I have a 4 foot by 4 foot bed and I just planted 16 stalks in four rows of four each 1 foot apart. I’ve been told before that it would be better in that space for 2 rows of 4 with the rows 2 feet apart. I’ve also seen the guide for square foot gardening that says you can plant 4 per square foot.
I’m pretty certain 4 per square foot is just insanity, but I also feel like 8 stalks is too low for that space.
What’s everyone’s experience with growing corn in smaller beds like mine? Has anyone had success at 4 per square foot?

I'm currently working for my girlfriends step-dad who's a general contractor. We have a large variety of jobs (electrical, plumbing, deck builds/rebuilds, replacing doors, painting, tile, drywall, drop ceilings, trim, etc.). I've been working for him for just over a year now and I've gotten pretty decent at most things, but I still need to ask for help a couple times throughout the day depending on the job. I can do the easier jobs like replacing outlets/lights, painting, spackling, etc. by myself while he's at another job, but for the more complicated jobs like installing doors I usually need his help. However, I'd say maybe 1/3 of the jobs that we do I don't see him being able to do by himself like installing sliding glass doors. That being said, as of now I get paid 15/hr under the table, and he's in the process of getting me on the books. I've been wanting to ask for a raise because I do enjoy the work/learning the skills, but I need to either start making more money or sign up for electrician school. I'm just not sure what a reasonable amount would be to ask for. I don't want to low-ball myself but at the same time it's hard to ask for 19 (24 if I'm on the books) when he's practically my father-in-law (gf and I have been together for 4 years). Anyways, what do you guys think would be a fair compensation to ask for?
tldr; working with my girlfriends step dad (general contractor) for a year doing lots of different jobs at 15/hr. I want a raise, how much should I ask for?
Edit: in case this helps, I'm not exactly sure what my boss (gf's step dad) charges per hour, I just know it's over $100. My girlfriend was talking with her mom and she said her step dad is almost making as much as her, and she makes $300k/yr.

Introduction
I’m interested in this topic because college tuition has been constantly increasing. Many prospective college students struggle with college costs, despite their academic abilities or backgrounds. With the rise of college tuition, many students who aren’t financially dependent on their families will find themselves in a dilemma- will they have to forfeit their academic success at the expense of increased college costs? Renovated gyms, cafeterias, libraries, staffing costs, state level taxation policies and new programs for students means they’ll be the ones to pay. This topic is worth investigating because it’s an ongoing issue in today’s economy and youth. The leniency of COVID-19 and the fall of the U.S. Economy contributes greatly to the struggle many students are faced with today. How does the rise in unemployment and the downward slide in the U.S. economy affect the college bound youth in affording increased tuition costs without the benefit of scholarships and/or grants and minimal family financial support?
Literature Review
In MHEC’s (2018) policy report reviewing the drivers of the rising price of a college education, it was found that there are three major components of the rise of college tuition over time: rising costs, decreases in subsidies to institutions, and the increase in the use of institutional discounts to individual students. Ongoing competitions between colleges to display certain amenities or new features also play a major role in the rise of tuition. Since most public institutions significantly rely on state appropriations, the state cutbacks in appropriations per student has been one of the key reasons why tuition at public institutions has risen as opposed to tuition at private institutions. In 2017, governor Cuomo proposed that New York state cover tuition costs for hundreds of thousands of middle to low-income students whose families earn less than $125,000 per year. This project, called the Excelsior Scholarship, was not very successful or well received by a large number of New Yorkers who felt that they should not be taxed for other people’s children’s education. According to the Center for an Urban Future, low participation was due in part to its somewhat narrow scope and stringent requirements. As of 2021, the cost of 4-year college education at a public school was $21,337. A four-year private university costs $46,313. All in all, From 1963 to 2022, tuition costs have increased 295.2%. Between 2010 to 2021, average tuition costs increased 41.9% at public 4-year institutions and 35.5% at private institutions. As of the 2020-2021 year, $76,080 is the price of a Bachelor degree. Student debt levels were already high before the pandemic ($91.1 billion).Along with high inflation and the downturn in economic stability of the government, borrowing for higher education has increased for certain students. Tracking the increases in tuition from year to year and the financial help available on federal and state levels demonstrate where the costs of a 4-year degree is going. This is not to mention the costs for specialized degrees (e.g. medicine, law, engineering).
Materials & Methods
My research was conducted by using various websites according to the topic and refining my research question. Taking notes on my sources, summarizing the text and acquiring a variety of perspectives was key in my findings. In a poll I conducted of family and friends preparing for college in appropriate age ranges, most individuals stated their achieved degree would have to make them pay some amount of debt after college. Individuals who’ve stated they aren’t financially dependent on their parents or guardians have also stated they’ll be paying their debt for longer periods of time. The average total cost of college has skyrocketed over the last 50 years, and it has more than doubled in the 21st century.

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​
Synopsis:
Juliette Contzen is a lazy, good-for-nothing princess. Overshadowed by her siblings, she's left with little to do but nap, read … and occasionally cut the falling raindrops with her sword. Spotted one day by an astonished adventurer, he insists on grading Juliette's swordsmanship, then promptly has a mental breakdown at the result.
Soon after, Juliette is given the news that her kingdom is on the brink of bankruptcy. At threat of being married off, the lazy princess vows to do whatever it takes to maintain her current lifestyle, and taking matters into her own hands, escapes in the middle of the night in order to restore her kingdom's finances.
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Copious Ohohohohos.
​
Chapter 16: Starry Eyed Alchemist
“Let's see … an alchemy shop … it should be just about … here?”
I was completely lost.
There was a reason I was making Apple trot at slower than walking pace. And it wasn't just because I was very puzzled by why mud appeared to be dripping from that one window over there.
I took in the hodgepodge of buildings around us, feeling for the first time my utter lack of familiarity with our smaller domains.
Rolstein was clearly not the Royal Villa, where every block of quarried stone was carefully measured before being allowed to set. There was little uniformity in this town. Its architecture was a flamboyant mix of differently shaped clay roofs and brightly painted wooden, stone or brick facades, as though each and every dwelling had been designed on a whim and then redesigned that very same evening.
Though it filled me with dread, I'd need to navigate these labyrinths of poor architectural design in the coming days. And I'd need to do so without bellowing high and low that I needed directions in my own homeland.
Fortunately, Coppelia was not a subject of the kingdom! Why, she wasn't even a dignitary, but an assistant librarian. I had no qualms about maximising my use of her. And she in turn could have the joy of assisting me. It was a wonderful, mutually beneficial arrangement for all parties!
Coppelia glanced at me as I subtly stared at her.
“My masterful skills of observation indicate that you seem to want to ask something.”
“Perish the thought. You've been remarkably helpful thus far, and I have no intention of intruding on your cordiality or your clockwork memory of names, places and locations, such as a shop owned by a local alchemist named Marina.”
“Well, okay—”
“But as declining assistance is the height of ill grace, I'd be content to allow you to direct me to my destination while I'm still gathering my bearings.”
I smiled considerately.
Now, fair clockwork maiden, guide me through this maze of poverty!
Coppelia pointed at a building right beside us. And then the signboard next to a pile of cauldrons stacked like salad bowls.
Fresh Potions, Balms & Remedies!
Accredited alchemist inside.
Garden picked and rare herbs for sale.
Loyalty card available. 10% discount on all weekly orders now!
I felt my admiration for Coppelia's skills grow.
Not only could she lift heavy objects, but she could also conjure entire shops right beside us! Indeed, it definitely wasn't because I was blind. No, no, no. Not at all.
“By any chance, do you need something for your eyes?” she asked.
“O-Ohhoho! M-My eyes are perfectly fine, thank you!” I replied, closing the topic with a cough—before bringing my hand over my nose. “... I can't quite say the same about my sense of smell, however. What is that?”
It was a tiny shop that required half of its wares to spill out onto the street.
Even so, the pungent odour wafting from within was more than our three kitchens in the Royal Villa could emit even in the midst of preparing for a large scale function. It was the scent of several witch's gardens being boiled, and that was if they grew manure straight from the ground.
Coppelia sniffed the air.
“Yep. Something died,” she said cheerfully. “Recently.”
“What manner of creature found its end here?”
“The question isn't what. It's how many.”
I shuddered.
Alchemists. They were like mages without the magic. And that meant they had to make up for their insanity with their own hands.
Be that as it may, a princess did not shrink from her duties!
Climbing down from Apple, I left him to chew on a bundle of daisies growing from a cauldron while I rummaged in the satchels for an envelope. Finding it, I headed inside. The door was already wide open, and once I entered, I realised why.
Here, the sheer pungency almost threatened to knock me off my feet.
The effects of a hundreds herbs, plants and dead things dotted on shelves stacked against every wall rushed out to greet me … as did a lilac miasma, which wafted from a room further inside the store.
I coughed while waving my hand furiously—one or the other catching the attention of the young woman peeking her head out from a room billowing with the lilac cloud.
“Good evening!” she said, her arms clearly in the midst of mixing, or perhaps fighting something. “You made it just in time. I was about to close up. What can I do for you?”
She had a bright smile. I wondered how much of that was genuine and how much was simply intoxication from permanent herbal exposure. If she could somehow bottle that lilac miasma, I had no doubt that some of the zanier members of nobility would purchase it in bulk.
I opted not to inform her about this opportunity.
“I'm searching for Marina the alchemist.”
“Oh my! That'd be me. What crime did I do this time, I wonder?”
I paused.
It sounded like a joke. But I couldn't be certain. Not when there were enough ingredients in this store that she could close her eyes and likely create something illicit by accident.
I decided to reserve judgement. For now.
“Salutations. I have a horse named Apple. I was asked to deliver him to you by a barkeeper. He's outside eating your daisies.”
The young woman's arms stopped working. The thickness of the miasma immediately intensified. She let out a note of panic, disappeared from view, and after the sound of crashing pots and pans echoed throughout the store, the hiss of a fire being quenched flooded my ears.
If there was any steam, I wouldn't know. I was blind to my own hands at this point.
Fortunately, I didn't need to see to know where Starlight Grace was!
“[Spring Breeze]!”
In an instant, the lilac cloud poofed out of the open door, ushered by the tip of my sword. A faint fog still remained as I put Starlight Grace away as swiftly as I'd drawn it. Gathering the mist for more than a heartbeat would have resulted in her wares flying in every direction. Including my face.
Of all the things I didn't wish to experience today, eating the dried root of some carrot-like vegetable was most certainly at the top of my priority list.
The next would be to complete this errand as swiftly as possible.
“Oops, I'm—ack-hack-ack-ughh—sorry there!” called out a voice. “I wasn't expecting that! Did you say—ack-ughh—that Apple is here? And .. a barkeeper?”
I waved my hands in a futile attempt to disperse the remaining fog. I held back the twitch that demanded me to draw on [Spring Breeze] again.
“A barkeeper,” I repeated after I couldn't hold my breath any longer. The air tasted like … oh, raspberries? “I was permitted to ride Apple here in exchange for delivering him to you.”
The young woman reappeared in her doorway, her hands wringing a damp cloth. Both her apron and her face were unkempt with blotches of unidentifiable powders, like splotches of paint on a canvas.
It was an appearance that made me momentarily speechless. Protocol demanded that a certain level of grooming be required so as to not deface my eyes. Even so, I noted her prettiness at once, powder notwithstanding. It was not the same classical beauty I monopolised, but she had a youthfulness that was common in towngirls.
“A barkeeper? Do you mean … Father?”
“I wasn't made aware of his relationship with you. Only that Apple be brought. Speaking of whom, Apple enjoys eating apples. There was an insufficient supply provided for this trip, so you'll be required to purchase some immediately for his enjoyment.”
“What? … Wait, I don't—”
“I suggest Red Princesses. They're crisp, aromatic, slightly sour, and highly vulnerable to caterpillars. Please make sure you check each apple thoroughly before buying. If you spot any, search for me at any cost and I'll deal with it.”
I waited for the young woman to provide acknowledgement of this very important point. The crops felled by disease, blight or magical illness was one thing. But if the local apples had been compromised by caterpillars, then I'd be forced to take off my gloves on the matter.
Instead, the young alchemist merely looked dazed. The whiff of a cauldron spitting out miasma had clearly gotten to her more than me.
“Hold on. You're telling me that … Father gave me Apple? Why would he do that?”
I produced the envelope provided in the satchel. I would have walked up to her as well, but each step further into the store was to swim against a tide of conflicting aromas.
The young woman approached and gingerly took the envelope.
Pulling out the letter within, she creased her brows in preparation for whatever contents she was expecting.
As she read, the expression on her face turned listless. A sigh eventually followed as she slid the letter back into its container.
“Thank you for bringing this to me. However, I'm sorry to say that I have no reply that I can offer at this time.”
“The apology is unnecessary. As is the reply. I have no intention of being a return courier. I have my own tasks to accomplish.”
The woman's eyes glanced at Starlight Grace by my hip. She tilted her head in puzzlement.
“Oh, I see. Are you … a student of my father?”
“Student?”
The woman nodded.
“Thomas Lainsfont. He … He used to teach people how to use a sword. Soldiers, adventurers. Sometimes those pretending to be soldiers and adventurers. If you're acquainted with him, I thought that maybe …”
Odd.
In my memories of that barkeeper, he neither boasted a sword nor struck me as one who'd teach it. Was it common for sword instructors to turn to barkeeping to make ends meet?
Clearly, the state of the economy was even more dire than I'd feared. I had no time to waste!
“We're not acquainted. I simply borrowed his horse, his crowns, and his provisions. The first I hand over to you, as per my agreement with him. The latter two I will repay in due course.”
“I … see?” The woman looked confused at me. “That seems like quite a lot. And you two are strangers beforehand?”
I placed my hand to my chest and smiled.
“I have a noble purpose.”
Indeed, a simple barkeeper he may now be, but his sense of duty was impeccable. I may not remember his name, but I shall remember his loyalty. It will stand him in good stead for when I began my hiring spree.
“A noble purpose … I see.” The woman smiled faintly. “Well, thank you for bringing this letter to me. And Apple, of course. I haven't seen him since he was a foal. I'm Marina Lainsfont.”
“Juliette. And my future attendant, Coppelia.”
“Yaho~”
Behind me, Coppelia waved while she busied herself with taking in all the ingredients on the shelves. She seemed markedly curious about the wares on offer. Perhaps the powdered roots and crushed eyeballs in the Kingdom of Tirea was different to the ones found in the Northern Realm of Ouzelia.
The woman nodded at us both. Once more, her eyes wandered to my sword.
“That technique you did to disperse the alchemical smoke—sorry about that, by the way—what was that?”
“That was [Spring Breeze]. A convenient way to eject common garden pests from my orchard.”
The woman blinked, then tilted her head once more.
“Excuse me? Did I understand that right? You use a sword technique to do away with insects?”
“Well, no, I think it's rather a stretch to call it a sword technique. A broom would be more useful. I simply use what I have on hand.”
“... And that would be your sword?”
I smiled proudly.
“Though inefficient, swords are highly versatile. From sweeping up caterpillars like a broom or for use as a quill when writing breathtaking poetry, one must simply be open minded when utilising the tools at their disposal.”
And also lazy! … Ingenious, but lazy … creative, but lazy … innovative, but lazy!
The woman's mouth opened wordlessly. The disbelief and the, well, palpable confusion in her eyes was evident. But I stand by my methods!
A sword can do almost anything, provided that the willpower and the time was there!
“I … see.” The woman tidied her expression, then looked between Coppelia and myself. There was a glint of optimism in her eyes. “That's certainly new. By any chance, would the two of you happen to be with the Adventurer's Guild?”
“We are not,” I said, wondering which part of my well-dressed state made me look as if I could be an adventurer. “And if you seek the services of the local branch, you'll have to barrel through the door first. They appear to be selectively choosing which commissions they accept.”
“I know. Cedric is the guildmaster. He explained his reasoning to me. I was hoping that if you two were new adventurers, that would mean my commission could finally be received ...”
The woman's shoulders fell as she continued.
“... Unfortunately, it seems I'll have to wait a little bit longer. And I was so close to a breakthrough, as well ...”
I frowned. I was no adventurer. But I was a princess. And even if the guild didn't adhere to their standards, I did.
That meant pretending to listen to the concerns of the townsfolk before waving them away.
“A breakthrough in what? What assistance did you require?”
The woman's eyes looked straight at me.
“A cure for the Withering laying waste to our fields. I believe I … no, I know I have a cure.”
My attention perked up at once.
What was this woman's name again? Marine? Marlene? Maria?
“Miss Lainsfont, what do you mean by having a cure? I was just informed that the cause for the blight was suspected to be magic. Do you have alchemic concoctions that can dispel such effects?”
The woman shook her head.
“I have nothing that can remedy magic. But I have reason to believe that this is no such thing. It's possible that an alchemical solution is both the cause and the cure to the Withering.”
“Oh? And why is that?”
“It spreads,” she answered simply. “Like mildew, the Withering's effects continue unabated from field to field, as though passed on from leaf and root. Even the strongest magic depletes over time. It shouldn't continue to spread. To grow. To cast a spell that powerful, an incredibly powerful mage would be required. One whose existence is not known to the Mage's Guild.”
I nodded. What little I knew about magic suggested the same.
But at the same time, magic was preposterous. What was spellcraft and the arcane, if not wholly without rules where rules should certainly exist?
“Surely, this would be a common assessment. Why is it that magic is deemed the prime culprit, then?”
“It's an easy explanation, I imagine. Or rather, a non-explanation which can be accepted. People are scared. They want answers. Magic is an answer. Alchemy less so. It's difficult to believe that a potion could have caused this. And yet I believe it might be the case.”
“Did you bring your beliefs to Baron Alonte?”
Marine, Marlene or Maria gave a slightly pained smile.
“Well, I don't really have access to the baron. However, I did bring this to the attention of my peers. They were … well, they were unable to identify any alchemical properties in the affected crops. As a result, neither the garrison nor the Adventurer's Guild can spare anyone for my request ...”
“Understandable. Have a nice day.”
“Wait!” pleaded the woman at once. “Ingredients! I need ingredients. Pixie dust. Sprite wings. Meteorite ore. Living essence and more ...”
I raised an eyebrow.
That was quite the list. Had the Royal Villa's physician had access to those ingredients, I'm sure he'd have discovered a kinder way to check if my reflexes were working other than striking my knee with that ridiculous little hammer of his.
“You believe you can devise a cure for the Withering?” I asked. “Even without evidence?”
“I can't have evidence without trying. And I believe I'm close to something which is worth these ingredients. Just as the Withering can spread, it can also recede. I'm … I'm certain.”
“Have you any basis of fact for this theory?”
The woman bit her lips.
“No. But I know it to be true. I can feel it. I just need … I just need a chance. But I need help. I need help so I can help others in turn.”
I stopped myself from rolling my eyes.
Here lay a true do-gooder. Meaning she was either a saint or a psychopath. I'm sure she was the type of person who offered potions for free and remedies at a below-cost discount. And thus, the practicalities of having little coin and little influence meant that any heroics were sadly short lived.
Because to affect change, one must first earn a prodigious income.
This is precisely the problem with these types of people. While they're doing good, they're not making money. And when they're not making money, they're not hiring help for their herb picking errands. Because, yes, even adventurers, for all their public displays of cat fetching needed crowns. And much more than they cared to admit.
Fortunately for ... Marina? Marina Lainsfont, I was no adventurer.
I was a princess. And my goal wasn't to make crowns. It was to keep it.
Thus, I raised my hand to my cheek and smiled.
“Ohhohoho! Rejoice, for Lady Luck has smiled upon you this day. I happen to have a vested interest in curing this Withering. Merely state what must be done, and it will be so. What is required to concoct this supposed cure of yours?”
I received a stunned look in response.
Even so, it was clear from the movement of her gaze that she was appraising me. I was more than happy to oblige. Whether it was my character or my willpower, I was flawless in both mind and heart.
“I … well … to be clear, I already have most of the constituent ingredients to create a sample. Really, there's only one thing I cannot get myself. I … I just need …”
“Yes?”
The woman hesitated. I immediately started wondering what ghastly monster she required the eyeball of.
“The petals of a newly bloomed starflower.”
Ah.
Even worse than an eyeball.
At least they could be found. Two of them per monster as well. Usually.
But the petals of a starflower?
It was said to be a flower with divine healing properties. And it could only be found blooming in the darkest places in the world, shining like a star amidst the darkness. Hence its terribly dull name.
Whether or not the healing properties were true, however, what was certain was the flower's extreme rarity.
It was only recently that a single starflower had the effect of bankrupting several bidders in a public auction—even though only one had gone on to win it.
For a chance at curing any ailment, things as meagre as loans, collateral and consequences were irrelevant. Such thoughts were only too easy for someone who not only desired a starflower, but needed it.
This woman, Marina Lainsfont, was certain to meet disappointment in this request. Both from a lack of funds, and from a lack of starflowers.
“That'll be difficult,” I said plainly. “As singularly capable as I am, I cannot conjure divine flowers on a whim. Unless you happen to know where one can be freely acquired, I'm afraid that you'll have to make do with alternatives.”
I was given no response.
At least, none so far as spoken words were concerned. Her eyes told me a different tale. And it didn't require my innate skills at diplomacy to understand what.
“You know of one's location?” I asked, genuinely intrigued. “Where is it?”
Why, if I could cultivate a starflower, then the capital that could bring in would surely off-set all of the kingdom's financial woes!
In fact, I could double dip! I wouldn't need to solely bankrupt our own citizens to fill the Royal Treasury. Sovereigns from other nations would pour chests laden with crowns into our country if it meant providing even a single starflower.
Even so, the young alchemist shook her head.
“It's not as simple as that. I can't just tell anyone. It may be very dangerous. And … I don't know if it's actually there. The risk is too high ...”
Her voice trailed off.
Still, I could finish her words for her.
She couldn't just tell anyone.
But she could tell someone.
The implications, I rather suspected, being that she couldn't tell anyone she personally knew. To risk life and limb for a theoretical starflower of further theoretical use would certainly weigh on the conscious of a self-styled do-gooder.
“Rest assured that you may safely divulge the details of this starflower to me. Both myself and my future attendant are highly capable. If such a vaunted specimen exists, I would like to retrieve it for both your use and my personal study. If possible, I will attempt to harvest some seeds.”
“I was under the impression that the seeds of a starflower couldn't be harvested?”
“Allow me to concern myself with that. If the starflower is used to cure the Withering, then I'll consider this venture a success.”
The woman was motionless. A final pause, as if to measure the merit of my words.
Naturally, I passed with flying colours.
“My father was always an excellent judge of character,” she said. “And I trust in his choice of rider for Apple. If you're content to scour the darkness, I can show you the way. Give me a moment to prepare my things. Hopefully, it won't be needed, but ...”
“I understand. Thank you for your consideration.”
The woman glanced at my clothes.
“Um, there's just one thing.”
“Yes?”
“It might be a little bit … well, dirty.”
My confidence only dipped as she began fidgeting with her hands. I regularly braved fresh, clean soil within my orchard. Yet something told me this would be more disquieting than that.
“How dirty?”
The woman offered a nervous smile.
“Have you ever climbed down a well, Juliette?”
​
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OATS is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing low cost transportation to the people of Missouri. They do this by equipping large vans and small busses to be transportation vehicles. Riders will call at least 24 hours in advance to schedule where and when the driver will pick them up and drop them off, like a shared Uber ride. This means that you can have a driver come right to your house and drop you off right where you need to go, exactly when you need to.
Coverage for said transportation can range quite a bit depending on where you are in the State, while they cover most of the state, they only cover certain areas all 5 days a week. They have different areas and routes with different rules, like certain drives are only allowed to be done for medical purposes, certain busses are only out a few days a month or have very limited hours. They're a non-profit with public funding for certain areas, they don't have enough resources for it to be as available as they'd like it to be. They typically charge between $1-$3 a stop, or $4 per county you go through if you're on a bus going that far. Rural riders coming into the city can get a hundreds long mile ride for less than $10.
OATS isn't perfect. At the end of the day it's just ride sharing. The largest bus I saw had 20 removable seats, smaller than a short school bus. There weren't a ton of people on the bus either, the most people I ever saw on the bus was 10 or so. But this is transportation that works in even the most car dependant of areas. This is public transportation for tiny rural towns that otherwise could never have public transport, public transportation through completely unwalkable suburbs and municipalities. I couldn't have gone to college without them. Many disabled people I rode with told me that they wouldn't have had the independence they had if it wasn't for their ability to get around with OATS.
I don't know if Jason has heard of them, but I feel like rural transportation would make a great video. People use rural transportation as a gotcha for busses and trains, I would say OATS is a perfect counter argument.

Hello all, Thanks for such an amazing and knowledgeable community! Such an amazing resource!
I’m currently in the process of collecting estimates for a solar roof-top array in south-east PA.
We’re currently 19 years into our existing roof. We’ve been recommended to replace our roof, which I’m perfectly fine with doing. I was hoping to optimize it for solar by removing 2 decorative dormers and combining our plumbing vents. I’m still researching the best color for asphalt shingles, but it seemed that black is best/better than a light gray). I’m curious about standing seam metal roof, but I don’t think I can justify that and it may take a lot longer to obtain estimates for quality installers.
Our home itself uses gas predominantly for heating with 3 gas furnaces (2/3 are < 1 year old), 1 gas water heater (< 3 years old) and 2 gas stoves/ranges and 2 gas driers (1 < 1 year old). Forced hot air heating. We’re fairly conservative with heating (often 68-71, dropping to 61 at night). Cooling about 72 degrees-74. All gasoline engine cars, about 4 years old and typically we wouldn’t upgrade to EV for another 10-12 years. Our area used to get snow…we’ve had a total of about 5 foot in the past 3 years and large storms don’t seem to occur anymore with most storms often only about 4 inches max). (roof top appearance with dormers)
I used EnergySage as a starting point. One local shop’s first offer was a string system. Another company (Venture Solar) came out and is offering a microinverter system. It sounded promising, however I still have to research the specific panels and microinverters more.
I wanted to pay cash for the system, pending evaluation of my upcoming tax year and estimated tax liability for 2023.
I liked FreedWillie 's template, so I created one here. My concerns

• They are claiming that I can get federal tax credit to apply to replacement of roof, especially since that involves removing 2 dormers.
• They are claiming that the microinvertors have cellphone antenna use to monitor the array. They guarantee that they will cover any energy lost if the panels are not producing. If they are not producing 20kW hours/year, they said they will cover with a check to cover. I don’t see that in their contract provided at the moment and need to review that as well).
• Dispute resolution: Seems to be intentionally misleading
• Performance guarantee: seems too good to be true that they'll cut me a check if the system underperforms and show up to ensure that the system works
• Although we don't have an EV yet, I'd imagine that they would be pretty much standardized in the next 15 years. I want to ensure that our system has the potential capacity to address some of our future needs (eg, 2 parents and 2 kids driving)

Details of Venture Solar contract:

• 21,193 kW per year
• $68,800 upfront with $20,640 federal tax credit. $10,745 with PA’s SREC
• $3.24 per KW

Hanwha QCells 400 x 50 (20.9% efficiency,132 half-cell mono perc,385~410Wp)

• https://qcells.com/us/get-started/complete-energy-solution/solar-panel-detail?slrPnlId=SRPL211201071450004&look=001
• 25 years product warranty, 25 year performance warranty
• 98% nominal power first year, 0.5% degradation per year. 86% nominal power up to 25 years.

Enphase IQ8+ microinverters x50

• https://enphase.com/store/microinverters/iq8-series/iq8plus-microinverter
• limited warranty up to 25 years.

Racking: Unirac

• I can't remember which version. It was a cone-shaped device that has an port that you fasten than you inject sealant through the cone. Details soon.

System details:

• System size: 20 kW
• Year 1 production: 21,193
• Racking system: Unirac
• Warranty: 10 years for workmanship, mounting hardware, wiring, conduit, flashing, roof sealants). The warranty does not cover weather-related events. Warranty for panels/microinvertors is 25 years from the manufacturer.
• Dispute resolution: both myself and them have right for dispute in court. “you and we are agreeing to limit that right. If there is a dispute, then both you and we must seek resolution of the dispute in either arbitration or small claims court. If your dispute cannot be resolved in small claims court for any reason, then you must seek resolution of your dispute in arbitration. This dispute resolution agreement does not alter any substantive rights that you may have under state or federal law. By signing below, you agree to comply with this dispute resolution provision, which describes both your and our only procedure for resolving any dispute. Only the arbitrator, not any federal, state, or local court or agency, has the authority to interpret this provision or determine its enforceability. If any provision of this dispute resolution provision is found to be unenforceable for any reason, such provision will be severed and the remainder of this dispute resolution provision will continue in full force and effect.
  
• Start date: (in the next 5 days)
  
• Estimated building permit obtained within 90 days of signing.
  
• Estimated completion date (in 4 months)
  
• They install electrical equipment for solar system (eg, bidirectional meter, shutoff)
  
• They cover and coordinate permits for installation (building, electric).
  
• Does not include electrical panel upgrades (currently we have 200 amp service, circa 2003 home)
  
• $325/panel to remove/store/reinstall panels if necessary($16k). $220/panel if not re-installing. Pricing valid for 120 months of signing.
  
• Guarantees the penetrations of the solar system and 6” area around for the next 10 years, no responsibility for the roof/integrity otherwise
  
• They are liable to pay for damage to property caused by negligence during the installation. Not liable for damage due to improperly installed roofing, subroofing, roof coverings, supports, siding, covering or non-visible installations. If using another contractor other than them to repair the damage without consent from them, they reserve right not to re-imburse you for the damages. Total liability is limited to the the amounts payable to them under the agreement.
  

Just purchased our first house out in Country NSW and it already has Solar installed, agent and vendor have no idea about how big the solar set up is they think it was installed to cover the cost of running the electric hot water system.
I flew my drone over the roof and looks to be about 8 panels connected to a Solis-1p2k-4g inverter. I rang the energy supplier and they told me the solar was installed in 2012 and generating between 5-6kwh a day.
Our last quarter bill at our previous rental had our daily usage at 8.36kwh per day and a daily supply charge of .78 cents with peak step 1 charge at 0.24 c/kWh.
The current energy provider is charging 163 cents for daily supply charge and time of use usage rates between 21.98 to 34.08 cents/kWh, controlled load 15.38/kWh and a solar feed in tariff of 7 cents per kWh exported.
Rang a local solar installer for a quote, they reckon I could get a new 5 kWh system which should generate 21kWh per day for less then $9500 if I pay cash, however didn't say what cost we would be looking at to have the old system removed as it can't simply be upgraded it would need to be replaced.
Wife isn't entirely sold on getting the upgrade at this time, I have already pointed out to her the energy bills will be a lot higher even with the current solar set up compared to what we have been paying for the last 3 years, but she thinks as we have gone from renting at $560 a week to a $560 per month mortage so we are better off.
Hoping someone could crunch the numbers and let me know if we should stick with what we have or upgrade.
Also are there any rebates in NSW we might be entitled to or not because the previous owner already used them for this property?
Any advice would be appreciated tia.

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Hello again everyone, I bring you another installment of my Living with WeskerBeard tales. There's a few new pop up characters, they aren't a major part of the story, I'll mention them as and when they turn up.
Last time I had managed to get WeskerBeard to tidy most of his room and the cupboard under the stairs. It was nice to sit, on the uncomfortable bed, and look across the room at the work we had done.
I turned and watched WB as he rapidly jabbed buttons on his PS controller. I again aimed to spark up a conversation with him as he stared at the screen.
Me: This looks kind of interesting, what is it?
WeskerBeard stared at the screen not answering me. I waited a little before asking again.
Me a little louder: WeskerBeard... WB: Oh, yeah, what is it babe?
Me: I was wondering what you was playing? It looks kind of interesting with the Greek Mythology stuff going on in it.
WB: It's God of War 3... he said trailing off as a QTE took his attention.
I watched as he fought with Gorgons and Minotaurs, the game did catch my interest, I love Mythological stories and the beasties.
WB excitedly: The Medusa don't wear any tops and they come at you with their boobs out and freeze you. Come to think of it you might not like the game, there's a lot of boobs in it babe.
Me: Well they are in ancient Greece where its warm, and in Mythology they're usually depicted without, so the lack of tops isnt that much of a bother to me.
WB: I thought you didn't like that sort of thing.
Me: I said I didn't like unnecessary nudity and/ or sex in things.
Before WeskerBeard could continue the door to his room opened. Without a knock, in walked JudgyBeard holding his own PS3 game.
JB: This isn't a bad time is it?
WB: No I was just telling Sapph about God of War 3 wasn't I babe.
Now readers you might be thinking that I am exaggerating with the amount of times he says 'babe' to me in these stories, but I really aren't. WB was like a discount Duke Nukem from Wish. He called me it to the point I was concerned I would one day turn into a pig. Any way I digress,
JB: I was wondering if you wanted to play Dark Souls now, but if you're playing that I can leave it for now.
WB: No, I'll play it now, I just saved my game.
I scooted further towards the foot end of the bed as JB sat down and made himself comfortable between us. I grabbed my laptop and started browsing and talking on Facebook.
Again the bedroom door opened and in crawled ManiaBeard. He looked over at the three of us, scowling as he pulled himself onto his bed. He turned on his TV and almost as if he was competing, turned up his volume.
WB: Turn that down, I can't hear my game.
MB: I can't hear my show.
WB: Turn. It. Down ManiaBeard.
MB: I'll turn mine down When you turn yours down.
JB: You two don't need to argue, WB yours is a little loud, maybe turn it down a little bit? I'm sure when you do ManiaBeard will turn his down... (getting cut off).
Again the door opened, this time it slammed against the wall near the foot of ManiaBeard's bed. Ragebaby stood seething in the doorway.
RB: ManiaBeard turn that TV down, I can hear it in my room.
MB whining: I can't hear it over WB's TVeeee.
WB to MB: I can't hear my game over your stupid TV. You're the one who came up here and started being lou...
RB: Both of you turn the f*cking things down, or I'll smash them myself.
WeskerBeard, while glaring at RageBaby, reluctantly turned down his TV. I looked over the top of my laptop screen, catching ManiaBeard smirking like he had won something. The smirk soon disappeared as RB took a step closer to the foot of his bed.
RB: Well are you going to turn it down?
Hog shouting from downstairs: What's all the banging and shouting about?
RB shouting: These two won't turn their TVs down.
WB whining while shouting: I have turned mine down, it's ManiaBeard who won't turn his down.
MB: I can't hear my shoooooow, WB's game is too loud.
WB: I already turned it down.
Hog shouting again still downstairs: ManiaBeard, WeskerBeard turn your TVs down. RageBaby get out of their room and stop banging and shouting.
Ragebaby stood in the doorway as Maniabeard finally jabbed the volume down button on his controller. Once he was satisfied he turned, walked out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him.
ManiaBeard sat sulking on his bed, glaring at WB and JB when ever they talked about the game. As JudgyBeard would tell WeskerBeard what was coming up next in the game.
WeskerBeard's idea of playing Dark Souls was to unalive the minor enemies, reach a challenging part, get his behind handed to him and then...
WB handing over the controller: You're better at this sort of thing then I am.
JudgyBeard looked at the controller and interlocking his fingers, cracked his knuckles before giving them all a wiggle, like a crappy imitation of Jack Sparrow. He seemed to do this when he played his games, it was like a strange little pre-game ritual he had. Once this 'ritual' was complete, he took control of the character that he had made for WeskerBeard. After the hard part or boss had been dealt with, the controller was handed back and WeskerBeard continued playing until the next difficult part, rinse and repeat.
Dark Souls wasn't my cup of tea at the time, so I carried on chatting on Facebook. At the time I had a lot of Furry friends, I was introduced to furries when I was at school. I found them unsual but interesting and some were really nice to chat with, and online chatting helped build some confidence. It was just nice to talk to someone in general about things other than gaming and movies. (These will be referred to at a later date).
After a while JudgyBeard left the room and WeskerBeard went back on GoW3. Bored I decided I was going to go to bed.
The next morning I woke up and avoiding Satan's bathroom, went to use the toilet downstairs. The door was open so I carried on down towards it, but I stopped dead on the fourth step.
Not to digress, but to give you an idea of how small this room was. The room was approximately 2 maybe 3 ft wide, and about 6 ft long. Only the toilet and a small basin sat in there.
So back to where I was, frozen on the fourth step. I tried backing away slowly, but just like the Trex on Jurassic Park, my movements caught her attention.
Hog walked out of the small room completely naked. Her large drooping stomach hanging low... not low enough though as a whispy nest of grey, matted hair poked out from under it. I was at a complete loss for words. She made NO attempt to cover anything, she just stood in the doorway looking at me on the stairs, her nose scrunched up, which pulled up her top lip.
Hog: I thought I heard someone out there.
Me scramblingfor words: I... Sorry... I thought the toilet was empty... The... I saw the door was open.
I kept trying to look in any and all directions as she held her weight against the doorframe.
Hog coming out into the hallway more: I'll be done soon, I'm just having a strip wash. Is someone in the bathroom?
Me: No, I'll just... I said backing up a few more steps.
As I walked off upstairs I turned around hearing a noise. I wish I hadn't turned, as what I saw was Hog's behind, her almost grey coloured skin wiggling with every shuffling step she took into the kitchen.
Hog: Trotter, come scrub my back, I can't reach.
Trotter from somewhere in the other room: Give me a minute.
I mortified and defeated, retreated to the bathroom upstairs, avoiding sitting on the seat as best I could.
Later that day, around afternoon time the house emptied of most of its residents, it was payslip day for half of the residents. WeskerBeard was feeling amorous and used the fact the others had gone out to his advantage. I said if he cleaned his equipment before use I would be willing, so at the idea of getting something out of cleaning, he did.
As he was doing his thing the door to his room, without a knock, opened. I was quick enough to not be seen, but WeskerBeard was caught member in hand. Lodger's friend, Weedy, backed out apologising as he closed the door. Mood completely dead and red in the face I told WB to leave it.
WB: Buuut baaabe no one's in...
Me: I'm not continuing when people just barge in.
WB in a huff got his stuff together before going out and seeing what Weedy had wanted. He had wanted to borrow a PS3 game, and had gotten more than he'd bargained for.
WeskerBeard skulked off out the room again, his footsteps disappearing downstairs. After a few minutes he came back up and handed me a letter.
The letter was from the Job centre, they had found me a place of work at a charity shop, not far from where I lived.
WB: What's that?
Me happily: The Job Center found me a placement.
WB: You got a job?
Me: Yeah it's at X shop in NP shopping centre.
WB: I had a job in NP shopping center.
I was a little surprised by this statement, he had never mentioned it before. I looked at him and asked,
Me: You did? Which shop?
WB: Home Bargins, I only worked there for a day.
Me: A day?
WB: Yeah I quit because they wanted me to turn cans so the brand name was facing outwards.
He said this imitating himself quarter turning an imaginary can, as if to give me a visual demonstration as to what he was asked to do.
Me: But that's easy...
WB: It was boring, I could be home playing games but they wanted me to do that?.... No thanks.
Me: Well I start next week for a couple of weeks. Hopefully I might get something out of the end of it.
WB: I wouldn't bother but if you want to I can't stop you babe.
The week rolled on fairly uneventfully as was the norm. Hog tried to tell me I was allowed to help myself to food from the cupboard or drinks from the fridge, but if I attempted to, RageBaby would accuse me of stealing, so I never did and would often ask WeskerBeard to fetch me something if possible. If he was caught he was 'stealing' too.
I eventually started my placement at the charity shop, doing some work experience. On WeskerBeard's paydays he would come to NP shopping centre and visit the Grainger Games that was in there before haunting near the shop I worked in.
One day he came in, I wanted the floor to swallow me whole there and then. As WeskerBeard walked I noticed his toes, they were poking out of the bottom of his shoes. I looked at him as he wandered around the shop.
Me: WeskerBeard... what are you doing?
WB: Just looking at these old PS1 and 2 games you have out on the shelf.
Me quietly: Why don't you go and look at the shoe section, there's some nice cheap ones over there.
WB: I don't need shoes, you probably don't have my size in either babe.
Me: Yours are literally falling to bits, I saw your feet as you walked in. I'm sure there's some in your size.
WeskerBeard grumbled putting down the PS1 Who Wants to be Millionaire game down. He mooched over to the shoes. Lo-and-behold like I had said, he found a nice neat set of shoes in his size. He bought them and put them on.
Me: Do they fit OK?
WB: Yeah, they fit great thanks babe.
Me: Great now you can bin your old ones.
WB: What?
Me putting out other items: Theres a bin out there, you can put them in.
WB: Oh okay if I have too...
Me: They're knackered, just get rid of them.
WeskerBeard reluctantly did so, he lurked a little while longer before heading off home for the day.
I preferred to work upstairs in the storage room away from the people on the shop floor. It was nice and quiet, and another benefit was because I was sorting out the bags, I was allowed to set items of interest aside to buy for myself before it got to the floor.
Eventually after a few weeks, my time there was drawing to and end and WeskerBeard reminded me of the fact. I told him I was planning on staying on, if they'd let me. They did. WeskerBeard seemed shocked that I would ask to stay on. It didn't seem to compute with him that I was happy to work there.
WB: You don't need to go in now though.
Me: I know, but I want to. I like working in the storeroom...
I was cut off as the door opened and in walked Animeboy. He came in and sat himself on WB's bed.
WB: Hey AB I didn't know you was coming today.
AB: We talked about it the other day.
WB: I remember now, yeah I said you could stay over if you wanted to do some videos, the computer rooms been tidied up.
It came upto teatime, and although AB had been a regular at the house and they knew he was there, they left him without a meal. I know they weren't obligated to feed a guest to the house but this is a semi important note for later.
They watched some Let's Play videos, some more Bleach and other random stuff until later into the night, when AB mentioned he was feeling hungry.
WB: The take out is still open if you want to go there.
AB: Yeah, I might do I haven't eaten since dinner.
WB with a stupid laugh: I'll walk up there with you, never know when we get back Sapph might have a 3 way with us.
I glared at him snapping: I don't think so.
WB: OK babe, calm down I was just joking.
Me: You better be...
WB: I was. I'm going to Milo's pizza shop with AB, I won't be too long.
Me still annoyed by what he'd said: Fine, I'm going on my laptop, do you mind if I use that memory stick I found while we were tidying the other day?
Joking or not, WeskerBeard wasn't getting the 3 way he mentioned. I had no interest in that, especially with AB. He, 1) at the time had a girlfriend and, 2) bragged about going out with'multiple' girls he'd been with before, he was a real catch that one.
WB heading out: No you can use it if there's nothing on it.
I loaded up the laptop and stuck in the stick to check it out. There was things on it. Adult things. As Mick mentioned in his 2nd story one of the pictures was Gwen from Ben 10 looking barely legal if at all. I removed the stick and waited.
WB eventually coming back in: Hey baaaabe... what's up?
Me holding up the stick: What the Hell is this crap?
WB: A memory stick?
Me: Why the hell do you have Gwen on it?
WB: Oh that? It's an old picture and it's not like she's a kid in the picture.
Me: Delete it.
WB: But...
Me: Now, all of the pictures.
WB: But babe, some pictures I won't be able to find again.
Me: It goes or I go, I don't know where to but I will.
Weskerbeard took the stick and put it into the already loaded PS3. I watched as he removed everything from it.
AB: He must really like you, some of them pictures were rare.
Me: I don't care.
WB removing the stick: There, they're gone.
I took the stick from him and formatted it on my laptop for good measure. I put the stick to better use, I kept my stories I wrote on it until I got one with more room. I'm no top selling author but, I like to write its an nice little escape for me.
Now remember when I mentioned AB didn't get offered anything at teatime? Not long after he sat down to eat his pizza WB helped himself to a slice. The smell also drew in Ragebaby. He walked in to the room;
RB: If you don't eat all that, let me know.
AB: I probably will eat it, I was telling WB that I haven't eaten all day.
Ragebaby skulked off like the overweight vulture he was, disappointed that AB wasn't going to be giving him his food.
WB and AB eventually disappeared to do their videos. I stayed upstairs typing away until I ran out of ideas. I decided as it was getting late, I would go to bed.
I woke up later on as WB and AB came back into the room. WB lay down in front of me and I looked over as AB lay at the foot of the bed, his feet near WB's head.
Me: What are you doing?
WB: Going to bed, Animeboy usually sleeps up here.
Me: There's no room, why didn't you sort him somewhere to sleep?
AB pulling the blanket over himself: I'm OK like this.
This was a single bed. Cramped was an understatement. I was too tired to argue with them over sleeping arrangements. I rolled onto my side pushed against a wall and went to sleep again, uncomfortably. By the time I woke up in the morning AB had already left the house.
Well, I think I'll leave it here for now. Got to save some of that cringe for another day, and after living in the nest for around 2 years I still have some stored away for another day. Bye for now, and I hope to see you in Part 6 when I get around to it 😊

All in all, I could have $50k more to my name if I wasn't an idiot - I've probably lost around $30k lifetime. That's maybe 20% of my total savings after 5.5 years post college. So, I basically blew a year's worth of savings. As much as that sucks, I'm ready to make my peace - I have been down $80k, and I have been up $20k. I can make back $30k by making smart, safe investments over the next 5 years, and maybe I will make some investments that I wouldn't have made if I didn't get myself into this situation, so hopefully things will even out (I am talking about bonds or index funds).
I was down $6k today and I got it back. I was up $5k at one point, but ended the day even. It's weird, because I remember saying when I was down to my final deposited $1k or so, I prayed that if I could just get back to $6k, I would walk away forever and be at peace. I've done that before, when it was getting back to $40k or $60k, but I came back a month later and lost. Once I get back my number, somehow that feeling that I would be at peace disappears, and I start to get tempted to break my deal with God. Things could have ended much worse (count what you have), and I really want to stick to my word this time.
5 days ago, I blew $55k in less than 12 hours playing online blackjack. About half of it was lifetime net positive winnings, but that is still a brutal number. I am lucky to not be in debt like a friend of mine who lost $250k trading options on margin, but that is still a down payment for a house or a new Cadillac. It's past Machu Picchu time for me (that was last week), but at least I am getting out of it with my shirt still on.
What's worse than the lost money is the lost time. I am unemployed at 27, and I haven't actually been searching for a job since August. I did apply to law school during that time, but the better part of 6+ months was spent gambling, day trading, and loafing around being depressed. That's time I will never get back, even if I may at some point get my money back. The opportunity cost of 6 wasted months is probably another $50k lost.
It sucks how the world is not a meritocracy, and how hard work doesn't always get you ahead, and that's part of what has driven me to gamble in the past. I don't want to bust my ass doing a tough job for a low wage (like I have many times in the past) so that someone who's better connected or luckier to work with good people can take advantage. I'm torn between wanting to do work that's for the social good and wanting to make easy money. And I don't want one of those jobs where people pretend like they are doing good when they are actually robbing working class wage slaves.
It would be nice to have enough money to not have to worry about money. For my own purposes, I was pretty much there a week ago but I shot myself in the foot once again. Anyways, I can't beat myself up too much - no one is perfect and shit happens. It could be a lot worse.
Overall, I'm ready to go for it all once again, take calculated risks (no gambling!), and rise. I can still win the right way, and I can make this my comeback story. There is no bound to how high I can rise from the ashes and win. I can become rich, and none of this will matter except as a lesson and an experience
The world breaks everyone, but afterwards people are strong at the broken places. I don't think I'm broken, but I have definitely stepped in it a bit. Onwards and upwards, LFG

I did it because I have solar panels and wanted to use my excess production to heat my home instead of pay Xcel for the natural gas to run my furnace. Because Xcel sucks and their rates are high.
It worked out well and I saved hundreds of dollars. I'm here to share what it was like.
I have a 2 bedroom, 800 sqft house. I used two large 1800-watt heaters and three small 600-watt heaters. You know, the ones that look like an accordion. Larger heaters in larger rooms, smaller heaters in smaller rooms and hallways. I left each of them on a certain setting (using their internal thermostat) all winter and I'm nearly ready to put them away for the summer.
The electric heaters maintained my house at the same temperature I'd normally set my furnace thermostat to - 62 degrees F. The heater in my bedroom is set higher to make it warmer in there. I also use a heated mattress pad so I am never wanting for warmth.
The heaters are silent which I enjoyed more than my furnace constantly turning on and off. The heaters use convection currents to circulate warm air. They take a few hours to get the room up to a desired temperature, but once reached they maintain the temperature well.
The only annoyance was the heaters take up some space and you need to find an unobtrusive spot to put them. The instructions say to keep all objects 3 feet away from the heater. I reduced that to 1 foot for the smaller heaters in tight spaces. Oh, and my house got rewired in 2021 so I was somewhat confident it could handle the load of the electric heaters without burning down.
The heaters used an estimated 800 kwh per month during December, January, and February. (I estimate by subtracting my electric use pre-heater)
My solar panels only produce 3-400 kwh per month - not enough to run my heaters. But I used the credit I had banked from past summer months. My electric usage in summer is low because I would run a whole house fan at night instead of an AC.
(Side note, if you're getting solar panels and a net meter always select the option where Xcel pays you cash for your excess solar at the end of every year. Yes, that is an option but they call it something confusing. Do not pick the "store credit" like I did, they will never let you change your mind.)
I still use some natural gas - to heat my hot water for my washing machine and shower.
My most recent Xcel bill was $26 for gas and electric combined. Last winter my bills were $70+. I love not being gouged as much. I would do it again next winter. I hope this has inspired some people to try the same. Screw Xcel.

It should be noted that I live in Spain and therefore the salaries I will be citing will seem very low for a USA employee.
A brief summary about my experience: I have two years of experience as a data scientist creating predictive models using machine learning in a small company. I left that company for personal reasons, and then I could not find a job as a data scientist, so I ended up working as a data analyst. Also, I have a bachelor degree in Software Engineering and a master degree in AI.
I am currently working as a Data Analyst for my current company. While the company I am working for is a very big international company, I work in a small team of 6 members. This job is very relaxed, I am free to estimate how much time my own tasks will take, and I am not pressured with deadlines. Also, I work completely from home, which is something I appreciate a lot. Some disadvantages of keeping this job is that I am getting paid 26 000€ per year, which is low even for Spain. Also, this is not a job position I see myself doing in the future. Finally, there are practically zero promotion chances within this company.
Now, recently I’ve been given an offer to work in a smaller company that would pay me 31 000€ per year, which is around a 20% increase. This would be a role as an AI Engineer, and I would be working in tasks like natural language processing, machine learning, and social robotics. It is clear to me that accepting this new job will be great for my career, as it will allow me to get back into the AI path, and the experience that I obtain in this job could help me find better jobs in the future.
However, I will have to work in the office one of every two weeks. The office is in another city, and the commute would be about 1 hour by train. Also, the company is known for constantly firing employers without any warning. I consider myself a highly performing worker and I believe in my capacity of performing well enough to not get fired, but the fact that they are so careless about firing employees makes me believe that the work environment will be harsh, stressful and full of deadlines.
In conclusion… I think the salary increase is not enough to give up the full remote relaxed position at my current company, and I should instead stay and perhaps keep looking for better opportunities. Honestly, with my experience and education, I think I should be able to find a better job. However, I am afraid that I might regret this decision in the future and I should instead accept it and get the experience that could help me find better jobs in the future, at the cost of worse working conditions for the next one or two years.
I only have two more days to think before giving my final decision. I’ve already pondered about the pros and cons a hundred times and I seem unable to make a decision.
Can you guys give me your advice?

I got my first gaming laptop, a Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH6H, 2021 edition, last year in April 2022. After nearly a year of daily use, I thought I’d give a one year later review. Warning: take a drink, something to eat, because this is a long post. Enjoy the reading.
What are my specs:
l CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600H (6 cores, 12 threads, 3.3 GHz)
l GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop (6 GB VRAM, 115W TDP)
l RAM: 32 GB DDR4 3200 MHz (upgraded from 8 then from 16)
l Storage: 2x SSD 2 TB (upgraded from a single 500 GB SSD)
l Battery: 60 Wh
l Screen: 120 Hz display version
Describing the upgrades:
The laptop first came with only 8 GB of RAM, so I added another 8 GB to have better performances right after the first time OS installation. Because I play Star Citizen on a regular basis, I upgraded again up to 32 GB. On the manual, it’s said to be the maximum of RAM the laptop can support.
500 GB of initial storage is quite short, even more if the OS installed is Windows as it takes a lot of storage. I installed a few games on the SSD then I spent a few months playing on an external HDD, then I placed a M2 SSD, format 2280, in the free PCIe slot. 2 TB is not that expensive during the sales and it’s worth the price. Recently, I replaced my 500 GB system 2242 SSD with a 2280 2 TB one. On the manual it’s said to support only M2 2242 SSDs on the initial storage slot, but the motherboard has a screw slot to lock the 2280 format.
RAM and storage are the only upgrades you can do, like many of today’s laptops. It also means an extra attention is mandatory to keep the whole beast in a good state the longest time possible.
How much it cost me on the initial purchase:
The laptop came without an OS. It was my choice of installing it myself because a laptop that comes with Windows preinstalled is 100 bucks more in the final price. I used that saved money to buy 8 GB of RAM and an OEM Windows licence that didn’t work. The whole bundle costed me 1001€, the laptop itself being at 950€ at the time. Today you can find it cheaper. To activate Windows, I did a little trick that was to make Windows believe that this new installation was in fact my old Windows laptop that was registered in my Microsoft account. It worked and never asked me for an activation key. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Performance review:
That’s why you’re here in the first place, right?
The laptop runs insanely good. The dedicated GPU feels powerful. Of course you won’t expect the same performances as its desktop version, but the gap between the two versions is the smallest among the RTX 30 series.
All the performance tests are performed on an external monitor.
The Witcher 3 legacy version runs a smooth 60 fps on an external monitor in maxed settings. For next-gen, you’ll have framerate drops even in high settings. Nvidia DLSS doesn’t run well too.
No Man’s Sky runs well overall. As it’s not optimized, quality-focused DLSS and high settings will run between 40 and 60 fps with some drops at 30 and below.
Cyberpunk 2077 runs a solid 60 fps with severe drops when getting back to the game from menus the inventory or the paused interface (pressed with ESC). This is most likely due to memory leaks from the time I played the game. Today I don’t encounter this issue with my 32 gigs. The settings are medium but the game still looks insanely good. The Nvidia raytracing does a good job with upping the performances while providing a better look in-game.
Star Citizen runs «well». The 60 fps are here in the void but you’re not getting past the 30 fps in cities. I noticed random severe and lasting drops to 10 fps in low-orbit stations like Port Tressler around Microtech.
I strongly recommend to watch proper benchmarks on YouTube but overall I am impressed that a laptop like this runs games that well, especially with the low heat levels registered by Core Temp. The CPU almost never goes to 90°C, and the GPU hardly reaches 70°C. When you’re gaming on a laptop, you must keep the vents free from obstruction to keep the air coming in and out. You can use a book as a support or a dedicated fan plate to help the air coming. You can gain 5°C like that. The laptop’s chassis is also made to get the lowest heat possible.
Basic desktop usage review:
I don’t really know how to put this. This is quite overkill if your usage is light gaming and basic desktop usage. However, thanks to the Optimus technology, you can switch off the dedicated GPU, therefore gaining a solid 6 hours of battery life. As a college student, this was mandatory.
Overall, this laptop is really worth the price, no wonder people on this sub don’t stop recommending it.
That is, if you stick with Windows 10. Because Windows 11 runs like shit and I get a way worse battery life than on Microsoft’s previous OS.
Linux review: how does the pinguin handle this beast?
I get you, why would you install Linux on a gaming laptop? If you want to play games, you can just stick with Windows and it’ll work just fine. But there are some people who believe in Linux’s potential regarding gaming, including myself. Look at the Steam Deck which runs just fine. It’s a particuliar case though, as SteamOS is made for the Deck’s hardware.
I dual-booted my laptop so I could run Linux on one of my 2 TB SSDs. Yes, I’ve split my storage capacity to have more storage on Linux. Why would I do that when I could just store all my games on a NTFS partition so it could be read by both Windows and Linux?
That is where you’re wrong!
Yes, Linux can read and write on NTFS. But the free operating system doesn’t handle well execution on this partition, probably because of the nature of the filesystem: NTFS uses a log function to report everything that happens on the partition, and that slows it down as hell on Linux. So I noticed that games installed on a NTFS partition and loaded with Linux and some Wine/Proton black magic, are much slower in loading times. The solution: use an ext4 partition which is natively compatible with Linux and the default filesystem for a standard installation.
The distribution I chose with this test is Linux Mint, because it’s easy to get into and can do pretty much everything you can do on Windows in terms of traditional desktop usage.
The gaming experience on Linux:
In terms of gaming, Steam is the pioneer in the Linux sector for the modern videogame sector. Valve has developed their own version of Wine, called Proton, which makes running Windows games even easier on Linux. This is the tool used by the Deck, and Proton compatibility for each Steam game can be found on ProtonDB. Running Steam games feels just like Window. Some games probably need ProtonGE though, which is a custom, "hormone-boosted" version of Proton.
As for non-Steam games, I haven’t much explored that part. I installed Star Citizen using Lutris, an alternative game Launcher for EGS, GOG, Origin, Steam games and games that don’t run on these platforms as well. Star Citizen runs like shit on the first launch but comes to the same perfs as Windows after precaching textures and shaders. In my personal experience, I was never able to launch Star Citizen again. The launcher runs just fine but the game crashes on launch. I had to apply an Easy Anti Cheat patch to make the game launch without having EAC blocking the way, maybe my issue is related to that.
Please note that anticheat-dependent games will have problems launching on Linux. As an example, Valorant is a no-go as Vanguard, the game’s anticheat, requires a deep kernel access that is granted by Windows upon installation. Linux doesn’t grant kernel access the same way, therefore the game can’t launch because of Vanguard.
Basic desktop experience:
As a Linux enjoyer, I prefer the traditional desktop experience over Windows. However, I can’t ignore the shitty battery life the laptop gets on Linux. It is mostly due to the Nvidia GPU not switching off properly to get the neat 6 hours of battery life I am supposed to get. Instead, I get at most 1h30 or 2 hours, hardly 3 when you’re literally AFK. This was tested with the Nvidia drivers version 470. When I’m writing this review, I switched to the recommended driver by Mint: version 525. I’ll provide additional information regarding battery life with this driver, but I don’t expect anything crazy.
To close this long-ass post, the Lenovo Legion 5 experience is really pleasing and I don’t regret switching to a laptop for gaming. As a student who can move anywhere, it’s more convenient to bring a powerful and portable machine outside rather than moving a whole desktop setup.

About two years ago, we had some new neighbors pop up overnight. Almost immediately after moving in, they started ripping up all the old fence and installing new fence, which is their prerogative on their property. However, I caught them messing with the fence, that is solidly on my property (has already been surveyed previously), on the side that our properties border, without consulting me.
One day when I came out, I discovered that this fence line in question, near the rear portion of my property had magically uprooted itself overnight, I made it clear it wasn't theirs and there would be legal repercussions. They insisted high and low it was the weather, somehow, and they had nothing to do with it. Unfortunately, at the time, I didn't have any security cameras or photos with them in the act to prove otherwise, so sheriff couldn't do much, my word against theirs. I have cameras now, however.
Last year, same guy started fiddling with the fence again, and I started finding him placing pieces of tape on my fence, putting utility flags on the fence/on my property, intertwining property stakes into the fence wires and so forth which actually popped one of the strands loose/damaged the clip. When confronted, he told me he wanted to put his fence there instead and would pay the cost. I resoundly said no, and further, that if I were to ever think about it in some unlikely scenario, no changes would be remotely considered unless they were detailed, documented, in writing, sent via certified mail, and a contract or agreement was drawn up by my lawyer after being discussed thoroughly. It was peaceful for awhile after that and I thought that was the end of things.
Then came this week. Couple days ago, it seems he thought no one was home, had some of his buddies out there looking like they were scouting/watching out for me to come home (cars were all taken out by family members, so looked like everyone was gone). When I walked out of my house, I seen them parked in their trucks, bumpers almost touching my fence, facing my house/driveway and watching for no other apparent reason. Upon seeing me looking at them, they took off. So I walk further out, only to see this guy down the fence line again, marking it off again with electric tape, flags, poles, and stakes. He jumped in one of the trucks and took off with them when I went outside to take photos. I've since painted the posts with our state's designated no trespassing colors, added extra signage, and removed/chucked the crap he had put there back onto his own property. Each day I keep watching him driving around and around in circles, stopping and going, by the fence line, sometimes for hours at a time. Everyday, he is out there cruising the fence line, sometimes getting out towards the back acreage and standing against the fence or touching it randomly, before jumping back in.
What would be the best course of action here? He is clearly testing his limits on this on. Property has already been surveyed, fence is definitely solely on my property and matter of fact, is about two feet onto my property. Already surveyed because the last neighbors we had a few years back tried something similar, but weren't as persistent and knocked it off. I found out these people are buddies with a lot of people at the county offices/county seats and local government, which is probably part of the entitlement here. Sheriff doesn't seem particularly interested in saying anything to him either, stating he "really hasn't done anything yet" and basically until they start ripping things up and I've got evidence, I'm SOL.
I'd like to think there is something I can preemptively do here so that I don't come home after a long day at work to see my fence gone, replaced with the god awful ugly raggedy pipe fence they're putting up everywhere, and have to go through a bunch of nonsense after its already been vandalized/removed.
Advice? What should be done here first?

Few points to elaborate on my thinking - Gross profit for Google in year of 2022 was 156 Billion. It increased by 6% - Assuming an average Google employee costs 200K per year. 10K people would cost them 2 Billion(1.2% of their gross profit) - The firing is definitely not done on the merit basis. Many people have got affected because of the strategy shift - Google also have started hiring in APAC just after firing. - Google is offering 7 months of severance package in UK. That’s practically giving free money without getting anything from affected people - Onboarding a new employee on average costs around 20K per employee. Plus tons of paperwork and time.
Few questions I have: - Why don’t they prioritise internal mobility over firing and hiring? - Why don’t they go with a traditional route of performance improvement program and then maybe termination and retention for low performers? I don’t think talent is ever an issue in IT industry it’s just about motivation & knowing that you’re not doing as good as peers. - I initially thought that big organisations are doing these Big Bang firings because of their scale. But isn’t distributing the decisions to individual divisions is the better solution? - Do we have any case studies or relevant research on effects of such firing rounds? - Maybe they do this to please stakeholders but I’m struggling to understand how these firings are a sure shot win financially. Again, I understand benefit getting rid of underperforming employees but clearly that’s not the only criteria based on what I’ve read and heard.

Hi I’m Doug Weatherbee. I lead the Cockroach University team at Cockroach Labs. If you’re unfamiliar with Cockroach University, what you need to know is that our team builds free and virtual self-paced courses on how to use CockroachDB and distributed SQL databases in modern applications. Think Coursera or Udemy for CockroachDB.
My colleague Kiki Carter the-kiki-cru and I just launched a brand new course, Building a Highly Resilient Multi-Region Database using CockroachDB. Thanks Kiki!
Here’s our course description for anyone interested:
Do you have mission critical data and applications that just can’t have more than a few minutes of downtime per year? And do you need them to recover from any downtime in a few seconds with zero data loss?
The course teaches the first steps towards achieving these resilience goals. Using a combination of lessons, demos, and practical hands-on exercises, we explore how to:

• Create a CockroachDB multi-region cluster & architecture.
• Create a CockroachDB multi-region database.
• Set a CockroachDB multi-region survival goal to survive cloud region failures.

You can enroll here: Building a Highly Resilient Multi-Region Database using CockroachDB.
You can check out a sample of what’s inside in this video: https://youtu.be/xpycyN0WXrM
This course is the first in a series, so watch for future instalments that will cover how to build multi-region databases for applications that:

• Require low latency data writes and reads in systems with users/clients spanning multiple cloud regions.
• Are part of data placement or sovereignty strategies requiring data to operate and reside within certain geographical regions and jurisdictions.

We hope you enjoy this course, and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reply here. I, Kiki and the rest of the Cockroach University “cru” would be happy to discuss and answer.