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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 13th, 2023

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  • I bought these and started DAO again a couple days ago. I had them on console before, but it was cheap enough to add to my Steam account. I loaded up a ton of mods this time. So far I’m having fun, but it crashes a lot, so I’m quick saving constantly. I’m not sure if the crashing is the game, my laptop, or the mods. I’m assuming its the mods and so far don’t care enough to figure out which one(s). The good news is, I can go from desktop to loaded game in about 30 seconds, which is a nice change from modern games that take forever to load.

    For those commenting on EA, if you buy on Steam you’ll get a launcher, but you don’t need the EA app to play (at least for DAO, I haven’t gotten to the others yet). However, if you just don’t want to give your $7 to EA (after Steam’s cut), that’s totally understandable.




  • From A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain (1890):

    But when I saw them put the noose around his neck, then everything let go in me and I made a spring to the rescue—and as I made it I shot one more glance abroad—by George! here they came, a-tilting!—five hundred mailed and belted knights on bicycles!

    The grandest sight that ever was seen. Lord, how the plumes streamed, how the sun flamed and flashed from the endless procession of webby wheels!

    I waved my right arm as Launcelot swept in—he recognized my rag —I tore away noose and bandage, and shouted:

    “On your knees, every rascal of you, and salute the king! Who fails shall sup in hell to-night!”





  • I haven’t tried it yet, but A Little to the Left looks like a fun organizing game. It was just added to Game Pass if you have that. I also see my daughter playing Power Washer Simulator sometimes, which I haven’t tried, but it looks like it could be satisfying to play.

    I’m a big fan of Don’t Nod games (Life is Strange, Tell Me Why) for atmospheric storytelling. Life is Strange: True Colors is from Deck Nine games, but falls in the same category. Detroit: Become Human is also kind of similar, but it occasionally throws in sections where you have to quickly react with button pushing that I don’t enjoy. One thing I find interesting about all of these is that you can play them more than once with different choices to get different paths, but so far I haven’t replayed any of them because I felt like the path I took was meaningful and I don’t want to change my story yet.

    An MMO could be a good way to go. My wife isn’t really into gaming, but we played WoW together on and off for years. I haven’t played them much, but if I were to recommend one to start with now I’d probably check out Final Fantasy 14 or Elder Scrolls Online.




  • This is essentially the same way that my employer sets pay ranges.

    They send a list of job titles and descriptions to an outside company along with the number of employees and how much each of those employees are paid. Lots of other employers send their info and the outside company tries to match up all the job descriptions and then sends back to all of the employers what the “market range” is for every job.

    My employer then decides where in that range they think is “competitive” (hint: its near the bottom). That’s the amount HR and Finance are willing to approve when hiring someone into a role, regardless of experience. The wages are only “competitive” if every other employer goes along with the scheme and offers the same amount.




  • My plan is to move to the EU and I assume I will want to get a local account to handle local transactions. I would not necessarily need a local brokerage account if I can keep my investments in the US, I would just need to work out the reporting requirements for local taxes.

    A lot of the details will depend on my work situation at the time (local employment, US remote, or retired). I’ve started a list of things I will need to figure out, but am mostly just adding to the list right now since any potential move is still several yeats away (at best).



  • If you have any debt (credit cards, auto, student loans), I would pay that off before adding more than the 12% to retirement.

    If you are debt free and have some short-term savings, I would contribute to a Roth IRA before adding to the 401k. At a mid 5 figure income level, the tax savings from the 401k aren’t that impressive. Meanwhile, the IRA gives you some flexibility to draw funds for a first time home purchase, major medical expense, or potentially the option to withdraw prior contributions without penalty. You then have the flexibility to invest according to your knowledge and risk tolerance.

    I would probably only choose the 401k if the tax reduction was meaningful and I earned too much for a traditional IRA (those 2 things typically coincide). Another possibility is if your company has a good ESPP program, ideally one that allows you to sell shares immediately after they are purchased (no minimum holding period). If there is a holding period (my employer requires 1 year), you have to think very hard about how much risk you are taking on during that time.


  • I also use a double edge safety razor, but have an electric razor also for a quick morning shave. Other things I do:

    • I cut my hair with clippers I bought 15+ years ago for the price of 1-2 haircuts. This probably only works for people with simple, short hair, but has saved me thousands of dollars compared to getting a monthly haircut at $20+

    • We put a basket with cloth napkins next to the dining table and a basket with washcloths on the kitchen counter and have drastically reduced the quantity of paper towels that we use