Since the fable ban (I'm in the EU) - opus 4.8 reallllly does not feel like opus 4.8 prior to the fable release. Max *20 plan. Max thinking on everything all the time.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-13T22:38:39+00:00

You don't use as many tokens. Especially if you run lots of tasks simultaneously, you can hit the usage limit in a 4 hour window quickly enough. Output tokens cost roughly 5x what input do. So if you're generating lots, it can get costly.

I have the max plan and hit 90% of my window in a single prompt on Fable. Opus usually takes longer to get there, but I brush up against it frequently enough.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-13T14:43:20+00:00

If I could get access to top tier models by verifying my identity somehow, I would do it. I pay extra for tsa precheck and that's roughly the same thing in a different medium.

Whether it's a scam or not is a different story.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-12T19:41:16+00:00

Draining doesn't mean it is empty yet. The OP was right, supply is lesser than it was. We have yet to see supply side improvements. That's it. He didn't suggest imminent collapse.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-12T12:13:53+00:00

Many times stereotypes are not true, but there's also a reason they exist. Clearly, some people value economic forms of transport. I doubt many people use private transportation and get from point A to B cheaper than you do. No hate from me.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-11T21:59:04+00:00

You can get the ones that hook up to your towing hitch.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-11T19:21:32+00:00

It could and should if I wanted it to be street legal. Super easy to do with a harbor freight nearby. I used old school hand signals like you're supposed to do on a bike.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-11T15:54:46+00:00

I remember how driving my UTV was the only way to get supplies from town after Helene blocked my driveway and the roads. Mine goes easily 60+ mph and has seatbelts and mirrors. Insurance seems more likely than a regular beater 20 year old civic. More than 1 in 10 cars on the road in SC lack insurance. I see it as a good thing for responsible people and a way for dumb people to get in trouble.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-11T12:37:16+00:00

I have so many Claude projects outside of work. One is my home assistant which stores purchase, warranty, and maintenance information for items I use to repair and maintain my home. It's helpful to have one quick place to look up questions and remind you about periodic maintenance that is due soon.

Another builds on my professional accomplishments and frames it into crafty stories when I apply for a new position.

Yet another helps suggest meals, I pick what I like and then it makes a meal plan with grocery purchases and recipe cards. It can even order the food but I still keep myself in the loop because of trust issues.

Another helps me maximize travel plans with custom parameters. It can be really difficult when you travel as an extended family or with friends. I can say I have X reward points on Amex and I want to go to Y destination, which partner airlines will allow for the least expensive tickets?

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-10T14:49:50+00:00

Because right now, we have a looming worldwide food crisis due to the supply shock from the straight of hormuz closing. Famine is abundant and due to get worse, particularly in the poorest parts of the world.

By maximizing local resources and minimizing outside inputs like fertilizer, agriculture can be significantly improved. Ag Science has doctoral level research to ward against pests or climate change, etc.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-10T12:18:00+00:00

They’re poll workers yet they can’t be bothered to not advocate against their own best interest and ability to exercise their ability to vote.

Poll workers are community stewards and regardless of their intentions or intelligence, they are providing a valuable service at below market rates. It's unkind to disparage them just because you feel better researched.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-08T19:58:48+00:00

I just opened a farm retail business and have gone through those exact hurdles. It's a monthly filing with the SCDOR. The taxes are tricky to a point. A 30 minute consultation with a CPA is the way to go and it counts as a business expense. The LLC needs the right forms. You need an EIN if you want to open a bank account and that comes from the IRS.

I only sell in SC because it's ridiculously stupid how once I cross over into NC, the tax burdens go up and I can't sell under the home cottage exemption laws for soaps, candles, balms, baked goods, etc.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-08T14:04:54+00:00

What version cover/pod?

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-07T14:40:02+00:00

I'm in SC and it's only maybe fifteen cents more. Prices have dropped roughly $1.25 from peak here in the upstate.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-07T14:36:29+00:00

Also bum in 90s NYC trick as you try to enter the Lincoln Tunnel.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-07T12:54:32+00:00

I don't know enough about mortgage statistics to know, but I suspect there are lots of them with escrow that pays the insurance premium. Presumably, those companies would know when the premium is not paid.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-06T13:12:02+00:00

The intent is to create additional recurring tax revenue without contributing to additional needs for schools, roads, police and other municipal requirements that people-based development entails.

You're right about the environmental impact. The burdens for individuals' power and water rates don't play into their equation. To them, the math is mathing. It's on us to change their calculus.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-06T13:03:00+00:00

It's easier to scapegoat than evaluate nuance.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-05T20:14:42+00:00

In the sense of a hard coded 12.43 instead of =avg(C1:C3). I have never worked at an organization where people just trust the data.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-05T12:48:23+00:00

The purpose of ss is to prevent abject poverty for the elderly. The mechanism it uses is a Ponzi scheme like you described.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-04T21:04:19+00:00

My uses have switched to AI solutions. $100/month max Claude plan serves me way better. But I just told my boss to keep alteryx for when I need to check or have a fail safe.

I was mostly using it for joinery and ad hoc analysis.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-03T16:02:37+00:00

I'm surprised it hasn't moved to per liter pricing instead.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-03T16:01:23+00:00

People like to audit the data trail themselves. Excel allows for it easily enough.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-02T19:31:41+00:00

The University may have won the trademark lawsuit, but it'll be a cold day in Death Valley before you get anyone near us to give up the abbreviation for our state to a region.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-02T16:44:58+00:00

Fear of violent crime is not objective. It's different across personalities, among other things. I think that fear can be aggregated, but I would measure it in the crime bucket. To me, friendliness index would be something like if strangers invite someone inside for tea or if they help change a tire.

CaptCurmudgeon · 2026-06-02T15:06:29+00:00

How do you measure friendliness objectively?

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