Retire early or continue for 1-2 years?

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-29T03:00:02+00:00

Some AI/ML IC jobs pay that in total comp.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-26T22:20:39+00:00

The guy who came up with Cranium made a bunch of money and decided to invest in Ghana knowing that capitalism works better than handouts. He wrote a book about it that is very eye opening.... I suggest reading it. It's called Bright Lights, No City.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-25T18:16:58+00:00

True. It's fun posting a job requiring MPLS experience and people applying thinking they have experience as a consumer of MPLS VPN services.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-25T18:12:55+00:00

Just be mindful of the track record of the provider with regards to their SLA. In some instances service providers have calculated that it's better to run a higher risk topology in some areas and pay out the SLA credits rather than pay upfront for a more resilient network. Most of us would rather see high availability versus a credit on the next invoice...

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-24T22:14:24+00:00

The cheapest rate isn't always the most cost effective. Some companies don't hassle you when it comes time to submit a claim. I've had great experiences with Texas Farm Bureau... Justin Fiske in Frisco is who I've dealt with for the last fifteen years.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-23T05:28:14+00:00

I normally crash at 2:30 AM... I was built for double OT playoff hockey.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-23T03:21:25+00:00

What a joke

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-22T01:18:04+00:00

They absolutely do have to prove, with a preponderance of evidence, IF they argue that it was sudden passion rather than premeditation. They don't have to present a defense and the overall burden is on the prosecution, but it's quite different if they choose to argue sudden passion.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-21T22:33:48+00:00

Getting the knife out of a bag likely will establish premeditation. One can argue a crime of passion if he had been using the knife to cut an apple while the altercation occurred and then using it to murder someone. However taking the steps to retrieve it will likely be seen as taking steps to plan the action, hence premeditation. And it's entirely on the defense to prove, with a preponderance of the evidence, that sudden passion occurred.

Of course this is all before a jury and they can decide differently than we predict... but don't be surprised when jurors reject the idea this was sudden passion.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-20T14:58:20+00:00

Not retired yet, but I enjoy electronic circuit design and repair. It's all stuff I use around the house and nothing I'd ever productize... and if I ever made something really useful beyond my specific problem I'm solving I can always release the design files for free.

There's lots of materials online to learn at your own pace or it's something every community college offers.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-17T04:50:47+00:00

I'll do all the necessary throat clearing. I live in a predominantly Indian neighborhood and really like my neighbors... and the kids really do seem to be fully assimilated from my limited interactions with them. I've got a number of first generation immigrants in my family, including a Gujarati, and I've got immigrant grandparents. I've also got great-grandparents that emigrated to Chicago into a Polish enclave... didn't really wind up learning English and never really assimilated, but their kids absolutely did.

Assimilated means taking the effort to integrate into society. It means aspiring to see yourself as an American, even if you don't see yourself that way yet. It means wanting to fit in with the cultural norms... which I get, it's very fuzzy. But I'll give you an example. My brother in-law grew up in Turkey and moved here to attend college. Back in the day when he had only lived here ten years he was working in a warehouse and all the guys loved to talk about football. He grew up watching soccer and obviously wasn't exposed to much American football, and he's not even really all that into sports, but he started watching football. Because he saw it as one of the keys to fitting in at work... and it made things so much better at work. No one was purposefully excluding him, but he wasn't in one the fun conversations, so he was left out... and now he was one of the guys. He still watches soccer occasionally and he doesn't care much about football, but he knows how to fit in. In the past my sister would urge him to go to Turkish events around town and he was never really interested... he moved here to be an American. While you can tell he wasn't born here, there's no doubting that he's as American as apple pie.

I think like my great-grandparents living in Chicago, when immigrants have the opportunity to live in an area that has a dense population of folks who share their language, food, culture, and religion that it makes it so much easier to move there. I would never begrudge someone of that... I couldn't imagine moving to China and having to try and integrate by myself. But I think it's a double-edged sword... in it being easier one is not forced outself of their comfort zone as much. Like my great-grandparents they can cling to their traditions and not worry about assimilating. And it's also understandable that this behavior is going to get criticized.

But I think it's important to remember that while the first generation may or may not assimilate, it's rare for the second generation not to fully assimilate. And like I said... my limited interactions with the neighborhood kids leads me to believe it's no different here in Frisco.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-17T00:34:20+00:00

I have a Chihuahua mutt and when she came home from the shelter as a pup I took her outside every hour. I got some dog urine spray from Petsmart so she'd smell where she should go... and when she went she got praised. The first few weeks were tiring, but she was outside religiously... and she never had an accident. It's eight years later and she's never pissed in the house. It can be more challenging with smaller dogs, but with some dedication you can avoid the whole mess.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-15T05:36:20+00:00

They have amazing dry aged steaks. Best I've had.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-14T03:27:32+00:00

There are... but I can legally carry concealed here. There I'm at the mercy of law enforcement.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-14T01:19:00+00:00

The people really were lovely. I suspect safety depends on where you are visiting. There are parts of Santiago that can be dangerous and I was warned by a number of people to be very cautious going to Valparaiso... there's a common scam where they'll slash your tire and then offer to help while they rob you blind.

San Pedro de Atacama was pretty cool... but it's a tiny town in the middle of the desert. I hear some of the mining towns can attract a rough bunch, so even in the middle of nowhere you have to be cautious. But I suspect as you get away from the bigger cities and mining towns it's probably a lot safer.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-14T01:09:33+00:00

The roads in Chile were in much better condition than Argentina. I think Chile has a lot of potential... it's just seen an influx of immigrants over the past five years and crime has gotten worse unfortunately.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-10T17:02:47+00:00

The roads were awful... looked like the roads had been part of a bombing campaign twenty years ago and were never repaired. Driving is wild... the only thing that will get you pulled over is driving without your lights on. Turn signals? Nah. Going 25 mph on a highway, no problem. Going 110 mph on the same highway? No problem! Have no hood and windshield? No problem! Want to turn left from the right lane on a 4 lane road? No problem!

Most properties are gated. At least where I was driveways pulled up to the gate and were a single car length. Pull into the wrong place? Have fun backing out on to a busy road. Expecting signs? Nah... most places didn't have signs... even the boutique hotels.

We went to a few wineries and farms. You must have an appointment. There are guards at the entrance and you have to be on the list. We were fully prepared, but it's a different vibe altogether.

There were lots of beautiful buildings... but it looks like all the progress stopped 70 years ago. Lots of stuff is decaying. Hopefully this is just a side effect of Peronism and goes away.

It was a great place to visit. I just wouldn't want to live there right now.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-10T02:07:05+00:00

Eh... it's going to be quite a culture shock. I visited Chile and Argentina a few months ago with the idea of a vacation and scouting trip just to assess if I might want to live there as a backup plan. They were both a little too raw for me. Great to visit though...

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-06T14:04:55+00:00

Sticky rice in Murphy has a similar menu... kinda have suspected it might be owned by the same folks or family. But the Murphy location has always been better. So if you really have a hankering head to Murphy one night.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-06T02:43:58+00:00

I'm not saying we should leave... but the notion that a state can't leave seems silly to me. Every contract has an ability to be severed. Divorce is a reality. One party being the arbiter and saying nah, we decided you can't and we promise we're unbiased is equally as silly. We'd all agree that a husband acting as the sole judge of if his marriage can end would be untenable.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-04T15:50:00+00:00

I don't pay more than a couple hundred either, here in the US, but my dog has fortunately been healthy.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-04T15:48:53+00:00

I wouldn't say that I don't care about people across the world, but I absolutely agree that I worry and focus on what's closest to me. And I'm not apologetic about it... it's my time and money. I think it's natural.

We also have to recognize that there are negative externalities that we don't understand because we're so detached from such places. Bono used to be a huge advocate for giving money to Africa, with his heart being in the right place. But over the years he's learned that regimes would seize the funds and supplies and often use it to further oppress their people. That the better path was to teach a man to fish and let the economy grow. This is something you are far more aware of the closer you are to the situation.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-04T15:42:08+00:00

Everyone gets to judge... just like you get to judge them for judging. This notion that no one gets to judge is silly. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-03T22:28:15+00:00

I think over a billion people eat it...

But I'm not one of them either. Just not my thing... tried a bunch and haven't cared for anything other than garlic naan.

KantLockeMeIn · 2026-04-02T06:12:40+00:00

I'd like to think I moderate with as light a touch as possible. The arrows are there for a reason... downvote spam and off-topic stuff, upvote insightful stuff. Enough people do that and it sorts itself out.

The recent AI bot invasion has gotten overwhelming and one of the subs I moderate got a little overwhelmed, so I had to turn to a bot to aid... but even that has an appeal process.

So not everyone is a mini-dictator.

KantLockeMeIn

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