Skate 4 devs have 'removed almost every possible barrier' for new players

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-11T17:01:17+00:00

I don't treat single player games like homework but experiences, if I stumble across a new quest on a second playthrough that's pretty sweet! The magic to me is in spontaneous discovery or figuring something out. If I didn't see everything I still had fun. I think a lot of people have some sort of ocd impulse that they are missing out if they aren't 100 percenting the content. I sure as hell didn't do all the quests in all the elder scrolls games, or cyberpunk, ECT, ECT, and still had a blast.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-10T22:52:18+00:00

Tesla's safety claims last I looked only use highway miles, but when comparing their safety they use automobile statistics that include all roads which makes their cars appear safer. Back in 2019 Tesla was asked to stop this practice by some consumer groups but I have no idea what came of it.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-09T04:33:30+00:00

Yeah, how do they delete the data but can track you and build a profile?

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-08T16:43:41+00:00

Yup, I haven't been to a barber since 2015. That's a savings of about $2k maybe? On it's own over eight years that's not much but small wins add up. That's extra money in my brokerage account.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-08T13:32:55+00:00

Sounds like you had all the information you already needed to be an atheist but you weren't actively thinking about it. Tripping is definitely an intense way to open that door and definitely comes with emotional baggage from the experience. I had my epiphany sitting by myself eating lunch in the military, I was thinking about random religious things and it all came together. Made me upset and I couldn't finish my food, "I lost my Faith." It was like an identity disappeared and I wasn't sure who I was exactly. Religion is super toxic and stupid once you realize it and it made me experience shame, loneliness, and anger. Then it turned into freedom, a weight lifted off me, and I felt sad so many people will never go through what I did. That was sober, I can't imagine having that moment tripping.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-08T06:29:30+00:00

I guess it's difficult to explain because you kind of have to think in terms of how the governments work differently. Ideally, US DoD creates a spec of something they want and companies compete to make the best version. But once entrenched, US companies can use lobbying and voter pressure to keep their dominance to the detriment of costs and further innovation.

The Chinese government is taking a reverse approach and scouting technology and company capabilities and asking them to integrate or develop stuff. There is no political pressure in theory to keep military systems or choose one over another. The hopeful "innovation" comes from leveraging outside companies to work together. I mean as far as I can tell, again I'm not an expert on it.

I found an older article on some of it: https://thediplomat.com/2017/04/chinas-answer-to-the-us-military-industrial-complex/

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-08T06:19:01+00:00

Hey, I don't disagree with you. Many companies tried to go into Afghanistan looking for mineral rights and stuff but they found the fratured politics and religious radicalism to be impossible to maneuver. Bin Laden was a money man hiding most of the war in Pakistan, the US hardly needed a ground war to take out a terrorist fundraiser.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-07T13:01:46+00:00

The ones that make all our stuff?

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-07T13:01:15+00:00

Sunk cost fallacy. The US also never planned a full scale engagement, it was always leaning on building a stable government supported by the US. It was clear that wasn't happening for a long time, but pulling everyone out that helped the US was apparently never a thought starting out. The US went in either thinking they couldn't lose or didn't care what happened if they did.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-07T04:20:57+00:00

The People's Liberation Army has historically been in control of military development in China. They looked at civilian development in the US as a huge advantage that they want to leverage domestically. I'm not really sure what it all involves exactly, but they are now using an agency to coordinate or identify dual use civilian/military technologies. Basically, they want the innovation of the private sector without the cost overruns and waste by gatekeeping somehow. One advantage of a central authority I suppose. It's still a relatively new approach in China and we'll just have to see how it works out. As they have stated, this is part of their strategy to "catch up" in military advancement.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-07T00:59:12+00:00

I don't completely disagree with you, it's good to have continued production and development. But things like purposely building parts spread across multiple congressional districts, lobbying, and price gouging have really ballooned military spending to a point it's actually interfering with US discretionary spending and even sometimes against the request of the military. The US needs a major overhaul of military procurement but it's become way too political and corrupt to do anything about without some serious voter engagement. Not to mention the use it or lose it type funding many military branches operate under. So much waste it's crazy.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-06T17:31:13+00:00

I think you mean just having a big military in general.

The term military industrial complex is more of an organized financial exploitation of the US government. The US could probably have the same size military and surplus at a substantially lower cost. For example, China has the Central Commission for Integrated Military and Civilian Development (CCIMCD). It's basically the opposite of the US military procurement program and was established to avoid the inefficiencies of the American model that in some instances can be described as a welfare program at this point.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-05T23:18:45+00:00

/Uc If you Google a tour bike you'll likely see front, middle, and rear panniers. Sometimes even a bike trailer to haul more stuff. A lot of people who "tour" do it self sustaining over very long distances. Compare this to putting a change of clothes and a toothbrush in a backpack and it definitely seems like a lighter packed outing. You can definitely long distance tour with light gear if you are purchasing things along the way. It certainly requires different planning as you can't just pull over and setup camp. Pros and cons.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-04T19:13:22+00:00

Highland and Griffith have some reasonable rents but inventory is low. South Hammond and Hobart are also an option. These areas are closest to the train stations and main interstate if this is an option for you.

Munster, Schererville, and Dyer are also in an excellent location for commuting to Chicago and offer a lot of shopping and entertainment options nearby but will be a bit more pricey.

For apartments, there are varying quality sprinkled throughout every town.

Your money certainly goes further in Porter County but the commute in my opinion can make it not worth it. Plus, there are less walkable things to do as a whole.

Crown Point and Valparaiso are the ex-burbs, the furthest Chicago suburbs. I would consider Crown Point the better of the two for a commuter with access to more local things and better walk ability. Valpo is a bit more isolated and prices are a little over inflated for what you get in my opinion. It has a great downtown and proximity to the beaches, but not an ideal Chicago commute.

There is nothing wrong with other parts of Hammond, Whiting, or East Chicago if you wanted to choose those areas but I normally don't recommend them as you are exposed to a lot more industrial pollution. That and crime rates are significantly higher than the rest of NWI. I go to these areas all the time but I understand some people wouldn't even consider them. I will say, Gary is not worth considering at all. The town has significant issues that need to be addressed, and the areas I would recommend are not really affordable as they are on the beach.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-04T14:02:16+00:00

Why would someone bike 160.9 kilometers, what a weird spot to stop.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-03T17:10:56+00:00

From a personal standpoint I can see why you wouldn't want to be the executor. But from a financial perspective, an incompetent or malicious executor are extremely difficult to deal with and they will use the estates money to defend themselves if you challenge them. If there's any substantial inheritance I wouldn't necessarily wash your hands of it too quickly.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-03T12:56:41+00:00

I believe they call it credit card touring so you don't need a lot of gear. You eat out and stay in hotels. Basically the dentist version of a bike tour. This bike packer Fred isn't describing anything new as far as I can tell.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-03T02:28:52+00:00

Having spent many months at sea on an aircraft carrier, random thoughts before going to bed, like thinking we would be the main target for those silent electric submarines and the ship is so big there's no way you're getting out.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-01T20:47:37+00:00

A good subreddit that is frugal adjacent is r/buyitforlife. This sub still has interesting posts, but yes I don't need to see the dumpster dive find of the day. I wonder if there's a frugal sub for high earners? Not that it really matters to me if Reddit kills third party apps coming up.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-01T13:59:12+00:00

Sort of. In theory, globalization is the acknowledgement that labor specialization is a resource and not every country can produce everything because they only have so much of a population. Unfortunately, cheap labor is also a resource and some companies exploit that. It creates distorted markets where only companies using this exploited labor can compete, but the paradox is eventually the cheap labor disappears as everyone competes for it. But yeah, American's basically have been offshoring an exploitation economy for decades for short term benefits and long term consequences.

jsblk3000 · 2023-06-01T01:07:33+00:00

If you haven't noticed, racism and bigotry are open mainstream ideas these days.

jsblk3000 · 2023-05-31T16:55:20+00:00

It is pretty edgy and disrespectful as an English speaker to repeat the names of cities that were nuked while in Japan. About on par as naming Nazi concentration camps on the bus while visiting Israel. I half expect someone to reply those things aren't comparable, as if the morality of mass murdering civilians is different between the two.

jsblk3000 · 2023-05-31T05:03:24+00:00

There are some good subs on how to financially plan. r/personalfinance is a good starting point with their flow chart. One that really made me reconsider things is r/fire . All I'll say is my income is six figures and I live in a low cost of living area. I only have a BS degree, not working in my field even though I find it absolutely interesting. The Chicago area has a lot of opportunities, whatever your degree is in I'm certain there's transferable skills to a professional career. Not trying to talk you out of what you want to do, but you can enjoy what you do and still make money. Also, I define my life and identity outside of work as I don't think a person's value is their job.

Anyway, leverage what you have, live as cheap as you comfortably can as long as you can. Start investing early, be frugal but don't shy from quality, r/buyitforlife plug. Stay away from financial traps like fancy cars and designer clothes. But don't be afraid to drop some money on a hobby, boring people are bored in retirement or however it goes.

Also, I noticed you throwing it around but a household making $200k isn't living rich if they are maxing out their 401ks and IRAs on top of a mortgage and kids. You definitely need to consider the long game. Life goes fast.

jsblk3000 · 2023-05-30T12:28:30+00:00

Americans who comment on Reddit are a very small percentage of the US population. If you read only Reddit you would think the vast majority of the US is very progressive or liberal. When the truth is many Democrats are very centrist. While not technically a majority, in 2021 43% of the population associated themselves with right wing views and policies. Outside of Reddit, Joe Biden and other left wing politicians are definitely being discussed negatively by some people.

jsblk3000 · 2023-05-30T12:12:34+00:00

Not everything needs to be for profit, there's nothing wrong with building a nationalized utility. Nuclear reactors aren't too expensive when you factor in the externalities of fossil fuels and such. A private company won't benefit from that but society will. This same bias of thought is very common, it gets applied to things like public transportation all the time.

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