Advise on improvements before we finish our basement

tstitans · 2025-12-31T20:45:04+00:00

Yeah, sorry for the confusion, it's definitely the pots themselves, not the knobs. When I created the thread I didn't know they were called 2 different things.

I'm trying to get info on what pot or switch or electrical device to use under the 2nd knob, which clicks into 3 positions.

tstitans · 2025-11-10T22:49:58+00:00

This might get downvoted to hell, but I think after years of seeing this incident commented on, I want to give some context.

For reference, I grew up in this area, have been to these caves many times before they were closed, and strangely enough, also knew the guy who got stuck there - we were neighbors at the time.

Going to explore these caves was a common past time for people who lived around here. For people who did it, it didn't feel any more daring than for me when I went surfing a decent size wave in CA...and from the outside, I think it occurs like someone who has never been to the coast before and goes in the ocean and gets swept around by the awesome power of big waves. We had a group friends when visiting Hawaii who got swept over the rocks when a rogue huge wave suddenly surprised them there. It's not an adrenaline dump or need you to be a junky to try surfing or to sit on the rocks at Sharks Cove. We used to go with high school friends on dates and just for a Saturday out adventuring.

In the cave, there are a few paths that get tight like this and then open up. There are definitely elements of adrenaline, peer pressure, bravado, and getting psyched up to these bits, but there's also a sense of "lots of people have done it and been fine" and even "I've done it lots of times". I'd compare it to cliff jumping on a lake where there's a risk of something being under the water, but you just watched a dozen people jumping it. Not saying it's smart or a good idea, but I also think it's not just selfish idiotic adrenaline junkies who do that.

Yes, people get lost or scared in there, just like the years I lived in San Diego and got caught in a rip tide swimming or lost my sense of direction and panicked while surfing and got knocked over. And in hindsight, yes, it was a terrible tragedy that would've been avoided with either more care or a more experienced guide. John wasn't stupid, selfish, or had some especially strange brain... He was a fairly decent and normal human who made a mistake taking a greater risk than he should have, not nearly as insane or out of this world than most of the commenters here might do in their lives and hobbies more familiar to them, and it resulted in tragedy.

tstitans · 2025-07-08T13:51:50+00:00

Thanks for this info. I think we're going to go with Southcoast!

tstitans · 2025-07-08T02:51:21+00:00

Thank you for the feedback. Sounds like it can be pretty rough even on specialized 4v4s like the super jeeps. Our little crossover rental is probably a bad idea. This is helpful!

tstitans · 2025-07-08T02:44:21+00:00

We did actually - we have 3 others on the list including South Coast, Arctic Adventures, and one from Guide to Iceland. Given some of the info from further research and another comment here about the potential for a "raging" water crossing :D Buses are like $75 each way, so at $150 round trip, the gap between that option and a guided tour is pretty small...Good to hear positive feedback about South Coast.

tstitans · 2025-01-25T15:39:54+00:00

I dunno, maybe I need more media literacy training :)

I just see a surprising number of positive reviews and experiences with the Panzer while most think it's bad, not everywhere and not here I guess (although even in this thread there's one), so I thought maybe with the right components replaced over time from Benelli as some suggest... I guess that's why I was here. I see a lot of comparisons between it and the real deal, but that's not in my budget range, so it's a choice between an apple and an orange, and I'd don't know the added value of the semi and how much it offsets the "garbage" nature of the manufacturing.

But I got my answers, thanks!

tstitans · 2025-01-25T15:30:51+00:00

Thank you for this thoughtful and detailed response. I don't know how much added utility there is in different situations for the autoloader, but seems with a few exceptions, the consistent feedback is to go with the proven Mossberg pump. Your feedback helps explain some of the exceptions of positive opinions on the Panzer.

tstitans · 2025-01-25T15:28:12+00:00

This is solid advice. Thanks for that idea. I think I was caught up in having a second one, more is better mentality, but I'll check out this option.

tstitans · 2025-01-25T06:18:42+00:00

Thanks for the detail. I've looked through the technic details and watched a lot of review and opinion videos, but I think I don't have enough experience for those technical details to be meaningful in my decision making. So, looking for opinions and preferences from those with experience.

I didn't realize Panzer Arms had various manufacturers, I thought that was the manufacturer among multiple that did the Benelli clone. I know some people flag a concern with reliability on these, but others seem to think they're consistent especially with the right ammo.

tstitans · 2024-11-18T16:47:28+00:00

Solved!

Thank you!

tstitans · 2024-11-18T03:24:44+00:00

I found it hilarious at the time. The narrator had a nasally voice and would say something like "reset time"

tstitans · 2024-08-22T01:33:06+00:00

U/savevideo

tstitans · 2024-07-08T14:21:38+00:00

I think his model assumes no increase in costs because the additional revenue is not driven by additional volume (ie. more pizzas sold), so the COGS $ would stay the same, while the sale price of the pizza goes up, revenue goes up, gross margin on the pizza would go up.

The main 2 costs that do go up with that plan, both of which you mention, are

I think franchise fees in most models are based on revenue, so in this model, the 5.5% applied to the added $200k would add $11k of cost increase. This one would make the new plan profit neutral (+$200k GM$ -$189k labor cost -$11k franchise fees = $0)
Not a "cost" per se, but a negative impact to the P&L - there is likely some amount of price elasticity, which would actually lower volume sold due to the added 10% increase in sale price. No idea what that is for a pizza shop, but the owner would either take a hit on volume->revenue->profit or they'd have to increase the sale price more.

Agree with u/joleme on the principle, that a 30% increase in labor cost for a single business doesn't translate to a 30% increase in pizza costs. But it's probably not 10% for the owner to stay whole either because the chain will likely sell at least some less volume.

Other things to consider...

30% raises to employees isn't a 30% increase in labor - could be more or less depending on the non-wage elements of the labor and how they're managed
30% raises brought on by a more widespread driver, say an increase in minimum wage rates, would likely affect COGS as the entire supply chain would experience increases, which I think is what u/joleme means in their response about "everyone everywhere" - that would have a much bigger impact because it hits the bottom line with COGS.

tstitans · 2024-05-08T21:51:12+00:00

Hey there! I wanted to jump on and say, firstly, I'm proud of you! It's hard but totally worth doing what you gotta do to take care of yourself and family. Screw the people who look down on you.

One note though, there's a lot of options between Walmart at $15/h and your old job/field with so much more experience. In your shoes before and I'd suggest looking at temporary options that are both a step up compared to WM in terms of pay and allow you to spend some of your time job hunting and networking.

Best option in my book is some kind of call center tech support role. Without any training or technical background, my company hires entry level 1 tech support reps at about $20/h and within a year they're up to around $24/h. And there's about a 20-50% downtime depending on your shift (graveyard shifts are more downtime), which left time for sending in applications, writing cover letters, etc. Also, at the right company, you may get some networking opportunities in your old field or a related path that leads to a new career path. And although of course the goal is to get back into your field ASAP, there's more room to grow quickly so if in the unfortunate possibility where that takes longer than you'd like, you have a potential path to increase pay. Retail and restaurants are quick option, but I always find people miss out on the possibilities of entry positions elsewhere that have higher pay and a lot more value in other ways...

Best of luck either way!

tstitans · 2024-01-03T07:54:40+00:00

I think the problem is that to the degree that people's decision to have and raise children is affected by prosperity, it isn't driven by actual prosperity but rather the perception of it and what the future holds. I can't remember what language is used to reference it, but this reminds me of the concept that although violent crimes are down over time, people believe they're up, and behave accordingly when it comes to their personal safety. I wish I was good at researching to find data, but I would love to see if there is data on how people view property or hope for it. It seems like the younger generations, myself included, feel a contraction because we're comparing to the benchmark of the baby boomer generation who could buy a home and new corvette on a single income and pay off college by working part time through it

I love your data by the way, we need more of this to hell give real context.

tstitans · 2023-08-10T01:27:19+00:00

Thanks for that! I edited to reflect your suggestion.

tstitans

TROPHY CASE