It just occurred to me that I've been on the forum for nearly seven years now. Joined when I was 13 and I'll be 21 this year, which is quite a while for someone my age and around half of the forum's lifespan so far. Besides my posts increasing in quality and substance, and rate of posting to a small degree, my posting activity has also subtly reflected changes in my life. I've had occasional posts from long ago complaining about parents and chores but now it's about...stuff other than parents and chores. I've watched the same happen to others on the forum who were there when I joined, around my age.
What looking through my old activity on the Internet has taught me is that, no matter what I may have thought at that moment, I was *not* mature like I thought I was! Being able to use grammar, "big words," talking to adults, and being able to engage in discussion of at least moderate substance does not make you mature. I've been in a lot of spaces with people my age years ago, as a teenager, and it would always get thrown around how we were so mature were compared to the others. We were not. One of the universal rules of life, at least when you are young, seems to be that you will always cringe at what you did 2-3 years prior when you thought to yourself "nope, I'm not an idiot like I used to be." In other words, hindsight is 20/20.
Given my participation on m.t.r., I'm looking at over 20 years of participation online, whether there or here, with something of a hiatus in there somewhere -- over the time I moved from DC to WI and then back to the Northeast, IIRC. And others certainly have me beat in terms of longevity.
Been through a lot and am still going through a lot. Certainly grown over that time, but can't help but think that some maturity is overrated.
Quote from: index on February 19, 2023, 08:40:22 PM
One of the universal rules of life, at least when you are young, seems to be that you will always cringe at what you did 2-3 years prior when you thought to yourself "nope, I'm not an idiot like I used to be." In other words, hindsight is 20/20.
Most people don't realize it, but that's just what getting older is. Natural part of life.
I was 24 when I joined the forum (not long after it was created), and honestly my posts don't seem all that different 14 years later.
I've had my account since I was 18 and am now 21, but didn't really start participating here until the beginning of last year. I feel as if some of my posts have evolved from when I first started.
Quote from: WillWeaverRVA on February 19, 2023, 09:39:51 PM
I was 24 when I joined the forum (not long after it was created), and honestly my posts don't seem all that different 14 years later.
Now try to imagine being 10 when you joined (or 13 if you want to meet forum guidelines) and 24 (or 27) now. :-D
Definitely a bit more meat on the bone for this subject for those of us who were younger when we joined. I would obviously include myself there, as I was 17, and I feel like it wasn't until about age 20-21 that the majority of my posts were non-cringe-worthy. That was around the time that I (gradually) stopped trying overly hard to sound smart and quit worrying that I wouldn't be taken seriously because of my age. It's been a few years since then and I'm still embarrassed reading some of the early stuff I posted.
I don't think I've changed much since 2016. My move to California was already finished by the time I registered on the forum. I got married a couple years back but that really hasn't had a tangible difference on how much road stuff I do. My wife is pretty independent like me, I don't think either of us have changed much due to being married.
Also, it wasn't too long into the forum when I joined Gribblenation. I've seen far more evolution of what I do on Gribblenation from 2016 to today than what I post on AAroads. It doesn't hurt that I collaborate with Daniel at CAhighways frequently and a BART director gifted me almost a complete set of California Highways & Public Works.
Quote from: MultiMillionMiler on February 19, 2023, 10:12:41 PM
That's why it's just best to lie about your age online, or avoid mentioning it at all.
I certainly avoided mentioning it, but I didn't see a need to lie about it either. My point is that
I can tell how young and immature I was just by the content of my posts; like the way I worded things and tried to use big words and sound smart even when it wasn't doing me any good.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 19, 2023, 10:14:30 PM
I don't think I've changed much since 2016. My move to California was already finished by the time I registered on the forum. I got married a couple years back but that really hasn't had a tangible difference on how much road stuff I do. My wife is pretty independent like me, I don't think either of us have changed much due to being married.
From everything I've heard and/or seen others go through, raising a child/children tends to change a person a lot more than being married (although I can't speak for myself, since I haven't done either).
Quote from: webny99 on February 19, 2023, 10:26:13 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 19, 2023, 10:14:30 PM
I don't think I've changed much since 2016. My move to California was already finished by the time I registered on the forum. I got married a couple years back but that really hasn't had a tangible difference on how much road stuff I do. My wife is pretty independent like me, I don't think either of us have changed much due to being married.
From everything I've heard and/or seen others go through, raising a child/children tends to change a person a lot more than being married (although I can't speak for myself, since I haven't done either).
I suspect at this point that would be more of minimal impact considering my wife and I are long tenured government employees. Most people I know who have kids had them during much less financially stable parts of their lives. My observation as the outsider in that regard is that it tends to define people more when they have children at younger ages. My wife and I have tried but considering our ages the likelihood of us even having one kid now is not very high.
I remain the certifiably dumbest person on the board, just as I was when I joined. :D
I have learned a bit of dealing with my lost train of thought. I used to be horrible at expressing my opinions as I would leave my original point and wander off leaving some wondering what I'm saying. I still occasionally do that like with my question in Alaska leaving out Kodiak Island in my sentence about GSV not being there.
I've gotten much better since and after meeting some folks on here I learned how to control my anger. When I first joined this as at first I would often explode at the aggressively blunt bullies on here who love to point out mistakes. Now I move on to trolls and bullies when they get overly critical.
If anyone remembers interacting with me back in 2017 you will know how much I've grown. I can barely read my 2017 posts without wanting to bang my head against the wall. And my typos... I'm still only 19 so I will likely change even more going forward on the forum.
Quote from: webny99 on February 19, 2023, 10:26:13 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 19, 2023, 10:14:30 PM
I don’t think I’ve changed much since 2016. My move to California was already finished by the time I registered on the forum. I got married a couple years back but that really hasn’t had a tangible difference on how much road stuff I do. My wife is pretty independent like me, I don’t think either of us have changed much due to being married.
From everything I've heard and/or seen others go through, raising a child/children tends to change a person a lot more than being married (although I can't speak for myself, since I haven't done either).
I married last year at 19, primarily for financial/other reasons such as bringing my spouse and I's incomes out of the Medicaid gap so we could get subsidized insurance through the Healthcare Marketplace, since I cannot work full time, and better student loan offers since neither of our families are willing or able to support postsecondary education or our expenses outside of their house. I don't see that alone as having changed much about me.
It has allowed us to keep our healthcare and to keep me in school, so I see it as a win-win for the both of us. Had it not been for a number of pressing life circumstances (many of which I have not detailed here due to their personal nature for us), we would have not done it so early, and for a number of other deeply personal reasons, I was confident that it would also work out in the non-financial side of things, and I still am today. I did the research and the other alternatives out of our situation were not viable or guaranteed. Being married from such a young age has definitely gotten us judged, but I don't dwell on others' opinions, I've gotta do what I've gotta do to make sure my ducks are in order.
I will say that being on my own financially and in nearly all other matters at this point (my father still pays for my car insurance, but that's it) has taught me a lot about
why my parents did the things they did that I took for granted or complained about as a teenager. I am now the one who thinks "we have food at home" whenever I pass a restaurant or think about getting take out. I am a stickler about the lights being on when nobody is using them.
I remember complaining about my father not liking it when I did my own laundry on this very forum when I was 14 or so. The washing machine might only cost a few cents an hour in electricity to run, and I tried to tell him that, because I knew everything, but I failed to consider...That shit adds up. I learned that fast with my own electric bill. When you are constantly broke, 20 bucks makes a difference.
Quote from: index on February 20, 2023, 03:16:34 AM
I am a stickler about the lights being on when nobody is using them.
If you're trying to minimize your energy usage, there are a lot of things that you should probably focus on before the lights, because modern LED bulbs only use–
Quote from: index on February 20, 2023, 03:16:34 AM
I remember complaining about my father not liking it when I did my own laundry on this very forum when I was 14 or so. The washing machine might only cost a few cents an hour in electricity to run, and I tried to tell him that, because I knew everything, but I failed to consider...That shit adds up. I learned that fast with my own electric bill. When you are constantly broke, 20 bucks makes a difference.
Uh, never mind, I guess. :P
I think the power bill is a situation where knowledge is being able to minimize usage, and wisdom is knowing when minimizing it starts to become a negative quality of life issue. (Not saying you're having a problem with this, just speaking in general.) Sure, my wife and I combining our laundry loads probably reduced the power bill a decent amount, but it led to conflict between us (she doesn't bother to get the clean laundry out of the dryer for weeks, so I'd be late to work because I had to pick my work uniforms out of the giant combined mess of clothes in the dryer). So it's worth paying more in electricity and water to run separate loads and just not have to worry about that. Likewise, I could probably save a great deal of money setting the thermostat to 60° in the winter and 80° in the summer, but I value being comfortable more than I would having the extra money.
What does rankle me is that apparently, as long as I live in Oklahoma, I get to be subject to never-ending OG&E rate hikes, because the relevant regulatory agency is so thoroughly captured that their approval of any rate hike is a mere rubber stamp. My power bill has gone up $50/month year-over-year compared to winter 2021/2022. We are now paying kWh rates on par with those of Southern Nevada, but without the much higher Nevada salaries.
I'm not quite sure how much I've evolved in posting style; probably very little. Age sets in and keeps me in a comfort zone of sorts. If anything, I make more and more spelling and grammatical errors or just type stuff out in a stream of consciousness which needs a lot of re-arranging after I've submitted it.
Personally, just before I started out here, my focus was just on what was going on in Florida, because that's like 99% of what I knew and experienced. I'd lurk, but a lot of it was over my head. Or I just didn't care because there was no existing frame of reference to compare it towards.
When I really started travelling and broadening my horizons, I've felt a lot less of a reaction to judge places until you've actually been there. That all places are some sort of compromise, that ideals are rarely fully met, and people just make the best with what they can and what they have. There's also been a lot of interesting people and ideas that have also distorted my stodgy notions and make other negative concepts vanish. I don't agree with everyone but I can see where most of your viewpoints all are coming from and why you have them. Because of that, I think twice before posting...usually. There's not a lot of need to just pile on if it's not a different idea.
Oh, and I've gotten better at road photography. Some of my early work makes me shake my head.
Cleansed my life of a LOT of weirdness from the MTR days.
At some point, I found my shift key, though I still use it inconsistently.
Quote from: webny99 on February 19, 2023, 10:01:13 PM
10 when you joined (or 13 if you want to meet forum guidelines)
This forum doesn't have that rule, unlike most websites. We've had someone join at age 10 (noelbotevera) without issue.
Quote from: 1 on February 20, 2023, 06:16:05 AM
Quote from: webny99 on February 19, 2023, 10:01:13 PM
10 when you joined (or 13 if you want to meet forum guidelines)
This forum doesn't have that rule, unlike most websites. We've had someone join at age 10 (noelbotevera) without issue.
I know you can set your age to whatever you want, but don't you still have to say you're 13 or older when signing up?
ETA: Yes, I just confirmed this. If you log out and go to "Register" you have to agree with the terms and say whether you're 13 or older. If you say you're younger than 13, it gives you a pop-up that says users below age 13 are not allowed to register.
Is there a way to remove the age requirement on the registration page?
Quote from: 1 on February 20, 2023, 08:54:17 AM
Is there a way to remove the age requirement on the registration page?
Not without ticking off the FTC.
https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule-six-step-compliance-plan-your-business
Is this a business? Since I believe there's ads on the non-logged in pages, yes it is, regardless of who's earning the money from those ads.
My posting style hasn't changed much, but I go through phases where I'm interested in the hobby and then not. That said, I mostly post here in Off-Topic since I live in an area where there isn't much of note going on road-wise in recent years.
Quote from: MultiMillionMiler on February 20, 2023, 12:02:49 PM
That's why back in high school when I created an email account I just set the birthday at 1989 instead of 1999, so had no trouble downloading M rated games, watching "inappropriate" stuff, and little did anyone know you were now going to have to be 18 for sites like YouTube lol.
Problem is when you use "lol" in sentences you tend to date yourself to Millennial or Z era.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 20, 2023, 12:36:40 PM
Quote from: MultiMillionMiler on February 20, 2023, 12:02:49 PM
That's why back in high school when I created an email account I just set the birthday at 1989 instead of 1999, so had no trouble downloading M rated games, watching "inappropriate" stuff, and little did anyone know you were now going to have to be 18 for sites like YouTube lol.
Problem is when you use "lol" in sentences you tend to date yourself to Millennial or Z era.
Max ur a millennial as well
(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/280/484/3a3.gif)
Quote from: triplemultiplex on February 20, 2023, 02:25:53 PM
(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/280/484/3a3.gif)
Traditional millennial definition starts in the early 80s so 40 year olds are millennials now.
Quote from: webny99 on February 19, 2023, 10:26:13 PM
From everything I've heard and/or seen others go through, raising a child/children tends to change a person a lot more than being married (although I can't speak for myself, since I haven't done either).
Absolutely. We were just talking about that very thing last night in the car, on the way home from church small group.
I still remember, back when I was 18 and had gotten my girlfriend pregnant, my dad telling me that getting married only changes your life a little bit, but having kids changes your life dramatically. And he was totally right.
When you get married, you basically get a roommate–and not just any roommate, but someone you already know you get along with pretty well. But, when you have kids, everything in your life has to take them into account. Want to sleep in? too bad. Want to go to a concert but you're kid is sick? you're staying home. Want a new bicycle but can't afford both that and diapers? you're buying diapers instead. Want to trade in your car for an old Bajaj Chetak you saw on Craigslist? not a chance. Having kids is a wonderful part of life, but your life is definitely not your own anymore–to a much greater degree than when you get married.
One of the biggest difference I've seen in myself is the ability to look up official information online to inform my opinion–especially the MUTCD.
I've also learned to be more polite (believe it or not, if you're new here, I used to be worse). And that seems to have mended some rifts between me and a few other members. It's a more congenial place these days, and I'd like to take credit for at least a tiny bit of that.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on February 20, 2023, 01:58:41 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 20, 2023, 12:36:40 PM
Quote from: MultiMillionMiler on February 20, 2023, 12:02:49 PM
That's why back in high school when I created an email account I just set the birthday at 1989 instead of 1999, so had no trouble downloading M rated games, watching "inappropriate" stuff, and little did anyone know you were now going to have to be 18 for sites like YouTube lol.
Problem is when you use "lol" in sentences you tend to date yourself to Millennial or Z era.
Max ur a millennial as well
That's slander, what happened to the 1984 definition?
Although, more than fair to say that I grew up with technology. My dad was a software designer and worked on much of the user interface of Prodigy Online. Granted, I lost interest in things like computers in high school in favor of more then traditional endeavors.
Quote from: kphoger on February 20, 2023, 02:46:11 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 19, 2023, 10:26:13 PM
From everything I've heard and/or seen others go through, raising a child/children tends to change a person a lot more than being married (although I can't speak for myself, since I haven't done either).
Absolutely. We were just talking about that very thing last night in the car, on the way home from church small group.
I still remember, back when I was 18 and had gotten my girlfriend pregnant, my dad telling me that getting married only changes your life a little bit, but having kids changes your life dramatically. And he was totally right.
When you get married, you basically get a roommate–and not just any roommate, but someone you already know you get along with pretty well. But, when you have kids, everything in your life has to take them into account. Want to sleep in? too bad. Want to go to a concert but you're kid is sick? you're staying home. Want a new bicycle but can't afford both that and diapers? you're buying diapers instead. Want to trade in your car for an old Bajaj Chetak you saw on Craigslist? not a chance. Having kids is a wonderful part of life, but your life is definitely not your own anymore–to a much greater degree than when you get married.
I don't doubt that having kids is a much bigger life change. But I wouldn't undersell how much getting married changes your life, even when you've been dating or even living with the person for a long time and know them very well. Managing shared finances, especially when you don't have a lot of money, introduces a political angle to the whole situation. Stuff like "I need a haircut, but if I get one, my wife will want one too. It would be unfair to say no, and we can't afford two haircuts, so I'll just go without."
Were I ever to find myself in a long term committed relationship with someone else, the farthest I would probably want to bring the relationship would be living together but still maintaining separate finances. The only reason I would want to get married again would be if there was some irresistible legal reason we needed to (say, it was the only way one of us could afford health insurance or some government benefit, the other person was not a US citizen and they were at risk of deportation or we wanted to emigrate to their country, etc.)
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 20, 2023, 05:16:25 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 20, 2023, 02:46:11 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 19, 2023, 10:26:13 PM
From everything I've heard and/or seen others go through, raising a child/children tends to change a person a lot more than being married (although I can't speak for myself, since I haven't done either).
Absolutely. We were just talking about that very thing last night in the car, on the way home from church small group.
I still remember, back when I was 18 and had gotten my girlfriend pregnant, my dad telling me that getting married only changes your life a little bit, but having kids changes your life dramatically. And he was totally right.
When you get married, you basically get a roommate—and not just any roommate, but someone you already know you get along with pretty well. But, when you have kids, everything in your life has to take them into account. Want to sleep in? too bad. Want to go to a concert but you're kid is sick? you're staying home. Want a new bicycle but can't afford both that and diapers? you're buying diapers instead. Want to trade in your car for an old Bajaj Chetak you saw on Craigslist? not a chance. Having kids is a wonderful part of life, but your life is definitely not your own anymore—to a much greater degree than when you get married.
Stuff like "I need a haircut, but if I get one, my wife will want one too. It would be unfair to say no, and we can't afford two haircuts, so I'll just go without."
Easy, just find another person with wildly different preferences for their hairstyle. I started shaving my head bald last year for a few reasons, mainly that I hated my hair type anyway, it was a constant pain to maintain, it was always falling out everywhere no matter what I did, and I had a horrible case of dandruff that I couldn't seem to take care of. I was afraid that I'd look stupid if I was bald but I bit the bullet and I actually like it. I occasionally get jokes like "you look like a dollar store version of The Rock" but it is way better than having to constantly clean hair and dandruff out of my bed, off my keyboard, and off my desk. And I don't have to spend money on shampoo and conditioner anymore. Body wash does the trick.
On the other hand, my partner takes his hair very seriously and hasn't cut it in like three years. I swear to god he must be Samson or something. Fancy shampoo and conditioner, taking care of hair for like 30 minutes in the morning, etc etc.
The haircut issue is just a stand-in for various other compromises of this type that marriage (or, my marriage, anyway) requires–I could have easily used books/games, eating out, etc. The basic thing I was getting at is that when seeing whether nonessentials fit in the budget, I have to multiply the estimated price by two since I have to accommodate for my wife getting something of equivalent value.
I imagine your partner spends so much time on his hair because it's been a factor in his success in the past. After all, it helped him get you as a partner, didn't it? :nod:
My wife has on occasion asks me to grow my hair out. For one, I don't like longer hair given it's a pain in the ass to maintain. But secondly, it's not as though she didn't like me with short hair. I was even shaving my face for a couple years which happened to intersect with meeting my wife. She tells me all the time that she didn't like how young I looked shaved, could've fooled me when we were dating.
I haven't been clean shaven in over a decade now, but I showed my fiancée some photos of myself from then and she says she doesn't like it as much as my beard.
I'm approaching 10 years on this forum, and my postings have no doubt improved since I joined. This forum was one of the earliest online communities I joined, and most likely the one I've been most consistently present in over the years.
Anyone familiar with me will remember how I joined primarily to post my own BGS, get feedback on them, and critique others' creations. The Road-Related Illustrations board is littered with my original posts. You can also see my distaste for IDOT even as a 12-year-old.
Quote from: JoePCool14 on July 08, 2013, 07:56:17 PM
IDOT sure does create a lot of shit. They are just bad at designing signs (and also are bad at using Clearview).
Quote from: JoePCool14 on July 08, 2013, 08:00:50 PM
To be honest with you, IDOT could (and would) find a way to screw that idea up.
I was big into using certain profanity, since I thought it was the "cool" thing to do around here. Nowadays, I do my best to refrain from it, since I feel it detracts from the content of the post. I also didn't quite understand the difference between IDOT and ISTHA (or ISTWA, as I sometimes called it).
The quality of my signs also left a lot to be desired. I think that's where my real growth can be seen, since nearly all of my original posts were about making BGS.
Quote from: JoePCool14 on July 09, 2013, 07:50:06 PM
My version! MUTCD Vanilla:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fb1tLeBP.jpg&hash=29decc3c64ce8223fb3e16afe3bdf0d29ba9a1f2)
Another thing I used to do is add "post markers" when I crossed x-hundred posts.
Quote from: JoePCool14 on January 22, 2014, 03:56:34 PM
Looks great. Like I said, I sometimes mess up the shield when dragging so yeah.
POST MARKER:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fassets-cloud.enjin.com%2Fusers%2F4481821%2Fpics%2Foriginal%2F2411217.jpg&hash=4a0eac2dd97905443feabe6a601e8115d336dc8d)
Quote from: JoePCool14 on February 18, 2014, 09:46:09 PM
Here is another font-naming competition!!
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fassets-cloud.enjin.com%2Fusers%2F4481821%2Fpics%2Foriginal%2F2480067.jpg&hash=c39e75cf37a89c2e5727c21a485cbfc01c78b07a)
_______________________________________
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fassets-cloud.enjin.com%2Fusers%2F4481821%2Fpics%2Foriginal%2F2480066.jpg&hash=1bfba8023a69b46c3fb495892f5dbdc7b5af260e)
I also "predicted" this about FYAs in 2014.
Quote from: JoePCool14 on February 18, 2014, 07:12:33 PM
If not yet mentioned:
It hasn't, isn't and never will make it to Illinois.
As for IDOT D1, this continues to be true, though some county DOTs have begun to incorporate it in select locations.
Yeah, a lot has changed over the years. And I know things will continue to change. It's cool to see the growth though, but I still have much to improve upon, no doubt.
I wish a couple users on this forum would evolve. But just our luck, they might evolve downward.
Quote from: GaryV on February 21, 2023, 11:57:34 AM
I wish a couple users on this forum would evolve. But just our luck, they might evolve downward.
It's like that one Pewdiepie meme. "It's evolving, only backwards."
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 20, 2023, 05:16:25 PM
I don't doubt that having kids is a much bigger life change. But I wouldn't undersell how much getting married changes your life, even when you've been dating or even living with the person for a long time and know them very well. Managing shared finances, especially when you don't have a lot of money, introduces a political angle to the whole situation. Stuff like "I need a haircut, but if I get one, my wife will want one too. It would be unfair to say no, and we can't afford two haircuts, so I'll just go without."
Were I ever to find myself in a long term committed relationship with someone else, the farthest I would probably want to bring the relationship would be living together but still maintaining separate finances. The only reason I would want to get married again would be if there was some irresistible legal reason we needed to (say, it was the only way one of us could afford health insurance or some government benefit, the other person was not a US citizen and they were at risk of deportation or we wanted to emigrate to their country, etc.)
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 20, 2023, 06:05:37 PM
The haircut issue is just a stand-in for various other compromises of this type that marriage (or, my marriage, anyway) requires–I could have easily used books/games, eating out, etc. The basic thing I was getting at is that when seeing whether nonessentials fit in the budget, I have to multiply the estimated price by two since I have to accommodate for my wife getting something of equivalent value.
My wife and I have been Just Over Broke the whole time we've been together, and this has rarely if ever been an issue. When you're single, it's just your income and your expenses. When you're married, you simply share your income and share your expenses with your spouse. The simplest and perhaps most common way of going about things is to allow each other the freedom and trust to make small purchases without consulting, but to talk about large expenses ahead of time. And, obviously, that threshold gets lower when you're pinching pennies. I even know couples who give each other a cash 'allowance' every week or month for small purchases, but anything bigger requires a conversation first. It's not hard to figure out a solution. In fact, my wife and I have never even felt the need to state our system out loud or write it down or anything: it's just common sense.
I've never once thought that my making a purchase might encourage my wife to make a similar purchase, and I've never once felt encouraged to spend money just because my wife did. If we're tight on money, I might put off replenishing my stock of loose-leaf tea or restocking the liquor cabinet, and my wife might put off getting her hair cut or order less of her favorite soda on Amazon, but each one of us is making that call on our own out of respect for our shared budget.
One thing I'll mention is that I almost never say a word when my wife orders something work-related. She works from home (home childcare and direct sales), and I see those expenses as business-related, even though they come from our shared budget.
tl;dr – If you're both reasonable people, then it isn't as big a deal as you might imagine it to be.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 20, 2023, 12:36:40 PM
Quote from: MultiMillionMiler on February 20, 2023, 12:02:49 PM
That's why back in high school when I created an email account I just set the birthday at 1989 instead of 1999, so had no trouble downloading M rated games, watching "inappropriate" stuff, and little did anyone know you were now going to have to be 18 for sites like YouTube lol.
Problem is when you use "lol" in sentences you tend to date yourself to Millennial or Z era.
Especially when no reasonable person would laugh out loud at that comment, especially at their own comment.
Quote from: kphoger on February 21, 2023, 01:05:43 PM
I've never once thought that my making a purchase might encourage my wife to make a similar purchase, and I've never once felt encouraged to spend money just because my wife did. If we're tight on money, I might put off replenishing my stock of loose-leaf tea or restocking the liquor cabinet, and my wife might put off getting her hair cut or order less of her favorite soda on Amazon, but each one of us is making that call on our own out of respect for our shared budget.
...
tl;dr – If you're both reasonable people, then it isn't as big a deal as you might imagine it to be.
Thanks, I was very glad to read this because it was kind of what I was thinking, but didn't want to say so since I don't have any real life experience (yet).
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 20, 2023, 05:16:25 PM
Were I ever to find myself in a long term committed relationship with someone else
Also, forgive me for making assumptions, but I just assumed that's the sort of relationship you and R had.
I don't believe I changed much since I registered here 14 years ago.
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 20, 2023, 03:42:42 AM
Quote from: index on February 20, 2023, 03:16:34 AM
I am a stickler about the lights being on when nobody is using them.
If you're trying to minimize your energy usage, there are a lot of things that you should probably focus on before the lights, because modern LED bulbs only use–
Quote from: index on February 20, 2023, 03:16:34 AM
I remember complaining about my father not liking it when I did my own laundry on this very forum when I was 14 or so. The washing machine might only cost a few cents an hour in electricity to run, and I tried to tell him that, because I knew everything, but I failed to consider...That shit adds up. I learned that fast with my own electric bill. When you are constantly broke, 20 bucks makes a difference.
Uh, never mind, I guess. :P
I think the power bill is a situation where knowledge is being able to minimize usage, and wisdom is knowing when minimizing it starts to become a negative quality of life issue. (Not saying you're having a problem with this, just speaking in general.) Sure, my wife and I combining our laundry loads probably reduced the power bill a decent amount, but it led to conflict between us (she doesn't bother to get the clean laundry out of the dryer for weeks, so I'd be late to work because I had to pick my work uniforms out of the giant combined mess of clothes in the dryer). So it's worth paying more in electricity and water to run separate loads and just not have to worry about that. Likewise, I could probably save a great deal of money setting the thermostat to 60° in the winter and 80° in the summer, but I value being comfortable more than I would having the extra money.
What does rankle me is that apparently, as long as I live in Oklahoma, I get to be subject to never-ending OG&E rate hikes, because the relevant regulatory agency is so thoroughly captured that their approval of any rate hike is a mere rubber stamp. My power bill has gone up $50/month year-over-year compared to winter 2021/2022. We are now paying kWh rates on par with those of Southern Nevada, but without the much higher Nevada salaries.
The Xcel energy rate hikes out here are what finally pushed me over the edge to go solar. Highly recommended. My panels are financed so that the bill is the same as my current electric bill which basically means I'm "unhikeable" and it's better for the environment. Win win.
Quote from: kphoger on February 21, 2023, 03:08:43 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 20, 2023, 05:16:25 PM
Were I ever to find myself in a long term committed relationship with someone else
Also, forgive me for making assumptions, but I just assumed that's the sort of relationship you and R had.
It is currently, but it seems likely that will not always be the case going forward.
should have bought fewer games
In all seriousness, though, Scott, I'm sorry to hear that.
Quote from: webny99 on February 19, 2023, 10:26:13 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 19, 2023, 10:14:30 PM
I don't think I've changed much since 2016. My move to California was already finished by the time I registered on the forum. I got married a couple years back but that really hasn't had a tangible difference on how much road stuff I do. My wife is pretty independent like me, I don't think either of us have changed much due to being married.
From everything I've heard and/or seen others go through, raising a child/children tends to change a person a lot more than being married (although I can't speak for myself, since I haven't done either).
Coming from someone married for 7.5 years and with a 14 month old, I would fully agree with your assessment. A wedding was just a big party where we got to tell all of our friends and family how much we loved each other, and then we went back to the same relationship we had had days earlier. A kiddo changes a lot. Not everything, but a lot.
Quote from: kphoger on February 21, 2023, 05:04:58 PM
In all seriousness, though, Scott, I'm sorry to hear that.
Thanks for the well wishes. We've kind of come to the conclusion that we have different things that we're looking for in a relationship, and we intend to remain friends if nothing else, so it's as amicable as the circumstances can be. (We also have not set an exact end date for anything yet, as right now it's financially advantageous for both of us to not make any changes.)
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 21, 2023, 06:25:08 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 21, 2023, 05:04:58 PM
In all seriousness, though, Scott, I'm sorry to hear that.
Thanks for the well wishes. We've kind of come to the conclusion that we have different things that we're looking for in a relationship, and we intend to remain friends if nothing else, so it's as amicable as the circumstances can be. (We also have not set an exact end date for anything yet, as right now it's financially advantageous for both of us to not make any changes.)
That's a rough thing to hear Scott. My condolences to you as you navigate your way through it.
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 21, 2023, 06:25:08 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 21, 2023, 05:04:58 PM
In all seriousness, though, Scott, I'm sorry to hear that.
Thanks for the well wishes. We've kind of come to the conclusion that we have different things that we're looking for in a relationship, and we intend to remain friends if nothing else, so it's as amicable as the circumstances can be. (We also have not set an exact end date for anything yet, as right now it's financially advantageous for both of us to not make any changes.)
Sorry to hear this, Scott.
Looking back, I seem to have generally the same interests as I do now. Here are some observations:
(1) I was really into signs back in my early days here, especially designing them from scratch and fictional signs. It's still an interest that I have, but not anywhere near the same level. For a couple years, my Imgur was almost entirely PNGs of fake highway signs that I had created in Adobe Illustrator. (related: I switched to Flickr from Imgur a couple yeras ago so I could be more adult and start categorizing my stuff).
(2) These days, I'm more into traffic control. Stuff like traffic signals, intersection operation, road markings, roadway geometry, regional planning, and other related topics.
(3) I used URL shorteners a lot back in the day. I've long had an irrational hatred of really long URLs, and I hated cluttering up the reply boxes with them. I eventually stopped using them for several reasons, including people not clicking them because they didn't know what the actual URL was, me not wanting to create dead links, and goo.gl shutting down.
(4) Early on, I remember being a little obsessed with not making a fool of myself. I wasn't sure how important the ranks were, number of posts, etc, so I was just careful to not over-post and tried to make sure my posts were of sufficient quality, especially wrt spelling, grammar, and not breaking links or quote boxes. That didn't stop me from swearing a lot; looking back, I dropped the f-bomb rather frequently, and I was a little bit of a dickhead sometimes too.
(5) I was still in high school when I joined. I ended up with a lot of free time in the following years, and my post frequency really shot up. Ended up leaving college for a while, then went back, graduated, graduated again with an MS, and then got a full-time job overseas. These days I don't have as much free time; my first year I had 1260 posts, last year 930-ish, only a few hundred since I started my job in October.
(6) I originally went by just "jake", and I remember being pretty ecstatic when I found out that it was available as a username. I eventually learned that there was already a well-known Jake, Jake Bear (agentsteel53); to avoid confusing people, I had my username changed to my standard "jakeroot". With Jake's departure from the forum many years ago, I suspect many younger and/or newer users here know me best as just "Jake", but anyone active beyond this forum likely knows me as the "other Jake" as Mr Bear is still active elsewhere.
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 21, 2023, 06:25:08 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 21, 2023, 05:04:58 PM
In all seriousness, though, Scott, I'm sorry to hear that.
Thanks for the well wishes. We've kind of come to the conclusion that we have different things that we're looking for in a relationship, and we intend to remain friends if nothing else, so it's as amicable as the circumstances can be. (We also have not set an exact end date for anything yet, as right now it's financially advantageous for both of us to not make any changes.)
Hope everything goes well Scott, and I'm sorry to hear that.
Quote from: jakeroot on February 21, 2023, 07:58:24 PM
(6) I originally went by just "jake", and I remember being pretty ecstatic when I found out that it was available as a username. I eventually learned that there was already a well-known Jake, Jake Bear (agentsteel53); to avoid confusing people, I had my username changed to my standard "jakeroot". With Jake's departure from the forum many years ago, I suspect many younger and/or newer users here know me best as just "Jake", but anyone active beyond this forum likely knows me as the "other Jake" as Mr Bear is still active elsewhere.
I know most forum users on here primarily by their username, and don't usually assume that's their real name unless they said so or I found out from context. So, I always thought jakeroot was a cool username but it was only more recently that I found out it was your actual name too. :D
Quote from: webny99 on February 21, 2023, 09:06:01 PM
Quote from: jakeroot on February 21, 2023, 07:58:24 PM
(6) I originally went by just "jake", and I remember being pretty ecstatic when I found out that it was available as a username. I eventually learned that there was already a well-known Jake, Jake Bear (agentsteel53); to avoid confusing people, I had my username changed to my standard "jakeroot". With Jake's departure from the forum many years ago, I suspect many younger and/or newer users here know me best as just "Jake", but anyone active beyond this forum likely knows me as the "other Jake" as Mr Bear is still active elsewhere.
I know most forum users on here primarily by their username, and don't usually assume that's their real name unless they said so or I found out from context. So, I always thought jakeroot was a cool username but it was only more recently that I found out it was your actual name too. :D
I wonder how many people still think my name is actually Max Rockatansky and don't get that it is a movie reference?
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 21, 2023, 09:07:24 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 21, 2023, 09:06:01 PM
Quote from: jakeroot on February 21, 2023, 07:58:24 PM
(6) I originally went by just "jake", and I remember being pretty ecstatic when I found out that it was available as a username. I eventually learned that there was already a well-known Jake, Jake Bear (agentsteel53); to avoid confusing people, I had my username changed to my standard "jakeroot". With Jake's departure from the forum many years ago, I suspect many younger and/or newer users here know me best as just "Jake", but anyone active beyond this forum likely knows me as the "other Jake" as Mr Bear is still active elsewhere.
I know most forum users on here primarily by their username, and don't usually assume that's their real name unless they said so or I found out from context. So, I always thought jakeroot was a cool username but it was only more recently that I found out it was your actual name too. :D
I wonder how many people still think my name is actually Max Rockatansky and don't get that it is a movie reference?
I thought it was for the longest time. I still call you Max on the forum though, unless you would prefer something else.
Quote from: webny99 on February 21, 2023, 09:06:01 PM
Quote from: jakeroot on February 21, 2023, 07:58:24 PM
(6) I originally went by just "jake", and I remember being pretty ecstatic when I found out that it was available as a username. I eventually learned that there was already a well-known Jake, Jake Bear (agentsteel53); to avoid confusing people, I had my username changed to my standard "jakeroot". With Jake's departure from the forum many years ago, I suspect many younger and/or newer users here know me best as just "Jake", but anyone active beyond this forum likely knows me as the "other Jake" as Mr Bear is still active elsewhere.
I know most forum users on here primarily by their username, and don't usually assume that's their real name unless they said so or I found out from context. So, I always thought jakeroot was a cool username but it was only more recently that I found out it was your actual name too. :D
Once I found out that there was another Jake, who was also much more well known, I've tried to make a point of almost never referring to myself as anything other than my full username. So it does make sense that users here know me best as my whole username. But it's true that I've generally not hidden my identity, so those that care to look deeper probably can figure out my username is my actual name, as it is almost everywhere else too.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 21, 2023, 09:07:24 PM
I wonder how many people still think my name is actually Max Rockatansky and don't get that it is a movie reference?
I am family friends with a massive Mad Max fan (who also lives down under), so I figured your name out right away.
Having multiple users with the same name is fine. We have two well known Scott's (both admins) on the forum.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 21, 2023, 09:07:24 PM
I wonder how many people still think my name is actually Max Rockatansky and don't get that it is a movie reference?
I thought it was your real name for a long time, but eventually figured out (via discussion about our usernames) that it wasn't.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 21, 2023, 09:07:24 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 21, 2023, 09:06:01 PM
Quote from: jakeroot on February 21, 2023, 07:58:24 PM
(6) I originally went by just "jake", and I remember being pretty ecstatic when I found out that it was available as a username. I eventually learned that there was already a well-known Jake, Jake Bear (agentsteel53); to avoid confusing people, I had my username changed to my standard "jakeroot". With Jake's departure from the forum many years ago, I suspect many younger and/or newer users here know me best as just "Jake", but anyone active beyond this forum likely knows me as the "other Jake" as Mr Bear is still active elsewhere.
I know most forum users on here primarily by their username, and don't usually assume that's their real name unless they said so or I found out from context. So, I always thought jakeroot was a cool username but it was only more recently that I found out it was your actual name too. :D
I wonder how many people still think my name is actually Max Rockatansky and don't get that it is a movie reference?
You and abefroman329
Quote from: SectorZ on February 22, 2023, 08:30:26 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 21, 2023, 09:07:24 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 21, 2023, 09:06:01 PM
Quote from: jakeroot on February 21, 2023, 07:58:24 PM
(6) I originally went by just "jake", and I remember being pretty ecstatic when I found out that it was available as a username. I eventually learned that there was already a well-known Jake, Jake Bear (agentsteel53); to avoid confusing people, I had my username changed to my standard "jakeroot". With Jake's departure from the forum many years ago, I suspect many younger and/or newer users here know me best as just "Jake", but anyone active beyond this forum likely knows me as the "other Jake" as Mr Bear is still active elsewhere.
I know most forum users on here primarily by their username, and don't usually assume that's their real name unless they said so or I found out from context. So, I always thought jakeroot was a cool username but it was only more recently that I found out it was your actual name too. :D
I wonder how many people still think my name is actually Max Rockatansky and don't get that it is a movie reference?
You and abefroman329
You mean, he isn't the Sausage King of Chicago?
Say sausage like a Southsider from Chicago.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on February 21, 2023, 04:00:28 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 20, 2023, 03:42:42 AM
Quote from: index on February 20, 2023, 03:16:34 AM
I am a stickler about the lights being on when nobody is using them.
If you're trying to minimize your energy usage, there are a lot of things that you should probably focus on before the lights, because modern LED bulbs only use–
Quote from: index on February 20, 2023, 03:16:34 AM
I remember complaining about my father not liking it when I did my own laundry on this very forum when I was 14 or so. The washing machine might only cost a few cents an hour in electricity to run, and I tried to tell him that, because I knew everything, but I failed to consider...That shit adds up. I learned that fast with my own electric bill. When you are constantly broke, 20 bucks makes a difference.
Uh, never mind, I guess. :P
I think the power bill is a situation where knowledge is being able to minimize usage, and wisdom is knowing when minimizing it starts to become a negative quality of life issue. (Not saying you're having a problem with this, just speaking in general.) Sure, my wife and I combining our laundry loads probably reduced the power bill a decent amount, but it led to conflict between us (she doesn't bother to get the clean laundry out of the dryer for weeks, so I'd be late to work because I had to pick my work uniforms out of the giant combined mess of clothes in the dryer). So it's worth paying more in electricity and water to run separate loads and just not have to worry about that. Likewise, I could probably save a great deal of money setting the thermostat to 60° in the winter and 80° in the summer, but I value being comfortable more than I would having the extra money.
What does rankle me is that apparently, as long as I live in Oklahoma, I get to be subject to never-ending OG&E rate hikes, because the relevant regulatory agency is so thoroughly captured that their approval of any rate hike is a mere rubber stamp. My power bill has gone up $50/month year-over-year compared to winter 2021/2022. We are now paying kWh rates on par with those of Southern Nevada, but without the much higher Nevada salaries.
The Xcel energy rate hikes out here are what finally pushed me over the edge to go solar. Highly recommended. My panels are financed so that the bill is the same as my current electric bill which basically means I'm "unhikeable" and it's better for the environment. Win win.
I'm not on Xcel where I live now, but was at one time when I lived in Nunn. What I never understood, is why Xcel needs to advertise? I mean, it's not like you're gonna go to the other guys... How much of those rate hikes pay for that?
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 21, 2023, 09:07:24 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 21, 2023, 09:06:01 PM
Quote from: jakeroot on February 21, 2023, 07:58:24 PM
(6) I originally went by just "jake", and I remember being pretty ecstatic when I found out that it was available as a username. I eventually learned that there was already a well-known Jake, Jake Bear (agentsteel53); to avoid confusing people, I had my username changed to my standard "jakeroot". With Jake's departure from the forum many years ago, I suspect many younger and/or newer users here know me best as just "Jake", but anyone active beyond this forum likely knows me as the "other Jake" as Mr Bear is still active elsewhere.
I know most forum users on here primarily by their username, and don't usually assume that's their real name unless they said so or I found out from context. So, I always thought jakeroot was a cool username but it was only more recently that I found out it was your actual name too. :D
I wonder how many people still think my name is actually Max Rockatansky and don't get that it is a movie reference?
Zachary Amaryliis is a reference to, well.. nothing.
The first Mad Max movie was the best. It was so ... Australian.
Quote from: zachary_amaryllis on February 22, 2023, 09:50:01 AM
I'm not on Xcel where I live now, but was at one time when I lived in Nunn. What I never understood, is why Xcel needs to advertise? I mean, it's not like you're gonna go to the other guys... How much of those rate hikes pay for that?
Agreed. I feel kind of the same way about Coke. Are you all of a sudden going to forget Coke exists? I don't think anyone here sees a Coke commercial and thinks, "you know what? A cola sounds fantastic right now and I'm going to buy some. Maybe I should check out that one with the red label." Either you drink Coke or you don't.
Back to the original premise of the thread. I started posting on m.t.r. when I was 15 or so if I remember correctly. I don't think I was an annoying little prick, since I've never really been an internet troll by definition as far as I can remember. I do remember only being interested in interstates and specifically control cities back then. Heck, I only started logging non-interstate mileage on TravelMapping during the height of the pandemic. Now I guess I'm a little more well-rounded roadwise, albeit still not interested in a lot of the stuff that others are -- signage standards, pavement, traffic signals, construction, etc. Roads to me are a way to see places I haven't seen before and I'm more interested in logging travel than maybe the nuance of the roads themselves. I'm also a "checklister" by nature, so my road collections appeal to that wrinkle in my brain.
Twelve years ago when I first joined the forum, I was obsessed with making up new Interstates and also complaining about how the Cubs disappointed me; in fact, the only way I saw them winning the World Series was in movies and in video games. But now I've gained a vast knowledge of different signing practices by state (including signals, gantries and the like), plus a deeper knowledge of the many highways in the U.S. and Canada. Plus, I'm proud to say that I'm a fan of the team that won the 2016 World Series and broke a 108-year championship drought; in fact, they can lose 100 games and finish dead last like they usually do, and this time I won't care, because I got to see what it felt like to be on top. I still dabble in fictional freeways, but now include US and state route ideas as well, plus I'm well-versed in making road signs from the MUTCD for all to see.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on February 22, 2023, 09:57:19 AM
...Heck, I only started logging non-interstate mileage on TravelMapping during the height of the pandemic...
Lucky you. I wish I would've known about and used TM during those days. Cheap gas, little traffic, a girlfriend to hit the road with instead of going out alone, and lots of spare time to go out whenever and easily work on clinching.
Ah, 2020, such a bittersweet time.
Quote from: JoePCool14 on February 22, 2023, 03:56:59 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on February 22, 2023, 09:57:19 AM
...Heck, I only started logging non-interstate mileage on TravelMapping during the height of the pandemic...
Lucky you. I wish I would've known about and used TM during those days. Cheap gas, little traffic, a girlfriend to hit the road with instead of going out alone, and lots of spare time to go out whenever and easily work on clinching.
Ah, 2020, such a bittersweet time.
I think I finished up about 40% of Colorado's mileage in 2020. Easy to social distance when you're only passing a car every 10 minutes on some rural, mountain highway.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on February 21, 2023, 04:00:28 PM
The Xcel energy rate hikes out here are what finally pushed me over the edge to go solar. Highly recommended. My panels are financed so that the bill is the same as my current electric bill which basically means I'm "unhikeable" and it's better for the environment. Win win.
If I were planning on staying in this house for a longer-term period I would probably install solar. Given Oklahoma's political leanings, I'm not confident that "solar panels that aren't paid off" attached to a house wouldn't absolutely kill people's interest in it when I try to sell.
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 22, 2023, 05:57:12 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on February 21, 2023, 04:00:28 PM
The Xcel energy rate hikes out here are what finally pushed me over the edge to go solar. Highly recommended. My panels are financed so that the bill is the same as my current electric bill which basically means I'm "unhikeable" and it's better for the environment. Win win.
If I were planning on staying in this house for a longer-term period I would probably install solar. Given Oklahoma's political leanings, I'm not confident that "solar panels that aren't paid off" attached to a house wouldn't absolutely kill people's interest in it when I try to sell.
You just include the panels in the value of the home. Then take the proceeds and pay the panels off. It is a perk to a prospective homeowner that they have no energy bill. That said, sounds like you're interested in moving up to CO, so come on up and worry about the solar later. :)
Haha, I was more worried about the "I ain't buyin' some house with them commie solar panels on it" types, but you do have a point.
I probably should visit more of Colorado than Baca County before deciding where I want to move . . .
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 22, 2023, 09:17:56 PM
Haha, I was more worried about the "I ain't buyin' some house with them commie solar panels on it" types, but you do have a point.
I probably should visit more of Colorado than Baca County before deciding where I want to move . . .
As attractive as Springfield is, I don't think you'll exactly feel a whole lot different than Okie down there.
I often see things that sound like something I would have written and realize I did.
Quote from: Henry on February 22, 2023, 10:33:10 AM
complaining about how the Cubs disappointed me; in fact, the only way I saw them winning the World Series was in movies and in video games. But now I've gained a vast knowledge of different signing practices by state (including signals, gantries and the like), plus a deeper knowledge of the many highways in the U.S. and Canada. Plus, I'm proud to say that I'm a fan of the team that won the 2016 World Series and broke a 108-year championship drought; in fact, they can lose 100 games and finish dead last like they usually do, and this time I won't care, because I got to see what it felt like to be on top.
Is this Steve Bartman?
Quote from: JayhawkCO on February 22, 2023, 11:38:47 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 22, 2023, 09:17:56 PM
Haha, I was more worried about the "I ain't buyin' some house with them commie solar panels on it" types, but you do have a point.
I probably should visit more of Colorado than Baca County before deciding where I want to move . . .
As attractive as Springfield is, I don't think you'll exactly feel a whole lot different than Okie down there.
Heh, I didn't even make it as far as Springfield. I just did a dip on US 287/385.
(Besides, I already lived in a town called Springfield. :P)
Quote from: texaskdog on February 22, 2023, 11:54:18 PM
Quote from: Henry on February 22, 2023, 10:33:10 AM
complaining about how the Cubs disappointed me; in fact, the only way I saw them winning the World Series was in movies and in video games. But now I've gained a vast knowledge of different signing practices by state (including signals, gantries and the like), plus a deeper knowledge of the many highways in the U.S. and Canada. Plus, I'm proud to say that I'm a fan of the team that won the 2016 World Series and broke a 108-year championship drought; in fact, they can lose 100 games and finish dead last like they usually do, and this time I won't care, because I got to see what it felt like to be on top.
Is this Steve Bartman?
Unless he moved to Seattle and became a Mariners fan, then no.
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 22, 2023, 09:17:56 PM
Haha, I was more worried about the "I ain't buyin' some house with them commie solar panels on it" types, but you do have a point.
I probably should visit more of Colorado than Baca County before deciding where I want to move . . .
How do solar panels fare in Oklahoma hailstorms?
As for evolution on the forum, I was already well-established on misc.transport.road and the Yahoo road-related groups, so I just brought my game here.
Quote from: hbelkins on February 23, 2023, 07:31:04 PM
How do solar panels fare in Oklahoma hailstorms?
Not all that well, unfortunately. Cost of eventual repair is something people have to take into consideration here. (But then a storm that's bad enough to damage the solar panels would probably have damaged your roof enough to require replacement, so it's a wash at worst, or you may even come out ahead.)
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 22, 2023, 08:48:48 AM
Quote from: SectorZ on February 22, 2023, 08:30:26 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 21, 2023, 09:07:24 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 21, 2023, 09:06:01 PM
Quote from: jakeroot on February 21, 2023, 07:58:24 PM
(6) I originally went by just "jake", and I remember being pretty ecstatic when I found out that it was available as a username. I eventually learned that there was already a well-known Jake, Jake Bear (agentsteel53); to avoid confusing people, I had my username changed to my standard "jakeroot". With Jake's departure from the forum many years ago, I suspect many younger and/or newer users here know me best as just "Jake", but anyone active beyond this forum likely knows me as the "other Jake" as Mr Bear is still active elsewhere.
I know most forum users on here primarily by their username, and don't usually assume that's their real name unless they said so or I found out from context. So, I always thought jakeroot was a cool username but it was only more recently that I found out it was your actual name too. :D
I wonder how many people still think my name is actually Max Rockatansky and don't get that it is a movie reference?
You and abefroman329
You mean, he isn't the Sausage King of Chicago?
Does he at least drive a red Ferrari?
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 23, 2023, 09:20:33 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on February 23, 2023, 07:31:04 PM
How do solar panels fare in Oklahoma hailstorms?
Not all that well, unfortunately. Cost of eventual repair is something people have to take into consideration here. (But then a storm that's bad enough to damage the solar panels would probably have damaged your roof enough to require replacement, so it's a wash at worst, or you may even come out ahead.)
Colorado gets just as much hail if not more than Oklahoma. My panels are guaranteed against it, so hopefully they don't have to get worked on next year.
In 14 years on AAroads, I've become older, quieter, grouchier, but more social.
---
Now if we're including my time on MTR....
I can't remember how long I've been on here. It has to be over a decade at this point. I always loved road design and traffic engineering more than most things. At some point, I jumped on the New Urbanist bandwagon, because I had read a bunch of books on the subject. But I grew to appreciate Landscape Urbanism moreso, and when the New Urbanist author James Howard Kunstler turned out to be a huge bigot, I couldn't associate myself with New Urbanism, because the organization included him as a fellow. That changed fairly recently, and they dropped his fellowship, so now I can appreciate some things about New Urbanism again, but I still despise the zealotry and trite rhetoric that surrounds it.
I'm not consistent about many things here, except I've long been in favor of toll roads, because it's better to have a reliable revenue stream than wonder how the maintaining jurisdiction is going to pay for--you know--maintenance. And you can't implement congestion pricing without tolls, so they're an effective tool at both generating revenue and fighting congestion.
My best contributions here have probably been some of my sign assembly redesigns in the "Redesign This!" thread. Most of my Fictional Highways ideas have probably been silly, though.
I was pretty anti-smartphone for a while. But I've gotten used to them. I just wish I could find one with an actual freaking keyboard for a price that isn't ridiculous.
Some folks here have always had some really poorly thought-out opinions, and it's hard not to lash out at them. I really just need to remember that old quotation about why you should never argue with a fool. I end up deleting a lot of my posts, when I feel like they sound stupid or reveal too much.
I still wish I had more worthwhile content to contribute.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on February 21, 2023, 09:22:20 PM
Having multiple users with the same name is fine. We have two well known Scott's (both admins) on the forum.
I am also a Scott, but it isn't my username and I don't think I would qualify as a super notable member. I just wanted to point it out. We should start a club or something.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on February 22, 2023, 04:41:15 PM
Quote from: JoePCool14 on February 22, 2023, 03:56:59 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on February 22, 2023, 09:57:19 AM
...Heck, I only started logging non-interstate mileage on TravelMapping during the height of the pandemic...
Lucky you. I wish I would've known about and used TM during those days. Cheap gas, little traffic, a girlfriend to hit the road with instead of going out alone, and lots of spare time to go out whenever and easily work on clinching.
Ah, 2020, such a bittersweet time.
I think I finished up about 40% of Colorado's mileage in 2020. Easy to social distance when you're only passing a car every 10 minutes on some rural, mountain highway.
I'm sort of embarassed - I've lived in this area for ... ever, save a few short stints elsewhere, and I've explored nowhere NEAR that.
Sad, because there's so many -interesting- miles to drive.