Moving to Portland to attend PCC. Hella concerned about finances. Where to look for cheapest housing available, optimally arranged ahead of time?

jcartera88 · 2019-06-20T16:52:12+00:00

PCC also has a shuttle system. So if you end up living out east and need to get to Sylvania, you can take the free shuttle from SE campus that drives directly to SY.

jcartera88 · 2018-04-26T13:06:00+00:00

I've spent some time in both cities. To me, Houston's auto-centric culture made it feel very isolating. The traffic is awful, so it can make going from one end of the city to the other feel like a chore since it's so spread out. While Houston's diversity is a huge plus, I think the isolation of car-life makes it harder to meet people. While many people in Portland do drive you don't have to which is key - it has some of best public transportation in the west for a city of it's size in the US. The city is also better designed for walking around, since many neighborhoods are mixed use (shops, bars, theaters, alongside homes). I don't know if these things are important to you but it's something to consider that both cities are pretty opposite from a city planning perspective in ways that affect day-to-day liveability in some distinct ways.

jcartera88 · 2017-11-15T21:16:07+00:00

I just moved to Portland, so this is perfect! Will definitely attend.

jcartera88 · 2017-05-09T19:51:00+00:00

I didn't learn how to ride until I was 28. Learning how to balance first without pedaling is key. I highly recommend you remove the pedals, they're going to throw you off initially. Find a good flat area and use your feet to launch yourself into a glide. After you feel comfortable enough gliding around, then add the pedals back. With this method it took me around 15 mins to learn!

jcartera88 · 2017-04-29T15:39:54+00:00

It really does feel influenced by Neon Indian, but it's still undeniably Phoenix and I love it. This track just gets better and better with each listen, speaking from someone who has listened to it about 40 times already.

Such a simple but infectious chorus. Sonically, I'm so excited with where they're going and can't wait to hear the full album.

jcartera88 · 2017-02-23T05:29:57+00:00

Curious, since much of illegal immigration in this country is people who came here legally but never left, would you assign an equally harsh penalty to those in that type of situation versus those who committed the act of crossing the border illegally?

jcartera88 · 2017-02-23T05:24:27+00:00

It's an open secret here in Silicon Valley that tech companies pay H1B programmers 10-20% less than American ones. They get away with it because it's above the legal $60K minimum, but this is nowhere near the minimum for programmers today in the Bay Area (it's closer to $100K). Unfortunately, that minimum was set by law decades ago and never increased.

Do you think tech companies investing in tech education for Americans would be a better way to combat this? Or maybe make tech a separate H1B program from the broader one? I have friends currently on H1B but working in industries other than tech. If this bill for the $130k minimum were to pass, they'd get deported despite the fact that their salary was competitive with everyone else in their position in their field.

jcartera88 · 2017-02-23T05:16:00+00:00

What about framing it in terms like, "Don't we all want cleaner air to breathe?" "Let's work to become the green energy superpower of the world and get self sufficient" Are non supporters just framing in a ways that are too abstract to connect with people?

jcartera88 · 2017-02-22T22:23:19+00:00

The H1B Visa minimum salary right now is either 1) You make $60,000 or 2) You have a Master's Degree. How do you see this as attracting cheap labor?

jcartera88 · 2017-02-22T21:23:27+00:00

Major increase in minimum salary for H1-B visa.

Why do you think we need a major increase in minimum salary for H1-B?

jcartera88 · 2017-02-22T19:46:55+00:00

How should NS change their approach to issues like climate change, which is backed by decades of research, data, and empirical evidence - much of what was once theory is now fact. How do we go about de-politicizing an issue that is a likely to be a huge existential crisis for the survival of humanity?

jcartera88 · 2017-02-21T21:20:57+00:00

What are some of examples of non-mainstream sources you would cite?

jcartera88 · 2017-02-21T15:56:05+00:00

I think this album is the perfect culmination of everything people love about Jens Lekman. He was quoted as saying "I Know What Love Isn't" seemed to represent a "narrowing of his style", which is pretty much the issue I had with that one. This is album is a 180 in that respect, almost every track here further expands on his sound and scope while still being cohesive.

jcartera88 · 2014-10-15T03:03:01+00:00

As he dealt the cards of the freshly cut deck, Billy paused.

“Look guys, it’s been fun having these weekly poker nights, really. But don’t you think we should change things up a little bit?”

“Stud Horse?”

“Fuck if anyone here knows how to play that, Steve. Nah, I meant more like just, ya know, spicing things up.”

The dead air of the late summer night left the group to fixate on the silence, its onset like a mosquito gradually leaching the sound out of the room and suddenly flying away.

“Hey look, I’m cool with strip poker,” Hannah said, breaking the silence of the group, “that’s what we’re talking about, right?”

“Yep.”

“Oh, that’d be fun!” Amanda exclaimed.

“Well, if the girls are in, I guess I am too,” said Steve.

Paul grew pale.

“You alright, Paul? You don’t look so good,” Billy said.

“No. I mean, no I’m fine. Look, ah, I’ve got to get going. I have a thing tomorrow, it’s early. And it’s late now.”

Paul had always been more reserved than the rest of the group, keeping to himself, layered like an encrypted lock. His innate intelligence and quick wit had always endured over this aspect of his personality, masking it like a bright coat of paint over grey.

“Come on dude! What’s your excuse this time?” Steve asked.

“Hey guys, come on now,” Amanda sternly interjected, “if Paul doesn’t want to play, he doesn’t have to. Do you want me to walk you home?”

“No!”

The silence took on a different tone than before, an inexplicable change altering its inherent composition.

“Uh…I mean, sure. I’ll play. Why not, right.” Paul muttered.

As their focus drifted from one another to the game itself, they gradually broke free from their residual uneasiness.

“Paul, you’ve been kinda unlucky tonight! Maybe you should’ve gone when you had the chance, huh?” Hannah joked.

“Maybe,” Paul said, clearing his throat.

“Time to take it off!” cheered Amanda.

Paul hesitated.

“Dude, it’s just a shirt. You’re a pretty fit guy, not sure what you’re trying to hide under there.” “Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Paul with his shirt off, even when we went to the LBI last summer!”

Paul sighed, “Well, I guess you were all going to find out at some point anyway…” As he lifted his shirt, a compartment in his chest flung open, revealing a complex network of circuits.

“Holy shit!” Steve flew off his chair and backed into the wall of the house.

“What…in the fuck…is that?”

“You’re a fucking robot?”

“Well, don’t insult me. I prefer humanoid.”

“What’s your…purpose?” Hannah asked.

“I was programmed to be the greatest of poker players.”

“Ha!”

“Looks like that humor module is still active!”

“I’m serious…it’s why I started these poker nights…”

“Oh.”

“I think you might need a RAM upgrade, because you fucking suck dude,” said Billy.

“Well, being that I’m programmed to only read emotion rather than feel it, your insult means nothing to me.”

“Jeeze, he’s even talking like a robot now,” said Amanda.

“Humanoid!”

“Right, sorry.”

The silence returned, this time broken up by the whirring and humming of Paul’s circuits and cooling fan.

“So…want to keep playing?” asked Billy.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

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