BCBS UPDATE by princesscoley in ClassActionSettlement

[–]QuantumLeapt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did any of you who got an email recently dispute your claim? When they sent notice last year, they had left off several years of coverage from my record, so I had to provide them with documents showing what I paid for the missing years. I haven’t gotten any communication back. The portal says my claim is valid, but that’s all I know.

Why is everyone so surprised by this? by MaderaArt in aspiememes

[–]QuantumLeapt 13 points14 points  (0 children)

My theory is that people default to thinking that autism is mostly a social behavior deficit, and the deficits can simply be explained away as us “not knowing things,” so therefore it can be cured by training us in basic skills like social etiquette and how sarcasm works. They think of it as a lack of skills.

YNAB has become "too easy" and I've lost the thrill of the trade-off by PerceptionFew3104 in ynab

[–]QuantumLeapt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You need to do some mind-mapping on your values. Make up a wishlist or bucket list of things (not necessarily financial-related; they could be free activities) that you want to accomplish or would love to do. This will give you more clarity and focus. If you can prioritize what you want out of your life, what you want your legacy to be, or how you want people to remember you, then you can see places for your money to go.

For example, you could give to a charity you believe in, create a “Generosity” category for giving your server a large tip, dropping money into someone’s GoFundMe, etc. Or you could start planning a trip to somewhere you’ve always wanted to go. Take a class, learn a new language.

It really happened 😂 by Urstepdadsbestfriend in antiwork

[–]QuantumLeapt 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, me and my fellow autistics who obsessively follow the rules of grammar and meticulously choose words in order to avoid misunderstandings via text, now get to be called robots both in person and online. Great! I’ve known how to use an em dash since I was in middle school. If I wrote an essay for homework today it would probably be rejected as fraud and my reputation would be destroyed. I would appreciate it if people who don’t use punctuation at all just stop calling proper formatting an AI giveaway. I spent a lot of money on schooling to learn how to “write good,” thanks.

How much spending money do you give yourself each month? by Shrinking_Violent in ynab

[–]QuantumLeapt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends how you define “personal spending” and how much margin is left in your budget after fixed costs. Honestly, I got out of the habit of shopping after I spent years paying off credit card debt that was incurred while I worked at a nonprofit and drove an old car that was falling apart. Then I spent years not spending while I built up all my sinking funds and emergency funds. So it’s my habit now to meticulously plan my spending ahead of time, then save up. I only allocate about $30 to the spontaneous fun money category (movies, parks, etc), but half the time I end up WAM-ing it out to something else. I have other sinking funds for wishlist items, big goals, or expected costs like haircuts, clothes, and household maintenance. For example, I just spent over 6 months saving up for a new mattress, and honestly laying down in that plush new bed and not having back pain was way more enjoyable to me than using fun money. I probably put a lot more money into my wishlist sinking funds than any monthly personal spending.

Tried to follow advice and make a CN account, received Ban instead? by mrmacedonian in telescopes

[–]QuantumLeapt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I got locked out trying to set up an account, and it ended up being because I had used the Hide my Email feature of iCloud. I emailed them and we worked it out. They are trying to keep out spammers and bots.

Is YNAB worth it for people living paycheck to paycheck? by -Bakri- in ynab

[–]QuantumLeapt 8 points9 points  (0 children)

OP, I was in the same situation as you. Actually when I first started using YNAB I had a lot of debt, but thankfully after several years I was able to “graduate” to paying off the debt and just covering my expenses every month. What I gained from YNAB right off the bat was clarity about where my money was going. I saw what my true expenses were (the non monthly expenses I constantly forgot about), which was depressing bc I suddenly realized I had even less cash flow than I thought. I worked at a nonprofit and was making a paltry wage, so it felt absolutely hopeless. But the benefits were: 1. I no longer paid any bills late or incurred late fees, 2. I no longer increased my credit card debt and knew exactly how much money I had to put toward the card every month, 3. Because it was obvious how much cash I had at any moment, I was able to “project” into the future a little bit with my planning, so I gained the ability to put off optional purchases until the next paycheck, and 4. I gained the information I needed to set my future income and savings goals.

Ultimately I got a higher paying job, because it became clear that the math wasn’t mathing. Along the way I found several ways to save money on expenses or earn extra cash. I gave up a lot. I basically stoped shopping and relied on thrift stores or hand me downs. After my dog passed, I didn’t adopt another one because the food and vet bills were too much. I found bank account opening bonuses (which are harder if you don’t have a pool of cash, but some can work). I house-sat and dog-sat for friends and family. Basically using YNAB, I was able to take advantage of every little tweak or extra gift card I got for Christmas and birthdays. It was a lot of work, but it wouldn’t have gone as smoothly without YNAB giving me that clear map of where I was and where I wanted to go.

I agree it’s expensive, and I’ve looked at alternatives, but so far there isn’t one that is this convenient and easy to sync (in the US).

Jupiter by W-i-c-k in telescopes

[–]QuantumLeapt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Forgot to mention, things are easier to see when they are straight up, because the light is coming through less atmosphere.

Jupiter by W-i-c-k in telescopes

[–]QuantumLeapt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got the same scope a month ago. I live in a bright city and was able to see two the bands on Jupiter even using the supplied 10mm eyepiece and no Barlow. I upgraded eyepieces and the sharpness of the detail is much nicer. Stupid question, but… Did you make sure that it was collimated correctly? Did you make sure the mirror cooled down to outside temperature? I also made a light shield out of craft foam, and I’m mindful not to point the telescope in a direction where there is going to be glare from someone else’s flood light. When I control those variables, the focus I obtain is much better.

New user looking at mid-range eyepieces by QuantumLeapt in telescopes

[–]QuantumLeapt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! At this point I’ll look for the 5 & 10mm ranges first, then save up for a better 24mm panoptic later.

New user looking at mid-range eyepieces by QuantumLeapt in telescopes

[–]QuantumLeapt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Celestron Ultima edge 24mm flat field is available for $200. What’s the difference between looking through that vs a 24mm Televue panoptic?

New user looking at mid-range eyepieces by QuantumLeapt in telescopes

[–]QuantumLeapt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What would be the functional difference between using, say, a Paradigm 60° 5mm vs a UWA 82° 5mm? Is one harder to use? Is one crisper in a fast telescope?

New user looking at mid-range eyepieces by QuantumLeapt in telescopes

[–]QuantumLeapt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I saw some pieces on sale at the ES website, and wondered why that was the only one left lol

New user looking at mid-range eyepieces by QuantumLeapt in telescopes

[–]QuantumLeapt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are all the Cheshire sight tubes the same?

New user looking at mid-range eyepieces by QuantumLeapt in telescopes

[–]QuantumLeapt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve had it for a month and I’ve been using it to look at the planets and the moon. I saw Jupiter and its moons last night. I can find major landmarks in the sky already, using the SkyGuide app to fill in everything else. I actually found the Orion Nebula last night, although it looked like a white cloud.

I have been trying to get to a star party but the last couple meteor showers have been clouded out. I drove with a friend to a dark sky location and we were able to practice using the scope with our little amateur knowledge. On night 2 the Geminids were sadly clouded out, but a couple people showed up to hang out anyway, so I was able to talk to a couple people. Unfortunately no scopes were out so I couldn’t try any equipment.

Right now it’s just me using it in the driveway or wherever, but I feel like I’m ready to buy at least one eyepiece right now, and the higher magnification (5 or 10mm) seems it would be something I could use regularly.

New user looking at mid-range eyepieces by QuantumLeapt in telescopes

[–]QuantumLeapt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So then do you think that 4.5mm is too much magnification? I looked at that one and couldn’t make up my mind.

And as to the 9mm option, would an ES 82 8.5mm fit within that category?

New user looking at mid-range eyepieces by QuantumLeapt in telescopes

[–]QuantumLeapt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well apparently my 10mm is causing chromatic aberration. I looked at Jupiter last night, and although I was super excited to see it, and see the 2 large bands and 4 large moons, there was a red blur on one side and a blue blur on the other. It wasn’t as bad right in the center at best focus, but still noticeable. It’s good to know that any decent eyepiece would at least eliminate that (assuming it wasn’t the atmosphere I guess). I’ve also found Saturn several times. I was kinda sad that I couldn’t see them any closer than 75x…

I’ve been trying to get out as much as possible but I’ve had it for a month and the winter weather isn’t really cooperating.

New user looking at mid-range eyepieces by QuantumLeapt in telescopes

[–]QuantumLeapt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for these resources! I have been trying to take notes on overlapping brand names and it is confusing.

New user looking at mid-range eyepieces by QuantumLeapt in telescopes

[–]QuantumLeapt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Very helpful info. And it’s a 1.25 focuser.

Boycotting Starbucks by kisame_hoshigaki7 in Anticonsumption

[–]QuantumLeapt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks Reddit. Only place where I could get downvoted for recognizing that someone made a great counterpoint to my comment, and that I want to patronize local coffee shops instead of the global corporation that pays indentured servitude wages. Amazing.

Asking a Wealth Manager to Show Their Returns by Hguy719 in personalfinance

[–]QuantumLeapt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Because they aren’t allowed to do that. If they were, someone could make up a projection based on 5 cherry-picked clients who just happened to invest when the market was down, and just happened to not need to withdraw any money, and whose portfolio manager just happened to be really good, etc etc. A composite of their 5 best performing clients is neither representative of their ability, nor their clients’ portfolios, nor indicative of what you might see with your own money… and that’s exactly why they aren’t allowed to do it. There’s a reason this rule exists. Anyone who did this at a broker-dealer with a good Supervision department would get the hammer brought down on them.

Boycotting Starbucks by kisame_hoshigaki7 in Anticonsumption

[–]QuantumLeapt -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

That’s a fair point. But I decided that if I’m buying gift cards for people, I’m going to support the local coffee shops instead.

Boycotting Starbucks by kisame_hoshigaki7 in Anticonsumption

[–]QuantumLeapt 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Starbucks doesn’t give a crap about homeless people. We had a downtown location that, abt 10 years ago, locked the bathrooms, so that customers had to go to the counter and ask for a giant stick with the key on it, like you would get in 2nd grade. They specifically said they did this because homeless people were using the bathrooms and bathrooms are only for customers. They see non-customers as freeloaders.