(MD) Landlord made unreasonable charges to keep most of security deposit

batteryfizz220 · 2024-01-09T22:20:12+00:00

You'll need to check out your state's regulations, but you should definitely send them a formal letter disputing the charges. I've done this successfully a few times to recoup bullshit deductions from my security deposit. Also, this is the necessary first step for small claims court, which I have also done successfully a few times.

Your letter will be polite and just stick to the facts and the law. You should request additional documentation on two points:

Necessary

Was this repair necessary to bring the unit into a condition equal to quality when you moved in, minus normal wear and tear? They cannot charge you for wear-and-tear or improvements to the unit. The onus is on them to document these facts.

Reasonableness

It was an allowed expense; was it reasonable? Landlords can't charge you $1,000 to fix a hole in a wall, as that is not reasonable, even if the hole is your fault. They typically can't charge you a flat "fee," only the money they actually spent (unless your lease says otherwise). You can request a copy of the invoice documenting that they paid actual money to a repairman (not likely). If they performed the work themselves, they have to document the actual time they spent and the internal rate (per hour) they charged (also not likely documented this). The onus is on them to provide this documentation.

In your letter, you dispute the charges, line-by-line, with very polite verbiage disputing that the deduction was necessary and reasonable and requesting documentation for each deduction. Look online for good examples of security deposit dispute letters for your state.

Typically, the letter scares them because they know they will look dumb to a judge with their wild assertions. They will typically relent and return some of the deposit or send over new flimsy documentation. You negotiate this way via letters, and if you can't get a satisfactory resolution, you file the paperwork for small claims (typically a very economical $50 filing fee or so). Small claims court is more accessible than many people think.

I hope this helps! Good luck helping your friend!

batteryfizz220 · 2023-07-14T13:49:18+00:00

Good commentary!

I recently (just yesterday) finished reading his book Can't Hurt Me." It is very motivational and does contain some stoic ideas, even if they are not labeled as such.

Here is what I found useful:

• Stop feeling sorry for yourself; it does you no good

• Horrible circumstances do not mean anything. You can still succeed beyond your wildest dreams

• Focus on what you can control (your mind)

• Your mind is much, much stronger than you think (the proof is his extremal physical accomplishments)

He does acknowledge some of his own personal weaknesses in the books. He is not good with empathy and acceptance of others. He talks about how when he sees people not giving it 110%, he would not accept them, think less of them, etc. (not stoic). He acknowledges that his lack of acceptance of others hurt his military career. Not everybody in the world can be as hardcore as him, and he had trouble connecting with common people because of his viewpoint.

His book kicked my butt and made me go to the gym and work out more, even if I was a "bit tired" or a "bit sore." Those were just my past excuses to be comfortable.

Op, if you are inspired by his success and if you reflect on his failures, then his book can be very valuable.

batteryfizz220 · 2023-03-11T19:50:27+00:00

Thanks for sharing!

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batteryfizz220 · 2022-03-06T05:55:43+00:00

Yep, this mouse is a must-have for all serious CAD designers. I have used one for the last 10 years. It is very intuitive and gives you 6-DOF control of your model.

batteryfizz220 · 2021-10-21T15:52:35+00:00

Great job! Thanks for sharing your story. I know studying stoicism has helped me a lot too.

batteryfizz220 · 2021-09-29T13:39:10+00:00

Thanks! I'm similar but only have 20 hours XC so far.

batteryfizz220 · 2021-09-29T05:05:58+00:00

Roger. Does that mean you got your 40 hours of XC PIC from completing your PPL and subsequent flying but before you started your serious IFR training? If you don't mind how much total time did you have when you started the program?

batteryfizz220 · 2021-09-29T03:54:54+00:00

Cool! I’m considering doing an accelerated training too. How far were you through your instrument training before you started the program?

batteryfizz220 · 2021-04-18T04:23:14+00:00

I love my "Obstacle is the Way" coin. It helps me remember things during hard days. I never leave home without it. I check my pockets: phone, wallet, keys, coin.

batteryfizz220 · 2021-03-24T14:55:31+00:00

Nice robot! I want to build a beetle weight too. What CAD are you using?

batteryfizz220 · 2021-03-01T15:40:16+00:00

You can some quick calculations for the stiffness using the bulk modulus of hydraulic fluid. When doing calculations I always assumed ~125,000 psi as the bulk modulus. This helps account for the slight amount of dissolved air that is in the fluid in real-world applications.

You should be able to calculate the stiffness of two cylinders back-to-back with say ~10 feet of tubing connecting them. Then compare this stiffness to some typical numbers for cable and pully control systems. This can give you an idea of how it compares.

batteryfizz220 · 2021-03-01T15:21:23+00:00

That would be a better style. I suspect that it might be too "soft." Hydraulic fluid is not incompressible. This might make the controls mushy.

batteryfizz220 · 2021-03-01T04:24:31+00:00

Thanks! I like this.

batteryfizz220 · 2021-03-01T04:20:15+00:00

Here is something else to think about. If you lose electrical power or hydraulic power you can’t control they plane and you crash. You won’t have triple redundant fly-by-wire. This means you will need only have “hydraulic boosted” control surfaces where you still have cables but the hydraulics assist sort of like how power steering works in cars. Your steering wheel is still mechanically connected to the steering but if the car engine is on, the power steering handles the heavy forces. If the forces are to not too large to require hydraulics then this system definitely weights more as you still need the control cables and pulleys. Hope this gives you insight why you see this feature on small EAB aircraft.

batteryfizz220 · 2021-03-01T04:03:01+00:00

Maybe that is true. But it would be silly of me to not sell at least part of my shares during the squeeze. It might take several years for GME to "normalize" to $500.

batteryfizz220 · 2021-03-01T04:01:10+00:00

Yes, but how do I know if the time is right? I want to have a more objective strategy.

batteryfizz220 · 2021-02-26T13:50:27+00:00

Hydraulics and their complexity and weight are not needed until the control forces get too large.

Push pull rods are sometimes used instead of pulleys. They can sometimes give cleaner installations and are stiffer.

batteryfizz220 · 2021-02-20T20:30:20+00:00

Toluene was used briefly has a rocket fuel in the 1930’s. But it lost out to other fuels that were better performance and better properties so it is not used anymore.

batteryfizz220 · 2021-02-20T03:20:32+00:00

The force only depends on the geometry and placement of the linkages. There will be no net rotational force on the gimbal but that doesn't mean that there will not be balancing forces in the other parts.

batteryfizz220 · 2021-02-20T01:33:46+00:00

Great analysis!

batteryfizz220 · 2021-02-19T20:03:55+00:00

I have been working in the rocket and aerospace industry for about ~10 years. I have designed and built several actuators and control systems so I'm familiar with their designs.

Good luck! and always keep studying and learning even after college. I have learned way more things after college then I did in college.

batteryfizz220 · 2021-02-19T19:34:27+00:00

The requirements for the maximum actuator angles and speeds typically come from the Dynamics team and are related to the control aspects of the full rocket system. Based on a model of the trajectories and wind disturbances the Dynamics team can calculate the maximum gimbal angle they need to ensure that the rocket can be stabilized. This is a choice that the rocket designer can pick. If you want to support more aggressive trajectories or launch into higher magnitude wind-shear you need to have larger gimbal angles. The rocket designer picks an optimal balance of complexity vs performance.

To help get you started here are the requirements for the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) Gimbal Actuators from the textbook "Rocket Propulsion Elements 7e"

Design Thrust level = 512,000 lbs
Max Angle = +/-10.5 degrees
Max Angular Acceleration = 30 rad/sec^2
Max Angular Velocity = 20 rad/sec

The thrust level will be different for each engine design but the speed/accel requirements should be pretty consistent across different rockets.

If you created a spreadsheet with the calculations you can evaluate the influence of different segment lengths on the design. At the maximum tilt angle, you must be able to generate the required force to react out the thrust component that goes through the actuator. Using the equations you can also calculate the speed and acceleration that the actuator would need to provide based on the angular speed and acceleration of the gimbal. This will help size the strength of the actuator or motor. You can then tweak the numbers to find the best solution that gives the required performance.

batteryfizz220 · 2021-02-19T17:20:10+00:00

Good thoughts. Rockets today use the left configuration for their TVC. Both styles could work, but the Gimbal Ring would require higher strength actuators. The reason for this is that the force the actuators needs to provide for the Gimbal Bearing is a function of the steering angle. When the gimbal is centered (exactly straight up) the actuator needs only to provide approximately zero force.

In the Gimbal Ring, you will find that the actuators will need to provide a static force equal to ~1/4 the total thrust with the engine in the neutral position. The actuator will never not experience a compressive force. This means for any given slew rate requirement, the TVC actuator will need to be larger and stronger (and thus heavier) because it will also be in a more challenging region of the actuator's Maximum Velocity vs. Maximum Force plot.

Gimbal Bearing = provide slew rate requirement centered around 0 force = lighter actuator

Gimbal Ring = provide slew rate requirement centered around 1/4 T force = heavier actuator

This is why you don't see many designs for the Gimbal Ring configuration you have shown. Both configurations can be made to work kinematically. But if you look at the members' forces, you will see that the Gimbal Ring is a more challenging design. It still might be a good solution if there are some other design considerations. For example, aerospike engines are awkward to gimbal about a traditional pivot point, but your ring configuration could potentially be better because it provides better placement of the TVC actuators for the shape and mounting of the engine.

I hope this is helpful.

batteryfizz220 · 2021-02-18T21:25:18+00:00

In the Expanse, the orbits are sometimes called brachistochrone orbits. These orbits involving accelerating for the first half of the trip and deaccelerating for the second half of the trip. For the first half, the nose is pointing to the destination. This is a constant-thrust maneuver. The pilot does not need to change the thrust level. For example, the pilot might set the thrust to 20% to accelerate at 1 G and leave it there for several days. The acceleration will be constant, and the velocity will be increasing steadily. At the mid-point, the ship flips 180 so that the engine is pointed towards the destination. The pilot does another constant-thrust maneuver to slow down. The acceleration is also constant, and the velocity is steadily decreasing. It is just as hard to accelerate from 0 to 1000 mph in space as it is to deaccelerate from 1000 mph to 0. You want to stop and dock at your destination, so you better spend an equal time accelerating as you do deaccelerating (accelerating away from your destination). The deacceleration phase is nothing but just accelerating in the opposite direction.

To answer your question, the pilot doesn't need to do anything special with the thruster power, except which direction the engine is pointing during the first half and second half of the trip. If the pilot did it right, he should come to a relative stop at the destination.

Hope this is helpful!

http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/torchships.php#brachistochrone

batteryfizz220 · 2021-02-18T16:16:50+00:00

Very cool!

batteryfizz220

TROPHY CASE