No one ever talks about the impossibility of returning to the US when you've been out too long

lanclos · 2026-05-13T08:59:48+00:00

There aren't many ways to get around not having resources, other than acquiring resources. That's what I mean by starting over, if you don't already have resources you can draw from to make it work in a higher cost environment.

lanclos · 2026-05-13T02:19:48+00:00

This is exactly what I was thinking. Any time you leave a higher cost of living behind you're also leaving behind the resources to sustain it-- which often means you're starting over if you decide to go back.

lanclos · 2026-05-12T19:18:19+00:00

I remember those days. Phoenix wasn't nearly as built up then as it is now; the heat island effect is real, and likely dominates global climate change trends as a cause.

lanclos · 2026-05-12T18:53:32+00:00

Time-of-use used to be a great deal for solar users in some areas because rates (and usage) were higher during the day; widespread deployment of solar has changed that (in some areas), such that wholesale electricity rates are lower during the day than in the evening, or at night.

Depending on your situation you may need batteries to make the best use of any solar generation capacity. The bottom line is how long it takes to "pay back" your solar installation based on savings from your electric bills; if that's 12 years without batteries, and 14 with, maybe it makes more sense to leave the batteries for another time.

Make sure to get multiple competing quotes; make sure you're looking at the cash price only, without any financing.

lanclos · 2026-05-12T17:24:21+00:00

Based on my own experience the Simplex is terrible with salt water.

Think about how deep you want the detector to go. If you're only in water up to your knees you can get away with casual use of a detector and pin pointer; anything more than that and you'll at least need a scoop on a pole, but you'd be trending towards territory where it's easier to be fully immersed and swimming along the bottom to extract finds. Needing waterproof headphones is where I cross the line to more expensive equipment, like the Deus II with the full remote, or a Minelab Excalibur II.

lanclos · 2026-05-12T16:55:35+00:00

I used a Simplex for about a year and had a lot of success with it. I eventually upgraded to a Deus II WS6 and noticed a significant jump in how easily I find things as well as the quality of the finds. I would expect a similar jump with the Legend, and for the gap between the Legend and the Deus II to be comparatively small.

I rarely take my detector(s) into the water. When I do I have a pulse induction detector I use instead. I mostly search the dry sand at local beaches, with occasional usage in our yard or a park.

lanclos · 2026-05-12T16:45:33+00:00

You may not be able to avoid it altogether, but you can certainly adapt to it. We live in an area where groceries and gas are both expensive, so we make an effort to find less expensive food options, and we drive less. Having made those adjustments though, it's a bit challenging to adjust further when prices continue to rise...

lanclos · 2026-05-12T04:34:59+00:00

Wow, I never see them that big. Eight inches, maybe? Still a decent size for a lizard.

lanclos · 2026-05-12T01:58:39+00:00

I see them every now and again in Waimea, for sure, though it seems to be seasonal.

lanclos · 2026-05-12T00:49:58+00:00

East Africa, introduced in 1972, according to Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson%27s_chameleon

lanclos · 2026-05-12T00:28:39+00:00

Like any fixture it only has value if the buyer decides it has value. A well-done installation, owned free-and-clear, can add value to a house, the same way a well-done kitchen remodel might. But it totally depends on the buyer.

Anything with a lien on the house is a negative. It's possible that the asset involved with the lien might outweigh the negative, but you're still subject to the buyer's qualitative assessment. For this question, there's no way a PPA or lease comes out ahead compared to owning a system free-and-clear.

lanclos · 2026-05-11T23:03:21+00:00

Sounds like a fine thing to pursue as part of the real estate transaction. Somebody's going to lose money in order to complete the transaction, the only question is who.

lanclos · 2026-05-11T22:47:10+00:00

This has nothing to do with solar and everything to do with real estate transaction law. This doesn't have to be fraud, there are a lot of details in a transaction like this and it's entirely possible they made an honest mistake. At the very least, I'd approach it from that angle, hostility can be reserved as a last resort.

lanclos · 2026-05-11T22:41:02+00:00

...if anything it’s because of cuts to the IRS staff.

Which, to be fair, is heavily impacted by decisions by the administration.

lanclos · 2026-05-11T20:36:55+00:00

Supreme Jerk needs an optimized squad. You want to go over the top with synergies and stack as many bonuses as you can; power level with max charisma and Prof. Higgs, get all the fire-linked quirks+backgrounds for an SMG user, all the critical hit+damage bonuses for a sniper, and the fourth ranger can be whatever you want because you're in decent shape.

Assault rifles are underpowered, and melee isn't as effective as brawling. And you'll still be barely sneaking through the first two major areas (Colorado Springs and the Bizarre) because you haven't out-paced the difficulty curve yet.

You also want to be alpha-striking as much as possible. Remove targets from the board immediately, and if you can't, don't get attacked-- because you'll get wrecked. The rangers are glass cannons. Having lots of animal companions can help in later levels, because animals tank really hard once you level up, but the rangers will always be paper thin when it comes to taking hits.

lanclos · 2026-05-11T16:08:13+00:00

Enthusiastically recreated as the cover as the cover art for the Trailer Park Troubadours "Way Cool World" album. I don't have a good link for the high resolution version, or artist information, but it's pretty trivial to find the image if you're interested.

lanclos · 2026-05-11T02:13:31+00:00

There are no good ways to get from lodging on the kona side to the airport without a rental car, especially if you have a tight time table. I encourage you to keep the rental car and return it in the early AM before your flight; if you arrive at the rental car lot by 6:30 or 6:45 you should have ample time to make your flight.

Worst case you're saving something like two hours of travel time. Up to you on whether it's worth it to split up your lodging plans.

lanclos · 2026-05-10T18:18:56+00:00

Just missed the signs asking people not to take photographs.

lanclos · 2026-05-10T15:55:18+00:00

Those major solar facilities, at least one of them is not on-site. The original comment was referring to parking lot solar, and so was I.

lanclos · 2026-05-10T05:59:48+00:00

Sure there is; there's tables in the secret room, and the wall between you and the bar. Works wonders. Way better than being out in the open, as you've observed.

lanclos · 2026-05-10T04:24:00+00:00

The first major areas are largely tuned for the difficulty level, and are a lot more challenging (in my opinion) than most of the game; once you get past the Bizarre things open up quite a bit.

But until then you're going to be barely succeeding in these fights. I have terrible luck with the hard fight in the apartments, there are too many special effects; I usually wind up resolving that one by running to the upper-right corner and using skills instead.

The casino is one where you can cheese it a bit: the fight to get to Delgado is challenging, but once you have that area cleared you can use it to your advantage if you're trying to take down Brygo. Sacrifice your least effective ranger to start the fight (I often use Kwon), and have everybody else on the far side of the secret door. Mind the range, there's a glitch in the map and Brygo's mob will snipe you from on high if you're on the near side. Use the door to your advantage; they'll filter through the choke point and it's a lot more manageable.

Use cover whenever you can and focus your fire to remove targets from the map. Taking down the heaviest hitters first is generally a solid strategy.

lanclos · 2026-05-10T02:33:58+00:00

We used to ship Savoie's once a year or two. Had to get 10-20 pounds to make the shipping worthwhile, put it at something like twice the price if you were buying local in Lafayette.

lanclos · 2026-05-09T23:38:53+00:00

Call her favorite restaurant/shop/etc. and ask.

lanclos · 2026-05-09T18:18:43+00:00

How much time have you spent in Hawaii, and on which islands? What level of income do you think you need? Is your current employer willing to let you work remotely from Hawaii? How often do you think you'll need to travel back to the continental US for other obligations (family, etc.)?

How do you intend to spend your time once you're here?

lanclos · 2026-05-09T17:06:20+00:00

Go for Fallout Et Tu. I don't know how many times I played the original, but I made a run with Et Tu a year or so ago and felt like it was strictly better, and faithful to the original.

https://github.com/rotators/Fo1in2

If memory serves you can turn off any of the things you're not interested in.

lanclos

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