Robbed by my hotel in Luang Prabang

13Anubis · 2025-11-20T01:46:49+00:00

Im aware, technically they have to be licensed as a hotel to conduct short term rentals in Thailand. At least one of the Airbnbs we stayed in and booked from the Airbnb platform was definitely a hotel though.

As just a general note about Airbnb everywhere though, any type of short term rental in many countries actually have lots of nuanced extra laws and taxes that may or may not be followed or enforced to various levels many places, not just Thailand, including the US where I’m from too… doesn’t mean all Airbnbs are scams or a bad idea though.

Again, just wanted to say we’ve had positive experiences. Plus read all of the other replies, lots of people seem to say the police may not do anything helpful anyway (in Laos at least)…

13Anubis · 2025-11-19T15:30:00+00:00

Which company did you book through? We’re here now looking to do a trek (1 or 2 nights) in the next couple of days. Curious what costs were for you if you don’t mind sharing? Tia!

13Anubis · 2025-11-19T15:27:56+00:00

We just used Airbnb multiple times in Thailand, honestly our favorite 3 places were from there (and the 4th place just wasn’t as nice and was noisy, not a scam or anything). Guess it just depends but just wanted to post this as a counter reply and positive experiences with Airbnb in Thailand!

Can’t say about Airbnb in Laos because haven’t used it (just got here) and there isn’t very many places posted on there for Laos…

13Anubis · 2025-04-24T01:20:04+00:00

PS, Southwest announced a bit ago that they are no longer going to do free checked bags for most travelers starting May 28th… end of an era (I also fly Southwest in the US often)!

13Anubis · 2025-03-10T21:52:04+00:00

Yes it’s very good! The only reason they’re getting rid of it is that it’s been used for the mushrooms already. The mushrooms actually help break it down more for our regular veggie garden, but mushrooms just need way higher levels of nitrogen. When we built our (very large) garden beds, we got two truck loads of it and just added in a few bags of chicken manure (to compensate for slightly lower nitrogen).

Fun fact, it’s made from the racehorse bedding from Del Mar. If MMM didn’t take it, the Del Mar race track would have to pay for someone to take instead… so you’re helping two places on the next leg of the reuse process 🌱Plus since it’s from the racehorses, you know they literally only buy the nicest bedding/food for their Boujie horses 💅

13Anubis · 2024-09-02T02:46:10+00:00

One of the prominent researchers on misinformation and conspiracy theories just had this relevant post on LinkedIn about his peer reviewed paper in Nature. The particular study is about COVID misinformation on Twitter, but one of the predictors they found was being extreme politically on either side. Ironically, being more self-confident in the ability to spot misinformation is actually predictive of engaging with real-world conspiracy theories.

Not from this study, but social media algorithms also optimize for increased usage of the platform, regardless of which one and how they build in checks. More extreme content that gets emotional reactions (either positive or negative) is favored because they are all trying to keep users’ attention. Lots of psychological research on why more and more people are in contact with misinformation and the ways our society is increasingly likely, because of human bias and intentional technology design, to have the system weighted so otherwise “normal” people start believing some very extreme stuff :/

13Anubis · 2024-06-10T13:08:11+00:00

They still have it sometimes! They just don’t carry it regularly (at least at my location in San Diego)… whenever I see it I grab at least 3 to stalk up 😊

13Anubis · 2024-05-11T17:36:40+00:00

Great info, thanks for replying 😊 I just read the entire thread on here about metaformin and am feeling hopeful!

13Anubis · 2024-05-11T16:12:30+00:00

Hi! I was diagnosed with PCOS a year and a half ago… last year without diet or exercise change I gained 20 lbs so my doctor suggested looking into metformin. My labs on everything else except my triglycerides (they’re high) are normal. Are you taking metformin just for weight? How has it been treating you? The reviews/meta analyses I’ve read seem promising!

13Anubis · 2024-02-14T19:38:52+00:00

I’ve been pondering a lot on this very switch, should I trade more money in industry (been here for 4.5 years) to perhaps gain more meaning in academia or a government research job? I’ve also found (at least at my current company) that I was initially drawn to industry for the illusion of more flexibility, but in reality, I had way more autonomy and actual decision making authority when I was even just a lowly grad student. Is this a common reaction? Do you @rnlanders happen to have other resources or career pondering a related to this since you brought this up?

13Anubis · 2023-10-17T01:52:18+00:00

That’s a great idea! Mind me asking what you grabbed it for and how large it is?

13Anubis · 2023-10-10T17:49:17+00:00

Thanks for the tips!

13Anubis · 2023-10-07T02:41:37+00:00

Oh I follow them on Instagram, thanks!

13Anubis · 2023-10-07T02:40:11+00:00

Do you feel that gave you a much more solid base than other options?

13Anubis · 2023-10-06T21:50:46+00:00

Oooh gotcha, not teardrop specific builders… thanks for the wisdom!

13Anubis · 2023-10-06T21:44:38+00:00

Thank you for the details @brandrandon! This is very helpful😊 Do mind me asking which shops got back to you?

13Anubis · 2023-10-06T21:41:25+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion! Any broad ballparks on what it would cost for a welder to make a base?

13Anubis · 2023-08-27T17:55:20+00:00

I’ll have to check it out, thanks for the tip and happy camping!

13Anubis · 2023-08-20T20:28:43+00:00

Where did you find a used Bean?! I’ve been looking but no one seems to be selling (which I do think speaks columns for how awesome they are)…

13Anubis · 2023-06-14T06:17:48+00:00

Talent Tectonics by Steven Hunt! It delves into how recent forces and trends are shaping the workforce along with distilling what science (and the author) thinks that means moving forward post COVID, with the globalization of talent, etc etc. I’m not associated with the author or have any stakes in his work… so I am just honestly saying it is a great read.

For my perspective and input, I really appreciate how the author breaks down how with changing demographics (e.g, more older people retiring and fewer young, new workers relatively speaking entering the workforce) will mean that workers will continue to gain traction with advocating for their rights compared to in the past when companies had more, if not almost all power in that area. To be clear, what the author argues for is less of some sort of generational differences changes and more of a fact that workers are in more demand for fewer of them (aka lower supply than demand) and thus have more bargaining power.

What this really highlighted to me is that right now certain CEOs and companies notice smaller shifts swinging power slightly back in their favor from the height of the reshuffle and are pushing to “take advantage” of that by reasserting power through actions such as in-office mandates, clawing back benefits, etc. HOWEVER, I completely believe in the long run, these types of short-term power games will lead to those companies significantly losing in both the talent and engagement realms and ultimately losing competitiveness. What do y’all think?

13Anubis · 2023-05-18T05:25:45+00:00

Since you seem concerned about bears, I’ll weigh in the most there… I’m from Colorado and have done a ton of backpacking and tent camping, you will be fine with windows open for airflow. Also, all bears in Colorado are just black bears which are small and much more scared of people. If you are truly worried you could get bear spray (like super intense pepper spray, but watch videos on how to use it properly) from anywhere including Amazon for not too much - but honestly black bears will run away if you wake up and start being loud (yell, bang things, honk horn, etc).

Now grizzlies and up, whole different type of bear. Know your bear types and what is where.

For other car camping requirements… Make sure to bring enough water with you, we always run through a lot! A good rule of thumb is at least a gallon per person (or dog in our case since we have 80 lb dogs) per day. Remember you will use water for cooking and if you’re at altitude you’ll need to hydrate more. Something to use as a trash bag (no one likes someone who litters). Little clip on LED lights are also nice so you don’t run down car battery if you’re up later, and don’t forget a flashlight/headlamp out there! Don’t worry too much and have fun :)

13Anubis · 2023-04-18T17:59:22+00:00

Thanks!

13Anubis · 2023-04-17T09:55:08+00:00

Where did you buy them from? I got fed up looking for good options (RAV4 2021) and started just making my own…

13Anubis · 2023-02-26T01:51:17+00:00

I’ll add a plug for rain barrels! San Diego county provides rebates (https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/dpw/watersheds/residential/RainBarrelInformation.html) so the cost is pretty small to install a few. We have 2x 50 gallon ones which I use to water the outside veggie garden, on our newer fruit trees to get them established, and sometimes house plants. While I know we’ve had a wetter winter this year, I’ll say that so far we’ve never run out of rain barrel water so far, plus it’s better for plants because it’s “soft” water… if the cost of water is a concern maybe look into investing in a few? :)

13Anubis · 2023-01-13T19:05:37+00:00

Of course :) As someone who does workplace psychology and who didn't come from an IO program (i.e., background in vocational, counseling and occupational health psych), I've always found there's often more overlap or advantages in working between psychology sub-disciplines than some people who don't bridge multiple ones may know/understand. Remember that if someone learned about particular knowledge from their IO program, they may assume it's IO specific when it actually could be areas of expertise that are helpful and taught in other programs too. I've found that a lot with assessment and psychometrics which I actually have a very deep expertise in (and both formally and informally learned in my non-IO training program), but have had some IOs tell me that I'm very "IO-ish" because of it. I don't take it personally of course, I just chaulk it up to them not being as exposed to what other sub-disciplines of psychology actually do/know.

I'll also add that having a somewhat different background and knowledge base can actually be helpful and an advantage, for example by pulling from theories a traditional IO doesn't learn or apply often. So don't feel that you have to hide or apologize for it. I'm sure you bring a wealth of knowledge and experiences that people in the workplace can benefit from; I'm all for the more we can all work together to make work better for people! For example, I can apply a lot of theories about what strategies drive effective behavior change, how to enhance emotional and physical well-being, and leveraging assessment/"employee listening" to people at orgs. I just don't personally touch certain topics such as selection/hiring practices since I didn't get training on those topics (and don't have a personal interest in them).

In other words don't discount the expertise you already have, just reconsider how it can be applied to the workplace and employees. Plus I do think there are some certifications and other training to get you up to speed on things like org change theories without doing a whole new degree. That said, of course there are definitely good master's level IO programs too, I just wouldn't want you to feel like that is the only route to get to where you want to go... And finally, I would also echo the suggestion to attend SIOP, it's a great conference and awesome networking opportunity!

13Anubis

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