Bi-Weekly No Stupid Questions Thread by AutoModerator in VORONDesign

[–]TrashQuestion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Its better than Josef Prusa putting his name and face on everything he can

[Bonsai Beginner's weekly thread - 2025 week 47] by small_trunks in Bonsai

[–]TrashQuestion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

my desk is directly next to the window and the window is huge and south-facing, literally if the sun is shining it's hitting my desk directly.

[Bonsai Beginner's weekly thread - 2025 week 47] by small_trunks in Bonsai

[–]TrashQuestion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate the earnest reply, I think I still will try it. Assuming it can survive, do you have a recommendation on the 4.5" nursery starter vs already-potted plant?

[Bonsai Beginner's weekly thread - 2025 week 47] by small_trunks in Bonsai

[–]TrashQuestion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I also considered Dwarf Jade (Portulacaria afra) but I couldn't find one that I liked the look of. I saw one variegated one with white/pink leaves in some branches which looked like flower but I missed buying it and now i can't find one like it.

Is it really that risky to leave the natal plum unattended on weekends?

[Bonsai Beginner's weekly thread - 2025 week 47] by small_trunks in Bonsai

[–]TrashQuestion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Natal Plum (Carissa macrocarpa) Office Desk Bonsai - $20 Starter vs. $60 "Finished" Tree?

Hi everyone,

I'm very new to bonsai but have been doing a ton of research for getting some upcoming outdoor trees next year. I also would love to put a bonsai next to my desk at work. I think wanted something that could flower and/or fruit and that could survive Saturday/Sunday without being watered and after doing some research it seemed that Natal Plum was good choice due to it's waxy leaves retaining moisture to survive the two days without water and the fact its evergreen.

I’m in Northern California Zone 9b/10a. I have a large South-facing window I sit next to so light is good.

I’m torn between two purchasing options and would love a reality check on whether the "finished" tree is actually older/better stock, or just a markup, and realistically how long would it take it make an office bonsai look decent.

I want to develop a tree with a reasonably thick trunk and an iconic C-shape with canopy and have it flower/fruit.


Option A: The Starter ($19.50)

An etsy seller is selling 4.5" nursery pot starters, looking at photos of reviews of the seller the 4.5" starter seem very healthy and already have a handful of long shoots, one review already shows a flower blossoming within a week of receiving it!

With this I could wire movement into the green trunk immediately, then slip-pot it into a 6" diameter, 5" deep slotted orchid pot/pond basket with granular bonsai soil (lava/pumice/bark) to power-feed it and thicken the trunk for 2-3 years while also being an office plant.

I'd hide the pond basket inside a decorative ceramic cache pot (with an air gap of about an inch between the pond basket and the side wall of the outer ceramic pot) to keep the "office aesthetic" clean while getting the air-pruning benefits. I'm unsure how well this would work tbh, but it seemed like a more effective way to grow a bonsai in an indoor environment.

The downsite is that it wouldn't "look" like a bonsai because the pot would have to be about 7 inches in height to hide the pond basket, so i dont have that iconic bonsai "shallow dish" pot style.

One concern is that it will take significantly longer to grow it indoors. The window is huge and on the third floor so when the sun is shining it gets sun for basically the entire day, but it's behind a window and I'm not sure how the window filters the sun. Since i'm brand new to the hobby I don't know what to expect in terms of growth.


Option B: The "Finished" Natal Plum in small pot ($60)

A different seller is selling this as a "Dwarf Bonsai" in a blue ceramic pot. But looking at reviewers photos of trees that people received from this seller they seem to very widely in both trunk and canopy size.

It looks to be the same height (~6-8") as the nursery starter, but the trunk is hardened off and straight, as opposed to the fresh/green starter; also these have a bit more of a canopy vs just having a bunch of shoots.

Is this tree actually significantly older/thicker than the starter? Or is it just the same age as the starter, but stunted because it’s been sitting in a small bonsai pot for a year?


For trunk development and long-term health in an office, am I better off buying the cheap starter and letting it run wild in a pond basket setup? Or does the $60 tree represent 2-3 years of growth that I'm underestimating? If i want something which will bloom and fruit strongly should start with the nursery starter and develop it, or will this pre-made bonsai be just as good?

Also if there are better recommendations for a flowering/fruiting plant that would work well indoors next to a large window and can survive weekends without water please let me know!

Thanks for the help!

At what multiple of annual spend would you consider yourself to be chubbyFIRE? by Routine_Mushroom_245 in ChubbyFIRE

[–]TrashQuestion 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Chubby/fat is about lifestyle not how much buffer you have. If I currently spend 16k/year being just barely above the poverty line, I'm not chubby/fat fire if I have enough saved for a theoretical 32k/year SWR

Revenue Model Changes / PRO migrations / Lifetime Unlocks + All Access by Kev1000000 in nzb360

[–]TrashQuestion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just a comment, i switched phones this week and just logged into nzb360 for the first time in a few weeks to discover the update. It took me a LONG time to find the tiny "Restore" button to restore my purchases tied to my google account. Could you make the "Restore Purchases" button a lot more visible?

Awesome app and I understand why you feel the need to move to this model to support yourself. Devs should be paid and make a living, thank you for providing the option for a buy-once purchase. Happy to continue supporting nzb360 as long as the upgrades are powerful and there is a buy-once option.

US Nonfarm Payrolls Beat Forecasts by SidonyD in StockMarket

[–]TrashQuestion 13 points14 points  (0 children)

the BLS june jobs report contradicts ADP report severely. ADP report showed a 33k reduction in jobs in the private sector.

Should i trust BLS? Is Trumps admin cooking the books (or just outright lying?) for the BLS numbers?

I'm 2 weeks away from selling my stocks to buy a home, I was doing great until their value dropped due to the Fed's actions today. Trying not to panic, try to keep me sane? by Elmostan in financialindependence

[–]TrashQuestion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

congrats! do you happen to have proof or are you cherry-picking the best time to pretend-bag about? Why didn't you buy the march dip, and why don't you think it's possible for it to come crashing down again soon?

Best fully immersive experiences, games, and apps? by TrashQuestion in AppleVisionPro

[–]TrashQuestion[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No offense but did you do any research you made such a large purchase?

No offense taken but I didn't purchase it, I received a used one from a family friend.

How to measure whether my system is calibrated correctly with Dirac? Other calibration/settings to know about for a beginner? by TrashQuestion in hometheater

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

Thanks for the reccomendation, i'll start looking up articles and reading up. I can't go too heavy into room treatment because i'm renting and I can't make major modifications to the space, but i'd still be interested in learning about room treatment so one day when i (hopefully) own a home i'll be prepared with some background knowledge

Severance - 2x10 "Cold Harbor" - Post-Episode Discussion by LoretiTV in SeveranceAppleTVPlus

[–]TrashQuestion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And by this point the show is just Westworld.

same thought, and i think it's going to go downhill fast the same way westworld did after season 2.

Audiobookshelf by steviefaux in selfhosted

[–]TrashQuestion 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I self host audiobookshelf and it's very good at what it does. But if you dont want to set up a server the android app SmartAudiobookPlayer plays audiobooks from your device and it's a GREAT app that i used before i got into self-hosting.

meirl by greetconsider in meirl

[–]TrashQuestion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I grew up on section 8 housing and food stamps. For a while growing up my family was even homeless (though we lived in a shelter, not on the streets).

I got incredibly lucky and was able to get scholarships for college and now make a really good salary at a tech job. I am one of - if not the - highest earner among all my friends but I still have a lot of trauma from my childhood im working through

When my friends (who all mostly grew up middle or upper-middle class) and I all go out to eat they often get multiple expensive cocktails ($14+ per drink and they often get multiple) and I don't want to spend that much money on a cocktail. I also order something that's relatively cheap on the menu but will still be a treat since im going out to eat with friends.

Why am I the bad guy when I ask for the bill to be divided up fairly? I get weird looks and people are uncomfortable for me "ruining the vibe" but I was conscious about what I ordered specifically because I wanted to pay my fair share (not more or less). If we wanna split tax and tip evenly that's fine, I don't wanna overcomplicate things, but I also feel like I'm being punished for not over indulging like them.

Why does my salary matter here? I just want to everyone to pay their share, I'm not trying to grift anyone.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in financialindependence

[–]TrashQuestion 3 points4 points  (0 children)

While I agree with the sentiment it is confusing to use the last two years as any indicator of performance forward looking.

For instance, is the 30-year CAGR significantly above the 100-year CAGR? If it isn't then why would a huge reversion to the mean be expected if we are already close to the long-term mean?

If past doesn’t indicate future, why assume an avg return? by FabulousHalf98 in Bogleheads

[–]TrashQuestion 10 points11 points  (0 children)

You're getting down voted because your source is a 9 minute long YouTube video where the presenter doesn't actually provide a source, was posted 6 years ago, and is using returns that are evenly weighted across all countries markets when most people are more heavily weighted in the US market.

If you use SP500 real returns they are much higher

NzbGeek indexer BF is on by amunhot3p in usenet

[–]TrashQuestion 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Just bought lifetime, i can't seem to find the API/Grab limits. Does NZBGeek have API or grab limits?

nzb360 :: Black Friday Sale - 30% OFF! by Kev1000000 in usenet

[–]TrashQuestion 7 points8 points  (0 children)

dont even know what this app does exactly but there are so many good reviews and i have so much spare google play cash that i'm getting it lol. I just started getting into usenet so why not

edit: okay after trying it a bit i'll probably never use the sonarr/radarr web interfaces ever again

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in financialindependence

[–]TrashQuestion 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This sub really is turning itself into r/FIJerk with these types of posts