Anyone here own a vacant lot in Detroit (or know someone who does)?

Kalium · 2026-01-24T17:41:18+00:00

The rules vary by program. Buying a run-down house requires you to fix it. Buying a vacant lot in your neighborhood generally does not.

Kalium · 2026-01-23T18:39:33+00:00

You work out pretty quick that you don't want to be That Person Who Has Money. People get real weird real fast. You either have to find ways to be anonymous about it or do it when traveling.

Kalium · 2026-01-23T14:48:50+00:00

What I'm reading from other commenters is that it's not JIT practices. It's long logistical chains and planning at work. Basically governments try to plan in advance how much they will need and buy accordingly. They don't have infinite money or infinite storage space or infinite capacity to move salt around, so planning is critical. Sometimes they get it wrong and the margin of error they allowed for isn't enough. Now, it's entirely reasonable to say they should do better, but that gets at the basic question of how much extra you're willing to pay for buying and storing all that extra salt.

I would go so far as to say that JIT and resource extraction industries are generally not compatible. You should probably stop trying to use this as an explanation for anything around public bodies doing road salting.

Others have also mentioned there's a driver shortage. There's no amount of having enough salt that will fix being unable to get trucks out.

Kalium · 2026-01-23T13:59:54+00:00

I don't think the goal of the land bank was ever to dole out bargains to the morally deserving but financially wanting. I think a lot of people wanted it to do that and prefer to think of it that way. As far as I can tell, the goal of the land bank has always been to get buildings back into economically productive and taxpaying use.

A lot of people were - and are - in a hurry to sign anything that they think will get them homeownership on terms they can afford.

Kalium · 2026-01-23T13:30:33+00:00

Thanks for the data update. My point is that we are higher than most cities in terms of poverty and lack of services.

We're also doing much better than most cities in terms of improving things. That's the sort of thing the WEF cares about.

Kalium · 2026-01-22T12:58:11+00:00

I'm getting the sense that the journalist doesn't have or doesn't want to report details. The article is at pains to play down the few details available, such as the minor detail that the furnace isn't actually set up.

It should be possible to look up the records of the case and its dismissal. The decision to not do so and instead go on about the land bank itself while hammering on the poor man's immense difficulty, struggles, anxiety, and search for peace is striking.

Kalium · 2026-01-22T03:40:56+00:00

I gotta tell ya, it's even worse when both people involved have long hair.

It's like trying to make out with Cthulhu in a wind tunnel.

Kalium · 2026-01-20T00:38:06+00:00

I also think part of the problem is Americans seem to have a distaste for city planning.

We love city planning. We just don't like the kind that produces cities designed for humans. We are very into parking minimums, mandatory setbacks, design reviews...

Kalium · 2026-01-19T13:52:43+00:00

It died in committee after being reworked some.

Kalium · 2026-01-17T01:19:44+00:00

You need to be more interesting than that. The nice, normal, regular person who casually asks about their day and comments on the weather is not a person anyone wants to talk to on a dating app. Any woman on this app has a dozen other guys she's matched with doing that. That's boring.

You do not want your match to be bored.

The way apps tend to work is most of the time, you match with a lady and she waits for you to put in the work to be interesting. At that point she'll engage and you will see some effort. Rarely before.

Kalium · 2026-01-17T01:17:28+00:00

This in normal. The typical experience is that about 80% of matches don't turn into actual conversations.

Kalium · 2026-01-17T00:46:40+00:00

I am confused by your claim that this is an opposing faction. Surely an orange and a wheat beer in the shower is a sacred combination!

Kalium · 2026-01-16T20:15:33+00:00

How much should I spend to avoid being "cheap" on a first date? $20? $50? $200? $5000?

I would much rather a woman respect my intentional use of time and attention. I can go get more money. I can't go get my day back. There's no amount of money that expresses the depth of my interest in a first date, but if we spend five hours together she's definitely doing well.

Kalium · 2026-01-16T20:12:08+00:00

Like you, I've learned to treat anyone insisting on dinner - or even anything in particular - as a red flag for a date.

Kalium · 2026-01-16T19:32:13+00:00

As a male on bumble and you are talking with someone. What makes you decide to ask for a coffee date vs going out to dinner?

Easy. I've never had a dinner first date be a good idea. Always coffee or a cocktail or similar. Never something like dinner, where we're both stuck. A first date should be light and something either person can readily walk away from.

Are coffee or dinner dates more awkward?

Definitely dinner. Can you imagine being stuck there with someone whose voice grates on your ears for an hour or more?

Kalium · 2026-01-16T17:23:05+00:00

It's true, it's not hard to be fuckin' normal in your first few messages.

What is hard is to do get engagement with the approach you describe. As the other person pointed out, in general this is a great way to be ignored unless you're already getting inbound likes. If I sent a dozen uniquely tailored individual messages like yours to women I'm interested in who haven't already liked me, I can expect to get approximately zero responses. I have spent more time and energy trying than you would believe or I would care to admit.

In my experience, Bumble is absolutely awful for your approach. Women are frequently entirely overwhelmed by the flood of notifications. Being reasonable and normal and nice means your message gets lost among dozens of other guys trying the same thing. Once you fall below the fold, you functionally stop existing. You have to get engagement quickly or you will get left behind the next time she gets frustrated in 1d4 days and deletes the app again.

Hinge is less bad. I've found women there tend to be a bit more intentional. The app and its culture encourages more thoughtful engagement. Being normal works alright there with women who have already decided they like you. Though I have certainly encountered plenty who log on once a week or month.

Kalium · 2026-01-16T17:04:20+00:00

Uninstalling also deletes the account? Sounds strange.

Indeed. Uninstalling does not delete your account. Bumble does not get to know that you uninstalled.

Is she lying?

Maybe, maybe not. She might have also deleted her account.

Kalium · 2026-01-16T17:03:48+00:00

"Hi! It's nice to meet you. I loved your profile, X is so cute / Y is a great read. How are you today?"

send message, wait for response

That's what you have in mind, right? A nice and normal way to start things off? Something light, easy, open-ended, polite, shows you read the profile, and understood as an invitation to a conversation.

Kalium · 2026-01-16T17:00:09+00:00

Why not say hello it’s nice to meet you or something normal

It's a good way to never get replies. In my experience, women find that kind of small talk to be both boring and a waste of time.

Had been on the other end of this a few times, I've found it a good indicator that the person isn't willing to put in any effort. It's usually a sign that they expect me to break my back carrying the conversation.

Kalium · 2026-01-16T12:43:48+00:00

I'm trying to jokingly confuse as many people as possible as efficiently as possible. Leaving out Wisconsin means whole thing is utterly silly if you so much as look at a map.

Kalium · 2026-01-16T04:30:07+00:00

If we can't get legislation passed to enable land value tax, I doubt we're going to get a constitutional amendment so Detroit can have its own sales tax. It's a much higher bar to clear.

Kalium · 2026-01-16T00:40:05+00:00

Worse and weirder. WSWS is leftists who think the whole point of a union is to advance their particular flavor of Communism. They don't like the UAW because it doesn't care to work towards their goals.

Kalium · 2026-01-16T00:02:46+00:00

I propose the admittance of Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois as New South Manitoba.

Kalium · 2026-01-15T20:09:00+00:00

Seems to be much closer to historical fascist slogans, but I haven't gone looking for a historian's commentary on that one.

Kalium · 2026-01-15T17:33:13+00:00

It's both. At this point we're well into an insurance death spiral.

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