[Orfantal]

Tiste Simeon, on 17 November 2024 - 06:05 PM, said:

Orfantal, on 16 November 2024 - 10:24 AM, said:

Not too bad Tisty boy, and you? This place still going then.

Indeed it keeps rumbling on. Just passed 20 years of being on this forum, meaning I've now been a member over half my life!

Wow time really does just fly past. Feels like my heyday here was a lifetime ago!

[Orfantal]

Tiste Simeon, on 18 November 2024 - 10:27 AM, said:

Macros, on 18 November 2024 - 05:41 AM, said:

Cougar, on 17 November 2024 - 11:07 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 17 November 2024 - 06:05 PM, said:

Orfantal, on 16 November 2024 - 10:24 AM, said:

Not too bad Tisty boy, and you? This place still going then.

Indeed it keeps rumbling on. Just passed 20 years of being on this forum, meaning I've now been a member over half my life!

This place… 18 years for me

Suddenly, a wild cougar appears!

Did I miss a new Malazan book release or something? That usually brings a few of the longer standing members out of the woodwork.

Well I may have been wondering when the next witness was due out

Can't believe it's 22 years since I first joined here

[Abyss]

Cougar, on 17 November 2024 - 11:07 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 17 November 2024 - 06:05 PM, said:

Orfantal, on 16 November 2024 - 10:24 AM, said:

Not too bad Tisty boy, and you? This place still going then.

Indeed it keeps rumbling on. Just passed 20 years of being on this forum, meaning I've now been a member over half my life!

This place… 18 years for me

Cougar and Quicktidal and Orfantal are mindwiped and reinducted with minimal wedgies and shrieking reappear, same day.
Same day!

Scuze me i'm gonna go buy a lotto ticket and do something stupid that may/not give me superpowers.

[QuickTidal]

Let's see, what is making me happy?

We bought a house. Finally after years of searching. It's outside the city (but not too far, about 40min), and is a fully detached house (which feels like a goddamn unicorn at this point in this market; most of the places we'd been looking at were townhomes or semi's) on a quiet street that backs onto a conservation area. When I walked down the street when we went to see it the first time, it felt like the kind of street I grew up on as a kid and I had a moment of "yeah, this is where we can raise our kids".

Funny process too. Guy wanted a price, we went in low...but we went in at the price another house up the street that as comparable sold for. Guy comes down a bit and we go up a bit....then he stopped and refused to budge. So we walked. Two weeks later he came back (I assume because our latest offer was still the best he'd gotten on a street where comparables were going for like 75k under what he wanted) and his agent asked if we would come up a bit more and he would come down and meet us....so we did and that was it.

So we take possession on Dec 5th, and the move date is the 9th.

Oh and it has a Narnia lantern. A black wrought iron old time lantern on the front walkway. AND IF YOU THINK I'M NOT GOING TO FIND A STATUE OF A FAUN TO PLACE BESIDE IT IN WINTER, THEN YOU ARE CRAZY! no go on naming the house "The Castle at The Lantern Waste"...but you take your wins when you get them.

Going to be weird to leave our condo in the city, I've been there for 15 years, and my wife for more than 20...but the city keeps pointing out reasons to leave (traffic is unmanageable and stressful, I saw not one but two fentanylheads pulling up their pants on my way to get groceries yesterday and another with a needle stuck out of his arm on a bench, everything is more expensive, the guy below us is a heavy smoker and it makes our condo stink if the windows are open, and there has been construction around us for about a decade or more)....so it should be good.

We are in packing mode and papers need signing mode, and lawyers and whatnot mode...so I'm not excited yet, it's like when you're going on vacation and you still have the early morning, the flight, and the bus ride and checking in to deal with, and you think "I'll be excited when I get there and I'm sat in the lounger by the pool", so I expect it's like that.

[champ]

Abyss, on 18 November 2024 - 04:14 PM, said:

... and do something stupid that may/not give me superpowers.

That got me strange looks on the train when I LOL'ed!

[Slow Ben]

QuickTidal, on 18 November 2024 - 05:30 PM, said:

Let's see, what is making me happy?

We bought a house. Finally after years of searching. It's outside the city (but not too far, about 40min), and is a fully detached house (which feels like a goddamn unicorn at this point in this market; most of the places we'd been looking at were townhomes or semi's) on a quiet street that backs onto a conservation area. When I walked down the street when we went to see it the first time, it felt like the kind of street I grew up on as a kid and I had a moment of "yeah, this is where we can raise our kids".

Funny process too. Guy wanted a price, we went in low...but we went in at the price another house up the street that as comparable sold for. Guy comes down a bit and we go up a bit....then he stopped and refused to budge. So we walked. Two weeks later he came back (I assume because our latest offer was still the best he'd gotten on a street where comparables were going for like 75k under what he wanted) and his agent asked if we would come up a bit more and he would come down and meet us....so we did and that was it.

So we take possession on Dec 5th, and the move date is the 9th.

Oh and it has a Narnia lantern. A black wrought iron old time lantern on the front walkway. AND IF YOU THINK I'M NOT GOING TO FIND A STATUE OF A FAUN TO PLACE BESIDE IT IN WINTER, THEN YOU ARE CRAZY! no go on naming the house "The Castle at The Lantern Waste"...but you take your wins when you get them.

Going to be weird to leave our condo in the city, I've been there for 15 years, and my wife for more than 20...but the city keeps pointing out reasons to leave (traffic is unmanageable and stressful, I saw not one but two fentanylheads pulling up their pants on my way to get groceries yesterday and another with a needle stuck out of his arm on a bench, everything is more expensive, the guy below us is a heavy smoker and it makes our condo stink if the windows are open, and there has been construction around us for about a decade or more)....so it should be good.

We are in packing mode and papers need signing mode, and lawyers and whatnot mode...so I'm not excited yet, it's like when you're going on vacation and you still have the early morning, the flight, and the bus ride and checking in to deal with, and you think "I'll be excited when I get there and I'm sat in the lounger by the pool", so I expect it's like that.

Hell yeah. That’s awesome.

[Tsundoku]

QuickTidal, on 18 November 2024 - 05:30 PM, said:

Let's see, what is making me happy?

We bought a house. Finally after years of searching. It's outside the city (but not too far, about 40min), and is a fully detached house (which feels like a goddamn unicorn at this point in this market; most of the places we'd been looking at were townhomes or semi's) on a quiet street that backs onto a conservation area. When I walked down the street when we went to see it the first time, it felt like the kind of street I grew up on as a kid and I had a moment of "yeah, this is where we can raise our kids".

Funny process too. Guy wanted a price, we went in low...but we went in at the price another house up the street that as comparable sold for. Guy comes down a bit and we go up a bit....then he stopped and refused to budge. So we walked. Two weeks later he came back (I assume because our latest offer was still the best he'd gotten on a street where comparables were going for like 75k under what he wanted) and his agent asked if we would come up a bit more and he would come down and meet us....so we did and that was it.

So we take possession on Dec 5th, and the move date is the 9th.

Oh and it has a Narnia lantern. A black wrought iron old time lantern on the front walkway. AND IF YOU THINK I'M NOT GOING TO FIND A STATUE OF A FAUN TO PLACE BESIDE IT IN WINTER, THEN YOU ARE CRAZY! no go on naming the house "The Castle at The Lantern Waste"...but you take your wins when you get them.

Going to be weird to leave our condo in the city, I've been there for 15 years, and my wife for more than 20...but the city keeps pointing out reasons to leave (traffic is unmanageable and stressful, I saw not one but two fentanylheads pulling up their pants on my way to get groceries yesterday and another with a needle stuck out of his arm on a bench, everything is more expensive, the guy below us is a heavy smoker and it makes our condo stink if the windows are open, and there has been construction around us for about a decade or more)....so it should be good.

We are in packing mode and papers need signing mode, and lawyers and whatnot mode...so I'm not excited yet, it's like when you're going on vacation and you still have the early morning, the flight, and the bus ride and checking in to deal with, and you think "I'll be excited when I get there and I'm sat in the lounger by the pool", so I expect it's like that.

Achievement unlocked: Toronto crash pad



Well done. Now if only my other half would just up her game and win at least $10 million in the lottery, life would be grand.

[Tiste Simeon]

Good work QT I well remember your complaints about housing in your area!

What's making me happy is something rather silly in some respects as it's such a small thing but it made me smile... I was waiting to cross the street when a bus full of school kids came round the corner (probably 9/10 years old).

They were playing the game we used to do on trips where you wave at random strangers to see if they'll wave back. A whole group of them waved at me so of course I have a massive grin and waved back. The whole bus erupted with cheers and they were fine from sight.

Like I said, is not much but seeing how joyful they were, and remembering how fun it was when I was that age made me happy.

[QuickTidal]

Tiste Simeon, on 19 November 2024 - 11:14 AM, said:

What's making me happy is something rather silly in some respects as it's such a small thing but it made me smile... I was waiting to cross the street when a bus full of school kids came round the corner (probably 9/10 years old).

They were playing the game we used to do on trips where you wave at random strangers to see if they'll wave back. A whole group of them waved at me so of course I have a massive grin and waved back. The whole bus erupted with cheers and they were fine from sight.

Like I said, is not much but seeing how joyful they were, and remembering how fun it was when I was that age made me happy.

This kind of wholesome stuff makes my whole day these days too.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

QuickTidal, on 19 November 2024 - 12:35 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 19 November 2024 - 11:14 AM, said:

What's making me happy is something rather silly in some respects as it's such a small thing but it made me smile... I was waiting to cross the street when a bus full of school kids came round the corner (probably 9/10 years old).

They were playing the game we used to do on trips where you wave at random strangers to see if they'll wave back. A whole group of them waved at me so of course I have a massive grin and waved back. The whole bus erupted with cheers and they were fine from sight.

Like I said, is not much but seeing how joyful they were, and remembering how fun it was when I was that age made me happy.

This kind of wholesome stuff makes my whole day these days too.

Agreed, that's lovely!

Happy today is my friend came down to visit on my lunchbreak with their two kids - it was the youngest's christening at the weekend and we didn't get much chance to speak so she wanted to catch up. Made a tiny snowman with the eldest and just generally had a lovely time walking round our local park. It's the simple things

[QuickTidal]

Oh yeah that's right, you lot got snow in old blighty today didn't you?

How often do you get snow? I recall my grandma saying it wasn't too often.

[Tiste Simeon]

It's rare enough that it becomes top news story and grinds most of the country to a halt.

Foreign concepts to a Canadian I'm sure haha

[QuickTidal]

Tiste Simeon, on 19 November 2024 - 04:36 PM, said:

It's rare enough that it becomes top news story and grinds most of the country to a halt.

Foreign concepts to a Canadian I'm sure haha

eh, one of the Toronto mayors once called in the army to help deal with a big snowstorm, and Toronto has never lived that down with the rest of Canada. LOL


But yeah, we get lots of it.

I'll see more of it at the new house as it's in the snow belt and Toronto is known as the "vortex" in that when it snows elsewhere it usually rains in TO...so getting a big storm in Toronto was not as often as elsewhere.

[Briar King]

Oh man so happy this massive AYPA solar farm project was fought off! Hard to actually grasp how big this bitch was planned to be. Community came together and fought successfully.

[Macros]

And here we are lamenting that ours didn't go through

[Tsundoku]

Briar King, on 21 November 2024 - 07:25 AM, said:

Oh man so happy this massive AYPA solar farm project was fought off! Hard to actually grasp how big this bitch was planned to be. Community came together and fought successfully.

Can I ask what was the problem with it?

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Briar King, on 21 November 2024 - 07:25 AM, said:

Oh man so happy this massive AYPA solar farm project was fought off! Hard to actually grasp how big this bitch was planned to be. Community came together and fought successfully.

It would have blotted out the sun, like the arrows of Iran?

You'd have barely had any more public wilderness on which to do drone and bicycle battle with the meth dealers?

Or is it like the host of COP29 said---"fossil fuels are a blessing from Go*." (Which of course is why Trump loves immigrants from Norway.)

Sunlight is a Communist conspiracy. Libertarian Vampires of the MAGAverse, unite!

In all seriousness though I do know a bunch of libertarian vampires. As in fangs, sleeping in coffins, etc.

[QuickTidal]

I looked into it (because being a Solarpunk boy I'm ALL for solar future)....it appears BK's Parish in Lake Charles had these issues with it:

- They assumed (incorrectly) that the farm would create electricity noise and interrupt their rural calm. Solar panels do not emit sound, inverters are the only primary component of a solar project that produces sound, it is 38decibels (the hum of a quiet fridge) and rules state that they must be at least 100ft from dwellings...this project seems like it was more than that away from dwellings, so it's a moot worry.

- They also assumed (incorrectly) that the solar panels would make summers hotter...studies done have found that on average, the temperature around even a large a solar farm was about 0.72 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the surrounding area. So less than a degree difference. Not worth the squawk IMHO.

- They thought it would worsen flooding and be a huge hazard in a hurricane. Not sure about the flooding concern, but it's 2024, solar panels have been designed to withstand hurricanes, so "huge hazard" is a silly thought.

- They talked about it lowering property values...I'm not sure that it would Lower them more than region is already low from inclement weather, and natural rural aspects.

- Damage to wildlife?....better tell all the other solar farms around the world that are killing mass amounts of animals, I guess?

Landowners supporting the project said it’s also about their property rights, and they predict it will be good for the economy, generate millions in taxes and help grow clean energy. So there do seem to me some people who aren't fearing these things, but they lost out to the ones who are scared how it will affect them, I assume BK included.

Quote

AYPA released the following statement:

“As one of the nation’s leading energy developers, we recognize the value of strong community engagement. The project, which will contribute more than $87 Million in incremental local tax, is sited within existing mature tree farm that’s inland, on high ground, and tucked away from public view.

This kind of kiboshes some of the above concerns, but apparently to no avail.

I'm not saying BK's wrong to oppose such a thing, but I think most of the concerns are relatively frivolous "what ifs" would and do apply to nearly ANY infrastructure project. I would have hoped the 87million $ boost to the local economy and the need to invest in clean energy would have won out, but alas.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 21 November 2024 - 01:10 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

QuickTidal, on 21 November 2024 - 01:08 PM, said:

I looked into it (because being a Solarpunk boy I'm ALL for solar future)....it appears BK's Parish in Lake Charles had these issues with it:

[...] I think most of the concerns are relatively frivolous "what ifs" would and do apply to nearly ANY infrastructure project. I would have hoped the 87million $ boost to the local economy and the need to invest in clean energy would have won out, but alas.

From Forbes (notable bleeding-heart crunchie-Commie bastard magazine):

Quote

proposed wind and solar projects have faced an avalanche of local opposition in recent years, often based on misinformation or outright fallacies. Opposition groups, following a playbook organized by a fossil-funded think tank, spread fallacies about impacts to wildlife, property values, health, and more, sowing fear and anger.

Credible, peer-reviewed research refutes almost all of these spurious claims, but once the misinformation spreads, it's often too late. That has slowed progress, killed projects, and made renewables more expensive, jeopardizing our ability to quickly transition to clean energy and mitigate climate change.

[...] a network of individuals tied to fossil fuel-funded think tanks [...] tour the country and give misinformation-filled presentations to communities where renewable energy projects are proposed.

Fossil-Fuel Funded Opposition Is Blocking America's Clean Energy Transition. Permitting Reform Can Help.

... granted, that article's from 2022, but I'd imagine it's only gotten worse with Trump's ascension...

(For any not familiar with Forbes---it's basically a business magazine, pro-business, traditionally pro-Republican)

[QuickTidal]

Azath Vitr (D, on 21 November 2024 - 01:24 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 21 November 2024 - 01:08 PM, said:

I looked into it (because being a Solarpunk boy I'm ALL for solar future)....it appears BK's Parish in Lake Charles had these issues with it:

[...] I think most of the concerns are relatively frivolous "what ifs" would and do apply to nearly ANY infrastructure project. I would have hoped the 87million $ boost to the local economy and the need to invest in clean energy would have won out, but alas.

From Forbes (notable bleeding-heart crunchie-Commie bastard magazine):

Quote

proposed wind and solar projects have faced an avalanche of local opposition in recent years, often based on misinformation or outright fallacies. Opposition groups, following a playbook organized by a fossil-funded think tank, spread fallacies about impacts to wildlife, property values, health, and more, sowing fear and anger.

Credible, peer-reviewed research refutes almost all of these spurious claims, but once the misinformation spreads, it's often too late. That has slowed progress, killed projects, and made renewables more expensive, jeopardizing our ability to quickly transition to clean energy and mitigate climate change.

[...] a network of individuals tied to fossil fuel-funded think tanks [...] tour the country and give misinformation-filled presentations to communities where renewable energy projects are proposed.

Fossil-Fuel Funded Opposition Is Blocking America's Clean Energy Transition. Permitting Reform Can Help.

... granted, that article's from 2022, but I'd imagine it's only gotten worse with Trump's ascension...

(For any not familiar with Forbes---it's basically a business magazine, pro-business, traditionally pro-Republican)

Not surprised really. Hell, we'd have had electric vehicles 20 years earlier if the fossil fuel lobbies weren't so strong and didn't lie through their fucking teeth about the damage to the climate.

Even now the electric vehicles in North America are under the stranglehold of Musk leading the way and charging way too much for Tesla's and not investing enough in diversifying it (other companies make EV's obviously, but the uptake is slow and Musk sets market pace with overexpensive Teslas), while across the world EV's are being made more economical and spreading much faster, with infrastructure spread following. But apparently China = bad, and Musk = good? I dunno.