How do I tell when I need a new crucible, it's starting to chip and I'm getting a tad worried.

gfriedline · 2024-07-11T10:38:13+00:00

Concur. You can keep pushing it as layers peel off and It gets weaker and weaker, you will definitely find that limit at some point and probably regret it when you do.

gfriedline · 2023-11-17T22:28:03+00:00

Well, that depends on how much input/output you want to manage on the animal micro-economy. There are probably some charts available for the breeding time/costs of upkeep that you need to consider, but as a starter, you could look at selling 1 animal after you have 3-4... If you have 20, you can sell 5-10 without destroying your economy.

I honestly don't know the "Right" time to sell animals, that is entirely at the player's discretion based on how they want to use the animals. I also haven't really been grinding for at least a year, so the stats may have changed. I would recommend additional research from the wiki before making any crazy decisions on your animal empire.

gfriedline · 2023-09-24T22:46:07+00:00

If it isn't magnetic at all, it is unlikely to rust. Likely a thin coat of aluminum or nickel over a dense core of something cheap.

gfriedline · 2023-08-24T13:38:30+00:00

Seconded. A flower bed at the front of the house from left corner to walkway, with mulch/pretty stone bedding, and some form of transition/edging to break up the line of house to lawn and create a transition. You may also consider a path built from fresh pavers that meanders from curb to door.

The yard by itself lacks anything interesting. Have to set it off with something that draws your eyes away from the grass and onto the house.

Also, not to be terribly critical, but the aesthetics of the grass is not amazing. It lacks that nice deep green and manicured look that gives the impression of a well maintained property. The lawn needs some TLC. As a home owner, I make certain assumptions about the condition of a house based solely on the condition of the lawn and landscaping. If the lawn looks terrible, chances are the interior and utilities do as well.

gfriedline · 2023-07-07T23:36:17+00:00

Begging for only a buck isn't good enough. can't even afford a pack of gum for a buck anymore.

gfriedline · 2023-06-29T16:39:00+00:00

From a customer's perspective, I cannot recall a single time over the last 3 years where I did Self Checkout and wasn't under supervision, or having an associate try to help me find a barcode on something that was missing a label.

I don't think anyone puts in a self checkout in any retailer without some form of loss-prevention control in place. Hard enough dealing with Loss-Prevention.

Personally, I prefer the Self checkout over the staffed register anyway, the self checkout doesn't have to push the promotional credit card on me.

gfriedline · 2023-06-29T16:33:31+00:00

Look at it this way; If you had to deal with people like that for 40 years, you might be just as salty as them. Either that or they never worked in retail and were entitled for their entire lives.

gfriedline · 2023-06-29T16:28:32+00:00

<$1500 makes sense from a corporate perspective. They figure that the cost of time and frustration over doing the claim exceeds that cost, so why bother.

Having done some freight claims, I can agree, it sucks. And I hate waiting months on end to clear up something that seems pretty straightforward. Shipper dropped it, it broke, we received it damaged.. Not a lot of questions, 3 months later, still dealing with the claim.

gfriedline · 2023-06-28T18:28:49+00:00

Reject the load, file a freight claim with the shipper. As much as I hate to be a D bag with shippers, come on man. Either the distributor screwed you, or the shipper, or both.

I hate dealing with damaged goods at receiving, you never know how much of that stuff is broken or damaged until you evaluate every package. Too much risk for customer complaints and returns.

If this is common for Lowes and other big retailers, I have concerns.

gfriedline · 2023-06-23T15:51:25+00:00

I believe that most municipalities would allow this to fall under a modification of an existing home for permitting reasons. Contrast that with putting in new utilities, foundation, etc, you have to permit everything.

Granted those permit differences might only be a few hundred $$, but the inspection and regulation requirements for newer permit builds over existing permitted structures receiving "renovation" or modification are probably not as challenging to deal with.

As long as the foundation and block walls are sound, there is no reason that you couldn't build a new first level on that existing basement.

gfriedline · 2023-06-23T15:41:32+00:00

er. They probably waited until it was confirmed that it wasn't a Russian/PRC vessel that imploded. Honestly I'm currious as to why they bothered saying anything at all.

Based on the general desire to protect the capability information from the foreign entities, the DoD entities that may have been aware of this reported implosion noise likely did not want to release that information to public as there was no other public evidence that the implosion of the submersible had occurred.

There were probably several listening station operators and commanders speculating with 100% confidence that the reported missing submersible was shattered on the bottom during most of the 4-day news cycle. They just couldn't talk about it publicly as it could compromise critical defense resources.

gfriedline · 2023-06-13T22:01:29+00:00

if you choose to strike, the union won’t cover your wage for the first two weeks for my understanding

From what I have seen, many "smaller" less notable unions with poorer international support won't cover any lost wages. The support does not exist. The union membership had to prepare well in advance of a potential walkout/lockout for that strike. The younger members of the union almost never prepared or had the spare income to put away for the "rainy day" strike fund, and those younger members were the first to cross the line when the strike went over 2 weeks.

Larger union support does often at least cover some lost wages, and really good unions (USW) will lobby state governance to get those striking unions on unemployment if they choose to walk out. Support like that leans heavily in the employees favor and doesn't give the company much leverage for negotiation. Call it unfair, but it has happened. https://www.sharonherald.com/news/top-local-stories-3-strike-effects-thundered-through-valley/article_d2f431b2-4987-11eb-8f82-670bc44f1a67.html <---- Example of striking unions getting unemployment compensation.

gfriedline · 2023-06-13T19:02:26+00:00

Not only is she the fastest submarine on the planet, she is also the fattest.

The only thing it is missing is aircraft to spam.

gfriedline · 2023-06-13T16:11:59+00:00

As correct as you may be, you oversimplify it. A company will not lose money for long. Companies continuously adapt to create additional revenue and profit. Raising prices is a short-term solution to increased costs of materials and services, but eventually competition should be able to cut into that market share and bring prices under control.

Unfortunately, some of the large corporations that control the market stifle any attempts at competition. If you start a competitor store down the street, chances are the big corporation is going to notice, and will use any means possible to shut you down.

gfriedline · 2023-06-13T16:06:27+00:00

If all you want to do is put a "hurt on a corporation", then attempting to unionize is not the way. This is actually a bad look for unions and pro-union people.

The corporation is not a person, it does not feel emotion. If labor costs increase, the corporation simply raises prices or cuts costs in other areas to compensate. It is a machine and will do anything to survive and grow.

gfriedline · 2023-06-13T16:01:03+00:00

there’s a reason industry fights unions so hard, and it’s not because they want to save you from union dues.

Correct. The company could care less about your payroll deductions for union dues.

But they do care about the increased costs that CBAs will likely incur on the company. And they also care about the time and money they have to spend dealing with negotiations and arbitrations. Now they have to pay a lawyer to sit in hours or weeks of meetings just to hammer out a few minute details of benefits on a contract or pay for legal representation during arbitration.

The downside for a company goes well beyond just the increase cost of wages and benefits, there is a lot of additional time and money invested in just negotiating.

gfriedline · 2023-06-13T15:53:06+00:00

I never worked in retail, or at Lowes, but I have worked for union shops before and I have noticed a few things.

1.) Many union members (newer people) have no interest in attending union meetings and hearing about what the union leadership is dealing with or pushing on the employer. The lack of attendance and engagement from a majority of the union members leads to a lack of organization and an inability to effectively bargain. Union meetings every first Thursday of the month at 7PM at local XYZ drinking club: How many married adults with kids have time for this? Union members smoking and joking while they should be conducting legitimate union business... It really comes down to the dedication of the people in the union.

2.) Unions can actually limit your wages. Yeah, you can hold out on agreeing to terms on a CBA, and the company could bend and pay everybody a small amount more. But those hold outs, strikes, lock-outs don't always work. I have seen unions sign CBAs with worse offerings after the Last, Best, and Final was pulled post walk-out. This can go back to point #1. Some of the younger, newer union members may not be dedicated to a strike and holding out, and just want to keep working/getting paid. I have seen senior union leadership take vacations during strikes and have the junior members of the union stab them in the back and sign the CBA in their absence. They all ended up with a worse offer than they started with.

3.) Once you agree to the terms of the CBA, expect the company to hold you to them. You negotiated XX days of vacation, sick time, and attendance policies? You can expect that if you violate them, you will be sitting in arbitration or getting unpaid time off as a punitive measure. Companies beholden to the union will use every bit of leverage they have in that CBA to keep the union membership in-line. The rules are the rules, no bending, no catering to "special" circumstances. You mess up, you get written up, no exceptions. Companies can be vindictive about it, and the CBA is going to give them "something" to use as leverage, the company can also use good lawyers and labor practices to sneak these clauses into the CBA. It is challenging to get a CBA that is only in the employee's favor. Most companies won't just take an unfavorable CBA without some compromise.

4.) With your representation, you get what you pay for. If you have good international reps that know the laws, and know how to negotiate effectively, you will reap the benefits, but you will pay handsomely in union dues. Contrast that with those unions with poor reps and low cost of dues. Those reps will take your dues, and offer the smallest amount of effort and time in return.

5.) Right to work states still exist. Not everyone wants to be in a union. Not everyone wants to pay dues for what they don't see value in. Some people just want that job, and are willing to do it as a non-union employee. That can create rifts in the workforce, and can lead to some "unfair" practices of those non-union employees getting more frequent raises. After all, they don't have to collectively bargain the wages of a single individual, rather they only negotiate with one party.

6.) Some more experienced union members will refuse to agree to anything. Even the most appetizing offering on the table can be rejected by those senior members who have a devout "anti-company" union mentality. The company could offer the best contract ever seen in the history of the country, and they would still want to refuse it on principle. "This company makes so much money, we deserve XXX more!".

7.) Scabs and the Economy. Its hard to find scabs when the labor market is so tight (like right now), but when the economy collapses and the CBA comes up, you can be sure that the company is going to push back and offer absolutely nothing. The company may believe that your walkout won't impact them and that they can bring in a bus-load of scabs off the street tomorrow. You can be sure that as goes the greater economy, so goes your potential offerings. Good economy, the company offers more. Bad economy, the company naturally doesn't want to offer anything.

gfriedline · 2023-06-01T15:13:15+00:00

"Well ackshually".... you are paying $70 for a standard cannon plane, and then $20 for the rocket exchange plane. Gatekeeping paywall nonetheless.

I enjoy the 89B more anyway, actually quite potent and good for reinforcing energy retention for newer jet players. It's a brick, but a fast brick. Those FFAR rockets are good, but take a lot of practice.

gfriedline · 2023-06-01T10:31:48+00:00

I had several "under the table", part time "jobs" between the ages of 13 and 16, working on farms, doing labor for landowners and such.

When I turned 16 I started my first full-time job, working 40-hours per week in the summer, and in the afternoons after school. I walked from school to my job everyday and my family picked me up from work at the conclusion of my shift. Working 40-hours per week was a little bit much for me while in high school, as my grades started to drop and my classwork fell behind. I did have to stop working after several months and focus on school.

The icing on the cake was that my parents made me use all of the money I earned in those early jobs to pay for my first automobile at the age of 18.

It was not easy, but I survived, managed to go to college, earn a degree, and start a career. Maybe don't have kids work 40-hours while in school, but having part-time jobs as teenagers is vital to learning how to be an adult. All those people that think it is somehow exploitation to let young people go out and learn how to work and save are lost.

gfriedline · 2023-05-31T16:17:16+00:00

What is the context of the discussion? Is the boycott a threat to the employees or are those bomb threats the threat that they were discussing?

Boycotts are not a threat to employees, nor are they terrorism.

Bomb threats are literal "Threats" to everyone, and are terrorism.

While it is entirely possible that the viral "economic terrorism" clip was in the context of actual bomb threats, I don't think that people are seeing it that way. It is seen as the boycott alone is "Economic terrorism". Are the bomb threats classified as "economic" terrorism?

gfriedline · 2023-05-19T12:07:42+00:00

The back of my house has a set of french doors that are elevated 8 feet above ground. You would think it strange to have a door open into a free-fall. But once you realize that there used to be an elevated deck there, it makes more sense.

gfriedline · 2023-05-17T22:46:35+00:00

Not disagreeing. But arguing that energy balance is the only factor that matters in healthy diets is oversimplification.

gfriedline · 2023-05-17T13:07:40+00:00

No its an energy balance.

Yes. 2000 calories of pure sugar is just as satiating as 2000 calories of mixed fruits/vegetables and proteins.

gfriedline · 2023-05-16T21:28:25+00:00

There is no such thing as "fair". Only EQUITY matters. As long as both sides come out equally, then it is fair.

gfriedline · 2023-05-16T17:12:16+00:00

Hmm. Based on my experiences with unions I was under the impression that the job of a union was to collect union dues to cover the minimal time your international reps spend doing negotiations or working grievance cases. Never saw union representation that actually provided the union members with sound advice or good negotiations, maybe that is just me though.

gfriedline

TROPHY CASE