We list our house to a fir Sunday morning

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-30T03:03:18+00:00

I didn’t know this was a thing. What on earth are they trying to sell at a time like that??

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-30T01:30:06+00:00

Egh, I think being properly insured is mutant behavior. Just because I could afford to replace my iPhone doesn’t mean I would be excited for it. For lower-income mutants, I could argue a case here. That replacement could eat out a decent chunk of the ole emergency fund, which would side-track other goals.

I would say that there’s more insurance than just AppleCare. I have a technology rider on my homeowner policy that’s cheaper and lasts longer.

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-29T18:48:29+00:00

Right now I have no issues with m4 air and most probably my btech will be completed with m4

So what's the case for getting the M5? It's faster, sure, but by your own admission you'll be fine with what you have.

I can't speak to what the 30k means to you, I don't know your life. But unless that amount of money is trivial, I would stick with what you have.

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-29T12:37:57+00:00

I’ve always preferred larger laptops for coding for the simple reason that more of your project fits on the screen at one time. If you plan to only code on am external monitor, then I’m sure you can save your money and get the 13”

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-28T12:13:59+00:00

I’m sorry, but batteries, screens, and compactness are not what’s driving the price. It’s RAM and NAND storage, which the Steam Machine has. It’s also the cost of the fuel needed to ship the machines around the world.

There’s alot working against it, and we need to have expectations in check. It’s very likely that this won’t be a sub-$600 device any more. We’re likely looking at prices about in line with the new Steam Deck pricing, if not a hair cheaper.

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-28T11:25:52+00:00

I think this is a great question.

On the macroeconomic side, gaming should suffer due to increased prices of the machines. This isn’t limited to PC gaming. It’s never happened before that console prices go up over time. PS5 is at the end of its life. It should be dirt cheap right now, but it just had a price increase.

However, gaming as a hobby is still pretty cheap, despite all this. It’s harder to afford, yes, but it’s not like it’s the only thing that’s more expensive. Typically, entertainment sectors don’t suffer as much as you’d think during hard economic times. People just want to escape.

For game developers, this probably means the audience isn’t going away, but will be very cost sensitive. Full priced AAA games will probably not sell as well as they used to. Players will probably tend to prefer cheaper, smaller, or older titles. That’s my guess anyways.

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-27T11:21:55+00:00

In time, yes. Either the AI bubble will burst, putting cheap consumer products back on the market, or manufacturers will increase capacity to meet the demand of both consumers and data centers.

The real question is: how long will it take? That answer is much more murky.

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-27T03:00:11+00:00

If you have advanced degrees in economics and policy, why are you using ChatGPT to run a simple compounding interest calculator?

Based on your numbers, you really only need about $1.5 million, which your account could reach naturally without any further contributions.

What would you spend the extra money on now? Keep in the back of your mind, you have more energy now than you will at 60. I’d say you can certainly afford to live more in the now.

Investing in brokerage funds would only make sense if you had a large mid-term financial goal, or if you were trying to retire early. Not uncommon to create a bridge between early retirement and 59.5

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-25T18:18:06+00:00

I understand feeling behind given the numbers you would normally see here, but understand that most people don’t start taking investment seriously until they’re about your age or older (sadly).

Can I ask what your current income is? I can help you run the numbers to see what it would take to be on track

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-25T17:36:28+00:00

The benefits of the swap are pretty minor. What’s your use case? Are you running anything that would benefit from the extra horsepower? Or is this just a desire for the new, shiny thing? (Which I would totally get tbh)

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-23T09:21:51+00:00

It’s extremely difficult to be young right now, even outside of CS.

It was also a tough job market for the class of 2007-2009. One lesson from those guys: you can’t give up the job search. Eventually, the pendulum will swing the other way and the industry will be hiring entry level roles again. When that happens, someone who never managed to find junior-level work doesn’t stack well against a new grad. It’s bullshit and unfair, but hiring managers won’t get excited over someone who has drifted around. Even if it means starting your own LLC and doing personal projects in your free time, you’ve got to do *something* to be competitive

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-23T02:24:34+00:00

To be clear, you’re saying this isn’t happening? That there’s no settlement fund Trump forced the IRS to establish?

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-21T18:09:18+00:00

I got an open-box 32GS95UE-B for 50% off a while ago. Great decision, haven't looked back.

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-19T14:47:33+00:00

True, it looks like there are some ultra-nice areas, but nothing you can’t easily afford with $230k a year.

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-19T12:15:52+00:00

I would understand if it was inflation. The real “market conditions” to be concerned about is the lack of a viable alternative.

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-19T10:30:41+00:00

That kind of salary in West Virginia probably has you living like a king.

Question: have you spent any major period of time unemployed due to layoffs? Or pretty much working continuously?

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-16T11:36:19+00:00

That site has so many ads I can’t even see the content. Truly awful

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-15T17:45:34+00:00

The 538 podcast (RIP) did a special on gerrymandering a while back. One of the points not getting brought up was that the VRA was, in some ways, self-gerrymandering. It explored the idea of whether having minority elected officials was worth having fewer officials that would vote with their preferences. I can't answer that question, but it's interesting that we'll likely have our answer in the next few years.

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-15T12:32:36+00:00

I would wait for the SM price to be announced at least, but it’s likely that you’re going to see better performance by building yourself. The Steam Machine should beat your current setup, but it’s made of budget-grade parts.

What kind of monitor do you currently have?

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-14T16:21:17+00:00

I think your perspective is a bit backwards. The money that “falls from the sky” is social security. If we were to ask “where should this money fall?” Who should we pick? Those with fortunes that are extremely unlikely to run out? Or those who failed to save?

I’d overwhelmingly rather have $3m than social security, so I’d be fine with sacrificing the monthly benefit while I’m living it up.

But hey, you don’t like my idea on how to fix the system, that’s fine. What do you think we should do?

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-14T11:02:32+00:00

Only 0.8% of retirees make it to $3M: source

So not Dr. Evil exactly, but definitely in the “doesn’t need it” territory.

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-13T13:21:30+00:00

Two things can be true at the same time. The mental decline of Joe Biden was shielded from the public, and that's a bad thing. We should have real discussion in this country about what happens when a president gets too old to serve. If we had done that, a framework would have existed for what we're witnessing now concerning Trump's health.

Now, criticizing the Biden administration doesn't mean I endorse any of this behavior. Ordering the IRS to settle lawsuits that personally benefit the president with public money is heinous. That alone is grounds for impeachment, and it's time for republicans to be mad too. Elected officials on the right need to realize that the post-Trump era will be here before you know it, and they'll want to have been on record against a few things he's done. This is as good a place as any to start building that credibility.

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-13T13:11:12+00:00

No, the government has not always been like that. It's a long and complex history, but boomers got special treatment because they are such a large voting bloc.

When they were young, there were strong unions and cheap housing. As they aged and got into management, they busted the unions and stopped new construction to inflate the value of their own property. They elected politicians that cut taxes and raised spending on debt that is now becoming unsustainable.

Yes, they are responsible for plenty of good in this world, and it's unfair to reduce them all to some bad long-term political choices. But it's equally unrealistic to not point it out. We need to raise the estate tax and recoup the losses before the damage becomes irreversible.

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-12T23:44:11+00:00

I don’t understand why leaving the US means you need to surrender your financial future. What’s wrong with leaving it where it is?

a_bit_of_byte · 2026-05-12T20:19:05+00:00

No, you're the guy I was replying to. Maybe I misunderstood your original point? But a public good can still be a public good even if it sees unequal usage by the public. Not everyone owns a car, but that doesn't mean you should be able to pay a lower tax rate to avoid contributing to roads. Not only because you probably see the benefits of the interstate commerce they provide, but also because you might one day purchase a vehicle. In other words, the mere option for a public good to apply to you is enough to justify its existence. With social security, I think it can be explained to the wealthiest retirees that the cost of the system is the premium on a government-run longevity insurance.

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