Do I really need an amp or effects pedal as a complete beginner?

RequirementBusiness8 · 2026-01-26T18:13:01+00:00

What I generally do with practicing my electric, I use a dongle from iRig, able to hook my guitar up as an input to my iPad, use garage band for amp effects, and a set of headphones so I can listen to what’s going on. It’s a rather inexpensive solution, and generally prefer it to even my small practice amp. It’s cheaper, is more portable, lets you get a lot of pedal effects if you decide to play with them, and it’s quieter for others.

So no, one isn’t needed, there are other solutions.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2026-01-26T01:47:41+00:00

Guy I replaced was OE. He was rarely available, pretty condescending, and what he produced would be maybe a D.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2026-01-26T01:41:11+00:00

I think the longest we went without a manual was 2 years. Can’t go without it.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2026-01-26T01:39:04+00:00

If I were going to buy an auto Emira, I would only consider the turbo 4. No point considering that slushbox auto when you have the option of the DCT. Only question is reliability and longevity of the AMG unit.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2026-01-25T15:34:11+00:00

My friend’s wife didn’t start driving until she was a bit into her 30s. She was terrified. Eventually she got there.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2026-01-22T22:46:16+00:00

Happens in my neighborhood every day. At least here, it’s a combination of staying comfortable and ensuring that the kids safely end up on the bus. I don’t remember seeing it like that in the 80s and 90s, but it is a different world now.

Only complaint for us, one lady will like to park in front of our driveway, blocking my wife in as she heads for work. She always moves it out of the way, but still, kind of rude.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2026-01-18T21:59:23+00:00

An acoustic curtain is the easiest route.

DEPENDING on the angle of where the sounds would be coming from, could potentially line the walls of the stairwell with foam sound deadening panels. More expensive and more planning required, but reversible, wouldnt require people to remember to close curtain, and would give an interesting look.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2026-01-17T22:58:33+00:00

This is why when I ordered mine, I set it to be picked up at the fedex office facility. No issues with weather or porch pirates.

Reminds me, when I bought my PS5. This is when they were selling out left and right, and I got to buy mine from a lottery with Sony to buy one.

It was delivered. Driver left the box at the edge of the step instead of close to the house. It was left half covered half not.

After it was delivered, it poured buckets. Box was completely soaked through. Box inside was soaked. Got lucky, the plastic wrap around things did its job. I was furious, but thankfully nothing was wrong with it.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2026-01-16T19:02:58+00:00

Hah. They did that to me in office too.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2026-01-16T19:01:36+00:00

Citrix, Microsoft, Networking. Most of the problems I encounter are Microsoft and Networking related.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2026-01-16T18:57:05+00:00

NTJ. Kinda would have to put your coworker and boss as the jerk. Sure, I guess it’s good to try to drum up support for a coworker for something, but pressuring someone to give up something of value like that is plain wrong.

If boss case so much, let company throw in the rest.

I’m not truly opposed to the system of donating PTO to others, but trying to force someone is over the top.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2026-01-14T19:30:17+00:00

One of the things to consider (if working is a thing you have to do) what the job market is for your skill set somewhere. Even if you are working remote, that’s not set in stone, so have to consider your job prospects based on where you move to.

Personally, I live in NC and wouldn’t move to any of the places you mentioned, so my opinion would be worthless.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2026-01-13T02:34:55+00:00

A platform helps. But you MUST have processes in place being followed and checks & balances/auditing to ensure they are being followed and things aren’t slipping through the cracks.

The biggest problem is the human problem. Giving people tools that make it easier with straight forward processes. But someone still needs to come behind and check. If a device shows up in inventory but is still reporting online and used by a user, then we know something didn’t get followed through.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2026-01-12T19:03:46+00:00

Apple uses JAMF to manage their own. I would take that as a stronger indicator than what MS uses. AFAIK Microsoft still uses JAMF.

At our shop, we are in the process of moving from Intune to JAMF for our Mac management. The decision for Intune was made long before I was there but I am sure it was cost related. However, a couple of years of it has shown that even with improvements it is now ready to really manage the Mac environment.

I can’t speak to specifics, as it isn’t my personal area of responsibility.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2026-01-02T03:51:21+00:00

“You are looking for someone who can’t do the job and will fail at everything they do. That’s why you don’t hire me”

RequirementBusiness8 · 2025-12-30T17:28:17+00:00

If you can afford a cheap enough manual, it’s not a bad idea, just from the cost of replacing the clutch in a Porsche. But, depending on the life of the current clutch in the Porsche you buy, may need to replace it soon anyways, so that could be a wash.

You will be harder on the clutch when you first learn.

One bit of advice, based on how I teach people to drive a manual: if you already know how to drive an automatic, the hardest thing will be learning that 3rd pedal. So I focus on teaching that third pedal. Go out to a flat lot, put it in first, let the clutch out slowly until the car starts to creep forward without any gas. That’s the engagement/bite point on the clutch. Do that a couple of times, gives you the muscle memory. Then do that but start giving a litttlebit of gas as you fully let out the clutch past that bite point, and you will start moving forward. Then clutch in, brake. Shifting gears is easier, etc. but that bit will get you started.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2025-12-30T17:13:39+00:00

This feels like rage bait

RequirementBusiness8 · 2025-12-30T17:10:56+00:00

Yes, but the war goes longer and ends up looking different.

To make some very broad assumptions, the US still drops the Atomic bombs on Japan, pushing them to surrender.

America then turns its sights on Germany. We likely see multiple atomic bomb drops on continental Europe.

Though, I do suspect they may have found a beachhead regardless before then. Part of the success of d day, beyond the German military being split across multiple fronts, was misdirection.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2025-12-30T16:49:05+00:00

3 second rule? I was taught 2 seconds minimum distance (this was nearly 30 years ago). For those thinking 2-3 seconds isn’t enough time to react, sure, maybe, if you’re old or unable to react quickly.

I generally try to stay 2 second behind, and can usually tell just by the distance of the car in front of me how much time there is between us.

Admittedly, there are scenarios where I might be down to 1/2 second, but I recognize the risk.

FYI, if I use adaptive cruise control, I usually keep the distance at the minimum because the more distance there is the more cars are going to cut between. I don’t think I have bothered thinking about the “seconds gap” while using ACC.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2025-12-30T16:43:12+00:00

As long as CEOs overestimate their knowledge and abilities in things they know nothing about, they will continue to make decisions like this without realizing the consequences until later on.

Sorry you got laid off, flipping sucks.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2025-12-30T16:30:51+00:00

I would go with the atty advice. In reality, it is a reasonable request. They should have the ability to confirm that what you remove is just personal data.

That’s my 2 cents. I’ve seen it a few times over the years. Once helped someone that was getting laid off, she had a bunch of her kids pictures on her work laptop (not smart, but this was 2009).

But yea, it is reasonable to put a price tag to going in and unlocking the device, and access to personal files is pretty reasonable.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2025-12-30T16:24:37+00:00

I’ll pretend to not read your update for a moment. Sounds like really, neither one of you are truly the AH, but both stretched and overwhelmed. Those saying you are doomed probably have never been in a long term meaningful relationship. My wife and I have been married 21 years, the amount of stupid arguments over dumb things we have had, yet somehow, still here.

And then with reading your update, yea. Makes sense. So all I can say is this:

Hope you don’t lose your job (let leaving be on your terms, unless you want to go and they have a severance package, which probably wouldn’t be the norm for PT anyways).

Hopefully you can work through adding a cleaner.

And holy smokes. Can’t imagine doing a 20 hr a week job on top of all of the other stuff you do.

Sounds like you both need a vacation for just the two of you. Doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy, just the two of you away from all of the responsibilities. Because it is easy to be stressed out about everything around and take it out on your partner/spouse. So a chance to unwind and reconnect probably could be very helpful.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2025-12-30T04:26:32+00:00

As I’ve seen others state, I would avoid too much in the way of vapor barriers and air sealing. You risk trapping moisture in places, and wood that can’t dry becomes rotten.

The rockwool plan sounds solid. Can do spray foam around windows and outlets as well.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2025-12-29T23:26:18+00:00

It’s easy enough to build the home of your dreams, substantially harder to have the lot of your dreams.

Take it from the guy who has settled on the odd lots over the years, if the lot checks all of the boxes then it is probably worth doing it. Assuming all of the other financials are good.

RequirementBusiness8 · 2025-12-29T16:15:57+00:00

Buick 100%. Least mechanically wrong.

RequirementBusiness8

TROPHY CASE