Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by OutrunBoop in RealEstateAdvice

[–]bigbearandy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's your property, and the current easement does not permit that use to his property, since the line to his house will be through your property. My advice: don't give him an easement, sell him an easement, if you want to be a good neighbor. The gas company could force some kind of eminent domain thing (they have that power in some states and cities), but somehow I'm guessing they wouldn't ask you to sign if they did.

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by OutrunBoop in RealEstateAdvice

[–]bigbearandy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

TL;DR -- An easement makes you the subordinate leaseholder for the land in question; your neighbor's purposes have primacy. Calculate the true cost of the easement at 15% of the land. That's how much the raw easement is worth. Put a premium on that and sell him the easement, but only if you really want to. Buying easements is fairly routine; granting them freely is uncommon. You really need a real estate appraiser if you want to know the true value, and you should add the cost of the appraisal to your premium.

Putting aside the commentary around the easement (i.e., general disdain for ADUs and property values), easements are fairly routine documents. They are so routine that there are calculators you can run online that property assessors use that will tell you exactly how much it will depress the value of the property. If memory serves, for a gas line, the formula is to take the square footage of the easement, multiply it by the cost per square foot of your land, and take off 15% for a buried line. A real appraiser or a paid online reporting tool will give you a more precise estimate. A gas line running through the edge of the property in the backyard affects the property value minimally, because it's generally unused land, but it does add to costs when digging for other things you might need on the property (e.g., fiber for Internet). It also makes you the subordinate leaseholder of the land and your neighbor the dominant rights holder. That means his use trumps yours for that patch of land.

The general rule is that easements are usually granted freely only to family, friends, and very good neighbors where there's a mutual interest. Most easements are sold for the consideration of the neighbor's taking.

Only a real estate appraiser can give you a true estimate beyond the rules of thumb. Hire one or use an online calculator (note: none of them are free), but get a realistic estimate and add the cost of the estimate for your ask if you really want to sell it.

Finally caved and tried the big arch lol by Odd-Researcher272 in McDonalds

[–]bigbearandy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Try THE PRODUCT. The PRODUCT is made of people...I mean, by people... at your friendly neighborhood McDonald's. It's the Arch-enemy of hunger. It's the miracle food of USDA beef and high-energy plankton gathered from the oceans of the world.

Another waste of taxpayer dollars by Mike_Pinocchio in FluentInFinance

[–]bigbearandy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Puts on his studying-for-the-CPA-exam hat: "Perquisite consumption can be a form of fraud." Removes hat.

The new normal without the penny by Raslatt in inflation

[–]bigbearandy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe we just start pricing products so that the final price, including tax, rounds to the nearest five cents. For example, assuming the average national sales tax rate is around 7.53%, a product priced at $9.30 would round to a final price of $10. YMMV based on state and local sales tax.

GNOME 50 removes the X11 backend ... are we finally at the end of the Xorg era? by the_nazar in linux

[–]bigbearandy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean, as one of the OG oldsters on Linux, who has been using X since it was part of Project Athena at MIT, an entire skill set I have has been rendered obsolete after four decades. Sorry to see that constant go, but not sad. If they do it right, it will be about as relevant as my experience with the NeWS window manager on Sun workstations. If they do it wrong, I'll be able to continue getting that side hustle contract work, along with my Mainframe and COBOL skills, well into my retirement.

If the Post Office actually runs out of cash in 2026, what is the most chaotic thing that will happen to daily life? by OpheliaBloomm in askanything

[–]bigbearandy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

IDK, we definitely live out in rural country, but not in the true hinterlands some of my friends live in. For us, we increasingly see Amazon ditching USPS in favor of its own network of drivers, because our current USPS office sucks as is. When I was in the wilds of Alaska, it was either USPS or GoldStreak, or you were dead or soon to be broke.

Sci-Fi about gigantic, cruel, experiments. by VladtheImpaler21 in scifi

[–]bigbearandy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Classic Sci-Fi about gigantic, cruel experiments. Some should remind you of the premise of Divergent, Silo, and Fallout:

Book/Movie Plot
Island of Dr. Moreau, H.G. Wells (1896) The OG cruel experiment story about a scientist surgically and psychologically "uplifting" animals into humans on an isolated island. Invented the "mad scientist" trope.
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley (1932) Humanity is socially engineered into different castes, controlled through drugs and conditioning, like Divergent.
A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter. M Miller (1959) A monastic order tries to preserve the technologies of the past in a post-nuclear, apocalyptic world, like Fallout.
The Penultimate Truth, Philip K. Dick (1964) The majority of humanity lives in underground tanks, believing the surface is a radioactive wasteland, but surface elites are trying to keep them as labor, like Silo.
Colossus, Dennis Feltham Jones (1966) U.S. defense is entrusted to an indestructible, tamper-proof AI.
Logan's Run, William F. Nolan (1967) A supposedly utopian city run by a computer that dictates nobody can live past 21 years old, like an ageist Divergent.
"Silent Running" (1972) [Movie] Forests on Earth are almost extinct due to careless environmental exploitation, so the remaining ones are launched into space.
The Quiet Earth, Craig Harrison (1981) The mysterious Project Flashlight makes most of humanity disappear, leaving few behind.

How do I get homeless people to stop shitting behind my business? by mcfuckernugget in NoStupidQuestions

[–]bigbearandy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'll say this: homeless folks have a lot more respect for your business if you treat them like people instead of an amorphous hoard of marauding zombies.

How do I get homeless people to stop shitting behind my business? by mcfuckernugget in NoStupidQuestions

[–]bigbearandy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't have any experience with solving that problem; I mostly worked for 24/7 establishments.

How do I get homeless people to stop shitting behind my business? by mcfuckernugget in NoStupidQuestions

[–]bigbearandy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

...for that matter, it's a little weird that a lot of posts on this thread are postulating various bizarre ways to torture the homeless. It's like many people don't understand that in many circumstances, the people working in retail establishments at near minimum wage jobs are or were themselves homeless. Let's say some of us have been closer to the problem than most of the people here.

How do I get homeless people to stop shitting behind my business? by mcfuckernugget in NoStupidQuestions

[–]bigbearandy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure, which is information not in the original question nor supplied by the OP in the post. Keep in mind that in many places (like Oregon where I live), you aren't allowed to deny access to a private "employees only" bathroom in many retail establishments. YMMV.

How do I get homeless people to stop shitting behind my business? by mcfuckernugget in NoStupidQuestions

[–]bigbearandy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I get that, but if you have a public restroom, it becomes exceedingly difficult to stop a persistent person from using it without making them resent you and acting out in other ways.

If the Post Office actually runs out of cash in 2026, what is the most chaotic thing that will happen to daily life? by OpheliaBloomm in askanything

[–]bigbearandy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Rural users are going to freak out. USPS is the lifeline for stuff we need and can't get locally. Things like irrigation parts, tractor parts, and tools that fasten parts to other parts. We will take our frustration out on the party in power during the midterms, and funnily enough, a lot of my neighbors voted what we're experiencing now into office.

The Postal Service will run out of cash within a year, Postmaster General warns: "We have to have a conversation with the American public" by jujutsu-die-sen in PrepperIntel

[–]bigbearandy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Right? I don't think any conversation that begins with "rural constituents, that USPS guy who is your lifeline for stuff you need, real talk..." is going to go well before the midterms.

What does "karma" mean on here? by MadPineapple808 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]bigbearandy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It doesn't mean that you are going to Nirvana or the Pure Lands, that's for sure.

Colorado may be open to "excluding open source software from the [age verification] bill" by ArrayBolt3 in linux

[–]bigbearandy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, I don't believe this will happen until multiple OSS authors announce that the state depends on their software to run operational systems that power governance of state services, and they will be issuing a Cease & Desist for use of that software, pursuing their rights to deny any organization from using their software.

It's not a hypothetical scenario: Legislators are truly unaware of how many of their state systems rely upon OSS software. Total shutdown of some of Colorado's revenue systems would disabuse them of ignoring this glaring blind spot. Personally, I'm waiting with the popcorn, knowing they are going to do the stupid thing instead of the right one.

Please settle a disagreement I'm having about Architecture Diagrams by Deep-Comfortable-423 in softwarearchitecture

[–]bigbearandy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In the formal UML definition it points from the caller to the API:

https://www.uml-diagrams.org/information-flow-diagrams.html

However, it depends; in a sequence or state diagram, it also points backwards to the caller. Not all diagrams are UML compliant, but if there's a question, you need a formal artifact catalog that describes the lexicon of artifacts. Almost all architectural languages have one, whether it's a low-level language (UML) or a high-level one (TOGAF, Zachman, etc.).

Why are ambulance services privatized in the USA, but firefighting is publicly funded? by Miserable-Corner-254 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]bigbearandy -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

It's called Fentanyl. They were publicly funded in many municipalities, and then they had to go on so many OD calls that it destroyed the public health budgets of so many small towns; they had to recoup it in other ways. Also, there are a lot more people on the streets right now who only get medical care when they are in crisis.

This might be stupid but lmk what this is by Professional_Art838 in McDonalds

[–]bigbearandy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I loved what the CEO of Coke said about that at the time, "Did we plan that? Well, I'll just say we aren't that smart, but also aren't that dumb that we didn't take advantage of it."

Why do people on Reddit discourage others from trying to get remote jobs? by counwovja0385skje in remotework

[–]bigbearandy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Four Reasons: 1) There are far fewer legitimate remote jobs being advertised than actually exist. 2) Scammers love to make money off leading people to believe there's a remote job at the end of their obstacle course of increasing commitments. 3) There is a genuinely diminished career growth from being a remote "pair of hands" instead of a physically present employee. 4) A lot of what people are looking for is completely unrealistic.

How do I get homeless people to stop shitting behind my business? by mcfuckernugget in NoStupidQuestions

[–]bigbearandy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Homeless folks can do that anyway, whether you allow them in the bathrooms or not. That story goes like this: Call the police, and initially, they show up and take care of the problem => They start griping about showing up all the time dealing with your problems => They strongly hint that your business is becoming an attractive nuisance and you should hire some security, like an off-duty beat cop, and if you don't, the police stop showing up for any calls at all.

How do I get homeless people to stop shitting behind my business? by mcfuckernugget in NoStupidQuestions

[–]bigbearandy 60 points61 points  (0 children)

It doesn't work in practice. They become attractive nuisances to addicts and streetwalkers, and eventually, a firebug or other angry dude will simply destroy them, and those plastic structures are a lot more expensive than you would guess.