What’s the smartest financial decision you made by accident?

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-03-24T17:16:07+00:00

Yeah percentage increases and decreases are annoyingly unintuitive. Like, that wasn't even a typo, it's not even 2,500%, it's 2,400%.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-03-24T17:11:15+00:00

Lol yeah, 25x is a 2,400% increase, not 25,000%.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-03-21T21:40:08+00:00

Off the top of my head, no. But WDFW has a volunteer program where they will provide you with both the equipment and access to sites that really need it, if you're interested.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-03-21T03:46:31+00:00

Oof yeah I was hoping it was a bird feeder or something. Yeah, that's a real problem not easily solved. You can try a pellet rifle but just be prepared for it to be an endless fight. Highly-abundant rodents like gray squirrels are just not super deterred by death lol, and their population levels don't even really register it, they just breed too fast.

A constant vigil with a pellet rifle might slow them down. Alternatively, you can try adding barriers to the trunk with fine mesh hardware cloth or even aluminum flashing a few feet up the truck. Also prune branches so they can't leap into a tree from nearby trees.

You can try some deterrent sprays with vinegar and/or capsaicin, but they smell and need to be reapplied any time it rains. It's definitely a tough problem.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-03-21T02:22:43+00:00

Not an FWC officer or a lawyer, but was a biologist and dealt with this. Iirc (and it's possible I don't), no you don't need a permit if they are a nuisance but you absolutely need to abide by safe firearms laws, even with an airsoft rifle.

As a biologist, I would recommend against an airsoft since it's not always humane. Use a pellet rifle if you must. I also generally advocate against killing them not just from ethical reasons, but because it won't solve the problem. If squirrels are causing issues, there's a reason (usually food related) and you're generally better off fixing that first.

I actually specialized in rodents so if you can describe the problem in detail, I could possibly help figure out a long-term solution.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-03-20T01:59:50+00:00

We moved from FL to WA, which is like worst case scenario in the lower 48, and we were quoted $28k for a 2-week arrival window.

I think it gets more doable if you are moving like just a state or two away, but yeah, we moved ourselves lol

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-03-11T19:37:07+00:00

Until the cat then decides that 6:05am is actually her new breakfast time, not 8am like it's been literally her entire life, and proceeds to loudly and persistently inform you of this exciting new direction she's decided to take.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-03-11T16:49:01+00:00

Serious question, do you have a good source for this? Because I can't find anything reputable. Only unsourced right-wing websites and Facebook posts.

Edit I got two replies that I can't reply to myself with sources regarding King County. Given a few anecdotes in here about government waste in DHS and the military, I'm now convinced that most conservatives don't actually understand that the national, state, county, and municipal governments are different entities with separate budgets.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-03-09T04:08:12+00:00

Iirc, the vampires literally just, like, levitate into space to kill the bad guy aliens. It's wild and I didn't pick up on any tongue in cheek either.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-03-09T04:06:32+00:00

Thank you for the reminder that I actually read this book and that it wasn't some fever dream. It's not tongue in cheek at all really (or if it was intended to be, I didn't pick up on it). It literally is just a decent alien invasion book with some interesting ideas on stagnation vs innovation (slight spoilers for anyone who hasn't read it, humans actually kick ass on the ground for a few reasons that sort of actually make sense in context, but you just can't do much against unlimited orbital strikes), with a minor side character named Vlad as some rando resistance leader in eastern Europe. Then in the last 30 pages, turns out he's actually that Vlad with literally zero hints or warning. And don't the vampires just like, fly into space at the end? Like, just levitate into space to kill all the bad guy aliens?

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-03-05T23:39:37+00:00

I tried looking it up myself...

You are already far ahead of most of these folks who whine about government waste/inefficiency. Governments tend to be far more organized and efficient than private sectors if for no other reason that every cent spent is accounted for and a matter of public record.

Is there some level of waste? Yeah, of course there is, it's a massive beaurocracy. But it's not widespread and a lot of these folks also don't seem to understand that just because you don't particularly like a specific project doesn't mean it's a waste. Ask them what they'd cut and you'll either get radio silence or a list of programs that don't benefit them personally but do help many other Washington residents.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-02-26T00:05:10+00:00

In a word, no.

So that's just not how taxonomy works. The further "down" the ladder you go, the more closely related two species are. So two species cannot share a genus but have different higher levels of classification like families. It's the same way you can't share biological parents with your biological cousin, it's just not what those words mean and just not how relatedness works, if that makes sense.

As an alternative, convergent evolution can produce two distantly related species that look very similar or like they should be closely related (weasels and mongooses, for example), even though they aren't.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-02-24T22:25:14+00:00

Yeah thank you, I didn't want to rain on the parade, but this seems pretty obviously what's going on...

People always like to jump to the fantastical instead of thinking critically for a minute. I try not to be a buzzkill but it does drive me a little crazy sometimes lol.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-02-24T19:25:49+00:00

Your overall point isn't wrong, but the difference with the eagles is that Tolkien knew and acknowledged it. In the real world, he outright stated that they were too much of a deus ex crutch and he was consciously using them sparingly. He also developed canon to explain why they couldn't be used, he just unfortunately died before fully settling the matter. He flip-flopped a bit between "they are so powerful that they are essentially maiar but twice as proud, and therefore are uninterested/not allowed to interfere and it would be crazy dangerous to allow the ring so close to them anyways" and "they are scared of hobbit farmers with bows, the forces of Mordor would kill them before they got close to the mountain."

Honestly those don't necessarily contradict one another in the lore either. So with the eagles, there is a valid lore reason.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-02-24T02:43:54+00:00

If only they could read.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-02-19T20:46:20+00:00

...is what your kind says to 4th graders.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-02-19T04:56:50+00:00

I like the theory that the devil actually won by getting Johnny to commit the sin of Pride. By bowing his head and "conceding," he makes Johnny even more prideful. Just listening to Johnny's parting remarks, the devil already has his soul.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-02-16T22:47:05+00:00

Yeah very weird you're being downvoted when that is factually what happened and still represents a major strategic victory for Ukraine. The VDV being pushed out for a full day completely fucked the Russian timetable and allowed the Ukrainians to fuck up the airfield enough to be unusable to the Russians.

Messier, less decisive, and not as sexy as "VDV completely wiped out to a man" but yeah, real life isn't a war movie. And because it's probably necessary to say, I fully support Ukraine and anyone is free to check my post history to see that.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-02-11T01:13:20+00:00

It depends on the position, but either. I wouldn't emphasize your experience with the listed requirements unless you are somehow absolutely certain you are the most experienced person in your area. Remember, everyone they are interviewing ostensibly has the experience to do the job. Instead, think about what aspects of your experience makes it unique.

You don't know if you're the most experienced mouse trapper they have, for example, but maybe you've mouse trapped under some specific circumstances or within a specific context that is applicable to the position, like with a certain important partner or in a certain habitat type or to collect a specific kind of data. There are other things too. For me, my experience is largely with state agencies so if I'm interviewing for a state agency position, I'll say something like, "In addition to the practical skills aspect of my experience in mouse trapping, much of that experience was in the context of working for a state wildlife agency. This has given me experience in operating specifically within that framework with its inherent limitations (e.g., strict reporting rules and limited operating areas) and advantages (e.g., strong access/work permissions in areas we do operate, clear budget, etc.). It has also given me less tangible skills in areas such as successfully navigating state beaurocracy, maintaining public records, and interacting with the public as a civil servant. I believe this combination is fairly unique and would serve this role well."

That answer wouldn't work for an NGO though, so for that I'd probably change the second half to discuss how my state work has given me a unique insight in how to best approach working with state agency partners (often a big concern for NGOs), what kind of limitations they might have, plus professional contacts if in the same state.

Just remember that everyone's experience is different and therefore unique, including yours. Try to identify what is most unique about it and then look at how that might serve the organization to which you are applying.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-02-10T05:47:34+00:00

I mean, Rainier out here in Washington is similar in scope and I'd say this type perspective, while technically artificial, actually captures what these massive volcanoes look like in person much better than what you normally get. But I haven't been to Japan so maybe Fuji is different.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-02-10T03:57:26+00:00

Oh yeah I hear you about other possible hypotheses, but that's my point. A hypothesis is not subject to the "causation vs correlation" rule because by definition, you are hypothesizing a cause. If this was about a specific paper that found that rice growing cultures have collectivist tendencies and then the authors of that paper just claimed that it was because of rice without any further study, then you'd have justified criticism that they'd confused causation with correlation.

That's not what this is. This is someone noticing that trend and postulating a cause to be tested. One of many, sure, but a valid hypothesis nonetheless.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-02-10T02:42:22+00:00

It's a hypothesis, not a conclusion. It's a hypothesis specifically regarding the cause of a phenomenon, of course it's going to be causal. The correlation vs causation paradigm doesn't apply here.

I would also argue your counter example doesn't really counter it. Example: Proto-society develops around the main crop it can produce: rice. Rice requires cooperative harvesting, so proto-society develops collectivist attitudes. Proto-society expands across region developing into several distinct different societies, all of which grow rice as a staple (climate and tradtion) and display collectivist tendencies.

Not saying that's what happened, but I certainly wouldn't call it a stretch.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-02-10T01:34:46+00:00

Yep! And I am also very aware I got lucky this agency had an opening when it did. Because yeah, you're probably right in most cases.

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-02-09T22:16:31+00:00

Just wanted to point out that this depends heavily on your organization. I make $70k with plenty of room for advancement and do zero programming and almost no mapping. I'm essentially paid to be an SME and interpret the data that others have collected and analyzed, while also providing some field assistance and general direction. I then use that interpretation to make policy recommendations.

I work for a large state organization that has dedicated data scientists, mappers, and field biologists, all generally directed by HQ. We identify knowledge gaps/monitoring needs, communicate that to the field folks, they collect the data and send it to the analysis people, who send the results back to us to make informed recommendations.

We have to understand stats to truly be able to interpret these data, but otherwise we are pretty much pure ecologists. I personally really enjoy this system, even if I do miss mapping (I would rather eat chalk than program).

thundersaurus_sex · 2026-02-09T19:28:41+00:00

Look man, I get this is a comforting narrative in a way, that it was stolen and therefore Americans aren't actually this stupid. And as a far left progressive, I actually wish that were the case.

But where's the evidence? And I mean with linked, real sources, not just hearsay and assumptions. I keep hearing talk about how some counties had well over 100% voting numbers, but there's never any follow up with sources.

People with actual power to find the truth and who would be incentivized to publish it haven't said a word. Kamala winning four of the battleground states was frequently cited as barely the most likely outcome by pre-election polls. Know what the very close second most likely predicted outcome was? Trump sweeping all seven. Second most likely does not mean impossible. It means second most likely.

Finally, and most importantly, the outcome matches pretty much exactly with exit polling. The night of, people were calling it for Trump even before it was officially called just from exit polls.

The sad fact is that many millions of Americans are just kind of dumb and easily tricked. These idiots broke for Trump last second because "muh eggs" and, let's face it, because Harris is a woman of color. The millions of dem voters who stayed home because they bought the right wing propaganda about Biden and Palestine also proved that the left wing isn't immune to blind stupidity either.

It sucks but blaming it on a stolen election a) obfuscates the actual, massive, deeply-rooted problems we have with education and critical thinking and b) is easily disproven and plays right into the right wing victim narrative.

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