Search found 57 matches

by Optimal_Solution
Tue Aug 15, 2023 2:02 am
Forum: ERE Journals
Topic: brute journal
Replies: 467
Views: 178043

Re: brute journal

I haven't visited the forum in years and one of the first things I did when I checked in today was to see if BRUTE had yet resurfaced.

Thank you for the closure, BRUTE.
by Optimal_Solution
Thu Nov 04, 2021 11:03 am
Forum: Money and Investment Questions
Topic: Series I Savings Bonds at 7.12%
Replies: 11
Views: 2225

Re: Series I Savings Bonds at 7.12%

I-bonds currently have a nice return and I think it unlikely that bank accounts will be matching that APY for a while.

The bummer is that a married couple is limited to purchasing $25k per year (10k per individual + 5k via tax return refund).
by Optimal_Solution
Mon May 03, 2021 12:36 am
Forum: Money and Investment Questions
Topic: What is Money and how does it come to be?
Replies: 6
Views: 1333

Re: What is Money and how does it come to be?

"Money" is an imprecise term. There are more precise definitions: M0 , M1, etc. I find it easier to grok money when the concept is decomposed into its various types.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_supply#M0
by Optimal_Solution
Thu Apr 15, 2021 11:46 pm
Forum: Politics, and other eternal disagreements
Topic: COVID topic vol 2
Replies: 865
Views: 90457

Re: COVID topic vol 2

My main concerns are female sterility caused by the protein for which mRNA is the plan, and the very small likelyhood that a retrovirus might happen to copy the mRNA in the DNA and make any yet unknown side effect permanent. Shouldn't you be just as concerned about the same thing happening when you...
by Optimal_Solution
Sun Feb 14, 2021 1:11 am
Forum: ERE Book/Blog/Forum
Topic: Stoa Presentation: A Systems Approach To Resilient Lifestyle Design
Replies: 89
Views: 14640

Re: Stoa Presentation: A Systems Approach To Resilient Lifestyle Design

Peter, your blog reminds of Ribbonfarm. Maybe it is the cryptic language that requires context to fully understand, the philosophy, the decomposition of cultural forces, or the heavy topics sprinkled with lighthearted-ness.
by Optimal_Solution
Mon Dec 14, 2020 1:50 pm
Forum: Housing and Transportation Questions
Topic: Best way to heat house while keeping humidity?
Replies: 10
Views: 1858

Re: Best way to heat house while keeping humidity?

I think 40-60 percent relative humidity is recommended. I try to avoid going higher than that because mold likes high humidity. If your 80% reading is accurate, then your dry skin problem is probably related to something other than humidity Also, I don't think humidifiers ever contain salt. The salt...
by Optimal_Solution
Sat Sep 26, 2020 12:29 am
Forum: Money and Investment Questions
Topic: Cloud Solution for my trading tool?
Replies: 4
Views: 689

Re: Cloud Solution for my trading tool?

I have professional AWS and Azure experience. It may not be cost effective if you are running your severs 24/7. But if you can organize your computations into batch jobs that run periodically, then it doesn't cost nearly as much. You should look into Spot instances to save even more money. Spot inst...
by Optimal_Solution
Sun Sep 20, 2020 9:03 pm
Forum: Technical Skills & Tools Questions
Topic: Fill in an in-ground pool?
Replies: 18
Views: 1762

Re: Fill in an in-ground pool?

Are you renting out the property? If so, I could see some of the approaches mentioned here being a large potential legal liability.
by Optimal_Solution
Sun Jul 19, 2020 9:47 pm
Forum: Resources & Recommended Reading
Topic: Living on $5,000/year now called "intentional poverty"
Replies: 31
Views: 14816

Re: Living on $5,000/year now called "intentional poverty"

Both of the Dan Price videos on this thread were inspiring. What a wonderful relationship he has with his land. I also appreciate how respectful the interviewers were.
by Optimal_Solution
Fri Jul 17, 2020 7:32 pm
Forum: ERE Community
Topic: How to hold a meetup
Replies: 26
Views: 28764

Re: How to hold a meetup

I would be interested in an online meetup. But I've noticed that large video conferences tend to be dominated by those most willing to "butt in" to the conversation next. It is also difficult to have organic side conversations. Maybe these problems could be alleviated via moderation or pre...
by Optimal_Solution
Thu May 07, 2020 1:51 am
Forum: Work & Education
Topic: Advice on climbing the ladder
Replies: 10
Views: 1961

Re: Advice on climbing the ladder

Have you read the entire seven part series on the Gervais Principle at Ribbonfarm? It is an entertaining and insightful read. The double speak that you noted from sociopathic leadership is fairly well covered.
by Optimal_Solution
Sun Nov 10, 2019 1:15 am
Forum: Resources & Recommended Reading
Topic: ‘I give away half to three-quarters of my income every year’
Replies: 19
Views: 3112

Re: ‘I give away half to three-quarters of my income every year’

Wow, you guys are critical. Give him the benefit of the doubt. The dude is giving up a lot of money that very few people could bear to part with. I consider doing this when I'm FI, but I don't know if I could stay motivated to work. Maybe he consented to being featured in an article because he belie...
by Optimal_Solution
Mon Jul 01, 2019 8:54 am
Forum: Politics, and other eternal disagreements
Topic: Andrew Yang's Freedom Dividend (Universal Basic Income)
Replies: 36
Views: 10413

Re: Andrew Yang's Freedom Dividend (Universal Basic Income)

I expect to "retire" in the next year or two so I would personally benefit from some sort of UBI while not having to pay for it via income taxes. But I certainly would not vote in favor of it because I am philosophically opposed to it. I think it would adversely distort market incentives, ...
by Optimal_Solution
Sun May 19, 2019 8:45 am
Forum: Money and Investment Questions
Topic: What kind of bank account should I open?
Replies: 22
Views: 5573

Re: What kind of bank account should I open?

Local banks rarely have good rates. I think many people use a physical branch bank plus an online bank. I use free student checking at US Bank. No fees, branches and ATMs nationwide. I use it to deposit cash, direct deposit paychecks, and autopaying bills that don't take credit card. I also use Ally...
by Optimal_Solution
Mon May 13, 2019 8:00 pm
Forum: Technical Skills & Tools Questions
Topic: DVD players & scratchy DVDs
Replies: 3
Views: 1306

Re: DVD players & scratchy DVDs

I'm not sure if some DVD players handle scratches better than others, but I've had some luck buffing out DVD scratches using toothpaste and a cloth. Only rub center to edge (and edge to center) - never left and right. Then rinse with a little water. You used to be able to buy a CD/DVD polishing devi...
by Optimal_Solution
Mon May 13, 2019 8:42 am
Forum: Work & Education
Topic: How do most people do this whole compulsory 9-5 thing for 40+ years?
Replies: 64
Views: 17020

Re: How do most people do this whole compulsory 9-5 thing for 40+ years?

Maybe I misunderstood Jacob. I assumed he meant generations in the sense of "Fourth Turning theory" where a generation is about 20 years.
by Optimal_Solution
Mon May 13, 2019 1:59 am
Forum: Work & Education
Topic: How do most people do this whole compulsory 9-5 thing for 40+ years?
Replies: 64
Views: 17020

Re: How do most people do this whole compulsory 9-5 thing for 40+ years?

@Stahlmann

4 generations brings us back to about WWII. The industrial revolution was long before WWII.
by Optimal_Solution
Mon Apr 22, 2019 9:04 pm
Forum: Housing and Transportation Questions
Topic: Small Leak from Toilet- DIY?
Replies: 7
Views: 2302

Re: Small Leak from Toilet- DIY?

My wax ring job turned into a "rip off four old flooring layers, replace the subfloor, install a new floor, and a wax ring" job.

Check carefully for water damage (rot) to the floor.
by Optimal_Solution
Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:57 am
Forum: Philosophy and Lifestyle Questions
Topic: Alternative to phone
Replies: 18
Views: 4828

Re: Alternative to phone

I think there are two reasons that VOIP numbers are treated as second class citizens: 1) Fraud is more likely to involve a VOIP number because they can be easily obtained anonymously and for free. Some companies block these numbers as a risk management measure. 2) SMS interoperability with VOIP some...
by Optimal_Solution
Sun Mar 31, 2019 3:16 pm
Forum: Health and Food Questions
Topic: Alcohol
Replies: 27
Views: 4795

Re: Alcohol

I'm a zero. I don't think I've ever finished an alcoholic drink in my life. I don't like the taste. I haven't tried many types of alcohol because honestly I'm a bit afraid of what I might do if I found something I liked. There don't seem to be many benefits to alcohol and plenty of costs, so I'd rat...