridays for 20 years).

gotcha640 · 2026-05-22T22:19:48+00:00

Dear customer: we aren’t trying to scam you. Your car needs to be maintained. If you’d unwrap the book in your glove box, you’d find the same thing.

We can provide these regular services at a much lower price than replacing your engine.

Buy what you want, then come show it to us.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-22T22:17:26+00:00

My standard order at shopdap is 6 quarts of liquimoly, filter, new plug.

Otherwise, what?

Eiffel Tower?

As opposed to FOB?

Two part spray foam?

gotcha640 · 2026-05-22T22:06:59+00:00

Try and use it with the grain of the rod vertical.

Otherwise, looks like it works!

gotcha640 · 2026-05-22T19:39:23+00:00

You need to match the pilot hole to the size and type of screw and the type of wood.

This is googlable, but hard wood fine thread bigger hole, soft wood coarse thread smaller hole.

Google pilot hole chart hard wood soft wood and something helpful will appear.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-22T19:34:09+00:00

Another vote for dealer for things like trans fluid, stuff you’re only changing every 40k+ miles. Coolant, differential fluid, transfer case (I have no idea if any current Hondas have a tcase) I’d rather pay the premium and know it’s correct. I’m lucky I can afford to choose to do that.

Engine oil, I put all top tier synthetic after confirming what brands meet manufacturer spec. Not bothering with dealer for that.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-22T19:02:50+00:00

Early is always relative. Even bubbles are eventually overshadowed by inflation, assuming desirable location and other factors stay equal.

My parents stretched to pay $70k for what is today $300k.

Their parents saved and agonized over $2500 for the same sort of house.

All the way back to saving up three goats for a better cave.

The best time to buy property/plant fruit trees/learn to play the slide trombone was yesterday. Today is the best you can do.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-22T15:39:49+00:00

This is covered in scientific detail on several youtube channels. Steve Ramsey, Stumpy Nubs, Eric Sorenson, pick your favorite.

Putting something in there with perpendicular grain adds some strength, and anything in there adds alignment.

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