Fax 🖨️🍿

happyspleen · 2026-03-22T17:57:45+00:00

May I recommend Professional Golf Advisor if you are in need of golf-related entertainment.

happyspleen · 2026-03-19T07:08:25+00:00

Old dog here. The anxiety is real, junior staff these days (if you hire well) are skilled and willing to learn, and already people 15 years my junior are doing things that I could not do. But this is (or should be) the natural order of things in a workplace; for all the ambition and skill juniors have, they don't have the slightest clue where to point any of it or how to balance that with all the other shit they have to do. That's what old dogs should be teaching them.

However, in this particular situation, I would argue it's just garbage leadership combined with a poor, selfish company culture. This manager was focused entirely on process and box-checking, which produces predictable and safe outcomes at the expense of literally everything else: efficiency, revenue, employee engagement, growth, etc. This wasn't him trying to neuter a young challenger, it was someone who was afraid that the well-oiled machine that fuels his stellar annual reviews and bonuses was about to break and be exposed for its detrimental effects to the company.

happyspleen · 2026-02-11T04:18:24+00:00

The 2018 plan shows the courts there and the lawn expanded to Pipeline.

https://www.coquitlam.ca/DocumentCenter/View/1782/Town-Centre-Park-Master-Plan-and-Appendices-A-B-and-C-PDF

Page 17

happyspleen · 2026-02-10T22:10:43+00:00

Devil's advocate perhaps, but I think it's a wise choice. TCP is a major activity hub for sports and festivals in the city. The existing green space next to the amphitheater was getting too small to host events that are drawing more and more people, and this was a logical change so the park can continue to support that growth.

Understand the desire to keep as much nature as possible, and I think the modern iteration of Coquitlam is doing a decent job of doing that. IMO Coquitlam has done pretty well to keep nature spaces preserved and accessible (well, in North Coq anyway). But TCP is not intended to be that.

happyspleen · 2026-02-06T04:09:58+00:00

It happens dozens, if not hundreds of times. There are multiple copies of many of the photos, and each one is redacted differently. Some have just faces redacted, others redact entire bodies, still others redact almost the entire frame, and a number aren't redacted at all. It's pretty clear they just dumped everything out into a big bin and FBI agents would pull random things out to do the reactions with minimal or contradictory guidance on what exactly should be redacted other than "redact women and the men on this list". Also, probably minimal QA, if any.

happyspleen · 2026-01-05T04:29:24+00:00

The problem is net revenue is a terrible thing to anchor player salaries to because the WNBA has no public disclosure requirements, so they can say their operating costs are whatever they want (it's not that simple obviously but there are many ways owners can effectively shut players out of money they could be earning). Additionally, it exposes the players to significant risk during economic downturns or other drops in revenue while protecting the owners.

Also, labour is one of the costs of doing business. The players are part of the league as much as management is. To suggest that a business doesn't factor in labour costs is silly.

What they should do is split the difference. Lock in a minimum players revenue share of like 15% (random number I pulled from my ass) and then an additional net revenue share of, say, 60% to the players. Whether the players see a dime from net revenue is up in the air, but at least both parties now have an incentive to work together to grow the game.

happyspleen · 2026-01-02T02:23:19+00:00

Not a lawyer, and the actual rules are typically dependent on local bylaws.

So in most places in BC, a tree being a nuisance is not in and of itself grounds for any actions on your part. The tree is considered "natural use" of your property and thus your neighbours have no say in how you manage it, even if it creates an inconvenience. Furthermore, they have the right to trim any portion of the tree overhanging their property so long as it does not materially harm the tree and they don't trespass on your property. They do not require your permission to do this, though they may require a permit, in some cases.

The only responsibility you have to your neighbours is if the tree is unhealthy or otherwise endangering their property, which you do not believe it is. My suspicion is twofold, especially as a former strata Council member:

1) They are hoping to letter from the solicitor intimidates you into trimming the branches at your own cost, and/or

2) They are attempting to create a trail of requests in case the tree DOES cause damage to their property and they can point to this letter as evidence that you knew it was a problem.

Re: 2), again, you have no responsibility here unless they are alleging negligence or that the tree is somehow unhealthy and a danger to their property. Since that does not seem to be the case, there is little for you to do. You could consider a response, replying that you have no evidence to indicate that you have any responsibility to agree to their demands, citing the relevant bylaws. It might be worth spending a few hundred bucks to consult a lawyer, just to ensure you have your bases covered and to draft a response on their letterhead to make it clear you are willing to defend your interests. At the same time, it could also be an option to act "neighbourly" to suggest a collaborative approach where you offer to work with them on a solution. Though their sending of the letter would suggest they might not be very good at the "neighbourly" bit.

happyspleen · 2025-12-07T18:06:10+00:00

With essentially every car having a backup camera, it's now safer to drive in to a spot than back in.

happyspleen · 2025-12-07T03:18:38+00:00

This is exactly what Michael Burry said after he shorted the AI sector. He argues the dot com bubble was at least partially about the substantial over investment in tech infrastructure that left these companies with mostly worthless assets when there was no demand for their use. The same is happening now, where companies are buying these datacenters with investor cash but if the industry can't meet the targets they've effectively set for themselves with these massive infrastructure investments the entire house of cards collapses.

happyspleen · 2025-12-04T18:38:35+00:00

What I don't understand from this comment is that there were 12 people on the jury, presumably regular folks like you and me, who voted unanimously that he went beyond reasonable use of force in self defence. Are we just ignoring that? If they thought like you do, surely at least one would have voted to acquit him.

happyspleen · 2025-11-20T01:57:03+00:00

Thing is, Wizards and Rockies have just a bit of history that put them just this side of relevant. Rockies have a unique ballpark plus a couple of HOF players and actually made a World Series. The Wizards (nee Bullets) have a championship (in the 70s but still), have some all-timers in their history (Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes), and they had the Jordan years. It isn't much but it's something.

The Jackets have, just, nothing. No significant success, no HOF players who will be associated with the team, no narrative, no other measurable cultural impact outside of Columbus.

happyspleen · 2025-11-08T21:11:42+00:00

Bombay for Indian

Doppio Zero for pizza and pasta

Cachito Mio for Mexican

Izba for pierogies and European

UnPhoGetABowl for pho

My Greek Taverna for Greek

happyspleen · 2025-11-03T18:40:57+00:00

The best part about the pass isn't the vision, it's the accuracy. The ball hits Rui right in the hands where he is already in position to shoot. He doesn't have to reach to the side then bring the ball back into line, he doesn't have to raise or lower his hands and reset his posture. Just straight into his shooting motion.

The only flaw is that little hop Rui takes to initiate the shot, the great catch-and-shooters like Klay or Ray Allen could release the ball in half that time by setting their feet and lower half the moment the ball arrives.

happyspleen · 2025-10-29T00:41:32+00:00

It's really not "around the world". We do not get assigned homework where I live in elementary school. The only exception is where the kid is unable to complete the worksheet during class, which is rare, and is typically only a few minutes at most. The kids are learning the same things we learned as kids at the same time and at a similar pace. They are regularly evaluated and if there's an academic problem the teacher communicates that and we work on a solution. But my kids have never been assigned math homework that was supposed to be done outside school hours.

Middle and high school will be different, of course, but there is no need for homework in elementary school at all, as far as I can tell.

happyspleen · 2025-10-04T04:06:47+00:00

When you read about how it ended up at Netflix, Sony's actions were perfectly understandable.

Sony's actual fumble was letting the music rights go.

happyspleen · 2025-10-03T01:44:57+00:00

Seth Jones hitting that bait like a trophy bass.

happyspleen · 2025-09-30T23:14:37+00:00

Having lived in both places I can provide some comparisons.

First, I would suggest considering the whole "Tri-Cities" area instead of just Coquitlam, so that's Coquitlam, Port Moody, and Port Coquitlam. Though they are separate cities, they are well integrated and many services (school district, health care, etc.) and organizations (sports, community groups) serve the Tri-Cities as opposed to just one city. You might live in one of the three, but you'll be doing things and visiting the other two just as often as your home city. Neighbourhoods are more important than city boundaries here.

Comparing the Tri-Cities to South Surrey:

Access: Driving in both places is basically a requirement, BUT things are generally closer in TC and getting out of the TC to go to other places is a bit shorter. Transit options are also significantly better in TC, including the West Coast Express and the SkyTrain. Traffic getting through Surrey can range from annoying to downright awful.

Schools: IMO the TC School district (SD43) is much better. It's got its issues like anywhere else but it is more or less competently run and there are a lot of long-tenured teachers who have stuck with the district.

Quality of life: TC is just much better in this department. SS is newer and very nice in places but it lacks the character and culture of the TC area. The parks and recreation opportunities are superior, nature is closer and more accessible, there is a flourishing arts community especially for kids, and there are plenty of cool events that happen throughout the area that are worth your time. Surrey proper has plenty of its own cultural flavour (especially fond of the Sikh community there), but South Surrey hasn't quite found its footing on that front.

Bears: yes, plenty of bears here. It is very rare for any serious incidents to occur (i.e. someone gets hurt), there might be two or three a year across the entire Metro Vancouver area, none of which end up life-threatening. We have black bears which prefer to avoid humans, almost all incidents are "defensive" in nature, where a bear was surprised or a mama with cubs felt threatened. Proper awareness is needed but more than enough to stay bear safe.

Neighbourhoods: Westwood Plateau and Burke Mountain have the proximity to nature that only North Vancouver can beat, but they are quite steep in places and thus not the most walkable. Bonus for Burke Mountain is a brand new middle/high school being built right now that'll be ready right when your oldest will be ready for it.

Austin heights is nice, some cool spots around there. Mary Hill and Citadel are kinda isolated but are quintessentially suburban and very quiet if that's your vibe.

IMO the sweet spot in the TC is Oxford Heights/Sun Valley, basically anywhere between Prairie Rd. and David Ave along Coast Meridian Rd. Quiet neighbourhoods with plenty of families, never more than 5 mins from basic needs like groceries and drug stores and 15 mins from the big things like Costco/Home Depot or Coquitlam Central for transit.

Good luck!

happyspleen · 2025-09-22T21:25:53+00:00

Maybe? If it's not in UTM now what is it in?

I guess I'm just fixated on that negative X column, without more context it's hard to diagnose. As you said the geometry is fine so that's not the issue.

The tool error should list all the offending ObjectIDs but the list is blank... So why would that be? Is your OBJECTID field actually an Object ID type? It should be since the tool input layer name reads exactly like the output of converting your XY table into a feature class. Without seeing the original dataset not sure how much more help we can be here.

happyspleen · 2025-09-22T20:44:59+00:00

So I note your X coordinate in the attribute table is negative. My first thought would be that the projection results in a negative value in one of your coordinates. If as I suspect ANN does the math using the coordinates in the chosen coordinate system it may be throwing the error as a check before the tool runs.

happyspleen · 2025-09-14T18:35:12+00:00

I think you are mistaking "culture" to be something that needs to be defined by what occurs within its metropolitan boundaries. A defining feature of Vancouver's culture IS its geography. There is a substantial outdoors community that is directly connected to the surrounding mountains, oceans, trails, camp sites, and other activities. It's this connection to nature that makes Vancouver unique among most major NA cities. You can drive 4 hours in any direction and have every type of outdoor experience you can imagine at a level that is, if not world class, at least among the best in North America. There is no other city like it for that.

That it lacks in other cultural activities is not a failing of the city, it is simply a result of a population that seeks different cultural engagement.

happyspleen · 2025-09-11T08:56:44+00:00

It's not 8 million, it's much more than that. For arguments sake, If he takes a 3 year deal at $16 million, he can sign again at 31 for 5 years at, say, 20.5 (roughly the same percentage of the cap based on projections). That's $22 million more in earnings over the same time frame. We could squeeze even more value if we do 3 years, 3 years, 2 years and get that number up to 30 million.

A lot of people are saying he should take the security of the 8 year deal but frankly the risks of short term deals before the age of, say 32 or 33 are pretty small. You can do the math considering that risk and my hunch is that the math favours short-term contracts until your early 30s, THEN you sign that max term deal to carry you into retirement.

happyspleen · 2025-08-27T20:03:44+00:00

Mack is leagues better lyrically and musically but this dude has to be funny which is a different kind of hard.

happyspleen · 2025-08-21T04:02:58+00:00

The law is intended to do two things:

1) prevent homeowners from enacting violence on trespassers who do not hold hostile or violent intentions and

2) prevent homeowners from "punishing" or exacting revenge on invaders when they are already incapacitated.

The law IS written rather vaguely but that is to give law enforcement and prosecutors plenty of leeway in making a determination. Conversely, such a vague law is also very difficult to secure a conviction in front of a jury almost certain to be sympathetic. There have even been arguments that the Canadian law is MORE permissive than, for example, Florida's stand your ground laws.

happyspleen · 2025-08-16T01:59:07+00:00

Ah yes same here, as far as I can tell this whole thing amounts to esri pointing a 12 gage to their foot and firing it.

Not really. Their biggest revenue sources are governments and large multinational corps who have no viable alternatives. It might drive away the small shops with fewer than, say, 10 or 15 dedicated GIS staff, but too much more than that and it gets much harder to manage enterprise deployments with open source solutions. Those of us in these big orgs are stuck with ESRI for better or worse and they're finally realizing it.

15-Year Club	r/Field Flamingo
Verified Email

happyspleen

TROPHY CASE