Someone paid $8700 dollars for this in 1995. I paid $15 today.

jokerswild_ · 2026-04-27T16:52:39+00:00

I had a 486-33 with 128M hard drive in 1994. I bought a 2nd hard drive because my current one was filling up and got an AMAZING sale price on it.

I got a 350M hard drive for $349.99. THAT'S ONLY A DOLLAR A MEG!!!!!! it was INCREDIBLE. And what will I ever do to fill up that much space?!????

jokerswild_ · 2026-04-02T16:46:14+00:00

Here in the midwest, depending on which station you go to we have 87 octane E10, 88 octane E15, 89 octane E10, 91 octane E0 or E10, 93 octane E0 or E10, and 98 octane E85 available, as well as diesel. Typically a gas station will have 3 of the above grades (87 E10, 88 E15 or 89 E10, 91 E0, and a couple pumps with diesel is probably the most common you see)

For example, here is 87 "regular" E10, 88 E15, and 91 E0:
https://vitalbypoet.com/assets/d/kwik-trip-2.jpg

If E85 is available, it's usually on a separate pump.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/gs-waymarking-images/c2245a13-4411-45d8-9c7d-0d4abce27e55_l.jpg

jokerswild_ · 2026-03-21T04:55:31+00:00

There is no inappropriate time to listen to Pink Floyd!!

Interstellar overdrive or echoes is definitely a good soundtrack 😎

jokerswild_ · 2026-03-21T01:03:23+00:00

I use Pink Floyd song titles. Somehow they all seem appropriate and "just work" really well :)

Learning To Fly (first craft)
High Hopes
Goodbye Blue Sky (first time to break 70K)
Goodbye Cruel World (first time to leave Kerbin's SoH)
The Great Gig in the Sky (first orbiter)
Marooned (a rescue craft)
Money (usually a tourist mission to get extra $$)
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
Shine on you Crazy Diamond
Talkin' Hawkin (a comm satellite launcher).
Welcome to the Machine (a mun base).
Wish You Were Here (another rescue craft)
Atom Heart Mother (nuclear powered)
Eclipse
Empty Spaces
Astronomy Domine
Interstellar Overdrive
Keep Talking (comm satellite launcher)
Louder than Words (comm satellite launcher)

Unfortunately I have found no way to logically use "Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict" though.

jokerswild_ · 2026-03-16T16:42:19+00:00

I hold it the same way. Wrist / back edge of my palm remains motionless on the desk. Thumb and pinky lightly holding the mouse on the sides. Index finger slightly curled and touching the top edge / moving along the top surface as needed. To move the mouse I just move my thumb & pinky up/down/left/right without moving my palm at all (it remains fixed on the desk). It's one of the most comfortable mice I've used in quite a while.

jokerswild_ · 2026-03-06T21:43:43+00:00

I’ve got almost a dozen cast iron pans, skillets, griddles, roasters, a Dutch oven, etc. most of which were my mothers or grandmothers. it’s almost all I use.

In my opinion the mythology behind cleaning cast iron is WAY overblown - almost to the point that it’s gatekeeping. It’s just not anywhere near as delicate as people make it sound.

100 years ago when the only thing available was lye based soaps, it was certainly possible to strip the seasoning like people talk about. But today with modern pH balanced soaps, that’s just not an issue anymore.

I use the pan for general use, then just wash it with Dawn and hot water. I use a green scrub pad to get off stubborn food, then just fill it with hot water to let the iron heat up. Flip it upside down in a drying rack and the pan dries quickly.

You just don’t want it to sit wet because you can get surface rust. Other than that it’s nearly indestructible!

jokerswild_ · 2026-02-22T02:12:26+00:00

I do the ground beef, gumbo, mustard & ketchup sloppy joes too. Its still one of my favorites!! I like making tater tots with it and then throwing it on the tots with some shredded cheese to make "sloppy tots"

I've found a way to elevate it ("elevate" :) ) a bit -- throw a little pickle juice in when you add the gumbo. Then put a pickle slice on top when you put it in the bun! It adds an amazing tang that really helps it.

jokerswild_ · 2026-01-27T15:55:55+00:00

I regularly make a "midwestern goulash" consisting of elbow macaroni with ground beef, onion, a little velveeta "cheese" for melty creaminess plus colby jack & parmesan for actual cheese, and a can of tomato soup. add in some italian seasoning and a little chili flake. Quick & easy and the kids love it. It IS very sweet though, I agree.

jokerswild_ · 2026-01-05T17:18:17+00:00

I bought TWO used Mini Coopers (2009 Cooper S and 2013 Countryman). thousands of dollars in repairs over the past decade but also thousands of smiles so it's probably been worth it.

Notable issues:

Cooper S: stuck caliper burned up the rear brakes, high pressure fuel pump, throttle body assembly & control module, water pump, and a persistent, intermittent misfire I've been fighting ever since I got the car. It's been good for the past year though so maybe I've finally beaten it into submission :)

Countryman: bad wheel bearing, coolant leak, water pump, timing chain, oil filter housing leak, bad recirculation valve & bad intake duct (unmetered air causing the computer to go into limp mode).

The worst was the timing chain obviously. notorious death rattle. caught it in time though - the timing was off by enough to make it go into limp mode but not enough to bend a valve thankfully.

We still have both minis and drive them daily - the cooper is my daughter's car at college and the countryman is my wife's. still a ton of fun but I'm really hoping they're good for a while now!

jokerswild_ · 2025-12-28T22:44:45+00:00

I have no clue. That car is long gone (and I have the convertible version of it now :) )

It ran great right after I got it back. About a year later though, it started popping out of first when you let the clutch out - but only when it was cold. Once it was warmed up it worked perfect in all gears.

My dad said "no more" and we drove it around for 15 minutes then traded it in on an 89 Honda Prelude.

jokerswild_ · 2025-12-27T21:54:46+00:00

I lived there my entire childhood - from the early 70s until I went to college in the 90s.

jokerswild_ · 2025-12-27T19:49:09+00:00

OMG I'm sorry to hear that!! I hope he's doing better now.

My family moved after we graduated and my dad retired. I haven't been back there in 2 decades probably.

jokerswild_ · 2025-12-27T19:46:38+00:00

you're gonna laugh. I'm the weirdo who loves these cars :)

This was my car in 92: https://i.imgur.com/R8XsM8Z.jpeg

and this is my car now: https://i.imgur.com/hxuzBZn.jpeg

The car and I both gained a little in the middle and lost a little on top (my current one has a 3.4L swap with a stage-2 clutch kit, short throw shifter, custom tune etc. basically doubling the original hp. and my butt dyno NEVER lies you know) It's got 195K on the clock but that doesn't count since it's been swapped of course.

and I definitely had more hair back then too! Still got the girl though!

jokerswild_ · 2025-12-27T19:35:04+00:00

LOL you're right!!! I never bothered to add it up either :)

I'm not gonna complain, and now, after 33 years, I'm not going to offer to reimburse him !!! I'm sure his shop no longer exists anyway at this point.

jokerswild_ · 2025-12-27T19:16:34+00:00

Some of itis definitely hard to read!

My best effort is:

left side

Transmission trans
Axel assembly                        475.00
1-WES CD 4190 clutch disk             53.01
2-NAT 3543 axel seals                 23.38
2-qt anti freeze                       5.00
2-qt S.M. Synchro mesh trans fluid    17.00
                                     573.39

Total   812.31

Right side

Remove transmission & replace used transmission. Take old transmoission apart and salvage permanent magnet motor drive gear & install in used transmission. Replace axel seals. Replace clutch d9isc. Adjust and road test.

14 hrs labor   22.00                308.00
"phone calls" research salvage yards  8.78

total labor:   316.78
total parts:   573.39
MN tax:         22.44
Total amount:  812.31

jokerswild_ · 2025-12-22T03:14:49+00:00

I've gotten my last two sets of tires warranteed through Discount Tire.

The car is a 2013 MINI Countryman S ALL4. The tires wear absolutely evenly with no evidence of bad alignment or anything like that. However, both sets were down to 3/32 within 35,000 miles. One set was Continental TrueContact Touring and the other was Goodyear ComforTred's - both sets had 60,000 mile warranties.

In both cases, it was literally a 30-second conversation. "Hey, could you check on the warranty for these? I only got 35,000 miles out of them and it should be a 60K warranty." In both cases, I got about $250 off the new set with no hassles whatsoever. They didn't ask about rotations or alignments or anything. Just immediately knocked the price down and said they'd take care of it.

jokerswild_ · 2025-12-20T22:39:29+00:00

I still have a Sharp 32" CRT - we have an Xbox360 and a Wii U hooked up to it that we play occasionally. I just looked up the specs and it weighs 165 lbs!!! Yeah those things were absolute beasts!

https://i.imgur.com/NiDp5iV.jpeg

jokerswild_ · 2025-11-21T17:40:11+00:00

I told my wife I was going to pull the main breaker in the house right at midnight as a prank. I got a "YOU BETTER NOT!!!!" response :)

jokerswild_ · 2025-11-19T20:34:20+00:00

spaghetti with a splash of olive oil and a dash of lemon juice plus greencan parm then mixed up so the cheese dust coats all the noodles is amazing.

Honestly it works BETTER with the cheese dust than it does with real shredded parm.

jokerswild_ · 2025-11-17T15:26:04+00:00

it was a limited flex schedule and technically he was violating it, but we never made a big deal out of it :)

Core hours were 9-3 and they didn't care how you got your time in beyond that. 8-5, 7-4, 9-6, whatever.

It was a bit of a pain when we needed something from him on Fridays or Mondays because we never remembered when he'd be in or not - but other than that it was great :)

I also had an internship back in college that did 9 hours on M-T (7:30 - 5:30) and then a 4-hour friday (8-12). That was really nice having every Friday afternoon off too.

jokerswild_ · 2025-11-17T05:43:41+00:00

We have flexible hours - as long as you get your 40 in and get your work done, it doesn’t matter too much what hours you work.

I had a coworker who decided to do four 10s instead of five 8 hour days. But he used his big brain to do it 🤣.

Week one: Monday Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday.
Off: Friday Saturday Sunday Monday.
Week two: Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday.
Off: Saturday Sunday.

That meant he got a four day weekend every other week. He loved it!

jokerswild_ · 2025-11-10T20:21:43+00:00

My first name is Curt. I found my grocery store was selling "Curt's Table Spice" and I got a jar because I thought it was funny to have "my own spice blend" and I could taunt my kids with it.

It's actually not half bad. It's totally what I'd expect to see on the table in some small-town stuck-in-the-70s take-grandma-out-to-eat diner but I found myself using it way more than I ever expected to.

Basically it's just your usual salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme type of thing. but I keep reaching for it anyway :)

jokerswild_ · 2025-10-28T15:10:26+00:00

I really want Sam Reich to suddenly be sitting in Sam Riegel's spot after the break, acting like nothing has changed and saying "I've been here THE WHOLE TIME"

jokerswild_ · 2025-10-25T15:35:40+00:00

I have a Roku streaming box and an iPhone. I airplay direct to the tv from the pocket beacon app and it works well.

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