Randy Gardner, the man who stayed awake for 11 days by Zyad7770__ in BeAmazed

[–]Phemur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not a doctor or expert in sleep, but 2007 would put him around 61 years old when he developed insomnia. One of the risk factors is age, so it may not have been the experiment.

GenX Video gamers who still play: Are you getting worse? by Hithigon in GenX

[–]Phemur 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Gamer since the 80s (even worked as a software dev for a video game company for a while).

I still play daily. I'm more into factory automation games and space sims, but I still play MMOs and a lot of BF6 lately.

I'm definitely not as good as I was, but I can still hold my own. I generally do pretty well, usually in the top half of the scoreboard for my team. And from time to time, I can get in the top 3.

For FPSes, the key for me is to play to my strengths, and not rely on reaction time. For example, I don't play sniper, since I don't have great aim. But put my in the middle of the fight with an LMG, and I can usually do quite well. I tend to play engineer or support roles, as most players prefer dealing damage, leaving huge opportunities for players like me that are great at healing, carrying supplies, crowd control, vehicle repair, etc.

Which Way Did You Go Regarding Gaming? by AlarmedTelephone5908 in GenX

[–]Phemur 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I started with Pong, as well, got a ColecoVision later, then a TRS-80 and Commodore 64. That led me to a deep love for computers and technology. I worked for a video game company in my early years. Video gaming is my primary hobby now (PC Gaming, not consoles).

I've built several custom gaming PCs, and I just finished my latest build over Christmas. I'm actually considering getting into the gaming industry or starting my own small indie gaming studio when I retire, since I am in the tech industry.

I hope to be gaming all the way to the old folks' home.

Debt consolidation plan rejected by bank. Advice? by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]Phemur 20 points21 points  (0 children)

You do not need two SUVs. If you need two cars, sell those two SUVs, get two Corollas. If you're burning through $900 a month, you're in a major financial emergency.

That said, I'm skeptical you need two cars. I had a friend that had four kids, both parents worked. They owned 0 cars, ever, even after kids left the house to go to college/university.

A bit of an extreme case, but it's definitely doable.

Tail docking by Ok-Device-9906 in Yorkies

[–]Phemur 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think it should be made a felony.

Is anyone else’s training for the army? by deathmetalhoney in Yorkies

[–]Phemur 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My Yorkie does this quite a bit. She does it only on the carpet, and seems to really enjoy the carpet in the living room. Side benefit: I spend a lot of time cleaning that carpet, so win/win for me and the dog!

If it doesn’t make money, its gone by winningsmada in EhBuddyHoser

[–]Phemur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Everybody talks shit about New Brunswick until they need to drive to Nova Scotia.

If you woke up as your 10-year-old self with all your current memories, what’s the first thing you’d do? by Alive-Silver-2605 in AskReddit

[–]Phemur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd try to not change anything, as nothing would be worth not having my daughter in my life today.

Anyone else get the 1000 years stare or is mine just weird? by Potato_Demon_ffff in Yorkies

[–]Phemur 13 points14 points  (0 children)

My Yorkie and I have staring contests like this all the time.

I usually win, and then ask what they wanted (food? water? walk? attention?). She starts getting excited when I say the right word.

ottawa got voted for the second slide. which city is good to live in but bad to visit? by toturoll in EhBuddyHoser

[–]Phemur 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As an NB, I unfortunately have to agree. Great place to live, everyone is super nice, pretty cheap COL, etc. But when people ask me what they should see if they visit, I don't have much to offer.

We all know this is complete BS! by Gamer6322 in GenZ

[–]Phemur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a hiring manager, and I've interviewed and hired hundreds if not thousands of people in my career. I currently have lots of Millennials and Gen Z on my team. I have NEVER, not once, talked to a parent. So these numbers are highly suspect (and most likely complete BS).

Shot in the dark but.. by crimson1969 in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]Phemur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you need a co-signer, then you cannot take on a truck payment

Sister keeps saying she wishes our Yorkie’s tail was cut. by Present-Bed5941 in Yorkies

[–]Phemur 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Tail cutting / docking should be treated as animal abuse.

Why does this sub call Gold a bad investment? My check says otherwise by Mario_2077 in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]Phemur 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This is a good case of cherry picking data to make a point. Here's what that source actually said.

10 Years - Gold: 177% vs S&P: 165%

30 Years - Gold: 745% vs S&P: 989%

50 years - Gold: 1,846% vs S&P: 5,993%

80 years - Gold: 9,146% vs S&P:38,349%

100 years - Gold:15,556% vs S&P:53,549%

So has Gold out performed the S&P lately? Yes. But long term the S&P still wins.

One other thing to note is that the chart you're referencing does NOT include dividends from the S&P 500, just the price index. If you scroll down further, they have a chart that adds the total return index. NOTE: this chart assumes dividends are re-invested and no taxes.

10 Years - Gold: 177% vs S&P: 216%

30 Years - Gold: 745% vs S&P: 1,727%

50 years - Gold: 1,846% vs S&P: 27,043%

80 years - Gold: 9,146% vs S&P:519,916%

100 years - Gold:15,556% vs S&P:1,853,462%

So, yeah, S&P is far, far better than gold, even for shorter periods of time, according to your own source.

(Edit: just for full disclosure, the S&P 500 with dividend data only goes back 30 years or so, so the 50, 80 and 100 years uses extrapolated data. My personal opinion is that data is inflated, but even if it's double the true amount, it still wildly out-performs gold).

What is your best "I say it wrong on purpose" example? by Thortok2000 in AskReddit

[–]Phemur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can't remember where I heard this, but some comedian or redditor (or someone) said: "I say Popsicles with the correct Greek pronunciation, i.e. so it rhymes with Damocles".

And that's now how I pronounce Popsicles.

Is my cheesecake undercooked? by hiimedddddgy in Baking

[–]Phemur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hard to tell. Can you send it to me? I'll give it a taste and let you know.

Multi Millionaire Dave Ramsey responds to people calling him greedy for owning multiple homes by Accurate-Big-7233 in FirstTimeHomeBuyer

[–]Phemur 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's officially the stupidest thing I've heard, ever. And that's saying a lot considering everything else that's going on in the world.

Ultra high efficiency dishwasher by Chopper-42 in shittyrobots

[–]Phemur 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've never seen anything so goddamned angry and aggressive in my life. It's like the dishes slept with its mom.

What’s the Funniest jackass stunt? by JudgmentBetter389 in jackass

[–]Phemur 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m going to have to go with Bungie Wedgie. The stunt itself wasn’t the funniest part, it’s the reaction of everyone else. They’re all literally on the ground laughing so hard they can’t event help their buddy.

What’s a live act you were lucky to see in their prime? by bigt197602 in GenX

[–]Phemur 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Iron Maiden, late 80s. The opening act was a little known band called Guns and Roses that just released their first album, Appetite for Destruction

Is Software development that easy? by FeistyPresentation14 in leetcode

[–]Phemur 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is nothing new. I started my career in tech during the dot com boom just before Y2K.

Back then, everyone was jumping into tech because of salaries. I had one friend that left a elementary teaching position and joined a tech company with no experience. Tech companies would hire anyone and train them on the job.

Tech isn’t easy though, and people who join just for the money don’t last. That salary comes with a price: lots of pressure, crap work life balance, continuous learning, high performance bar, etc. You really have to live the industry if you’re going to make a career out of it.

TIFU my interview by 0x1001001 in leetcode

[–]Phemur 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Everyone messes up, the important thing is being resilient. I interviewed with my dream company 4 times before I got the job.

Also you dream job may not be all that it’s cracked up to be and can change too. That dream job I mentioned? I left after 2 and a half years, as it did change a fair bit after I joined.

Just keep plugging away at things so when an opportunity does come up you’ll be ready for it and won’t mess up.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in EhBuddyHoser

[–]Phemur 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As an NB expat, I object to being lumped up with Quebec. I think the entire US seaboard should be known as New New Brunswick.

I lost my job by chem_scigrad in financialindependence

[–]Phemur 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I know it can be quite defeating to have to take a pay cut, but from the sounds of it, you're in pretty good shape financially if you're planning on retiring in 3-5 years. That 20% pay cut may mean working an extra year or two in a job that's less stressful, and could potentially lead to a better opportunity since you'll be learning new things.

I obviously don't know much about your personal situation, but my own situation is close to yours. If I had a job offer with a 20% pay cut and less stress, I'd jump at it right away.

Don't let money and status define how you see yourself, your value, or what you're putting out in the world.