devilized's recent activity
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Comment on Mozilla is adding vertical tabs, profile management, and local AI to Firefox in ~tech
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Comment on What kinds of part time jobs did you do when you first entered the job market? in ~life
devilized Link ParentThey're also great for learning what it takes to do that kind of job, and having empathy for others who are in those roles. Working at a little convenience store in high school completely changed...They're also great for learning what it takes to do that kind of job, and having empathy for others who are in those roles. Working at a little convenience store in high school completely changed the way that I interact with customer service (retail workers, waitstaff, airlines workers, etc), especially in difficult situations. The other benefit, like you said, is becoming disgusted with the products that you're selling. I watched so many people squander their money and health away on cigarettes, alcohol and lottery tickets that it was very, very easy to resist all of those things while growing up.
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Comment on Does anyone have experience or advice on cutting sugar consumption? in ~health
devilized LinkIt really is an addiction. I've struggled with it on and off. I stopped drinking soda a long time ago, so that isn't a factor anymore, but if I have some kind of dessert a couple days/nights in a...It really is an addiction. I've struggled with it on and off. I stopped drinking soda a long time ago, so that isn't a factor anymore, but if I have some kind of dessert a couple days/nights in a row, I crave it the next day and it takes a good amount of willpower to get off of it. My wife struggles the same way.
Not keeping any of that stuff in the house really is the best way to go. It makes it so that you have to exercise that willpower at the grocery store, which at least for me, is easier than at 10pm at home when I'm craving something. In terms of getting over the initial cravings, there are a couple of methods that have worked. Usually, I end up being able to get back onto a reasonable diet (in terms of both food quality and quantity) when something traumatic happens in my life and I lose my appetite. As bad as that sounds, I don't want anything at that point, so it's easy for me to "reset" after something like that and get back on track. The second method which takes a little more discipline is to ween yourself off by drinking something that you can control the amount of sugar. For me, I ended up buying one of those soda water makers and syrups and just gradually reduced the sweetness. You could do the same with tea, or watering down a sports drink.
But yeah, this is a struggle that I can totally relate to. There is so much sugar in prepared foods in general, especially where they don't belong (I'm looking at you, jar of pasta sauce).
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Comment on Housing market predictions in ~finance
devilized Link ParentAhh, yeah totally understandable. I get that they don't include child care costs in that calculation, there are alternatives to daycare for some people such as parents working different shifts so...Ahh, yeah totally understandable. I get that they don't include child care costs in that calculation, there are alternatives to daycare for some people such as parents working different shifts so that one is able to stay home or other family members chipping in. Not saying that either of those are options for you, but I'm glad that they don't penalize purchasing power simply for having children.
The equity for your existing residents could help, but if at all possible, it is in your best interest to not be required to use it for your down payment. Otherwise, the sale of your house at a certain price becomes a condition of sale for your new house, which is made clear during the offer. This would make your offer less attractive in the event that you submit an offer while competing with others. It also gives you some breathing room when it comes to payments.
Best of luck to you, and keep your chin up. It's most definitely a tough market out there for everyone, but you seem to be going about it the right way.
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Comment on Housing market predictions in ~finance
devilized LinkYeah, this market is especially rough for first-time homebuyers who have no equity from a previous home to help reduce their mortgage obligations. In my area, the market has calmed down though....Yeah, this market is especially rough for first-time homebuyers who have no equity from a previous home to help reduce their mortgage obligations. In my area, the market has calmed down though. The house behind me was bought and flipped by Opendoor, but it has sat for sale for almost 2 months now and they've dropped the price 3x according to Zillow. There is also lot of new residential construction in my area, so supply is certainly helping.
However, even if there are corrections, I don't think that housing pricing will ever go back to what it was. Construction labor and materials cost both rose significantly over the past 5 years. Materials have fallen quite a bit from their peak, but like everything else affected by inflation, they'll never go back to what they were. This, and potentially the availability of land in your area, will likely continue to constrain supply.
Banks have always offered to lend more money than one should really be spending on housing. I'm not 100% sure of this, but I don't think that childcare costs are counted in your DTI ratio which is what gets used for mortgage approval calculations.
You're fortunate that you live where you do, because $300k wouldn't even get you a townhouse here anymore, which is crazy because I bought my 3200sqft house for $360k in 2017.
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Comment on What kinds of part time jobs did you do when you first entered the job market? in ~life
devilized LinkWhen I started working after graduation, I actually did some freelance software development work on the side. 15 years later, I still do it, but just for one client who has been super easy to work...When I started working after graduation, I actually did some freelance software development work on the side. 15 years later, I still do it, but just for one client who has been super easy to work with over the years.
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Comment on Why do the arrow functions won't return "this" object in a jquery event handler? in ~comp
devilized LinkI think your question has been answered, but I just wanted to say that the idea that arrow functions and traditional function expressions are exactly equivalent is a common misconception. It's...I think your question has been answered, but I just wanted to say that the idea that arrow functions and traditional function expressions are exactly equivalent is a common misconception. It's actually one of the interview questions I commonly use for senior-level front-end/Javascript developers.
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Comment on Fifth American tourist arrested at Turks and Caicos airport after ammo allegedly found in luggage in ~travel
devilized Link ParentYeah, I don't think it's a great idea to use the same bag. Firearms aren't cheap, so the cost of an additional bag for that stuff seems like cheap insurance against something like that. But the...Yeah, I don't think it's a great idea to use the same bag. Firearms aren't cheap, so the cost of an additional bag for that stuff seems like cheap insurance against something like that. But the 'traces of gunpowder' thing probably isn't a big deal. You're allowed to check firearms in your checked luggage. And there are absolutely times where I've gone to the range in the morning and flown out in the evening. If you get your hands swabbed and that comes up, you're just subject to a little additional screening. I've personally never set anything off due to that, but it's certainly not unprecedented.
One time, I did get swabbed coming back from a trip (no firearm involvement) and they said that my bag or something "tested positive for explosives". No idea what would've caused that, but all they made me do is show them that my electronic devices were functional and they ran them through again separately, and then I was on my way. So setting off those tests seems to be just as much security theater as the rest of the screening process.
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Comment on Open-source self-hosted Google photos alternative in ~tech
devilized LinkNextCloud has a photo plugin that should tick most, if not all of those boxes: https://github.com/nextcloud/photos I haven't tried it myself but I did self-host my own nextcloud instance for a while.NextCloud has a photo plugin that should tick most, if not all of those boxes: https://github.com/nextcloud/photos
I haven't tried it myself but I did self-host my own nextcloud instance for a while.
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Comment on Experimental real property tax basis-set rate based on usable area per person in ~finance
devilized LinkEh, this seems unnecessarily complicated, even compared to an already-complicated calculation of value today. If the goal is to drive more dense occupation of land, then tax land/sqft value higher...Eh, this seems unnecessarily complicated, even compared to an already-complicated calculation of value today. If the goal is to drive more dense occupation of land, then tax land/sqft value higher and the actual building lower. Obviously, this type of thing would never fly in rural areas, though.
I'm curious as to how effective this type of thing would be to incentivize urban development. You'd have to have people who actually want to live in a dense urban environment. There are many, such as myself, who would sooner buy 10 acres and slap a tent in the middle of it before living in your typical city apartment.
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Comment on Is Nebula worth it? in ~tech
devilized Link ParentThanks for the detailed explanation here, no apologies needed for the verbosity. It's a very insightful response to my question, I appreciate it!Thanks for the detailed explanation here, no apologies needed for the verbosity. It's a very insightful response to my question, I appreciate it!
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Comment on Fifth American tourist arrested at Turks and Caicos airport after ammo allegedly found in luggage in ~travel
devilized Link ParentGotcha. I fly enough (1-2x a month) that I don't do that. Very very rarely, I've gotten to airport security and realized that I've forgotten something. I had a pair of scissors confiscated that I...Gotcha. I fly enough (1-2x a month) that I don't do that. Very very rarely, I've gotten to airport security and realized that I've forgotten something. I had a pair of scissors confiscated that I didn't realize I had (oddly, on my return trip since they missed it on the way out), and I've had a small amount of water in my bottle that I didn't notice when I checked. Both times, no big deal - I let them keep the scissors, and I emptied my dangerous water into the trash can 3 ft away from everyone.
I get that bullets should be treated more seriously than scissors, water, nail clippers, etc. But a couple loose rounds of ammo, while certainly irresponsible, is still a far cry from actually trying to sneak a firearm through security.
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Comment on Fifth American tourist arrested at Turks and Caicos airport after ammo allegedly found in luggage in ~travel
devilized Link ParentI can see this happening for people who use the same bag (eg a backpack or small duffle) for going to the range and traveling. I've absolutely had boxes of ammo break open in my bag and individual...I can see this happening for people who use the same bag (eg a backpack or small duffle) for going to the range and traveling. I've absolutely had boxes of ammo break open in my bag and individual rounds become loose. They're small and can hide in the folds of your bag.
That being said, I have a dedicated bag for that stuff so this doesn't happen to me. But I agree that it's still a serious responsibility.
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Comment on New rules to overhaul US electric grids could boost wind and solar power (gifted link) in ~enviro
devilized Link ParentJeez, that's absolutely nuts. I had no idea that the flat/fixed fees got that high in places. I can see why you'd be so adamant about disconnecting from the grid in that case.Jeez, that's absolutely nuts. I had no idea that the flat/fixed fees got that high in places. I can see why you'd be so adamant about disconnecting from the grid in that case.
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Comment on I gave up meat and gained so much more | A tale of one person's life, culture, and growing up in ~life
devilized LinkThis article brings up an interesting point that I've learned about vegetarianism. There are certain cuisines that just do it better than others, and unless you're open or exposed to those...This article brings up an interesting point that I've learned about vegetarianism. There are certain cuisines that just do it better than others, and unless you're open or exposed to those cuisines, I can see where vegetarianism is a turn-off if you're used to a typical American diet of meat-centric dishes (burgers, BBQ, grilled chicken, etc). But many cuisines like Indian, African and Thai natively make meat more of a component of the dish as opposed to the star of it. The author mentioned an Indian chickpea curry dish (probably something like Chana Masala). It's delicious - bright, spicy and flavorful.
I can absolutely get behind eating stuff like that. But one thing I've realized is that I enjoy a very wide variety of cuisine. I eat less meat now than I did 10 years ago as I've traveled the world and been exposed to new cuisines that are less meat-centric. But one thing that I've realized is that I hate foods that try to imitate other foods, and that seems to be a lot of vegetarian cuisine that gets discussed. I won't use Impossible/Beyond products - they're overly processed, and if I'm going to eat something that resembles meat, I'd rather just eat the meat. So for me, when it comes to cuisines where meat is the star (burgers, grilled chicken, BBQ, etc) I'll continue to eat meat. But I still do love vegetarian dishes in cuisines where the food is still pure and flavorful as opposed to being overly processed in an attempt to be something it's not.
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Comment on Is Nebula worth it? in ~tech
devilized Link ParentAhh very cool, thanks for sending that link! It was informative in seeing how it impacts them.Ahh very cool, thanks for sending that link! It was informative in seeing how it impacts them.
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Comment on New rules to overhaul US electric grids could boost wind and solar power (gifted link) in ~enviro
devilized Link ParentWow, where do you live that your connection fee is $100+? Ours is like $20.Wow, where do you live that your connection fee is $100+? Ours is like $20.
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Comment on Seattle’s law mandating higher pay for food delivery workers is a case study in backfire economics in ~finance
devilized Link ParentAnd yet somehow, even with all of the extra fees going to the middleman, Doordash still isn't profitable. I agree that it sucks that the middleman companies are accounting for much of the increase...And yet somehow, even with all of the extra fees going to the middleman, Doordash still isn't profitable.
I agree that it sucks that the middleman companies are accounting for much of the increase in cost associated with delivery. But the upside (if there is one) is that you're able to get delivery from way more restaurants than before. It used to be a handful of restaurants (usually pizza joints, some chinese takeout places, and chain sandwich shops like Jimmy Johns) that offered delivery. Most restaurants couldn't justify having multiple delivery drivers on their payroll. Now you can get just about anything delivered, but you certainly pay for that privilege.
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Comment on Is Nebula worth it? in ~tech
devilized Link ParentIf you buy a lifetime subscription like this, how do content creators actually receive any revenue from your views now that you're not contributing anything for the service anymore?If you buy a lifetime subscription like this, how do content creators actually receive any revenue from your views now that you're not contributing anything for the service anymore?
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Comment on It won’t be easy for Caitlin Clark in the WNBA, sports’ most unmerciful league in ~sports.basketball
devilized LinkI don't follow basketball, but I'm still surprised that the WNBA has so few players. I guess it makes sense given the economics, but it's still surprising. Hopefully, Caitlin's fandom will result...I don't follow basketball, but I'm still surprised that the WNBA has so few players. I guess it makes sense given the economics, but it's still surprising. Hopefully, Caitlin's fandom will result in a permanent increase in viewership and therefore revenue to help the league actually become sustainable.
Vertical tabs was one of the major things that drove me to Vivaldi. I'll likely still continue to use it for other reasons (love all of the shortcuts and such), but it's nice to see another option that has this.