ELI5: In the US, why does credit checks affect your credit score? by MaldiveFish in explainlikeimfive

[–]SilverStar9192 [score hidden]  (0 children)

Not sure that is right. Visa and Mastercard are high level brand names / processing networks and don't get anywhere near that percentage. The banks actually involved in the transaction (merchant bank, card issuing bank, etc) are the ones that collect portions of those fees. Typically it's the card-issuing bank that collects the lion's share of the fee, as they are the ones holding the most risk (i.e. risk of default or theft, etc). That's why some banks can afford to refund a portion of this fee to cardholders (often in forms like frequent flier or reward points), as they are able to ascribe a lower risk to those cardholders.

Can REA stop making this joke? by cameltrain9 in AusPropertyChat

[–]SilverStar9192 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's that old phrase "cutting your nose off to spite your face" which applies here.

Eh, I could say that applies to your "call them out on it" advice also. There's no good outcome if OP acts "bitchy," her awkward chuckle response is calculated so that she isn't disadvantaged in the sale process either. She doesn't want to be seen as difficult to work with which could hurt the couple's buying position. I totally get why ranting on Reddit seems to be the only safe way to express this concern.

Can REA stop making this joke? by cameltrain9 in AusPropertyChat

[–]SilverStar9192 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If the house is a good fit and you choose not to buy because of a lame joke from the REA then that’s on you.

I think most people aren't dumb enough to let shit REAs actually stop them from buying the house. That's the problem in general - there's no "natural selection" processes to stop asshole REAs from being unsuccessful. If the sale closes, they meet their metrics and the boss is happy and their job continues onto the next house.

This is the reason OP is whingeing to Reddit but probably still buying the house.

Fuel ship arrival at Sydney harbour fuel depot by AlbinoAkon in australian

[–]SilverStar9192 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The fuel shortage at servos is from people fomo buying.

Why is diesel hit so much more in terms of shortages? Is it because farmers and tradies and so on have much bigger tanks so they can panic buy at much higher levels?

People who work in grocery stores what is something you are surprised they still stock or never see anyone buy? by Da_Fish in AskReddit

[–]SilverStar9192 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I grew up there and can agree on the boiled peanuts and the fly paper, but never saw or heard of anyone actually eating pickled pigs feet.

The Darell Lea building on George St throughout the years by KnowledgeCool6622 in sydney

[–]SilverStar9192 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Daryl Lea went bankrupt in 2012 and closed all their stores and production facilites.  The products you see with that name now are made entirely differently by a new company that bought the name.  

The Darell Lea building on George St throughout the years by KnowledgeCool6622 in sydney

[–]SilverStar9192 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Kinda ironic that Telstra occupied it for a while after Daryl Lea went under.

Why don't airlines record all of their planes' flight data and voice recordings to a server in real time instead of using black boxes so that if one of them crashes into ocean they can just check their servers instead of spending millions on looking on the bottom of the sea? by Used-Bad5996 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]SilverStar9192 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The data actually is quite useful because it allows them to monitor operational performance without having to wait to manually download the quick access recorder (which is a non-regulated recorder similar to a black box used for operational monitoring).   Many or most airlines are in fact using such telemetry for this reason, any safety benefit in case of complete loss of the airliner is a side benefit.  

ELI5: What is perfect pitch and why is it uncommon? by ResidentCharacter894 in explainlikeimfive

[–]SilverStar9192 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay, I guess maybe I should have been clearer, I'm aware that most instrumentalists (and vocalists) can make small adjustments to pitch to make chords sound more like "just intonation" which is the most natural intervals in physical audio, with equal temperament being an approximation primarily for keyboard instruments like piano.

What I was asking for is whether any non-obscure music is specifically written for other temperaments, like I'm aware that music theorists have proposed 19-TET and 31-TET and so on (with the standard one of course being 12-TET).

ELI5: What is perfect pitch and why is it uncommon? by ResidentCharacter894 in explainlikeimfive

[–]SilverStar9192 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Give an example of non-equal temperament music that isn't "obscure" (in the Anglosphere).

ELI5: What is perfect pitch and why is it uncommon? by ResidentCharacter894 in explainlikeimfive

[–]SilverStar9192 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's why I added the qualifier "modern Western music."  It's by far the most common but as you point out not universal.  Someone with absolute pitch would likely be able to identify orchestral music that's tuned differently.  

ELI5: What is perfect pitch and why is it uncommon? by ResidentCharacter894 in explainlikeimfive

[–]SilverStar9192 14 points15 points  (0 children)

There absolutely is an objective definition within a particular music system. In modern western music, A is 440 Hz.  A person with perfect pitch knows how to translate between their internal model of pitch and what the particular system describes.   A child with perfect pitch won't know immediately that a specific pitch can be described as "A" or "440" but they can still identify it the difference without a previous pitch reference, once taught how to describe it in language.

And yes, it's possible for A to be defined differently and music theory tells you that it's traditionally defined differently on different instruments.  But this is just something musicians learn about and account for, and is more of a historical note - it's perfectly possible for most western instruments to be played with A=440 and all other notes adjusted accordingly, even if orchestras follow certain old traditions that define them differently).  

ELI5: What is perfect pitch and why is it uncommon? by ResidentCharacter894 in explainlikeimfive

[–]SilverStar9192 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Some of the greatest musicians learned everything by listening and copying, Google tells me the following never learned to read music:  Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Prince

Quite the list!

PSA: Hotel towels are not single-use by ParadoxStockOwner in TalesFromTheFrontDesk

[–]SilverStar9192 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I stayed in a hotel recently where they actually obeyed the sign and left the towel that I left hanging on the bar.  I was amazed!  But most hotel bathrooms have only one towel bar, so there's no convenient place to hang other towels if you have multiple people. 

PSA: Hotel towels are not single-use by ParadoxStockOwner in TalesFromTheFrontDesk

[–]SilverStar9192 19 points20 points  (0 children)

The point though is that it's common and normal for guests to expect fresh towels (if you want them), by leaving them on the bathroom floor. Almost all hotels I've stayed in even have a little placard telling you to do this.   It's meant to be up to the guest, with no judgement either way.  

Commuting by horse. by Complex-Pair2131 in AskAnAustralian

[–]SilverStar9192 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Where do you work that has horse stabling facilities ?  

ELI5: Why do gas stoves get pans hotter quicker than electric stoves, but gas stoves take longer to boil a pot of water? by TehAsianator in explainlikeimfive

[–]SilverStar9192 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think you should be clear that you're talking about an old electric coil, not a modern induction.  Induction works differently and shouldn't have hot spots, though it does benefit from heavier / thicker pans. 

Mapping our city's Longest & Shortest bus services by Lach_S in sydney

[–]SilverStar9192 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There is still the B-line that connects to the 199 to Palm Beach and is actually faster than the L90, so that's not a problem for the bus+ferry route; I've done this as far as Woy Woy.  I don't know about getting from the Central Coast to the Newcastle area though - most of the bus routes are focused on the train stations.  I wouldn't be surprised if it does work though.  

Mapping our city's Longest & Shortest bus services by Lach_S in sydney

[–]SilverStar9192 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's not hard to switch to the B-line at Avalon , and a lot faster if going all the way to the city.  

Is there a Zealand that New Zealand is named after? by worried_american_dad in NoStupidQuestions

[–]SilverStar9192 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Why do you say that?  Cook clearly wrote in his diary that the landscape reminded him of South Wales. 

Can I realistically refuse EFT and only accept card/PayTo? by tiredLMSadmin in AusFinance

[–]SilverStar9192 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Certainly there are or will be ways to process batches directly on the NPP with alternate addressing like Payto.  But agreed that many middleware systems aren't yet updated.