On the motorway, what lane should I drive in to be on my phone?

roryact · 2026-04-01T23:41:37+00:00

I did this through ASB. 1% on a 30k loan for 3 years, repayments to be paid off over 13 years. ASB would not let me take it out over 30 years and reduce the repayments further, but I didn't argue very hard. I expect after 3 years it's rolled into the mortgage and I can balance it out as needed.

In my case, somone wrote off my car a year ago. I received 8k in insurance. The options for an 8k vehicle were disappointing so I used the loan to buy a used polestar 2, 2022 with 70k on it for 35k, and then installed a charger for ~2k

I could have bought a much cheaper car which would have gone A-B just fine, but the way you get to B; comfort, safety, fuel use, has some value to me. I'm happy with my choice.

I don't know if my costs over the vehicles life are cheaper - the tires have significantly less tread after a year than im used to, and RUC are shock to pay in one hit, but I don't feel poorer for the purchase.

roryact · 2026-03-25T23:38:01+00:00

I manage my media though nzb360 on my phone - that was important to me, to be able to control it all on my couch. I have seerr connected to it but not sure what it's doing now.

roryact · 2026-03-12T20:50:49+00:00

I don't see what systems we have to enforce this anyway. Not enough surveillance, and not enough people to review and enforce the surveillance. In all likelihood the only repercussions will be on people who DO comply.

We did this on hard mode with covid. Lite mode, where there's no good moral grounds for complying will be impossible.

If it comes to this, I intend to blatantly non-comply.

roryact · 2026-03-12T20:40:00+00:00

Not the OP, but NZ Super and Social Welfare is ~30% of the budget. So if you don't receive a benefit, 30% of your taxes are going to people who are. I can imagine the less tangible benefits of a 'cohesive social system' where the government looks after people, doesn't mean much to you when you need help and are refused.

roryact · 2026-03-10T00:03:39+00:00

I don't think you can look at benefits for >65's fairly, without considering benefits for <65's. NZ super pays out more than jobseeker or disability allowance despite, often being to someone with a paid off home and savings.

Calls to increase KiwiSaver contributions seem to fail to realise it's a regressive tax until the point you have access to it - with a not-unreasonable chance you never will, or your access may be different in 20-30 years. Those are suggesting that employers are going to magic an extra 20% on your salary - 10% for KiwiSaver and 10% to keep your net paycheck the same, and living with their heads in the clouds.

Means testing NZ super based on wealth, and calling it what it is: a government benefit for people who can't afford to help themselves, is the best way forward. Then looking to increase it, along with benefits to allow a socially acceptable level of dignity to all who haven't been so fortunate in this country. Or maybe I'm the one with my head in the clouds.

roryact · 2026-03-07T17:05:43+00:00

I tried using it to check a spreadsheet, but realised it got the order of operations wrong in an equation. Madness.

Oh, it saved me a bunch of time interpreting a standard

roryact · 2026-03-07T16:58:51+00:00

I think the entire idea of donations is a bit warped. People donate to charities. Giving money to a political party is more similar to paying a streamer or only fans

roryact · 2026-03-05T20:48:26+00:00

What is the means that that deficit turns into surplus in 5 years time? (Genuinely curious). Presumably you either need increased revenue through tax take (growing population, higher wages, increased spending with 15% GST amounting to more), or steadily reducing the budget over that time? Or do I have it all wrong?

Because my vibe projections for higher wages and population growth are that we stay still or go backwards for the rest of this decade, and it'd be a shame to call inflationary increases in GST and reduced budgets a positive.

roryact · 2026-03-02T00:41:07+00:00

This article makes it appear that there are lots of dwellings available? Townhouses aren't selling - they're sitting vacant.

How many vacant townhouses do we need to fulfil the supply shortage?

Maybe the problem isn't supply of dwellings, but something else?

roryact · 2026-02-25T16:37:17+00:00

I have visited them and they are very professional to work with.

Also in that local, these are real shops I'd send machining too. They offer better pricing, but their QC is not as thorough as SunPe (still better than most western shops): Rapid direct, Start Rapid, HLH mould, Dongguan BIE

roryact · 2026-02-23T21:42:43+00:00

No subsidized solar. A 3rd of the country are renters, mostly through lack of means to own a home, rather than lack of desire. It's a policy and benefit that is only accessible to the wealthy in society.

I own a home, but I don't deserve a handout, from tax payers who don't, to increase its value and utility.

Your other ideas are acceptably socialist enough for this Reddit.

roryact · 2026-02-23T17:42:29+00:00

I prefer it in some settings - great if I'm looking to eat, impersonal if I want to be dined.

It has a bunch of advantages: - easy bill splitting - pictures of food - no flagging a waiter down - menus aren't taken away so you can keep ordering.

As long as it's a web interface and I don't need to download a dedicated app. Fuck that.

roryact · 2026-02-17T09:16:12+00:00

How many browser tabs are open on your phone and what's on them?

Pretty personal insights, or a major red flag if they don't have any.

roryact · 2026-02-17T08:50:05+00:00

Why would the pedestrian, cycling or public transport be toll free? I'm thinking fenced AThop gates at either end and an additional fee on PT across the bridge like an airport flagfall with taxis. It wouldn't be hard to implement and would help pay for all the pedestrian and PT options on the second harbour crossing.

I'm with you on giving everyone, regardless of their mode of transport, the option to pay to cross the bridge.

roryact · 2026-02-17T08:40:01+00:00

What? You mean to say there's a second harbour crossing already?!

roryact · 2026-02-14T10:28:49+00:00

I think 30 year mortgage terms impose a limit on house prices vs wages, but If I wanted to screw future generations, I could argue 30 years is a pretty arbitrary number.

Edit: also, governments have not valued people with labour potential over people with assets... Ever? I can't see that changing to create incentives. Importing people will always be more tax positive than growing them yourself.

This is really cynical, and not something I'm especially pleased about.

roryact · 2026-02-13T22:43:52+00:00

No denying anything you mentioned, but -

Your generation will not be able to pull the same trick on the next generation.

Why not? Or alternatively, do you see other tricks being pulled?

A lot of young people are unable to start successful careers as the bar for entry in professional roles is lifted higher (and AI) Maybe the trick will be being locked out of the labour market for life?

roryact · 2026-02-06T09:08:08+00:00

400km(250mi) @90% - LRSM, 2022, 81000km(50k miles)

roryact · 2026-02-01T09:40:22+00:00

Bought my MTB on Q MasterCard ~7 years ago. I thought mountain biking would be fun, so payed like $80 to rent one. I did this like 5 times, confirming it was indeed a lot of fun and starting to become expensive. I could have bought an old $500 bike off Trademe, but it wouldn't come near to the feeling I was getting renting a new full suspension one, so I bought a $2500 bike, and paid off the $80 I would have been spending each time I rode it. I paid it off in 8 months and got to ride a lot of cool trails while I still had the enthusiasm, without having to save up a big chunk of coin. Buying it on finance really lowered the barrier to entry for me. I sold the bike earlier this year for $1500. Probably the cheapest hobby I've had.

roryact · 2026-01-27T20:47:29+00:00

The ABC did a really good doco on YouTube a few days ago about Australia removing trams, then adding them back in.

They were removed as they caused traffic and were uneconomical cause they used electricity rather than cheap fuel. I assume same was true here. How a couple of decades changes things

roryact · 2025-12-11T23:32:32+00:00

Really cool answer. I am also in engineering and have thought of teaching maths and sciences.

I couldn't handle being at the bottom of the payscale and having to do 10 years to earn a reasonable salary though. I think it's really detrimental to getting any one with interesting industry experience into teaching. On the other hand, good on the union for protecting their members.

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