Search found 952 matches

by Kriegsspiel
Tue May 30, 2023 6:55 pm
Forum: Money and Investment Questions
Topic: Have used items become more expensive over the past 10-15 years?
Replies: 13
Views: 1401

Re: Have used items become more expensive over the past 10-15 years?

Something that I've noticed popping up everywhere are self-storage units. I'd assume that people storing stuff that they would have sold on the second-hand market in an earlier era puts a significant dent in the supply of used goods.
by Kriegsspiel
Wed May 24, 2023 4:20 pm
Forum: Money and Investment Questions
Topic: EVERYTHING Too $$$ Now
Replies: 208
Views: 19543

Re: EVERYTHING Too $$$ Now

I don't disagree, but if that were the case why are men in uniform like military, police, and firefighters generally perceived to be more attractive? Any of those career fields require a man to "engage as a submissive" even more so than a fraternity. I'd assume it's because those populati...
by Kriegsspiel
Wed May 10, 2023 10:53 am
Forum: Money and Investment Questions
Topic: EVERYTHING Too $$$ Now
Replies: 208
Views: 19543

Re: EVERYTHING Too $$$ Now

Ephedrine was banned in the US in 2004. In 1986 I used to study with a gal who suddenly died of a heart attack induced by an ephedrine cocktail. She was heavyset so I assume that she was not a habitual user. FWIW, you can still buy ephedrine (as Bronkaid & Primatene) at the major pharmacies. Th...
by Kriegsspiel
Fri Mar 24, 2023 5:51 pm
Forum: Housing and Transportation Questions
Topic: Renovating a Decrepit House
Replies: 10
Views: 1050

Re: Renovating a Decrepit House

If I were you, I wouldn't get one that expensive or large for my first rehab. I'd start with a smaller 2/1 or 3/1, maybe even a condo.

Bigger Pockets has a couple books about flipping which you may find helpful.
by Kriegsspiel
Wed Mar 22, 2023 4:59 pm
Forum: Resources & Recommended Reading
Topic: Favorite Classic Books
Replies: 42
Views: 3554

Re: Favorite Classic Books

Oh, I also want to recommend three more:

Gone With The Wind, by Mitchell. I had the idea that it was a "girly" book before I read it, but it's not. One of the best.

Buddenbrooks, by Mann. It's a similar flavor to The Good Earth.

All Quiet On The Western Front, by Remarque.
by Kriegsspiel
Tue Mar 21, 2023 7:15 pm
Forum: Resources & Recommended Reading
Topic: Post apocylyptic disutopian future novels?
Replies: 36
Views: 12671

Re: Post apocylyptic disutopian future novels?

Darwin's Radio by Bear
The Water Knife is another one by Bacigalupi
Slow Apocalypse by Varley
Star's Reach by JMG, like Jacob said, not really post-apocalyptic, but it's pretty dystopian.
by Kriegsspiel
Tue Mar 21, 2023 6:44 pm
Forum: Resources & Recommended Reading
Topic: Favorite Classic Books
Replies: 42
Views: 3554

Re: Favorite Classic Books

Here are a few:

Gates Of Fire by Pressfield
A Confederacy Of Dunces by Toole
The Good Earth by Buck
by Kriegsspiel
Wed Nov 02, 2022 11:47 am
Forum: Money and Investment Questions
Topic: Guest post: How I invest
Replies: 30
Views: 4611

Re: Guest post: How I invest

I second suomalainen's motion for an example of a corporation that you bought (and sold?) and the context/reasoning.
by Kriegsspiel
Tue Mar 15, 2022 11:38 am
Forum: Technical Skills & Tools Questions
Topic: Useful Hard Skills for the near future
Replies: 280
Views: 46388

Re: Useful Hard Skills for the near future

Whoops, that was my other tip. Make sure you have plenty of boxed wine on hand when the water goes out.
by Kriegsspiel
Tue Mar 15, 2022 11:27 am
Forum: Technical Skills & Tools Questions
Topic: Useful Hard Skills for the near future
Replies: 280
Views: 46388

Re: Useful Hard Skills for the near future

Just wiping out a pot with some bread... of course. And now that you mention it, I seem to recall the guy who lived in a van while going to Duke said he eventually stopped cleaning his dishes at some point too. I also like Ego's idea. I could probably suspend a used wine bag over my sink with a broo...
by Kriegsspiel
Tue Mar 15, 2022 9:46 am
Forum: Technical Skills & Tools Questions
Topic: Useful Hard Skills for the near future
Replies: 280
Views: 46388

Re: Useful Hard Skills for the near future

Cyber attacks are intensifying from both Russia and Iran. If Russia declares the beginning of WWIII because of US and European assistance to Ukraine we may begin seeing serious attacks here. What are some possible targets and how can we plan for the disruptions? A few years ago the Israeli water su...
by Kriegsspiel
Tue Mar 15, 2022 6:46 am
Forum: Miscellaneous
Topic: Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order
Replies: 43
Views: 7260

Re: Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order

Zeihan's stance is that the US is the least-dependant country WRT global economics. He cites the very low levels of imports and exports as a % of GDP in, I believe, The Accidental Superpower. That was written in 2014, but a quick check on wikipedia shows that the US still has one of the lowest expor...
by Kriegsspiel
Mon Mar 14, 2022 8:11 pm
Forum: Miscellaneous
Topic: Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order
Replies: 43
Views: 7260

Re: Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order

Our old buddy, John Michael Greer, wrote an superb (fiction) book that involved missiles and US supercarriers, Twilight's Last Gleaming. It was the precursor to Retrotopia, if that's enough foreshadowing for you :lol: But in reading all of Zeihan's books, his whole spiel with China is that if we (th...
by Kriegsspiel
Sun Mar 06, 2022 9:05 am
Forum: Technical Skills & Tools Questions
Topic: Useful Hard Skills for the near future
Replies: 280
Views: 46388

Re: Useful Hard Skills for the near future

One thing I forgot to say, RE Ego's post. I could imagine many Russians wished they had learned more about cryptocurrency, especially how and where they can use it to buy stuff/exchange it for local currency when travelling abroad. Russia, QUITE SUSPICIOUSLY, put in a new law just before they invade...
by Kriegsspiel
Sun Mar 06, 2022 8:23 am
Forum: Technical Skills & Tools Questions
Topic: Useful Hard Skills for the near future
Replies: 280
Views: 46388

Re: Useful Hard Skills for the near future

https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/visa-suspends-operations-russia-over-ukraine-invasion-2022-03-05/ Same for Mastercard. Is this more impactful than SWIFT? What if this happened to you? Imagine you are a Russian who took the train to Finland and you are suddenly disconnected from your wealth...
by Kriegsspiel
Sun Feb 13, 2022 2:29 pm
Forum: Resources & Recommended Reading
Topic: "How to Drop Out"
Replies: 125
Views: 12703

Re: "How to Drop Out"

I've been reading Ran's stuff for years now. He wrote a lot of interesting stuff years ago. Here's one I had bookmarked with advice on groceries, how to find a slacker job (I wonder if MikeBOS read it back then. He acquired some slacker jobs, but never wrote about them that much), and driving effici...
by Kriegsspiel
Wed Feb 02, 2022 6:53 pm
Forum: ERE Journals
Topic: Western Red Cedar's Journal
Replies: 526
Views: 156027

Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Did you like RP2?

I thought RP1 was super, but I couldn't even finish RP2.
by Kriegsspiel
Wed Feb 02, 2022 8:37 am
Forum: Money and Investment Questions
Topic: Emergency fund in I Bonds?
Replies: 15
Views: 1396

Re: Emergency fund in I Bonds?

I use I-bonds as part of the short end of a bond barbell with long Treasuries. I guess a downside risk to putting your entire allowance in now would be if they add a fixed component to I-bonds later this year. Maybe not that big of a deal for you (if they do add it) if you think you're going to be c...
by Kriegsspiel
Wed Feb 02, 2022 8:27 am
Forum: Money and Investment Questions
Topic: Charlie Munger - “even crazier” than the dotcom boom
Replies: 65
Views: 10693

Re: Charlie Munger - “even crazier” than the dotcom boom

If anyone wants to get their nerd on, American Bonds covers mortgage bonds (and other bond stuff) very academically. Here's an blurb about the pre-Napoleonic German market: Because the Pfandbriefe could be redeemed or sold at any point, it was more liquid than a mortgage- "the perfect type of s...
by Kriegsspiel
Wed Feb 02, 2022 8:06 am
Forum: ERE Journals
Topic: mathiverse's journal
Replies: 310
Views: 73259

Re: mathiverse's journal

I don't know if every Aldi operates the same, but mine always has a sale on chicken the first week of the month. The jars of tikka masala there are really good with chicken and rice.

I have 2 grocery stores near me, and I just shop at whichever one has better sales in their weekly ad.