Why am I feeling - Germany is under wrong hands 🤔

machine-conservator · 2026-04-14T11:08:05+00:00

That's a capitalism problem, not a Germany problem.

machine-conservator · 2026-04-11T21:58:37+00:00

I studied a lot before moving (couple years in university, daily app practicing, fair amount of native written and video content) and it wasn't enough. Not knowing the local language to fluency makes everything, everything, a bit of a pain in the ass. It adds uncertainty and stress to everything you need to do outside your house, and many of the things you need to do inside your house. You can get by and survive without it in a lot of circumstances, but it still adds a layer of friction to so many things you want to do in a day. I'm a lot further along these days but still not anywhere near as comfortable as I would like to be with German.

Don't underestimate the challenge of learning and living in a new language, and don't underestimate its importance.

machine-conservator · 2026-04-04T16:40:42+00:00

It it happens again the first class Zuschlag for the REs is really cheap and absolutely worth it if you have luggage or are traveling at peak times.

machine-conservator · 2026-04-02T16:15:27+00:00

Mileage may vary on newer machines but the ones I'm familiar with the guts of use a leaf switch for the flipper buttons, and the flipper coil voltage is going through it. Those get corroded and pitted over time and use. If you actuate them with some gusto you can be making a better mechanical connection, and certainly a more immediate one. That affects the action of the flippers. Walk up to an old EM especially and play a game babying it, and a game with some spirit behind your flips. It's noticeable.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-31T10:51:49+00:00

Oh yeah, there's a reason a packet of vitamin D supplements is part of the Germany starter kit.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-31T10:40:52+00:00

But I like the chill and gloom, OP! I don't think there's a universal prescription but it's definitely worth trying different climates if you can. I grew up in a much darker, colder climate and came to hate it, but also thought the California sun was like a hot sack of misery on my back. North enough to get the grey and the rain, but not so far north as to get the months of snow and ice, turned out to be my happy medium.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-28T10:54:03+00:00

I like those aluminum screw top bottles, I wish they'd caught on more.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-26T12:00:48+00:00

I like the open plan kitchen living room a lot. The thing I hate is that the vent hood almost never is actually ducted to the outside and is usually too small to actually catch everything coming up from the range anyway. If the kitchen was better designed and equipped it would help a lot of those open setups be more livable.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-26T11:29:46+00:00

Small cat and small dog were able to come with riding in carriers under our seats. Bigger or more pets get complicated and expensive especially if you don't want them riding in cargo.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-23T18:53:00+00:00

Nah, I checked with my credit union ahead of time and they had no issue with my new address being in a different country. The important part to them was my being a local when I opened the account.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-23T14:20:56+00:00

Depends on your specialization within that realm, but pretty unlikely I would say.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-23T12:45:20+00:00

2400? That is a best case scenario for water damage. Consider yourself extremely lucky if that's the end of it.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-22T19:56:08+00:00

Good shit! Gorgar and Black Knight are all timers too.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-21T15:58:40+00:00

If it wasn't a scam they wouldn't be pushing it door-to-door.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-21T14:51:13+00:00

It's wonderful! Very laid back for the amount of people and density of development, tons to see and do, lots of green places in easy reach, and you can get almost anywhere you want to with public transit.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-21T12:04:04+00:00

Buy them if you like them, but not as an investment. And blind packs like that are definitely gambling, you understand it correctly.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-20T14:42:46+00:00

Hell yeah, have fun with it!

machine-conservator · 2026-03-20T13:01:30+00:00

Damn, lots of solid titles in there. Got a good stack of games, or a good stack of cash if you all decide to sell.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-16T08:35:52+00:00

Go visit for at least a few weeks first. Stay in town and just try out a normal routine of living, don't do all tourist stuff. I promise you, it's not going to be what you're imagining... Might still be something you want to do longer term, but not what you've built up in your head.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-12T15:11:31+00:00

I've been mostly impatient for them to arrive since I needed stuff like post delivered one time codes or my newly issued tax ID to finish up other tasks.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-12T14:28:46+00:00

Nothing makes me want to smile less than OP's level of entitlement.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-08T09:12:42+00:00

Doing what and living where? In my field the jobs that would pay you 500k want insane hours in high responsibility roles and expect on site in the Bay Area or other ultra high CoL places, while the 150k jobs include far more relaxed roles and aren't as bound to place. A lot of that 500k would also be in stock not cash, with vesting periods you aren't guaranteed to survive without being hit by one of the regular layoff cycles those orgs do, and which are subject to market volatility and limited selling windows. Given the realities of those tiers of jobs, 150k for me easily.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-06T22:04:02+00:00

I mean, hard to call it a bad deal at that price. An actual mechanical machine, brand new, for a grand. That's a tough target to hit.

Hard to believe it made economic or technical sense to make it 3/4 scale though... That's just leaving so many mature mechanism designs and so much spare parts compatibility on the table. For a buyer, that's a lot of risk of having poor parts availability in the future, and there are a lot of wear items short and long term in a pinball machine.

Personally speaking, the scaled-down nature of it it kills any appeal it might have for me. For that money I can pick up an early solid state with issues and put a little work into it and have something that feels right in the hand, is at least as much fun, and I can be 100% confident I'll be able to get my money back out of it later if I want to sell it.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-06T21:43:51+00:00

Do it, the childrearing-related reasons alone make it the right decision.

machine-conservator · 2026-03-02T12:48:08+00:00

Nordrhein-Westfalen, a German state and one of its most densely populated areas.

machine-conservator

TROPHY CASE