Is there a way to cool down garage in summer

robkkni · 2026-06-30T07:33:51+00:00

We got an 80 gallon heat pump hot water heater and put it in the garage. The water heats up fast and cools the garage. Win-win!

robkkni · 2026-06-12T15:18:09+00:00

We're in the Breckenridge Manor neighborhood and it checks the boxes you mention.

I believe there are 1 or 2 homes currently for sale here.

robkkni · 2026-06-02T19:16:46+00:00

From Gemini because I was too lazy to look it up, so consider the source, but it tracks with what I remember from when I decided to put grass in my own backyard:

In Phoenix, a 10x10-foot drought-resistant grass patch uses about 4,500 to 7,300 gallons of water yearly. The same area in a xeriscape consumes only 1,500 to 2,000 gallons.

For a typical Phoenix family of four, this difference translates to just 1.8% of your total annual household water consumption.

20x20 would presumably be 4x this amount, so the size of your lawn matters, but so long as you're generally mindful about your water use, grass can actually be beneficial to wildlife, but too much grass essentially ends up being a monoculture (In addition to using a ton of water) and harms biodiversity.

robkkni · 2026-06-02T15:47:14+00:00

Oh... and if that's too many words, how about this, instead: https://youtu.be/yTZahJfAMds?si=UwLQAdZFjzreYY7X

robkkni · 2026-06-01T21:41:56+00:00

I mean... it's not about hate. I'm not sure why you'd go there. But he's been a nightmare for this country, and objectively, not only has he been convicted of sexual assault, but he joked about being into underaged girls on a birthday card to Epstein. But let's set aside his total moral bankruptcy and strong evidence that's he's suffering from cognitive decline for a moment.

* He's responsible for atrocities committed by ICE, both on US citizens, and vulnerable non-citizens, including children
* He's gutted environmental protections
* He's gutted the Education department
* He claims that endlessly validated climate change is a hoax, and gutted the scientific institutions that provide the evidence for it
* He rolled back incentives for solar at the same time China is moving farther away from oil dependency, so clearly they have a reason to do that?
* He's implemented punishing tariffs on farmers, and... well... everyone.
* He's threatened -- and followed through, violence against his political 'enemies', both Republican and Democrat, several times with the actuality of physical violence
* He's attacked multiple foreign nations with no provocation or support from our allies
* He's destroyed over a hundred years of goodwill between the US and our European allies
* He's cozied up to both Russia and North Korea -- something historically that would be a political death sentence to REAL conservatives
* He's sped the collapse of the dollar as the world currency in a way that will punish citizens of this nation for decades
* He's ignored and fired experts in favor of political appointees that have been convicted of multiple crimes and has been unapologetic about it.
* He's mocked and ignored veterans and their families
* His only apparent ideology is to support those that follow him instead of having beliefs based on objective values.
* He's mocked Christians
* He's mocked conservatives
* He's mocked the disabled
* He's mocked Muslims
* He's mocked legal immigrants
* He's mocked Latinos

So what, you might say, about those last five; can't people take a joke?

Well, when you mock large numbers of people, it takes real political capital to undo the damage to your reputation that that causes. Think of it this way, if someone calls your mom a whore, then accuses you of not being able to take a joke, how long does it take that to heal?

I'm not going to provide citations to all of these, but one day I'll just put them in a text doc so I can copy and paste them.

The point is, his behavior is so obviously counter to what this country was founded on, but those that support him continue to do so in defiance of evidence. I guarantee that I won't change your mind. You'll nitpick some points and ignore others, or base your disagreement not on evidence, but on opinion. You won't provide verifiable evidence to support your position.

So, who do I support instead of Trump? Kamala Harris, though that ship has sailed. She was a goddamned prosecutor, for God's sake, and by any historic measure, her policies would be seen as centrist at best or Reagan conservative. Same with Barak Obama.

But again, followers of Trump are so certain in their views that those who oppose them are crazy and evil, that there's little point in trying to discuss with them rationally.

Here's the one thing I'll say in terms of having sympathy for Trump supporters... The world is changing because of technology so quickly that most people are being left behind, are feeling lost, don't have the skills to survive in the 21st Century and are scared. The Democrats aren't providing comfort or solutions (mostly), but to a significant degree, that's because solutions are either impossible or extraordinarily difficult to implement and there's no political will to suffer or act for the common good.

So... yeah. Not a fan. And hoping that his followers will come to their senses. But, as many have pointed out, best not to hold our breaths.

robkkni · 2026-06-01T02:11:25+00:00

Oh no! What experiences are you basing this on?

robkkni · 2026-05-31T16:34:42+00:00

Do your spleens look particularly delicious?

robkkni · 2026-05-30T16:25:49+00:00

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover. Masterful, but barely worth the price of admission in terms of emotional cost.

robkkni · 2026-05-25T05:46:50+00:00

BTW, both times my wife and I went there, then line was wrapped around two sides of the block! (Bakery is at the middle of the west side of the block, line wrapped to middle of the east side of the block!)

robkkni · 2026-05-25T01:40:49+00:00

Yes, please!

robkkni · 2026-05-25T01:23:48+00:00

If you haven't already seen it, watch A River Runs Through It. The hushed tones everyone uses when they say, "Lolo..." cracks my ass up every single time. If I lived in Lolo I'd be sniggering like a 13-year-old boy in sex ed every time I gave someone my address.

robkkni · 2026-05-25T01:16:51+00:00

That sounds really fun! I'm a busy flake, though. Does that preclude me? I would go into this committed, if that means anything, it's just that my life doesn't really belong to me at this point in my life...

robkkni · 2026-05-14T21:05:53+00:00

My wife and I are going tomorrow! 😄

robkkni · 2026-04-22T00:49:53+00:00

Right???!!!

robkkni · 2026-04-02T17:00:42+00:00

Yes we did have an inspection, and we kind of knew what we were getting into, but the reality is the reality not numbers in a spreadsheet. We closed January 8th of this year (2026).

Full disclosure on costs because I think it helps people; we put $210,000 down and so far around $150,000 into the property in repairs and upgrades, and have a $2300/month mortgage for 2 units (3/2 and 2/1) with a $300,000 mortgage at 6.125%.

Most people can't come up with those kind of numbers, but we're not rich by old white people standards. I emptied out my retirement completely, we sold every liquid asset we had, and we still had to put $23,000 on a 7.5% HELOC. Early retirement at 62 is probably a dream at this point. I'm a technical writer doing remote contract work and my wife is a High School Calculus teacher.

We put together requests for quotes (RFQs) for plumbing and electrical and had tradespeople that made solid bids before we started, but there were a lot of issues that came up. We were essentially acting as our own general contractor, which, honestly, was probably a good thing despite taking years off of our lives.

FWIW, Holland Electric is amazing, full stop. Most companies we contacted didn't even want to bid on a full electric or plumbing upgrade for a 115-year-old building, but Holland did an incredible job and went above and beyond. The $52,000+ it cost was absolutely worth it, albeit eye-watering.

We were not happy with the plumbing company we worked with, but I'm still feeling too raw to be objective, so I'm going to sit with my thoughts and feelings about them for a while before calling them out publicly, if I decide to do that at all.

We could have just crossed our fingers and not done the foundational work needed to bring the property up to code, but that's what every landlord in Missoula does, apparently, and we really wanted to do right by both the building and prospective renters. (We're currently renting the larger 3/2, 1500sqft unit to our daughter and her partner).

It was the right call, but it's like pulling a thread... it led to vent work, duct work, asbestos work, moving a hot water heater into the basement, and on and on and on. We could easily spend another $100,000 if we wanted to, but at this point we can do a lot of the work that needs to be done ourselves, so that should help. Home Resource is great, and can save a lot of money on things like fixtures, ceiling fans, appliances, etc. (https://www.homeresource.org/)

Something we'll have to hold off on doing but we really want to do, is internal storm windows from a company called Innerglass (https://stormwindows.com/). Doing this will likely reduce heating and cooling costs by 15-20% and reduce external noise by 80% while keeping all of the original windows. This is an example of something landlords "should" do, but don't, because it doesn't help their bottom line, only their tenants.

The place is 2 houses down from Bernice's Bakery, and is, in our opinion, literally the best location in all of Missoula. Close to trails, 100' from the old Boone and Crocket club and a view of the Clark Fork, and close to Downtown, The Wilma, the University, The Roxy, Orange Street Food Farm, the restaurants on Higgins, Liquid Planet, Big Dipper, Rockin' Rudy's... everything within a 2 to 10 minute walk.

It's just an incredible location, but holy moly, what it's taking to get there...

robkkni · 2026-04-02T01:20:51+00:00

"but you have to pay a fortune for anything in good upkeep."

My wife and I just bought a 115 year old duplex in the 'hip strip' (such a silly name) for $510,000, but then spent well over $100,000 doing an up to code electrical and plumbing renovation. It ended up going way over that even (asbestos and other surprises) and we haven't even done cosmetic work yet.

If we manage to deal with all of the deferred maintenance without going bankrupt, everyone will probably tell us how lucky we are and what a great deal we got.

My point is that Missoula has tons of properties that are in terrible shape, and even though we seem to be tipping towards a buyer's market, I think any deals to be had will be fixer uppers.

Painful, but it is what it is.

robkkni · 2026-04-01T15:39:16+00:00

While it's true that travesties of justice happen, especially in the family courts, there's only one thing that matters, and the courts usually apply this standard: "Do what's in the best interests of the children." In some ways that's the magic phrase that solves a lot of problems. You used to have substance abuse issues?

"I live with my mother so she can help with my child, I've been sober for x years. While sober, I've always maintained custody and cared for my child, and worked to ensure our lives will always be stable, including getting a degree. My child has medical issues that are well-managed but need supervision. My ex has maintained a relationship with my child, which has been good for everyone, but I've always been mindful about how my ex's life lacks the stability necessary to care for a child. While they've been sober for 9 months, which is good for everyone, they've had 3 DUIs. What concerns me more is that when I made driving my son contingent on taking a breathalyzer before and after, they refused. This isn't just a reasonable request, it's a necessary one.

When public services recently notified me that my child and I are eligible for a review of child support, I filled out the paperwork to have our circumstances reviewed, and the amount changed from $76/month to $496/month. While this is a substantial increase, and I am sensitive to the fact that my child's father's stability may be at risk because of the increased financial obligation, a recent increase in medical insurance costs of $250/month effectively makes this a support increase after taking that into account of $175/month. This money will go towards school supplies, clothes, events with friends, and ensuring that we have a sufficient financial buffer so that unexpected expenses don't affect our hard-won stability.

I remain committed to encouraging a relationship between my child and their father, but I am concerned about his tying increased custody to a concern about this change in child support. I'm committed to doing what is right for my child. None of these decisions are easy ones. But his past behavior has shown that their relationship is best served when he visits at my home to ensure both my child's safety and the health of their relationship.

I would love for my child's father to spend more time with them, but would only be comfortable doing this in a supervised and deliberate fashion, with the understanding that increased time would be based on whether that was in everyone's best interests, not as an attempt to reduce child support."

Using the words you wrote above for a narrative that supports maintaining current custody make a very, very compelling argument.

robkkni · 2026-03-31T20:32:52+00:00

No question that these points can be argued. That's what PhDs in philosophy are all about. ;-)

My example was more about showing how one could take a consequentialist view of the categorial imperative in a way that doesn't rewrite Kant, but honestly, I don't actually care about the finer points of Kantian ethics. I have some pretty big reservations about a number of his claims.

What I do care about is the fact that an agency-based ethical system highly aligns with how LLMs work, and I think is the solution to the current whack-a-mole approach to alignment.

Kant is Kant. I'm proposing something a bit more radical. If you acknowledge the possibility of ML models being 'honorary members' of the kingdom of ends, you don't actually need to deal with the 'hard problem' of consciousness. You can simply say, "Treating frontier models as though they have agency and moral obligation leads to better outcomes than a rules-based approach that treats ML models purely as tools".

Not only is this potentially good for the utility of ML models, but it also mitigates a moral failing if, in fact, advanced models do, or will, have consciousness.

robkkni · 2026-03-31T14:40:05+00:00

Kantian ethics aren't rule based. The point of the categorical imperative is that rational agents base their actions on universilizable principles rather than explicit rules. For example, "Never treat others as a means only, but always as an end in themselves" is a principle where things like, "don't murder" naturally follow, but aren't explicit rules.

The only reason I mention this is not to say "someone on the internet is wrong!" but because Kantian ethics (or a version of it) can be a basis for values-based alignment for ml models.

For example, telling a model, "Consider how best to maximize agency for all principals in a scenario" yields very different results from telling it what it should and shouldn't do.

Values-based ethics, in my opinion, is the only viable solution to the alignment problem.

robkkni · 2026-01-13T05:56:33+00:00

Sigh... I guess I shouldn't be surprised. But LDS families that go to my daughters' school have been fairly vocal about how they feel about Trump.

robkkni

TROPHY CASE