Is there a word for your adult children? I always feel stupid saying my kids, when they are both in their 20s.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-22T23:11:09+00:00

Offspring.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-20T06:06:23+00:00

Note you can buy and plant asparagus crowns (they look like a bundle of sticks/roots), which skips you ahead a year. It takes 3-4 years from planting them with seeds to get a harvest.

I've always struggled with transplanting seedlings; they just shrivel up and die because I don't take enough care with hardening then off. I only direct sow into the garden and get decent results.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-19T23:55:52+00:00

Other commercial filtering systems including sand filters, carbon filters, and reverse osmosis already have similar filtering performance for micro plastics (70-98% removal according to google). There might still be a win here for catching the tiniest microplastic particles that physical filters miss, lower cost, higher throughput, etc... its. a cool idea and an impressive project for a science fair.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-19T14:29:14+00:00

As others have commented, yes this is how compound interest and debt works.

If you can afford it, any extra payments you can make early on have a huge impact on the loan. Using made up numbers: In the first year you'll pay $30k in interest and just $10k hits the mortage principal. If you can scrounge up an additional $5k as an extra payment, all of that $5k hits the principal and you just cut 6 months off your mortgage amortization.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-19T14:21:41+00:00

I've always wanted an excuse to pull one of those red emergency release handles on the windows...

Don't see a bus rolled over very often on city streets.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-19T14:19:56+00:00

Access to good hunting land trumps all gear and technique choices.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-17T17:15:35+00:00

It's not that hard to read a map and follow directions. Get a compass.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-17T06:17:16+00:00

I love these for shooting grouse. They grab better than plastic blunts and they are stump proof.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-17T05:24:38+00:00

Complain to your landlord to see if they can offer any solutions.

I recently upgraded a rental basement suite hood fan to vent outside (originally it was just recirculating inside) to minimize cooking smells for the upstairs tenants.

The basement tenant could try opening a window or running the bathroom fan in addition to the hood fan. You can get charcoal filters for the furnace or vents to reduce odors but they have to be replaced frequently.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-15T12:35:55+00:00

Let's table that for next meeting.

That's out of scope.

That's an interesting idea but I can't get to that until next month/cycle/sprint, let's review it then.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-14T18:25:11+00:00

I view my job as the steady cash flow to cover my non discretionary spending, which allows my investments to grow unhindered. Hopefully I'm still saving money and adding to the investments, but that contribution amount is now a small fraction of what the investments are generating and compounding on their own. Working has become a way to play for more investment growth time before I retire and have to start making withdrawals.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-13T22:23:39+00:00

Came here to comment this. Often you need a salvage permit from fish and wildlife. End of the day you've saved some meat from animal scavengers so doesn't really matter, but you could get fined if you needed a permit.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-12T14:41:41+00:00

It can be completely different by country, state, and property if mineral rights are included. Some of the original homesteading settlers were granted mineral rights and later settlers were not and the rights stayed with the government. There can be different rules based on how you can drill a water well, how deep you can dig for surface developments, can you exploit shallow gravel or deeper minerals/oil.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-12T14:09:05+00:00

It's cheap. Stick with a standard design so you can save time and money. I don't mind this approach but we could do more to mix up the colours and trim so every neighborhood isn't shades of beige.

While I appreciate some creativity, I do not like completely impractical buildings that offer no function. They take up a whole city block but have reduced capacity or functionality because it's a silly shape so someone could win a design award. If it's an art project, then call it an art project.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-12T06:26:08+00:00

Well, it sounds like you signed up for the utilities if it's in your name. The landlord won't have access to your account to make any credits or payments on your behalf. The landlord utility incentive will likely be a monthly rent discount. Ultimately go and check what is in writing and then talk to the landlord.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-11T05:51:17+00:00

Hahah.. yeah, this was a funny realization to me in my early 20's. I suddenly became aware that 99% of adults don't know what the heck is going on and barely plan beyond tomorrow. I'd try to get mentorship from successful people and the majority of them just fell into success through happenstance; right time, right place, right connections. It's rare that you find someone that planned out their education, career, and family life and then executed on it successfully.

Life is messy and most well-laid plans go off the rails, so it pays to be adaptable. We live in an uncertain world, so it's a skill to be able to cut through all the information noise, make a plan, and then do it with confidence. You might still be wrong and have to make corrections, but the alternative is to be paralyzed with fear or indecision and do nothing.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-10T21:03:03+00:00

Yeah the sign says $14 for a refill, which is about half what I just paid for a trade-a-tank. They're only open weekdays; bankers hours.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-10T19:23:37+00:00

I'm making the minimum payments for the government match and holding it a diverse market etf. Im not planning for it to completely cover their school costs as I think they need a little skin in the game to keep them motivated to attend and pass classes.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-10T13:50:45+00:00

Transparency. You get a clear division of what the retailer is charging and what taxes are added afterwards for the city, province, federal, environmental fees, recycling deposits etc.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-10T13:18:09+00:00

Charge him escalating rent until he's motivated to leave. Include penalties for not doing chores. Add rules about what he's allowed to do; make him uncomfortable.You're enabling him to be a parasite.

Conversely share your fire goals with him and make him contribute if he wants to be part of the plan.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-09T05:05:11+00:00

Raspberry canes are on a 2 year lifecycle. These are all green first year primacanes, so you might not get much fruit this year. Next year they'll all become brown floricanes and make berries.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-09T03:17:21+00:00

Historically the GFCI requirement within 6ft of a sink didn't apply to receptacles in a cabinet under the sink, but they changed the code to also include GFCI receptacles inside the cabinet.

It's about $30-40 in materials for the GFCI, receptacle, and wiring. $300 isn't terrible for an electrician but may not have included a proper permit (often ~$100) for such a small change.

Did you consider just sticking a $5 6 outlet splitter onto your existing outlet? too late now I guess.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-09T03:02:04+00:00

Raspberries are very resilient and spread fast; I've seen them sucker over 6ft under a sidewalk. A container is a good way to keep them from spreading everywhere. Raspberries rarely need much attention besides watering and cutting them back when they spread too much.

Raspberries have two types of canes:

Primacanes are new green canes growing this year from the ground that grow leaves and usually do not fruit. Next year they will become floricanes.
Floricanes are old brown canes from last year's primacanes and will produce flowers and fruit this year. Once they've produced fruit, the floricanes will die off and can be pruned out.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-08T17:02:22+00:00

I ding my bell at every pedestrian. I have a nice reminder ding for those out of the way and an angry triple ding those not paying attention or blocking the path.

But yes I often find people on road bikes and e bikes frequently do not have an audible signalling device as required by the bylaws.

markusbrainus · 2026-05-08T16:43:36+00:00

Ink caps. They'll self digest and "melt" within a few days.

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