shanghaibebop

I should be more precise.

I think we will still have charlatans even if we solve all societal problems because people are fundamentally not built to reason, and they will always be vulnerable to those who prey on the ignorant for power.

Thus, we need to build society as if people are stupid to prevent the worst abuses of power.

In terms of harm, almost everything will be several orders of magnitude less than lead. PFAS and Microplastics might be bad, but they really aren't on the same level of bad as lead, which is known to cause severe societal harm due to its impact on the neural system.

I disagree.

Our intelligence was not evolved for too much thinking. Most of our brain is wired towards feeling, and for the overwhelming majority of human existence, our feelings were well suited for small, cooperative, communal existence as small tribes/bands/clans. We don't "think" for most of the decisions we make in our day to day lives, nor do we try to learn from all the possible sources.

IMO religion is "needed" in order to shortcut our feeling brain to help make us make the correct collectivist decision. It's like writing software on shitty firmware and limited hardware so that it can still function in modern society.

Yea.

1. Try to get the Wi-Fi node to a better place using Ethernet.

2. Get a Wi-Fi “repeater” or better yet, a mesh network, where the second access point is placed in between your computer and the router to “rebroadcast” to the router.

Get an access point with a healthy uplink. Mesh networks work too.

I wouldn’t recommend powerline unless it’s the last resort. It’s really hit or miss depending on your circuitry.

Garlic

Visited this summer and had a wonderful time. The city is awesome in the summer and people are very friendly.

As an EV owner, the total cost of ownership in terms of maintenance has been lower. No oil change, belt changes, or fluid replacement.

Not sure how that changes my argument.

If you look at the rental market in the United States, it’s cheaper to rent than it is to own if you take into consideration the opportunity cost of money when it is not invested in the higher growth equities market from a purely financial perspective.

Farming isn’t a charity either but it’s usually more efficient for people to not work as farmers tilling their own land.

I do think it is an effective hedge against increased cost of living in your particular area, and swapping that out for other risks such as natural disaster, long term climate and political disaster, and increases in interest or insurance costs, but I don’t think most people see it that way from a financial perspective.

From a market average perspective, your earnings in the market will far outweigh normal increases in rental cost in the long term. Property tax, insurance, and cost of home maintenance are also going to increase as cost of living increases.

I do 100% agree there is a psychological benefit to home ownership that might even extend to the foundation of American middle-class democratic values.

I’m not sure if this is something that’s helpful, but I do want to give the advice that real estate really isn’t the best way to build wealth If you are very disciplined. Renting can be an even better way of building wealth.

If you treat housing a service you pay for, buying a house has a higher overall cost if you include mortgage, taxes, insurance, repairs, and etc. Remember, mortgage is the least you'll pay, while rent is the most you'll pay.

Imagine if your mortgage was 2k/mo, taxes, insurance, and home maintenance is another 500/mo, you can almost certainly find a house to rent for under that cost (let's say 2k/mo for example) unless you live in one of the exceptionally cheap places in the US where the price-to-rent ratio is low <15.

Now also consider how you most likely needed a 20% down, and most of your payment goes towards interest initially for a mortgage.

The tricky part is having the financial discipline to put away that extra 500/mo into investments. Mortgage FORCES you to save into an appreciating asset, most people will just blow that extra 500/mo onto other items. It sounds like you already are by maxing out your 401k, and I would also looking into maxing Roth IRA if you can. Home ownership isn't the only path towards wealth, though it is a means by which many people (conscious or not) force themselves into "saving".

Nah it’s 7% now.

https://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/mortgage-rates

Absolutely bonkers. I refinanced at 2.5%, but the rate now would nearly double my monthly payment.