Overheard at Work 2

[DadJokes]

Our house was new. That wasn't our plan when we set out looking for a house, but it was just as expensive per square foot as the used houses we were looking at and didn't have any items that needed fixed right off the bat or any upcoming major repairs.

[ixtap]

I am not sure she has said it out loud as a criteria, but I have a SIL who only buys new houses.

[Just Joe]

I see alot of new houses with tiny garages. Like impossible to store two medium size vehicles.

Buy an older house built to store two 1970s land yacht cars and you've got space!

[zolotiyeruki]

I see alot of new houses with tiny garages. Like impossible to store two medium size vehicles.

Buy an older house built to store two 1970s land yacht cars and you've got space!

This is one of my pet peeves.  Seriously, the incremental cost to the builder to make that garage actually usable (i.e. add four feet of width and three feet of depth) is negligible.

[SwordGuy]

I see alot of new houses with tiny garages. Like impossible to store two medium size vehicles.

Buy an older house built to store two 1970s land yacht cars and you've got space!

This is one of my pet peeves.  Seriously, the incremental cost to the builder to make that garage actually usable (i.e. add four feet of width and three feet of depth) is negligible.

Snoutier Snout-Houses for the Win!

[zolotiyeruki]

I see alot of new houses with tiny garages. Like impossible to store two medium size vehicles.

Buy an older house built to store two 1970s land yacht cars and you've got space!

This is one of my pet peeves.  Seriously, the incremental cost to the builder to make that garage actually usable (i.e. add four feet of width and three feet of depth) is negligible.

Snoutier Snout-Houses for the Win!

LOL, man, I hate those too.  Hooray for making lots as narrow as possible, to minimize road per house!  /s

[Imma]

There's something to be said for new houses too, they're typically much more energy-efficient are more suited to modern conveniences; more power outlets in convenient places, maybe built-in speaker wires / ethernet, garages large enough for modern cars, etc.

But yes, the concept of a "used house" is very bizarre. What's next, complaining about "used land"?!

My house is from the 40s and I'm really happy with it. It's built with high quality materials and it's still in great shape and doesn't need a whole lot of maintenance. It's actually pretty energy efficient too - in the 40s people didn't have a lot of money to spend on heating and a/c didn't exist so homes were built to be cool in summer and warm in winter. A lot of older homes are much better insulated than properties from the 70s/80s.

[markbike528CBX]

But yes, the concept of a "used house" is very bizarre. What's next, complaining about "used land"?!

Don't even get started on used water and used air... I told someone once the O2 they breathe was exhaled by a tree. They didn't believe me.

There is some probability that your last drink of water contained some H20 molecules peed by a frightened baby dinosaur when it saw a T-Rex coming at it.

(dimensional analysis, make-the-units-cancel problem from freshman year college chemistry class).

[techwiz]

Overheard people talking about how it's a great time to buy a new car.

CW1 "The dealerships are currently offering 84 months at 0% no payments for 180 days, so it's free money they are giving away!"
CW2 "Yeah, you can get way more car for your payments now that they price them out over 84 months"

I stayed out of the conversation, but in my mind I was thinking the price of the car must has been increased enough to offset the cost of no interest, plus I don't think they realise 84 months is 7 years payments to pay it off.   

[RetiredAt63]

Overheard people talking about how it's a great time to buy a new car.

CW1 "The dealerships are currently offering 84 months at 0% no payments for 180 days, so it's free money they are giving away!"
CW2 "Yeah, you can get way more car for your payments now that they price them out over 84 months"

I stayed out of the conversation, but in my mind I was thinking the price of the car must has been increased enough to offset the cost of no interest, plus I don't think they realise 84 months is 7 years payments to pay it off.

They will be ready for a new car long before the 7 years is up (she says smugly looking at her 10 year old car with no payments).

[LennStar]

But yes, the concept of a "used house" is very bizarre. What's next, complaining about "used land"?!

This is why I'm moving to Iceland. I need some new land, not this old, hand-me-down land I have now. I have my standards!

There is going to be a whole lot of totally unused land in the Antartic coming on the market in a few decades. Keep an eye open for early investments!

I see alot of new houses with tiny garages. Like impossible to store two medium size vehicles.

You got it wrong. That garage is for one SUV!

They will be ready for a new car long before the 7 years is up (she says smugly looking at her 10 year old car with no payments).

Just sell the old car to the dealer for cheap, and he will be happy to roll the new and old payments together. Maybe even for 96 months!

[talltexan]

I'm thinking about all those people who took out 84-month car loans who still have to be making payments right now when they aren't even driving anywhere because the job that justified that car purchase is now a job they can do from home.

[mm1970]

E1 - "I would never buy a used house."
E2 - "I've never bought a used house."

Me on the other side of the wall... o_O

Used house? I've never heard anyone call a house a "Used House". I think of new houses as mostly contractor grade materials unless you have it built yourself.

Wow, I was over 40 before I ever lived in a house built after I was born.  And I probably would have made that forever if a hurricane hadn't wiped out my house.

The duplex I lived in before we bought our house was built in 1973, so it's younger than me.   Too bad we couldn't buy that thing.

Anyway, our house was build in 1947.

[Sibley]

E1 - "I would never buy a used house."
E2 - "I've never bought a used house."

Me on the other side of the wall... o_O

Used house? I've never heard anyone call a house a "Used House". I think of new houses as mostly contractor grade materials unless you have it built yourself.

Wow, I was over 40 before I ever lived in a house built after I was born.  And I probably would have made that forever if a hurricane hadn't wiped out my house.

The duplex I lived in before we bought our house was built in 1973, so it's younger than me.   Too bad we couldn't buy that thing.

Anyway, our house was build in 1947.

1919 house checking in.  I'm definitely not that old.

[markbike528CBX]

E1 - "I would never buy a used house."
E2 - "I've never bought a used house."

Me on the other side of the wall... o_O

Used house? I've never heard anyone call a house a "Used House". I think of new houses as mostly contractor grade materials unless you have it built yourself.

Wow, I was over 40 before I ever lived in a house built after I was born.  And I probably would have made that forever if a hurricane hadn't wiped out my house.

The duplex I lived in before we bought our house was built in 1973, so it's younger than me.   Too bad we couldn't buy that thing.

Anyway, our house was build in 1947.

1919 house checking in.  I'm definitely not that old.

1944 house here.  But.... built by and for the Manhattan Project (Hanford Engineer Works).
http://hanford.houses.tripod.com/

My house is actually older than the nearby https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Coast_Historic_District_(Richland,_Washington)

tempted to cross post to the "What is your oldest (functional) possession" thread.

[ysette9]

The concept of buying a new house to me feels so, I don’t know, Texas. As in tons of land and a huge dependence on cars. I grew up in a HCOL area so the oldest houses were almost always the nicest and the best parts of town, whereas the newer houses were on the outskirts of town and furthest away from everything. The “rich” side of town was old houses and the “poor” side was the 80s and 90s subdivisions of cookie cutter tract homes.

[LennStar]

Since you all seem so obsessed about house ages, I'll brag a bit.
All the houses I have lived in were build in the 60s, the current one 1963.

My small town still has whole streets from houses before 1800 or even 1700. (Beat that you youngsters in America ;) )
Unfortunately a lot of them unlived in so it is only a matter of time until they implode. Some already have.

[Raenia]

Since you all seem so obsessed about house ages, I'll brag a bit.
All the houses I have lived in were build in the 60s, the current one 1963.

My small town still has whole streets from houses before 1800 or even 1700. (Beat that you youngsters in America ;) )
Unfortunately a lot of them unlived in so it is only a matter of time until they implode. Some already have.

My house was built in 1875, is that old enough for you Europeans? :P  I figure if it's stood this long, it must have been built well!

[Dave1442397]

Since you all seem so obsessed about house ages, I'll brag a bit.
All the houses I have lived in were build in the 60s, the current one 1963.

My small town still has whole streets from houses before 1800 or even 1700. (Beat that you youngsters in America ;) )
Unfortunately a lot of them unlived in so it is only a matter of time until they implode. Some already have.

My current house was built in 1960.

The house I lived in as a little kid was built in the 1700s, and used to be a stagecoach stop. It had since been surrounded by houses, but still had the barn with room for a coach and horses, and a hayloft above. We also had the only access to what used to be the field belonging to the house. I don't think we owned that, but no one else could get to it. We picked blackberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants, etc, and every kid on the street played back there.

I remember when my parents got central heating (radiators), and how it made such a difference to us - no more freezing cold mornings waiting for the AGA stove to warm the kitchen! We moved out of that house when I was eight, and went to a house that was built in the late '60s. As kids, we were amazed that you could hear things in the next room through the sheetrock walls - we were used to walls built with big blocks of cut stone, covered in a thick layer of plaster.

[Taran Wanderer]

I grew up in a house built in 1979, and my own houses were built in 1942, 1977, and 2012.  Old is nice and can provide some great character, but I'll take our 2012 over the '42 bungalow and the '77 and '79 ranches anytime.

[Fomerly known as something]

E1 - "I would never buy a used house."
E2 - "I've never bought a used house."

Me on the other side of the wall... o_O

Used house? I've never heard anyone call a house a "Used House". I think of new houses as mostly contractor grade materials unless you have it built yourself.

I refer to my house as used, as in I want a used house that is in a totally built neighborhood so my purchase price is stable.

[talltexan]

I will say it seems easy to encounter people who put in all of the thought and work and decision-making that it takes to build new, then they move into the house for maybe fifteen months before they have to move again!

[TheFrenchCat]

I will say it seems easy to encounter people who put in all of the thought and work and decision-making that it takes to build new, then they move into the house for maybe fifteen months before they have to move again!

Wow! I've never heard of someone doing that!  I only know three households that have built new at all, and they'll live there forever.

[LennStar]

I will say it seems easy to encounter people who put in all of the thought and work and decision-making that it takes to build new, then they move into the house for maybe fifteen months before they have to move again!

Wow! I've never heard of someone doing that!  I only know three households that have built new at all, and they'll live there forever.

Yeah, I also only know of one case, and that was a professor who got his dream position (in a different country) 3 years after they started the house building process (so about half a year they lived in).
I know a lot of persons who aren't finished with their house (or their garden project) years after they have moved in though :D

[talltexan]

Co-worker of mine was a manager (supervised a team of about 4-6 people). Built a custom house, then got a new job as a VP of a public utility in Ohio and moved his family. It sounded like a significant promotion, so I cannot blame him.

But--if you take the trouble to drive through a new neighborhood where construction is still going on--I bet you'll find at least a few houses that are already on the market and are not "inventory" homes.

[ThreeWheeler]

Co-worker of mine was a manager (supervised a team of about 4-6 people). Built a custom house, then got a new job as a VP of a public utility in Ohio and moved his family. It sounded like a significant promotion, so I cannot blame him.

I like to ride my road bike out in the country. Fortunately for me I live only a few km from the edge of town so I can get out to the country easily. I have been riding the same routes for about 10 years now.

I can count at least 5 luxury country homes that I have watched get built, each taking 1-3 years to build, only to be sold a few years after construction is completed. Without fail these are luxury country mansions with triple or quad garages, every bedroom has an on-suite bathroom, and a kitchen that looks like it was designed for a photo shoot not for cooking. The one place had a double tall garage double wide, I never saw anything on the property that would justify the huge garage but you could fit some serious farm equipment in that garage.

I can't wrap my head around what must happen to a family for them to invest all the time and money that it takes to build these luxury mansions only to turn around and sell them a few years later.

[BlueHouse]

I was chatting with another ayi today who said the family she works for often buys very expensive groceries from the expat market, spending around $200 each time and purchasing several times per week. She then said that often, things will go bad and her job often entails cleaning out the fridge and throwing away things that have gone bad.

That is one of the things I can never wrap my head around. WTH buy so much you are in constant danger of having to throw away things? Especially if you go shopping several times anyway.

I mean it can happen with some small rests of fresh produce or mini-leftovers where you don't find a reasonable way to use it, but I doubt that is meant.

Oh, they don’t GO shopping. They pay a delivery fee to have the premium, imported groceries delivered to their door, and then they eventually let the food rot in the fridge.

I am truly fascinated by this. What is going through their minds as they make these purchases?? Do they simply forget that they have food in the fridge already? Do they not know that food goes bad? Do they think, "Oh, I don't feel like eating that, so I'll buy something else" and they just don't care that they're wasting food & money?

The story wasn't about me, but I often buy healthy food from the market, get it in the fridge, then just don't feel like eating healthy or cooking it.  So I buy crap, eat that, and let the healthy food rot.  One of these days I'll do it right, but I still have hope, so I keep buying the healthy food.

[BlueHouse]

I have one:  the small business where I work employs a handful of engineers (expensive), and a bunch of people who assemble our products (at $10/hr).  It's interesting to note that the engineers (and management) always bring a sack lunch, or leftovers, or fruit for lunch, while fast food, takeout, or Starbucks are a common sight down in the assembly area.  The folks who can least afford it, it seems, are the ones who buy it most frequently.

It's also interesting that with the exception of one car, the owner of the business drives the least-valuable vehicle in the parking lot--an '03 Accord with >250k miles on it.  I think I'm pretty close, though, with my '95 Corolla with 234k.

When my nephew lived with me and had a retail job, the one thing that I think he learned while under my roof was how stupid it was to buy lunch every day.  I asked him how many hours he worked to buy his lunch every day and he didn't understand my point at all until I did the math with him.  I showed him that his first 1 hour, 15 minutes of work were basically working for nothing if he then spent what he earned to buy lunch at the food court.  It really opened his eyes and he started buying his own groceries and taking a sandwich to work every day after that. I'm really proud of that!

[Imma]

Co-worker of mine was a manager (supervised a team of about 4-6 people). Built a custom house, then got a new job as a VP of a public utility in Ohio and moved his family. It sounded like a significant promotion, so I cannot blame him.

I like to ride my road bike out in the country. Fortunately for me I live only a few km from the edge of town so I can get out to the country easily. I have been riding the same routes for about 10 years now.

I can count at least 5 luxury country homes that I have watched get built, each taking 1-3 years to build, only to be sold a few years after construction is completed. Without fail these are luxury country mansions with triple or quad garages, every bedroom has an on-suite bathroom, and a kitchen that looks like it was designed for a photo shoot not for cooking. The one place had a double tall garage double wide, I never saw anything on the property that would justify the huge garage but you could fit some serious farm equipment in that garage.

I can't wrap my head around what must happen to a family for them to invest all the time and money that it takes to build these luxury mansions only to turn around and sell them a few years later.

It happened with the house my parents built. It was sold when it was about 15 years old. So the tiles/kitchen/colour scheme was slightly dated, it could do with a fresh coat of paint, new floors in some bedrooms and some repairs here and there. But generally a well built, good quality and fairly new home with a large landscaped garden in English cottage style. Maybe in need of 10k worth of cosmetic updating and small fixes.

Instead, the new owners completely stripped the house, built a large addition, moved nearly every internal wall, put in completely new landscaping, even took out the entire driveway and replaced it with a different material (who does that? Take out a perfectly good 20 meter long driveway in perfect condition because you want another colour of brick?) .

Renovations took 3 years and they're selling after 5. According to village gossip they are getting divorced. House prices have increased by 40% in that period but according to my back of a napkin math they're probably going to make a loss if they sell for the asking price, even though asking is 200k more than what they paid then. Who would have thought that a 3-year mid 6-figure renovation would impact your marriage?

They've also decorated the place in a really specific style so I just hope they're going to find a buyer who's into that or even more money will be wasted. As a mustachian, I just cannot imagine the thought process, the sheer scope of the waste. I would hesitate to replace a functional but ugly kitchen and look into painting instead, other people apparantly don't even mind almost demolishing a really new house.

[Just Joe]

I will say it seems easy to encounter people who put in all of the thought and work and decision-making that it takes to build new, then they move into the house for maybe fifteen months before they have to move again!

I see that from time to time too. Never understood that. I have a relative that did that. Went through great trouble to buy and renovate, or build new - and then about 18 months or so later they'd move on to another job. Crawling up the career and real estate ladder

I'm sure they made money on property each move but it was an all life consuming process to settle into a job, get the kids into school and get the house the way they liked it only to move on to the next job. They've continued to do that to this day. It is possible they've finally "landed". I'll let you know in about 3-5 years.

There is truly a point if done right, a person could be mortgage free. A sort of side hustle.

DW and I took a different approach trying to stay one place as long as possible to minimize disruption to our lives and those of our kids.  Each time we moved and renovated the empty house after we left. The disruption to our lives was shorter and we had a self-imposed deadline to get it on the market and sold ASAP. Fortunately our houses have always sold quickly once completed.

[Just Joe]

Co-worker of mine was a manager (supervised a team of about 4-6 people). Built a custom house, then got a new job as a VP of a public utility in Ohio and moved his family. It sounded like a significant promotion, so I cannot blame him.

I like to ride my road bike out in the country. Fortunately for me I live only a few km from the edge of town so I can get out to the country easily. I have been riding the same routes for about 10 years now.

I can count at least 5 luxury country homes that I have watched get built, each taking 1-3 years to build, only to be sold a few years after construction is completed. Without fail these are luxury country mansions with triple or quad garages, every bedroom has an on-suite bathroom, and a kitchen that looks like it was designed for a photo shoot not for cooking. The one place had a double tall garage double wide, I never saw anything on the property that would justify the huge garage but you could fit some serious farm equipment in that garage.

I can't wrap my head around what must happen to a family for them to invest all the time and money that it takes to build these luxury mansions only to turn around and sell them a few years later.

Divorces? Money-laundering? ;)

In our town there is a $1.6M home for sale. Very out of character for this town. I got nosey and did a reverse address lookup and then chased names on the internet. Multiple addresses in multiple states. Perhaps choose to be out of the limelight but very well to do. Business is in one state, properties are around the country.

No idea. All I can do is speculate. I wonder about tax advantages mostly.

[Goldielocks]

FWIW, I have a relative that has built a few homes, new, from lot up, and moved on after 2-5 years.

Their logic:
1.  They have a life in trades and do all the plumbing, general contracting, and finishing work themselves. (Hire out basic construction, architectural, electrical, drywall to various sub trades).
2.  There is a tax on new homes sold as new.  If you are an owner/builder and live there for at least 2 years, and then sell, you do not charge the tax, and get a better price in your pocket.  The interest on the mortgage is your rent during that time.
3.  Plus, 2 years after construction, most of the homes around are already built and the area looks a lot more attractive to buyers who don't need to live though neighbor construction mess.
4.  Housing always* increases in value over time.

* according to my relative.   doh!  In actual fact, some areas, once built, have brand new developments agressively being sold adjacent, which keeps the resale prices depressed, but don't tell him that.

So,  think of it kind of like a long flip, or a business for him.

[LennStar]

FWIW, I have a relative that has built a few homes, new, from lot up, and moved on after 2-5 years.

Their logic:
1.  They have a life in trades and do all the plumbing, general contracting, and finishing work themselves. (Hire out basic construction, architectural, electrical, drywall to various sub trades).
2.  There is a tax on new homes sold as new.  If you are an owner/builder and live there for at least 2 years, and then sell, you do not charge the tax, and get a better price in your pocket.  The interest on the mortgage is your rent during that time.
3.  Plus, 2 years after construction, most of the homes around are already built and the area looks a lot more attractive to buyers who don't need to live though neighbor construction mess.
4.  Housing always* increases in value over time.

* according to my relative.   doh!  In actual fact, some areas, once built, have brand new developments agressively being sold adjacent, which keeps the resale prices depressed, but don't tell him that.

So,  think of it kind of like a long flip, or a business for him.

If you are a wandering fixer-upper, no words against it! That is great!
If you like that hand work und have fun doing it, and get a profit out of it, that is the best that can happen.
But generally the people are different to that ;)

[Michael in ABQ]

I was eating lunch yesterday and overheard two guys next to me talking. One was complaining that he'd spent $1,700 on two phones for his kids. One got the iPhone 11 and the other got the iPhone 11 Pro. They were talking about how their wives both wanted new phones as well.


Meanwhile I've been using my 5-year old phone because my new $400 phone broke a couple of months after I got it and I haven't been able to get it repaired yet since everything is closed. I did get about $150 towards the repair from extra insurance through my credit card - which should cover most of the estimate cost of replacing the LCD screen that broke (not the glass).

[talltexan]

I have to admit, having the newest phone right away is probably going to turn into how it used to be with cars.

[Just Joe]

New phones don't make that much sense to me. I'm an Android user. Will be a Linux phone user possibly the next time I need a phone.

If I go buy a brand new phone - it will be filled with the same apps as I have now. It'll have the same kind of background picture that I use now. Organized the same way.

My phone is three years old. It has a great camera. Not sluggish. Battery lasts for days depending on how I use it.

What is the newest version going to get me?

[Michael in ABQ]

I only bought a newer phone because several apps I used were no longer supported by the version of Android my old phone runs. I have to say the camera on the newer one was also a significant improvement. Plus I don't have to worry about constantly deleting old podcasts every time I download a new one because it has such limited space. Still, that was $400 - not $1,000.

[LennStar]

I was eating lunch yesterday and overheard two guys next to me talking. One was complaining that he'd spent $1,700 on two phones for his kids. One got the iPhone 11 and the other got the iPhone 11 Pro. They were talking about how their wives both wanted new phones as well.


Meanwhile I've been using my 5-year old phone because my new $400 phone broke a couple of months after I got it and I haven't been able to get it repaired yet since everything is closed. I did get about $150 towards the repair from extra insurance through my credit card - which should cover most of the estimate cost of replacing the LCD screen that broke (not the glass).

I have the fear that the battery on my phone is dying. I have used it more than usual, but it is still 1.5 times more loading this week than usual.
It's a 30€ phone from 2013. I don't want to have to replace it. I would probably need more time to transfer all the data than I am using it in a year.

[PDXTabs]

What is the newest version going to get me?

For me personally, not being broken. I tend to physically damage my phones. I do really like the Google devices, Nexus and now Pixel. I'm very happy with my Pixel 3a, and will probably replace it when they no longer provide security updates.

Seriously, don't use a phone without up-to-date software from the vendor. You are asking for trouble, in my professional opinion.

[SunnyDays]

What is the newest version going to get me?

Bragging rights.

[Sibley]

What is the newest version going to get me?

For me personally, not being broken. I tend to physically damage my phones. I do really like the Google devices, Nexus and now Pixel. I'm very happy with my Pixel 3a, and will probably replace it when they no longer provide security updates.

Seriously, don't use a phone without up-to-date software from the vendor. You are asking for trouble, in my professional opinion.

Um, you know they make heavy duty phone cases, right?

[Rural]

But yes, the concept of a "used house" is very bizarre. What's next, complaining about "used land"?!

Don't even get started on used water and used air... I told someone once the O2 they breathe was exhaled by a tree. They didn't believe me.

There is some probability that your last drink of water contained some H20 molecules peed by a frightened baby dinosaur when it saw a T-Rex coming at it.

(dimensional analysis, make-the-units-cancel problem from freshman year college chemistry class).

Husband teaching freshman chem wants to know if you remember anything more about that problem.

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

But yes, the concept of a "used house" is very bizarre. What's next, complaining about "used land"?!

Don't even get started on used water and used air... I told someone once the O2 they breathe was exhaled by a tree. They didn't believe me.

There is some probability that your last drink of water contained some H20 molecules peed by a frightened baby dinosaur when it saw a T-Rex coming at it.

(dimensional analysis, make-the-units-cancel problem from freshman year college chemistry class).

Husband teaching freshman chem wants to know if you remember anything more about that problem.

Wait... did dinos pee? Birds don't pee.

[markbike528CBX]

But yes, the concept of a "used house" is very bizarre. What's next, complaining about "used land"?!

Don't even get started on used water and used air... I told someone once the O2 they breathe was exhaled by a tree. They didn't believe me.

There is some probability that your last drink of water contained some H20 molecules peed by a frightened baby dinosaur when it saw a T-Rex coming at it.

(dimensional analysis, make-the-units-cancel problem from freshman year college chemistry class).

Husband teaching freshman chem wants to know if you remember anything more about that problem.

I vaguely remember ~ 30 gallons of pee ( or fright induced excreta of some sort) divided into the total volume of earth water.   There were some intermediate steps that I've forgotten now.


A mole of "beverage " cans dumped on earth makes a thick (hundreds of miles) layer.  Hand wave away compression.   Beverage is code for beer, depending on the  need for verbal correctness.
Requires V=4/3 Pi r³

Randal Monroe (xkcd, what-if) has done a mole of moles.
https://what-if.xkcd.com/4/

Edit, added V in equation and xckd link

[Travis]

But yes, the concept of a "used house" is very bizarre. What's next, complaining about "used land"?!

Don't even get started on used water and used air... I told someone once the O2 they breathe was exhaled by a tree. They didn't believe me.

There is some probability that your last drink of water contained some H20 molecules peed by a frightened baby dinosaur when it saw a T-Rex coming at it.

(dimensional analysis, make-the-units-cancel problem from freshman year college chemistry class).

Husband teaching freshman chem wants to know if you remember anything more about that problem.

I vaguely remember ~ 30 gallons of pee ( or fright induced excreta of some sort) divided into the total volume of earth water.   There were some intermediate steps that I've forgotten now.


A mole of "beverage " cans dumped on earth makes a thick (hundreds of miles) layer.  Hand wave away compression.   Beverage is code for beer, depending on the  need for verbal correctness.
Requires V=4/3 Pi r³

Randal Monroe (xkcd, what-if) has done a mole of moles.
https://what-if.xkcd.com/4/

Edit, added V in equation and xckd link

Mom, they're doing chemistry in the 'I suck at financial math' section!

[techwiz]

While waiting for a meeting to start a couple of co-workers were discussing the problems with camp grounds being closed and the problems with the provincial parks camps closing their shower facilities. The conversation switched to planning on buying cottages as their preferred solution to ensure they have a safe place for their holidays. Wow the prices for what they are looking for were more than I would buy a permanent home for.  I understand their frustration on not getting out and enjoying their vacation ,but I don't think they are thinking all the financial impacts of owning a second home for only a couple of weeks of holidays.

[RetiredAt63]

While waiting for a meeting to start a couple of co-workers were discussing the problems with camp grounds being closed and the problems with the provincial parks camps closing their shower facilities. The conversation switched to planning on buying cottages as their preferred solution to ensure they have a safe place for their holidays. Wow the prices for what they are looking for were more than I would buy a permanent home for.  I understand their frustration on not getting out and enjoying their vacation ,but I don't think they are thinking all the financial impacts of owning a second home for only a couple of weeks of holidays.

It's not just a couple of weeks of vacation.  It's long May weekend to open up, Thanksgiving weekend to close/winterize, and every weekend in between to be sure everything is OK and "get your money's worthless worth".  In other words, they would be making a huge financial AND TIME commitment.

Signed, former cottage owner       ;-)

[Just Joe]

I only bought a newer phone because several apps I used were no longer supported by the version of Android my old phone runs. I have to say the camera on the newer one was also a significant improvement. Plus I don't have to worry about constantly deleting old podcasts every time I download a new one because it has such limited space. Still, that was $400 - not $1,000.

That makes sense. Sorry if I seemed harsh. I was venting. Heard from several people (two coworkers) in a single week buying new phones just because... One just needs a new $15 battery.

[Scotts]

I only bought a newer phone because several apps I used were no longer supported by the version of Android my old phone runs. I have to say the camera on the newer one was also a significant improvement. Plus I don't have to worry about constantly deleting old podcasts every time I download a new one because it has such limited space. Still, that was $400 - not $1,000.

That makes sense. Sorry if I seemed harsh. I was venting. Heard from several people (two coworkers) in a single week buying new phones just because... One just needs a new $15 battery.

Unfortunately it not just a $15 battery. Almost all modern phones are sealed such that the batteries aren't user replaceable. I recently had the battery replaced in my original Pixel phone and it was between $60 `~ $70. And they said it could have been more as sometimes the screen will break during the process, something my research beforehand confirmed. It's also aged out of updates from Google and for that reason alone I'll probably replace it sometime in the future.

[dragoncar]

I only bought a newer phone because several apps I used were no longer supported by the version of Android my old phone runs. I have to say the camera on the newer one was also a significant improvement. Plus I don't have to worry about constantly deleting old podcasts every time I download a new one because it has such limited space. Still, that was $400 - not $1,000.

That makes sense. Sorry if I seemed harsh. I was venting. Heard from several people (two coworkers) in a single week buying new phones just because... One just needs a new $15 battery.

Unfortunately it not just a $15 battery. Almost all modern phones are sealed such that the batteries aren't user replaceable. I recently had the battery replaced in my original Pixel phone and it was between $60 `~ $70. And they said it could have been more as sometimes the screen will break during the process, something my research beforehand confirmed. It's also aged out of updates from Google and for that reason alone I'll probably replace it sometime in the future.

Nah you can get the battery and disassembly kit for like $30 max