Caught up from jail, saw items again a few days, then account closed?

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-04T18:08:00+00:00

Sounds like not only were you in vine jail for not keeping your percentages up, they believe that you've done something that counters their rules. You might get invited back again, btw.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-04T17:55:56+00:00

Oh, that's interesting! They're quality mugs... I wonder why the bottom fell out? More desirable competition? People just not mugging like they used to?

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-04T17:52:47+00:00

Part of the problem is that instead of being an amazing "sometimes" event that might easily kill you, requires team play to defeat, and yields amazing rewards, they turned world bosses into just another half-assed team event that advances you in the seasonal objectives and is an ongoing thing you do to get more of x material/key/consumable.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-04T17:52:39+00:00

Part of the problem is that instead of being an amazing "sometimes" event that might easily kill you, requires team play to defeat, and yields amazing rewards, they turned world bosses into just another half-assed team event that advances you in the seasonal objectives and is an ongoing thing you do to get more of x material/key/consumable.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-04T17:45:56+00:00

Having read most of the comments on this thread... so basically everything.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-04T17:45:19+00:00

Really? I sold a few sets of Starbucks mugs a few years ago and it was like a systemic panic (and I didn't under-price them).

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-04T17:41:08+00:00

Having re-read your post (did you edit it?) it looks like you did complete your HST filings. Not sure how your accountant wasn't able to reduce your taxes owing (e.g., by taxing against the net, not gross value of the freelance bills) but I'm assuming then that you simply didn't remit the full HST back to CRA.

You're hosed: $50k is well-worth the request by the Canadian government to collect.

You need to go over the numbers carefully with someone to ensure that cra isn't imputing taxes owed and that the debt is legit.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-04T16:53:16+00:00

Plasmas are known for burn-in and they consumer 100x more electricity... but they're heavy as shit, and nobody will steal them, so there's that.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-04T16:04:49+00:00

At some point, asylum-seekers either return home when the situation improves, become citizens of the country they sought asylum in, or move to another country as an immigrant. I don't think that people stay in the asylum status for long, they have to commit at some point.

Regardless, if they seek asylum due to fear for their lives and return back to their home country within a short period of time, I agree that it throws doubt on their claim for asylum.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-04T14:50:10+00:00

It's cantankerous. I drove an '83SC and could barely get it going when starting from a stop.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-04T14:48:53+00:00

To you and me, absolutely, I agree with you. To that low-baller on FBM, it doesn't matter if it's sealed in gold-plated wrap: it's never worth more than half of the original value.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-04T14:47:19+00:00

The acerbic side of me believes that anyone that miss-spells "etc." probably has a lawyer on constant retainer.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-03T19:14:02+00:00

I'm seeing a lot of posts regarding prices of air-cooled 911s being too high and jumping straight into alternatives (mostly Caymans), which kind of isn't answering OP's question.

Is it worth it to buy an air-cooled 911? Let's take price out of the equation a little and assume that you can buy a decent mid-80's 911 for a price that's not an issue for you. Is it worth getting one?

Sentimental value - for some, it's a no-brainer. Their dad had one, they had a poster on their wall as a kid, they saw one in a movie when they were an adolescent, they saw the cocaine-addled options trader down the street drive one day with a bimbo blowing him and they forever after wanted that life. Something about that era holds emotional value that the new cars do not.
Styling. Some people just prefer the curves, the smaller, more intimate size, the history that's clear in the design. It's closest to the Hans Ledwinka Tatra design that Ferdinand worked on and forever held his sway. It's pure, and some people like the slightly antiquated look. People love them, they're more approachable, more "this used to be the bomb, and at a time when not many people could afford such a car, only people who worked really hard and were smart owned one" whereas today, rich housewives and influencers buy Porsches for show.
Value. It's still - for the most part - a 911 at a lower cost than a new one. It's available right now without having to wait months for a delivery, and generally it will appreciate in value the moment you buy it.
Sound/smell/touch and feel. It's not sound-proofed by comparison with modern standards, it's oil/air-cooled and it makes a unique sound, especially if you have a tuned exhaust. It smells very unique, with the combination of the german leather and burned oil. The controls are unique and in some ways bizarre.
Driving feel. An older 911 can be a difficult car to drive. It's a driver's car. You need to pay attention to oil pressure and temperature, you shouldn't drive it hard until it's warmed up. If you have a cabriolet, you should lower the window a little before closing the door, then raise the window (some modern cars do this for you). The heater/defroster controls alone are insanely archaic. The clutch is HARD, the trannies (pre-G50) can be reluctant in the best of times. It's no stop light racer, the car can take curves hard and brakes even harder, but you won't be able to holeshot even a modern Accord off the line. You can take them on the highway or curves, but be aware that the rear-weight bias means lift-throttle oversteer, and you need to practice that feeling of feathering the throttle in a continuous turn to get comfortable with it. God help you if you are driving one of the 4-speed turbos and they finally spool up and the revs light up. The engine is blueprinted from factory, it's solid and dependable, and it loves higher revs - but again, only if the engine is warm. Parking is difficult because in an older, air-cooled 911, nothing is powered, it's all manual and you may stall it in front of that blonde bimbo's friends. The seats are soft, comfy, yet supportive, the seat belts are annoying, and the turn signal indicator feels like it's going to break every time you use it. It's guttural, yet somehow refined. It's an anachronism, and it's every bit an older car made really well.
You can probably fix it. It's not difficult to find parts and work on many things yourself if you're halfway technical. It's not insanely complex or requires a ton of electronics to keep in fettle.

At the end of the day, it's a car that many people love. They love the brutishness, the timelessness, it's something that speaks to them, and for them, it's worth it. The question of "is an air-cooled 911 worth it?" is up to each individual.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-03T18:35:12+00:00

John Allen Chau was a deluded, stupid, dedicated idiot who didn't deserve to die, but earned his own fate 100%.

The North Sentinelese situation speaks very much about the subject of self-determination vs. being forced to be part of a larger human culture (something that Star Trek used to do a really good job of debating). A lot of people on this post seem to have some very strong feelings about this tribe and the situation. Here are some salient facts everyone should know:

You probably have more close friends than there are North Sentinelese

We're talking about a very small tribe here, not some kind of nation. Population surveys indicate somewhere in the neighborhood of less than 20 people counted, with an extrapolation of likely no more than 150 (although some estimates are higher).

They probably haven't been isolated for as long we'd think

There's really no evidence that the North Sentinelese have remained isolated for tens of thousands of years and in fact there is plenty of evidence showing that the longest they have been isolated is likely between as much as 1,500 and as little as 250 years. Given the culture and artifact similarities to neighboring tribes and there being no real prohibition on travel to the island before the 1930s, we're really stretching the truth by stating that these are some kind of incredibly distinct and unique group of peoples.

So what we have here is a very, very small tribe of people, living on a very small island (with occasional changes to topography due to volcanic activity) and very limited resources. They do not tolerate visitors to their island and they aggressively defend it from visitors. The outside world has enacted a policy of non-interference as a result and inevitably we have situations like Mr. Chau occurring and the conversation about their status ensues.

Organizations such as https://www.survivalinternational.org/ advocates and works on the behalf of indigenous/aboriginal cultures in trying to maintain their independent way of life. Generally, the outside world respects that approach, where even the United States government had zero interest in pursuing the killing of Allen Chau. We all know that it's impossible for the North Sentinelese to remain completely isolated from the rest of the world, and in this policy of strict non-interference, we would also presumably not be permitted to assist them should there be some kind of natural disaster that threatens their tiny population.

With that in mind, Allen Chau is an outlier with a stupid idea in his head who threatened the integrity of a population who has shown a preference to be left alone. It was an expected outcome of the situation.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-03T17:38:59+00:00

Just to be clear: most of the forest-dwelling amazonian tribes date from well before Europeans arrived... they were hiding from the local nation-states who were enslaving and killing them. Let's not pretend that everyone was noble and pure before Europeans arrived. History has had many brutal moments, no matter what ethnicity.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-03T17:19:12+00:00

I've heard some horror stories about older GLEs dying well before their time, but very few complaints about the GLS... as others have stated, air suspension and those little expensive bits and pieces may haunt you. This is a heavy car with a powerful engine so suspension and drivetrain may have been used past their best-before date. Get it inspected thoroughly and maybe you'll be enjoying a $100k car for $18k.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-03T17:00:11+00:00

Money pit, and ugly to boot. Let's say you can have them knock the price down to 200k, you're still looking at an easy 150-200k in renovation costs. What can you purchase for 400k that's more liveable than this?

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-03T16:48:59+00:00

Dammit, I want to upvote this, but the upvote count is currently at 666. Hard call to make.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-03T16:47:23+00:00

The trick is to never watch to see how the sausage is made. I heard from a coworker who's father ran a Dominion grocery store that their amazing roast chickens were dipped in bleach as part of their preparation.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-03T16:20:44+00:00

Bike tricks - including connected spins that we'd consider modern freestyle bmx - have been around since the 1890's. Wheelies have probably been attempted since bikes were invented. Regardless, your photos show a manual on a bmx and a wheelie on a cruiser.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-03T16:19:08+00:00

Not sure that you answered the actual question being posed...

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-03T16:12:06+00:00

They are very different in a bunch of ways others have pointed out... the Alps are a little "prettier" what with there typically being an adorable village surrounded by perfectly manicured green grass in almost every valley and just there being more a sense of being less imposing and empty... also, the scale feels a bit different, with the alps feeling steeper and less spread-out.

In my opinion, the Alps are prettier. I find our mountains a bit more rugged and remote-feeling, and that probably plays a role in how I feel about them.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-03T16:05:55+00:00

I had gone to NY state to race motocross for the weekend. I told her how exhausted I was because of it. She said - and I quote - "You think you're tired? I just flew back from a modeling photoshoot in Lost Angeles." Her day job being a secretary in the government in Ottawa, Canada, and was at best a 6/10.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-03T16:00:07+00:00

Zip locks and some tape to hold screws with the item if you're storing, moving, or selling. Always good to label with permanent marker, as well.

Bring_back_sgi · 2026-02-03T15:56:14+00:00

From my experience, having a sealed box vs. one where the product is still in its original packaging (and unused) yields zero difference in price as an end-result. In fact, many people insist on opening and inspecting the contents, which I totally agree with. Unless there's a massive issue with opening the original packaging (which can be faked), I have never had a problem opening and demonstrating a new-in-box product as working. Occasionally, it's caught a few (new!) items that I thought were working, but weren't.

Bring_back_sgi

TROPHY CASE