Author Topic: Overheard at Work 2  (Read 1112830 times)

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2800 on: October 18, 2020, 01:43:33 AM »
Yet this person keeps parking on the street and getting tickets. #headdesk

They must have a reason that makes sense to them. Do you have any idea what it is?

Maybe they sold the parking pass

Imma

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2801 on: October 18, 2020, 02:27:23 AM »
My company also pays quite big when traveling. I would make more money driving than my wage for the same hour. I would still not chose it, but dang, it hurts thinking about it.

One of the managers who works for me is on the road a lot a gets a lot of mileage reimbursement, plus a monthly car stipend.  He was talking about buying a new truck, and was trying to work out the math so it would be paid by the reimbursement and stipend.  I told him to ignore the stipend and the reimbursement, he gets that's no matter what, so it's not a factor in the decision (hoping he would take that to the logical conclusion and keep driving his current truck and bank the rest).

I could not get him to get off the notion that stipend + reimbursement >= new truck payment.

What can you do?
Did you make the "and this is the amount of money you would have left over every month in comparison. Would you prefer to have that and drive your old car or get a new one instead of all that money" argument? Compared to something else? Like "you could pay your son's sports club costs and still have money left".

The problem is, a lot of non-mustachians would truly prefer a fancy car over more money in their wallet...

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2802 on: October 18, 2020, 08:14:53 AM »
My company also pays quite big when traveling. I would make more money driving than my wage for the same hour. I would still not chose it, but dang, it hurts thinking about it.

One of the managers who works for me is on the road a lot a gets a lot of mileage reimbursement, plus a monthly car stipend.  He was talking about buying a new truck, and was trying to work out the math so it would be paid by the reimbursement and stipend.  I told him to ignore the stipend and the reimbursement, he gets that's no matter what, so it's not a factor in the decision (hoping he would take that to the logical conclusion and keep driving his current truck and bank the rest).

I could not get him to get off the notion that stipend + reimbursement >= new truck payment.

What can you do?
Did you make the "and this is the amount of money you would have left over every month in comparison. Would you prefer to have that and drive your old car or get a new one instead of all that money" argument? Compared to something else? Like "you could pay your son's sports club costs and still have money left".

The problem is, a lot of non-mustachians would truly prefer a fancy car over more money in their wallet...
Then how about "better car or being able to quit 10 years earlier"?

AnnaGrowsAMustache

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2803 on: October 18, 2020, 10:32:00 AM »
My company also pays quite big when traveling. I would make more money driving than my wage for the same hour. I would still not chose it, but dang, it hurts thinking about it.

One of the managers who works for me is on the road a lot a gets a lot of mileage reimbursement, plus a monthly car stipend.  He was talking about buying a new truck, and was trying to work out the math so it would be paid by the reimbursement and stipend.  I told him to ignore the stipend and the reimbursement, he gets that's no matter what, so it's not a factor in the decision (hoping he would take that to the logical conclusion and keep driving his current truck and bank the rest).

I could not get him to get off the notion that stipend + reimbursement >= new truck payment.

What can you do?
Did you make the "and this is the amount of money you would have left over every month in comparison. Would you prefer to have that and drive your old car or get a new one instead of all that money" argument? Compared to something else? Like "you could pay your son's sports club costs and still have money left".

The problem is, a lot of non-mustachians would truly prefer a fancy car over more money in their wallet...
Then how about "better car or being able to quit 10 years earlier"?

Pay off now vs pay off in 10 years? How do you think that's going to go?

Montecarlo

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2804 on: October 18, 2020, 11:57:03 AM »
I gave up when he couldn’t disconnect the income stream from the car purchase.  I don’t know what he ended up doing, he works in another location from me.

okisok

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2805 on: October 18, 2020, 05:21:18 PM »
Yet this person keeps parking on the street and getting tickets. #headdesk

They must have a reason that makes sense to them. Do you have any idea what it is?

Their reasoning is because their always running late, so this way they get to work faster. Except that we don't have a hard 'in time', and get about 15 minutes of flexibility. It takes me exactly three minutes to walk from paid parking to the site. It takes more than three minutes to run out and reload the meter multiple times a day.

NorCal

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2806 on: October 18, 2020, 06:36:31 PM »
When they died we found a box full of envelopes with small amounts of cash - used envelopes of course, labelled with "birthday" or "Christmas" or "hairdresser" in a very neat handwriting. They budgeted for everything and didn't spend more than they could afford.

Same with my grandparents; they had envelopes hidden all over the house. Having cash on hand rather than plastic was also a big part of that generation's financial planning.

I guarantee this was more effective than pretty much any modern method, including those used by mustachians. I worked in the credit card industry for a number of years. The consumer research shows that people spend significantly more when they use cards instead of cash. The research is pretty robust and applies across different consumer segments.

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2807 on: October 19, 2020, 03:42:35 AM »
When they died we found a box full of envelopes with small amounts of cash - used envelopes of course, labelled with "birthday" or "Christmas" or "hairdresser" in a very neat handwriting. They budgeted for everything and didn't spend more than they could afford.

Same with my grandparents; they had envelopes hidden all over the house. Having cash on hand rather than plastic was also a big part of that generation's financial planning.

I guarantee this was more effective than pretty much any modern method, including those used by mustachians. I worked in the credit card industry for a number of years. The consumer research shows that people spend significantly more when they use cards instead of cash. The research is pretty robust and applies across different consumer segments.
Which is a main factor for the push for cashless payments. It saves hassles for busineses and makes people lose more money.
Of course for you personally it's bad, but as long as the economy is more important than people...

Dicey

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2808 on: October 19, 2020, 05:09:00 AM »
When they died we found a box full of envelopes with small amounts of cash - used envelopes of course, labelled with "birthday" or "Christmas" or "hairdresser" in a very neat handwriting. They budgeted for everything and didn't spend more than they could afford.

Same with my grandparents; they had envelopes hidden all over the house. Having cash on hand rather than plastic was also a big part of that generation's financial planning.

I guarantee this was more effective than pretty much any modern method, including those used by mustachians. I worked in the credit card industry for a number of years. The consumer research shows that people spend significantly more when they use cards instead of cash. The research is pretty robust and applies across different consumer segments.
I avoid most affiliate cards/programs for the same reason. The reason the Target Red Card gives you a 5% discount is not because they like you. Well maybe it is. They like you because if you have one of their Red Cards, you are literally letting them advertise inside your own wallet. If you have their card, you will shop there more often and spend more money, you poor Consumer Sukka.

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2809 on: October 19, 2020, 12:45:25 PM »
I know what the research says, but I just don't have that pain when spending cash that everyone always talks about.  I suspect that it's because I had my first bank account/checkbook/debit card before I had my first job.  Therefore, when I did start working the money in my account was mine that I'd worked for (and prior to that it was my allowance that had to be stretched out).  If I had cash, it was because of xmas/birthday gifts.  So cash has always felt like extra money to me.  Plus cash just disappears at my house.


Today's work event is that my team lead just announced the impending birth of his first child.  This from the man who has just recently stated that he wasn't having kids.  I was kind of amused by the number of people talking about how he's never going to get to retire now.  And based on what I know of him, they might be right (he's mentioned student loans, credit cards, and a mortgage).  This is going to be quite the shock to him and his wife. 

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2810 on: October 20, 2020, 03:45:14 AM »
Today's work event is that my team lead just announced the impending birth of his first child.  This is going to be quite the shock to him and his wife.
Oh, so his wife still does not know that her husband is becoming a father? Interesting... ;)

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2811 on: October 20, 2020, 05:58:12 AM »
Today's work event is that my team lead just announced the impending birth of his first child.  This is going to be quite the shock to him and his wife.
Oh, so his wife still does not know that her husband is becoming a father? Interesting... ;)

LOL

jinga nation

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2812 on: October 20, 2020, 06:16:49 AM »
Today's work event is that my team lead just announced the impending birth of his first child.  This is going to be quite the shock to him and his wife.
Oh, so his wife still does not know that her husband is becoming a father? Interesting... ;)
Had a male co-worker who came to work dejected one day, having found out his wife was pregnant (again).
Dumbass said "I just refuse to wear condoms".
Our Indiana-born-n-bred openly Baptist boss said, "what did you expect if you didn't use birth control?"
Rest of us: 'dude, it's not rocket science" and "you need to control your pocket rocket" and "don't blow your load in the cockpit" (mil workplace).

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2813 on: October 20, 2020, 10:11:32 AM »
A co-worker on Friday was talking about how they went to the dealership checking out the new 2021 F150's since his 2018 F150 is about to hit 100,000KM.  He was excited about a bunch of new options on the truck like the new bigger touch screen, and the built in power inverter so you can simply plug in a bunch of electronics etc..  He told the dealership to sign him up for one as long as they can keep the same payments. I can't understand how he doesn't see that those monthly payments add up to a lot of money and he is paying for the highest deprecation years of ownership over and over again. I tried to explain that to him, but could tell he wasn't interested in hearing my way of thinking. His logic is he is used to that payment and if it never changes and he gets to drive a new truck every couple of years he is happy and the dealership is happy everyone is a winner.  I don't know the payment details, but I am sure the dealership is just stretching out his payments over more years. It likely won't hit him how much he is paying until he stops buying a new one every couple of years and finds out he has to keep making those high payments for another 6-8 years without getting a new truck.

A cheap inverter is $30. A good inverter a few hundred bucks. People!

Montecarlo

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2814 on: October 20, 2020, 10:20:35 AM »
I find inverters in cars super convenient, but converting dc to ac only for the laptop brick to convert it back to dc... seems inefficient...

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2815 on: October 20, 2020, 10:25:52 AM »
I agree. Doesn't matter. Isn't costing anything directly like more gasoline.

However I'm not buying a 12V adapter for a gadget that is rarely used in the car or a passing interest.

We charge phones with 12V to USB adapters. We charge everything else via that old inverter when we camp or travel. That includes cordless drill batteries.
« Last Edit: October 22, 2020, 07:30:33 AM by Just Joe »

jinga nation

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2816 on: October 20, 2020, 03:14:35 PM »
I find inverters in cars super convenient, but converting dc to ac only for the laptop brick to convert it back to dc... seems inefficient...
The vehicle's DC supply may be dirty and not supply sufficient current, hence the need for an inverter.
More info: https://www.autoguide.com/top-10-best-power-inverters-for-your-car

Adventine

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2817 on: October 20, 2020, 11:36:52 PM »
Today's work event is that my team lead just announced the impending birth of his first child.  This is going to be quite the shock to him and his wife.
Oh, so his wife still does not know that her husband is becoming a father? Interesting... ;)
Had a male co-worker who came to work dejected one day, having found out his wife was pregnant (again).
Dumbass said "I just refuse to wear condoms".
Our Indiana-born-n-bred openly Baptist boss said, "what did you expect if you didn't use birth control?"
Rest of us: 'dude, it's not rocket science" and "you need to control your pocket rocket" and "don't blow your load in the cockpit" (mil workplace).

His wife is soooooo lucky to have him.

OtherJen

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2818 on: October 21, 2020, 05:54:17 AM »
I know what the research says, but I just don't have that pain when spending cash that everyone always talks about.  I suspect that it's because I had my first bank account/checkbook/debit card before I had my first job.  Therefore, when I did start working the money in my account was mine that I'd worked for (and prior to that it was my allowance that had to be stretched out).  If I had cash, it was because of xmas/birthday gifts.  So cash has always felt like extra money to me.  Plus cash just disappears at my house.

Husband and I have the same experience. Credit card spending can be tracked very easily online, and any impulse to spend is checked by the knowledge that we’re going to have to account for it later when we 1) update Quicken and 2) pay our bills. Cash, on the other hand, tends to get frittered away, with little record of it. Yes, we could go all Gail Vaz-Oxlade and write every penny down. Realistically, I’ve known my husband for almost 2 decades and I know that isn’t going to happen.

OtherJen

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2819 on: October 21, 2020, 05:55:12 AM »
Today's work event is that my team lead just announced the impending birth of his first child.  This is going to be quite the shock to him and his wife.
Oh, so his wife still does not know that her husband is becoming a father? Interesting... ;)
Had a male co-worker who came to work dejected one day, having found out his wife was pregnant (again).
Dumbass said "I just refuse to wear condoms".
Our Indiana-born-n-bred openly Baptist boss said, "what did you expect if you didn't use birth control?"
Rest of us: 'dude, it's not rocket science" and "you need to control your pocket rocket" and "don't blow your load in the cockpit" (mil workplace).

Wow. I hope his kids have better role models than him.

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2820 on: October 22, 2020, 12:46:32 AM »
I find inverters in cars super convenient, but converting dc to ac only for the laptop brick to convert it back to dc... seems inefficient...

I've owned one for decades.  It was useful a few times when I needed to use the laptop for a road trip, but batteries have gotten a LOT better on electronic devices.  Long gone are the days where I would run a CD player (with AUX-tape adapter) along with a laptop and GPS device all off my inverter.

Still glad I have it for the zombie apocalypse though.

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2821 on: October 22, 2020, 12:49:23 AM »
I find inverters in cars super convenient, but converting dc to ac only for the laptop brick to convert it back to dc... seems inefficient...
The vehicle's DC supply may be dirty and not supply sufficient current, hence the need for an inverter.
More info: https://www.autoguide.com/top-10-best-power-inverters-for-your-car

I haven't read the article yet but... if the DC supply can't supply sufficient current I have a hard time believing an inverter can fix that

Fomerly known as something

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2822 on: October 22, 2020, 05:42:48 AM »
I know what the research says, but I just don't have that pain when spending cash that everyone always talks about.  I suspect that it's because I had my first bank account/checkbook/debit card before I had my first job.  Therefore, when I did start working the money in my account was mine that I'd worked for (and prior to that it was my allowance that had to be stretched out).  If I had cash, it was because of xmas/birthday gifts.  So cash has always felt like extra money to me.  Plus cash just disappears at my house.


Today's work event is that my team lead just announced the impending birth of his first child.  This from the man who has just recently stated that he wasn't having kids.  I was kind of amused by the number of people talking about how he's never going to get to retire now.  And based on what I know of him, they might be right (he's mentioned student loans, credit cards, and a mortgage).  This is going to be quite the shock to him and his wife.

Thinking back this might be why I’m good with imaginary cash.  My allowance as a little kids was kept track of on the family calculator.   I think that way my mom knew where I was spending my money.  If I wanted a Barbie, my mom would let me know if I had enough allowance to buy something.  If I wanted cash to ride my bike to the local confidence store to buy candy, she gave it to me but subtracted it from the calendar.   (Said store was not easy to get to so such rides were planned in advance.)

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2823 on: October 22, 2020, 07:38:44 AM »
I find inverters in cars super convenient, but converting dc to ac only for the laptop brick to convert it back to dc... seems inefficient...
The vehicle's DC supply may be dirty and not supply sufficient current, hence the need for an inverter.
More info: https://www.autoguide.com/top-10-best-power-inverters-for-your-car

I haven't read the article yet but... if the DC supply can't supply sufficient current I have a hard time believing an inverter can fix that

The cigarette lighter in many cars is limited to 15 AMPs. Use more and the fuse will blow. If you tie your inverter directly to the battery, you can get up to (in theory) the alternator's output and still not kill the battery. The alternator in my small SUV is 95 amps.

With my older inverter (500W I think) I've used a Sawzall and an electric drill in the field. Starting current for a big powertool is limited so I have to start no-load or start slowly and ramp up the speed. Its not ideal but once upon a time generators were expensive for me and cordless tools were lousy.

Back in the day when I was in the military I did alot of parking lot vehicle maintenance or upgrades. Was nice to run a 120V/75W work light rather than a flashlight. Good LED lights weren't a thing back then. Heck CFLs weren't really a thing yet.

Thankfully gadget efficiencies and batteries are much better than they once were.
« Last Edit: October 22, 2020, 07:41:16 AM by Just Joe »

UpNAtom

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2824 on: October 22, 2020, 09:03:38 AM »
A co-worker on Friday was talking about how they went to the dealership checking out the new 2021 F150's since his 2018 F150 is about to hit 100,000KM.  He was excited about a bunch of new options on the truck like the new bigger touch screen, and the built in power inverter so you can simply plug in a bunch of electronics etc..  He told the dealership to sign him up for one as long as they can keep the same payments. I can't understand how he doesn't see that those monthly payments add up to a lot of money and he is paying for the highest deprecation years of ownership over and over again. I tried to explain that to him, but could tell he wasn't interested in hearing my way of thinking. His logic is he is used to that payment and if it never changes and he gets to drive a new truck every couple of years he is happy and the dealership is happy everyone is a winner.  I don't know the payment details, but I am sure the dealership is just stretching out his payments over more years. It likely won't hit him how much he is paying until he stops buying a new one every couple of years and finds out he has to keep making those high payments for another 6-8 years without getting a new truck.

The emotional benefits are often overlooked too: I no longer fret about every single new ding on my car that is ten years old.  I am still salty about the damage done to the door after 1.5 months of owning it (dumb move by a careless parker... but couldn't *prove* it was them for fixing it)- but the damage in the last few years? Naw

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2825 on: October 22, 2020, 01:08:48 PM »

The cigarette lighter in many cars is limited to 15 AMPs. Use more and the fuse will blow. If you tie your inverter directly to the battery, you can get up to (in theory) the alternator's output and still not kill the battery. The alternator in my small SUV is 95 amps.



Ah that's the part I was missing

scottish

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2826 on: October 22, 2020, 08:12:45 PM »

The cigarette lighter in many cars is limited to 15 AMPs. Use more and the fuse will blow. If you tie your inverter directly to the battery, you can get up to (in theory) the alternator's output and still not kill the battery. The alternator in my small SUV is 95 amps.



Ah that's the part I was missing

Safety hint:   Make sure you have a fuse in there somewhere...

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2827 on: October 23, 2020, 01:08:30 AM »

The cigarette lighter in many cars is limited to 15 AMPs. Use more and the fuse will blow. If you tie your inverter directly to the battery, you can get up to (in theory) the alternator's output and still not kill the battery. The alternator in my small SUV is 95 amps.



Ah that's the part I was missing

Safety hint:   Make sure you have a fuse in there somewhere...

Not sure if I have a fuse.  Can someone please verify?


Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2828 on: October 23, 2020, 10:26:42 AM »
Actually with one of those I'm pretty sure your Delorean can power several neighborhoods all at once... A fuse would be quite wise. ;)

Nearest nuclear power plant to my town = ~3.5 Delorean time machine outputs.

I wonder what the duty cycle is on a Doc Brown time machine reactor?


wkumtrider

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2829 on: October 23, 2020, 12:02:51 PM »
A coworker has a 1.5 hr (one way) commute to work.  He normally drives a full size modified GMC truck, but sometimes he drives his Mini Cooper.  Today he bought his wife a 2019 Camaro and had it delivered to work.  He is going to drive it home today to surprise her.  I have an idea of his salary, and it's less than six figures.  No idea if his wife works.   I'd hate to see his fuel and insurance costs.
« Last Edit: October 23, 2020, 12:11:42 PM by wkumtrider »

nobody

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2830 on: October 24, 2020, 08:26:29 PM »
Heard this from one of my former co-workers who was expressing money woes, "but every time I see the shiny rims on my car, it makes me happy."

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2831 on: October 25, 2020, 02:06:17 AM »
Heard this from one of my former co-workers who was expressing money woes, "but every time I see the shiny rims on my car, it makes me happy."
That's good. Sell the car, keep the rims, hang them in your living room and be ultra happy.

RWTL

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2832 on: October 25, 2020, 04:51:34 AM »
Actually with one of those I'm pretty sure your Delorean can power several neighborhoods all at once... A fuse would be quite wise. ;)

Nearest nuclear power plant to my town = ~3.5 Delorean time machine outputs.

I wonder what the duty cycle is on a Doc Brown time machine reactor?

This used to be a simple job to replace a flux capacitor when O'reilly had them in stock.  Haven't seen them for a while.  Must be a shortage of some key component during COVID :)

https://www.oreillyauto.com/flux-500.html

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2833 on: October 26, 2020, 02:19:02 AM »
Actually with one of those I'm pretty sure your Delorean can power several neighborhoods all at once... A fuse would be quite wise. ;)

Nearest nuclear power plant to my town = ~3.5 Delorean time machine outputs.

I wonder what the duty cycle is on a Doc Brown time machine reactor?

This used to be a simple job to replace a flux capacitor when O'reilly had them in stock.  Haven't seen them for a while.  Must be a shortage of some key component during COVID :)

https://www.oreillyauto.com/flux-500.html

That one seems overkill for my needs anyway.  I only need 1.21 GW

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2834 on: October 27, 2020, 08:05:31 AM »
I'll bet the range on a Tesla EV would be better with a flux capacitor on board...

sherr

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2835 on: October 27, 2020, 08:48:38 AM »
That one seems overkill for my needs anyway.  I only need 1.21 GW

All you need to do is weld 269 Long-Range Model 3's together and you'd have enough energy for a full minute of time travel.

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2836 on: October 27, 2020, 12:05:05 PM »
That one seems overkill for my needs anyway.  I only need 1.21 GW

All you need to do is weld 269 Long-Range Model 3's together and you'd have enough energy for a full minute of time travel.
How unmustachian!
Use BYD cars, they only cost half of Teslas models.

Plina

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2837 on: October 27, 2020, 01:26:11 PM »
I know what the research says, but I just don't have that pain when spending cash that everyone always talks about.  I suspect that it's because I had my first bank account/checkbook/debit card before I had my first job.  Therefore, when I did start working the money in my account was mine that I'd worked for (and prior to that it was my allowance that had to be stretched out).  If I had cash, it was because of xmas/birthday gifts.  So cash has always felt like extra money to me.  Plus cash just disappears at my house.

Husband and I have the same experience. Credit card spending can be tracked very easily online, and any impulse to spend is checked by the knowledge that we’re going to have to account for it later when we 1) update Quicken and 2) pay our bills. Cash, on the other hand, tends to get frittered away, with little record of it. Yes, we could go all Gail Vaz-Oxlade and write every penny down. Realistically, I’ve known my husband for almost 2 decades and I know that isn’t going to happen.

I have to Google how the cash looks, when I sometimes get it when I sell something to someone with a foreign background. The last time that happened was more than two years ago and I still have a small bill left. It is a pain in the ass to find somewhere to spend it. Many places don’t accept cash. While credit card and digital  spending can be easily tracked and categorized.

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2838 on: October 28, 2020, 02:35:22 PM »
Seriously - businesses where you live don't accept cash?

I bought ~$10 worth of gasoline once. The clerk was not amused. I was relieved to be rid of all the coins.

This was years before I ever saw a coin machine in a grocery store.

Montecarlo

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2839 on: October 28, 2020, 08:11:05 PM »

The cigarette lighter in many cars is limited to 15 AMPs. Use more and the fuse will blow. If you tie your inverter directly to the battery, you can get up to (in theory) the alternator's output and still not kill the battery. The alternator in my small SUV is 95 amps.



Ah that's the part I was missing

15 amps is a ton, most households circuits are 15 amps

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2840 on: October 28, 2020, 09:25:11 PM »

The cigarette lighter in many cars is limited to 15 AMPs. Use more and the fuse will blow. If you tie your inverter directly to the battery, you can get up to (in theory) the alternator's output and still not kill the battery. The alternator in my small SUV is 95 amps.



Ah that's the part I was missing

15 amps is a ton, most households circuits are 15 amps

Very different voltages though

Montecarlo

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2841 on: October 29, 2020, 05:38:38 AM »

The cigarette lighter in many cars is limited to 15 AMPs. Use more and the fuse will blow. If you tie your inverter directly to the battery, you can get up to (in theory) the alternator's output and still not kill the battery. The alternator in my small SUV is 95 amps.



Ah that's the part I was missing

15 amps is a ton, most households circuits are 15 amps

Very different voltages though

Ah, true

Plina

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2842 on: October 29, 2020, 08:59:59 AM »
Seriously - businesses where you live don't accept cash?

I bought ~$10 worth of gasoline once. The clerk was not amused. I was relieved to be rid of all the coins.

This was years before I ever saw a coin machine in a grocery store.

Welcome to Sweden!

Yes, there are restaurants and shops that don’t accept cash. Most of the public transportation companies also refuse cash. Here you can’t buy a ticket on the buses and on trams you can only buy with a card from a machine. Or through an app. Imagine the hassle I had when I once forgot to charge the batteries on my phone to get a ticket, before I remembered that I could by a ticket with a card on the fram. The airport bus is cash free, which frustrates tourists.  Many banks are also cash free. For parking you need a card in most of the places, I think, or in some places you pay by text message or through an app.

About 2-3 years ago they made a change of the coins and maybe bills also. That resulted in long lines at the food stores as people took their coins for shopping to get rid of them before they turned invalid. I used all my coins during a month or two, when I went to the grocery store close to me for minor purchases, but they had to put a limit on the amount of coins.
« Last Edit: October 29, 2020, 09:01:52 AM by Plina »

lemanfan

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2843 on: October 29, 2020, 11:06:24 AM »
Seriously - businesses where you live don't accept cash?

I bought ~$10 worth of gasoline once. The clerk was not amused. I was relieved to be rid of all the coins.

This was years before I ever saw a coin machine in a grocery store.

Welcome to Sweden!

Yes, there are restaurants and shops that don’t accept cash.

But to be fair, most shops and restaurants still take cash in Sweden, even if some have a problem with giving change for a big bill for a small purchase. Public transportation and parking is best done using smartphone apps and vending machine-type deals (including self checkout stores) mostly take card payments. 

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2844 on: October 29, 2020, 06:05:33 PM »
We took our old Swedish cash with us on trip there last summer only to find that it had “expired”. That is so strange. In the US, you could spend cash or coin from 100 years ago and it would still be valid. Of course, it’s probably worth far more than its face value as a collector’s item, so spending it wouldn’t make much sense, but you could.

That said, we didn’t need cash anywhere in Sweden. Card was so much easier. We eventually got some cash in Finland for use at a street fair.  We were able to use it up, but other than that street fair, we probably could have done the whole trip without cash.

Plina

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2845 on: October 29, 2020, 11:51:28 PM »
We took our old Swedish cash with us on trip there last summer only to find that it had “expired”. That is so strange. In the US, you could spend cash or coin from 100 years ago and it would still be valid. Of course, it’s probably worth far more than its face value as a collector’s item, so spending it wouldn’t make much sense, but you could.

That said, we didn’t need cash anywhere in Sweden. Card was so much easier. We eventually got some cash in Finland for use at a street fair.  We were able to use it up, but other than that street fair, we probably could have done the whole trip without cash.

You can get back the value of the expired cash from the central bank minus a fee. If they accept your excuse for having old cash. The change is made to make it more difficult to forge money.

Actually, here you can basically pay with card or digitally through an app even  at the street fairs. Finland is not quite as cashbased yet but I am basically never using cash in Finland. The sellers have realized that they have to have options as people don’t have cash. I read last week that the sellers of the magazine for homeless also accept digital payments through an app. They had to make the change because the main response from people were that they don’t have cash.

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2846 on: October 30, 2020, 12:09:47 AM »
I know what the research says, but I just don't have that pain when spending cash that everyone always talks about.  I suspect that it's because I had my first bank account/checkbook/debit card before I had my first job.  Therefore, when I did start working the money in my account was mine that I'd worked for (and prior to that it was my allowance that had to be stretched out).  If I had cash, it was because of xmas/birthday gifts.  So cash has always felt like extra money to me.  Plus cash just disappears at my house.


Today's work event is that my team lead just announced the impending birth of his first child.  This from the man who has just recently stated that he wasn't having kids.  I was kind of amused by the number of people talking about how he's never going to get to retire now.  And based on what I know of him, they might be right (he's mentioned student loans, credit cards, and a mortgage).  This is going to be quite the shock to him and his wife.

Thinking back this might be why I’m good with imaginary cash.  My allowance as a little kids was kept track of on the family calculator.   I think that way my mom knew where I was spending my money.  If I wanted a Barbie, my mom would let me know if I had enough allowance to buy something.  If I wanted cash to ride my bike to the local confidence store to buy candy, she gave it to me but subtracted it from the calendar.   (Said store was not easy to get to so such rides were planned in advance.)
Quite understandable that there weren't a lot of confidence stores around ;-)

SwordGuy

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2847 on: October 30, 2020, 08:14:16 AM »
I know what the research says, but I just don't have that pain when spending cash that everyone always talks about.  I suspect that it's because I had my first bank account/checkbook/debit card before I had my first job.  Therefore, when I did start working the money in my account was mine that I'd worked for (and prior to that it was my allowance that had to be stretched out).  If I had cash, it was because of xmas/birthday gifts.  So cash has always felt like extra money to me.  Plus cash just disappears at my house.


Today's work event is that my team lead just announced the impending birth of his first child.  This from the man who has just recently stated that he wasn't having kids.  I was kind of amused by the number of people talking about how he's never going to get to retire now.  And based on what I know of him, they might be right (he's mentioned student loans, credit cards, and a mortgage).  This is going to be quite the shock to him and his wife.

Thinking back this might be why I’m good with imaginary cash.  My allowance as a little kids was kept track of on the family calculator.   I think that way my mom knew where I was spending my money.  If I wanted a Barbie, my mom would let me know if I had enough allowance to buy something.  If I wanted cash to ride my bike to the local confidence store to buy candy, she gave it to me but subtracted it from the calendar.   (Said store was not easy to get to so such rides were planned in advance.)
Quite understandable that there weren't a lot of confidence stores around ;-)
Yes, and back in my day, most of them only sold men's goods.

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2848 on: October 30, 2020, 08:45:18 AM »
We took our old Swedish cash with us on trip there last summer only to find that it had “expired”. That is so strange. In the US, you could spend cash or coin from 100 years ago and it would still be valid. Of course, it’s probably worth far more than its face value as a collector’s item, so spending it wouldn’t make much sense, but you could.

That said, we didn’t need cash anywhere in Sweden. Card was so much easier. We eventually got some cash in Finland for use at a street fair.  We were able to use it up, but other than that street fair, we probably could have done the whole trip without cash.

You can get back the value of the expired cash from the central bank minus a fee. If they accept your excuse for having old cash. The change is made to make it more difficult to forge money.

Actually, here you can basically pay with card or digitally through an app even  at the street fairs. Finland is not quite as cashbased yet but I am basically never using cash in Finland. The sellers have realized that they have to have options as people don’t have cash. I read last week that the sellers of the magazine for homeless also accept digital payments through an app. They had to make the change because the main response from people were that they don’t have cash.

With my luck I'd probably run out of data on my PAYGO phone and be stuck... ;)

Reynold

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #2849 on: December 03, 2020, 12:20:17 PM »
Heard this from one of my former co-workers who was expressing money woes, "but every time I see the shiny rims on my car, it makes me happy."
That's good. Sell the car, keep the rims, hang them in your living room and be ultra happy.

Nah, just tell them to move to this place so they can see their car. . .
https://www.mvrdv.nl/projects/223/sky-vault-penthouse