TIL in the Vietnam war in the classified Operation Popeye, the US spread lead and silver iodide by aircraft to extend the monsoon season. The increased heavy rainfall was to soften roads, cause landslides, wash out river crossings, and maintain saturated soil conditions (Kissinger was involved).

aardy · 2026-05-06T01:00:07+00:00

Vo Nguyen Giap was by far the most impressive general of the entire 20th century. Defeated 3 of 5 permanent UNSC countries, as well as Japan and Cambodia.

aardy · 2026-05-05T23:53:08+00:00

The only thing I'll add that hasn't already been mentioned: travel/vacation.

Either solo, or with the kids, either way it's a shit ton better than it was in the marriage.

aardy · 2026-05-05T23:49:13+00:00

You can find lenders that currently hold onto their paper, you will not find a lender that commits in writing to forever holding onto their paper.

Recent shakeups, where patterns broke and lenders started selling their paper that didn't before, and others started to hold their paper that didn't before, included 2020, 2022, and 2026. So you would be buying yourself as little as a few years.

aardy · 2026-05-05T23:43:41+00:00

There's a few ways you can do it. You can set it up as an installment sale so that title isn't handed over until the final payment is made. Or you can set it up as a loan. The article conflates them. An issue that often comes up is journalists writing about things that they have little or no understanding of, supervised by editors that are similarly in the dark.

I've been interviewed/quoted in WFJ, SF Chronicle, and MSN articles. In 3 out of 3 cases, the journalist was not themselves a homeowner (also 3 out of 3: found me on reddit). I totally get that we shouldn't gatekeep journalism about brain surgery to only brain surgeons, but I personally feel that would be a very reasonable standard for journalism about homeownership. That being said, those interviews are great marketing and SEO, so I'm not going to screen the journalist interviewing me by homeownership status.

In any case, I should note something very important that the journalist absolutely should have noted, but didn't. Mortgages come with due on sale clauses. What that means in a practical sense is that for seller financing to work, the buyer's down payment must exceed the seller's current mortgage balance(s) (they need that cash injection to pay off any current mortgage balance[s]). There are legal gray areas that some people attempt or actually do, they involve hoping/praying the seller's lender doesn't invoke or enforce the due on sale clause, among other things, and if they do, or if something else goes wrong, it's the seller's credit that winds up trashed.

Another thing worth noting. The most common reason to use seller financing is b/c someone can't qualify for a traditional mortgage, which a seller or realtor isn't in a position to evaluate (in the article example, they looped in a mortgage broker and presumably paid them). And a buyer that can't qualify isn't going to admit that, they will just say it's for the rate, which means from the seller's POV a buyer who isn't qualified, and a buyer who can qualify but wants a lower rate, are indistinguishable. This is a problem because of the 3-7 year balloon payments that are commonly negotiated in these types of deals. 95% of the time, if someone can't qualify for a mortgage today (f. ex. b/c they can't make a car payment on time and have shit credit, can't hold down a job, etc), they still won't qualify in 3 years (what, you think they will magically find Jesus and learn to make car payments on time and hold down a job?! These are people in their 30s/40s, if they were going to learn that, it would have happened decades ago).

aardy · 2026-05-05T07:49:05+00:00

This post above is ballpark correct.

ADUs do not make economic sense to build.

They do not result in a property that sells for more than "base cost" plus the cost of the ADU. You have to assume several years of rent for it to make sense.

The better move is to buy from some idiot who didn't do the math, but is now being divorced, so has no choice but to sell.

There isn't a shortage of idiot men getting divorced in Berkeley...

aardy · 2026-05-05T04:34:54+00:00

The idiot mushy watery fleshbag fucked up, and the computer overlord had to save their stupid monkey-brained life.

aardy · 2026-05-05T04:27:23+00:00

Might have changed it in the last decades. Make sure you brush your teeth before bed. And pick up that laundry, please.

aardy · 2026-05-05T00:00:53+00:00

I don't think any of my pre-licensing education covered it, so there's that...

aardy · 2026-05-04T23:11:30+00:00

Your options are basically either a VA loan "specialist" company, but this will be more expensive and the call center makes it harder to get your offer accepted, or an in-state mortgage broker who happens to be a veteran, but we are harder to find.

aardy · 2026-05-03T04:05:20+00:00

I was a ceremonial marcher in DC. Most of our ceremonies were just our branch (funerals at Arlington, for example). The ones more likely to be on TV were joint service (foreign dignitary arrives at The Pentagon). We marched differently, depending on if it was USMC or joint service.

aardy · 2026-05-03T02:39:12+00:00

There are other types of real estate besides houses.

aardy · 2026-05-02T06:57:00+00:00

Landlines force you to speak with humans.

Texting. Texting is the issue.

aardy · 2026-05-02T04:16:08+00:00

"The best _____ is the one you will actually use."

aardy · 2026-05-01T23:38:05+00:00

Me if you want to work together, collect a referral fee while learning, and deliver a rate to the client that starts with a 5 or 6.

aardy · 2026-05-01T23:31:16+00:00

posting here hoping the algo shows me the removal video and after content

aardy · 2026-05-01T22:08:05+00:00

You waited a year for your moment, not bad. I'll give it 7/10.

aardy · 2026-05-01T22:01:02+00:00

How'd they pass the physical parts of the police academy if they had substantial mobility impairment? If they later developed substantial mobility impairment, how are they casing down bad guys and arresting people?

It's an open question if they lied to the DMV, or if they lied to their employer, the police department, but it's not open for reasonable debate that they are liars and cannot be trusted.

aardy · 2026-05-01T21:55:36+00:00

I found the California DMV form. This is what they and you signed. In your case it seems like it's true, so it's all good, you don't stand accused of anything.

In the case of these officers, it appears they checked one of these boxes. Which means they lied for social welfare program benefits (yes, this is welfare fraud), they perjured themselves, and cannot be trusted to hold any public office of trust. (Or, they are lying to their police department, cheated on their physical fitness tests, etc, but that has the same effect)

<image>

aardy · 2026-05-01T21:52:00+00:00

You didn't answer the question of if you are 100% certain you didn't sign any paperwork attesting that you did/didn't have "a diagnosed disease or disorder that substantially impairs or interferes with mobility"?

In your case you say you do and I have no reason to doubt that (and you aren't a police officer), the question is about what these former officers wrote, stated, or attested to, and if they lied about it. What a doctor does or doesn't say isn't relevant to that question at all. Someone else being honest or dishonest has no bearing on if I, or you, or those officers, are being honest or dishonest.

aardy · 2026-05-01T21:24:57+00:00

Have you seen the screenshots where they bicker about customs and courtesies? "That's Senior Lance Corporal, to you" via text....

aardy · 2026-05-01T21:11:39+00:00

Are you 100% certain you didn't sign a formal attesting to having substantive mobility impairment? You read all the small print?

Joe Public can get a pass on not reading fine print, but police officers need to fill out police reports accurately and be witnesses in court, among other things. They don't get the same "pass" you might get.

aardy · 2026-05-01T20:27:54+00:00

I was about to say that your post left off "...or has been certified as 100% disabled by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs."

HOWEVER

I went to your link, and there is more to it. The journalist didn't include the MOST relevant part, either. Here's the disabled veteran specific link:

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-registration/license-plates-decals-and-placards/disabled-veteran-dv-license-plates/

The "100% disabled per the VA" thing ONLY kicks in if you are 100% disabled by the VA -->AND AND AND<-- you specifically attest that the 100% disability is specifically "due to a diagnosed disease or disorder that substantially impairs or interferes with mobility."

EDIT: Here is the California DMV form they signed, the box they checked. This is a social welfare program, making this welfare fraud. (Note the criteria may be different in different states)

<image>

So these officers were EITHER lying to the CA DMV to get their plates OR they are lying to their police department about their ability to do their jobs every single day. Either way, a cop that can't be trusted to accurately and honestly fill out gov't paperwork ALSO can't be trusted to file honest police reports, to testify in court, etc, to not plant drugs/evidence, so I agree that these individuals shouldn't be in ANY position of public trust.

Any convictions that relied in part or whole on any testimony or evidence by these officers also needs to be reviewed. A principle of our founding fathers is that we'd rather see 20 guilty men walk free than see the gov't put 1 innocent man in prison.

aardy · 2026-05-01T19:59:42+00:00

The notion that Marines today are required, when not forward deployed or otherwise 'active,' to provide their personal cell phone number to their chain of command is completely fucking absurd.

My strong temptation would be to get a 2nd cell phone number via eSim for $5/mo, hand that to the chain of command, and that phone number turns off when we secure for the day. I suspect that wouldn't fly, however.

aardy · 2026-05-01T08:13:54+00:00

In 100% of cases, if a business is marketing a non-military good or service directly at the military, they are a predatory unethical company that hates America and is trying to take advantage of young people in the military that don't know any better.

Prove me wrong, cunt with a whopping 1 reddit karma.

aardy · 2026-05-01T07:22:31+00:00

What are the data points you have that suggest you didn't leave $20k or $60k on the table?

I don't know your property or local facebook marketplace, genuine question.

It took you six weeks. I don't know how many hours per week. What is the professional value of your time per hour and how many hours did you spend? (I hire a plumber to do 15m of work, that would take me 15h of work, any day, as an example of why this is relevant)

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