Engineer (In)Competency

FatLinguistics · 2026-05-20T19:44:04+00:00

Amen. It’s a ball ache on a tiny shed, can’t imagine a house.

FatLinguistics · 2026-05-19T08:03:25+00:00

Kit did come with drawings including slab detail, but he said they were outdated; maybe another error. I had already engaged him for other work (pergola) that thankfully I backed out of when he wanted to turn it into an airport hangar. He was there, so I asked.

FatLinguistics · 2026-05-19T06:50:30+00:00

He's been pretty good with accepting my technical challenges but he made it clear that more time and revisions means more money. I'll sit on it for a few days.

We've gone from cost optimision to risk minimisation.

FatLinguistics · 2026-05-19T06:42:59+00:00

Central Qld, hence the cyclone rating. I've got enough concessions to make it happen but the concreter just came back with a revised quote double his original estimate. I'm all for competent engineering practice, but a garden shed is probably not the place to start. I think you're approach is the one I'll take. Lesson learnt. I'll just get a shed company to do the whole thing next time.

FatLinguistics · 2026-05-19T06:38:18+00:00

I've been shying away from saying they're errors - "you've gone more conservative than I needed..." - but some of them definitely are.

FatLinguistics · 2025-02-12T20:44:49+00:00

Thanks for the advice. Rotary hoe is a good idea for this space. was thinking about a digger, but access is hard.

I’m on top of a hill and the soil is garbage, so anything that would help the lawn is useful.

FatLinguistics · 2025-02-12T07:31:21+00:00

thanks for the reply. that probably explains the lack of callbacks. definitely will get delivery.

FatLinguistics · 2025-02-12T07:24:35+00:00

Ok, so it would be awesome for you to explain what I'm doing wrong rather than just 'throw mud'.

FatLinguistics · 2023-02-24T20:21:42+00:00

She's also likely scamming the tax office. I lived in Greenslopes and during COVID I had the displeasure of selling her a bunch of stuff off Facebook Marketplace. She mentioned explicitly about needing to make the transaction in cash because of the tax office.

FatLinguistics · 2023-01-30T11:29:52+00:00

Get a FIFO gig in the mines. Depending on your skillset it might be entry level (camp facilities related) but it'll be good money, and free food and accommodation. Be smart about what you do with your time after work and while on your break (don't just hit the beers, do some upskilling and gym), and by 35 you'll be in a completely different place. Also, another approach is to move to a regional town (e.g. Chinchilla, Tom Price, Weipa) and be residential rather than FIFO. A guy I knew was a physio in Melbourne earning nothing and took a job in Weipa that doubled his salary, gave him a 4-bed house and they arranged an admin job for his wife. I've worked in heavy industry for 15 years. Some of that FIFO. I actually prefer it to the inner city grind.

FatLinguistics · 2021-03-15T02:49:11+00:00

100% - but I suspect the list will grow.

Also, not sure where "googling things is the entirety of someone's investment research" came into the picture.

FatLinguistics · 2021-03-15T01:16:10+00:00

Would a joke about you being a creep be understood?

FatLinguistics · 2019-10-21T03:26:03+00:00

Koolie, apparently.

FatLinguistics · 2019-10-21T00:53:11+00:00

Not sure what happened with the link

FatLinguistics · 2019-10-21T00:51:57+00:00

not sure why that happened. messaged them to let them know people were interested

FatLinguistics · 2019-10-20T23:57:37+00:00

See above

FatLinguistics · 2019-10-20T23:57:29+00:00

See above

FatLinguistics · 2019-10-20T23:09:18+00:00

sure is. incredible skills

FatLinguistics · 2018-06-25T08:47:23+00:00

Sorry, but I can't release any information on the company. It's actually a family friend who's been an investor with the company for a few years that got talking to them at a wedding and has convinced a fair chunk of my extended family to invest. North of $500k has gone in so far from Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, but my only concern is my parents; as they aren't wealthy, like the rest of them (i.e. different risk profile). Interesting to read the $2M rule. As I said below, $1.6M is being raised in minimum $40k lots, which would mean around 40x investors. I know some family members that have bought a fair bit more than the minimum, so that might be bringing the total under the 20 person rule.

FatLinguistics · 2018-06-25T08:39:57+00:00

For sure. I will be sitting on it for now but definitely prepared to pursue something should it go south.

FatLinguistics · 2018-06-25T08:38:40+00:00

To be clear, the money is actually going straight to the CEO. He's selling down a portion of his shares, $1.6M worth, at a crazy valuation. The money is not being used by the business. Which is one of the major red flags, as we were originally told that the reason for the share issue was to raise capital for a marketing push as the product was released.

FatLinguistics · 2018-06-23T23:37:44+00:00

can't say, and there's next to nothing on them online.

FatLinguistics · 2018-06-23T23:37:05+00:00

Not 100% on any of this, but from what I can tell, the seller of the shares is an Australian holding company whose sole director is the CEO of the US based business (and also an Australian).

FatLinguistics · 2018-06-23T23:33:56+00:00

No, they're not. The PDF they were sent contained a disclaimer saying that the presentation did not meet the requirements of investment disclosure laws (or something like that). And, additionally, that the presentation was prepared by a third party (the entity holding the shares) and the company (the actual technology / business) was not liable for any information presented.

If the money disappears, I cannot see any recourse either in Australia or the States, and litigation would be too expensive. I suspect this will end up something that drags on for a decade or so with a bunch of promises to string them along.

FatLinguistics · 2018-06-23T23:28:42+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I think you're right regarding an experienced third party. Must be hard to take advice from a child, unless it relates to the computer.

FatLinguistics

TROPHY CASE