gowestyoungman's recent activity

  1. I am a witch. Well, a well witcher...

    ~talk Text 334 words
    The well on our acreage has stopped producing much. It may come back after some rehabilitation but in the mean time I called out a local water expert and well repair tech to look at it. He said it...

    The well on our acreage has stopped producing much. It may come back after some rehabilitation but in the mean time I called out a local water expert and well repair tech to look at it.

    He said it might be necessary to drill a deeper well. Then he pulled out two rods, bent at a 90 degree angle and held them loosely in his grip, letting the ends point forward and still able to move freely. He started walking, criss crossing our yard til at one point the two rods turned inward to point toward each other. He dug his heel in to mark the spot and moved on to find at least 5 other spots on the yard where there is water underground. This is well witching. And its been used for years to find underground water.

    Dont ask me how it works. I have no clue. But he asked if I wanted to try it, so I did. Held the rods loosely and walked and sure enough, over a certain point they swung together. I was looking at them but very consciously not moving my hands or trying to manipulate them in any way. The rods were only about 1/8" thick and I wasnt gripping them tightly so it would have been impossible to make them turn. Did my hands turn in ever so slightly? Not that I could tell. I turned around and walked back over the spot and sure enough, the rods turned in at the same spot.

    Its a weird phenomenon. Have no idea why it works but it does work. I've seen witching used at a friends house with a very long pole held in one hand that would dip down when the witcher walked over the water, and it produced a successful high flow well. This guy even said he could find gas lines using the same technique.

    Can't wait til the wife gets home and I let her know she married a witch. lol

    12 votes

  2. Comment on What is a value or belief you have that is extremely outside the norm? in ~talk

    gowestyoungman
    Link Parent
    Well, we used to have that. Some would disagree, but that was a large part of what the church community did. Many of those Bible stories and sermons and Sunday School lessons had messages about...

    Well, we used to have that. Some would disagree, but that was a large part of what the church community did. Many of those Bible stories and sermons and Sunday School lessons had messages about families and children and how to act appropriately in 'the village' that was raising your child.

    But then we all became so independent, and the rise of secularism and some outright hatred toward anything religious has slowly destroyed that training. And MUCH of it was very good.

    Instead we hand over our kids to teachers, counsellors, psychologists, therapists and doctors - and its not been a great transition. The things that a church community used to teach parents very well has not been well replaced by many paid professionals.

    2 votes

  3. Comment on New rules to overhaul US electric grids could boost wind and solar power (gifted link) in ~enviro

    gowestyoungman
    Link Parent
    Alberta Canada. Its not just the connection fee. They've gone crazy with fees since our elec. utilities are privately owned. Admin Charges $29.00 (fixed) + Distribution $113 (fixed) + Service ($8)...

    Alberta Canada. Its not just the connection fee. They've gone crazy with fees since our elec. utilities are privately owned.

    Admin Charges $29.00 (fixed) + Distribution $113 (fixed) + Service ($8) so $150 minimum even with no power usage.

    Then there's the variable Transmission, Rider, Supplier Charges, Tax plus the actual energy usage, which on my last bill was only $76 of a $275 bill! We're getting bent over the barrel.

    2 votes

  4. Comment on Canada’s fire season erupts, sending harmful smoke into United States in ~enviro

    gowestyoungman
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    We import a great deal of our goods from the US, so we like to balance the equation by doing some exporting too. Sorry its just our smoke. All kidding aside, the fire season is very early this...

    We import a great deal of our goods from the US, so we like to balance the equation by doing some exporting too. Sorry its just our smoke.

    All kidding aside, the fire season is very early this year. We've already had several evacuation calls in towns near our place and three days ago the sun was only visible through a thick brown haze. Not encouraging. Meanwhile our well's flow rate has slowed considerably. Its going to be a challenging summer. Again.

    11 votes

  5. Comment on New rules to overhaul US electric grids could boost wind and solar power (gifted link) in ~enviro

    gowestyoungman
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    I honestly dont want the grid to be reformed. I want the ability to produce my own power and be completely OFF the grid. Currently I can buy enough panels and batteries plus backup power generator...

    I honestly dont want the grid to be reformed. I want the ability to produce my own power and be completely OFF the grid. Currently I can buy enough panels and batteries plus backup power generator to do so, but the county and the electric utility wont even allow you to disconnect from the grid. And the bulk of our fees are just based on being connected, not even on usage so even if I stay connected but use NO power from the grid there will be over 100 a month in charges. Its bureaucratic bs.

    3 votes

  6. Comment on Generative AI for Krita in ~tech

    gowestyoungman
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    Havent played with Krita for over a year but this definitely looks like something worth trying. The power of AI creation blows me away.

    Havent played with Krita for over a year but this definitely looks like something worth trying. The power of AI creation blows me away.

    1 vote

  7. Comment on Obsolete, but not gone: The people who won't give up floppy disks in ~tech

    gowestyoungman
    Link Parent
    You could just wait to get another AOL Online free floppy in the mail or even in a magazine insert, and use it for saving files :) I have about 100 3.5" floppies for my stored Mac SE, mostly...

    You could just wait to get another AOL Online free floppy in the mail or even in a magazine insert, and use it for saving files :)

    I have about 100 3.5" floppies for my stored Mac SE, mostly productivity software and old school games. The hard drive quit working but I can boot it up using the floppy drive. Hard to believe an entire OS can fit on a 1.4k floppy.

    5 votes

  8. Comment on Bike brands start to adopt C-V2X to warn cyclists about cars in ~transport

    gowestyoungman
    Link Parent
    Yeah, that paints a different picture than what I have imagined. At least the sidewalk is a few feet away from the road, but the lack of a curb certainly makes it less safe for pedestrians if a...

    Yeah, that paints a different picture than what I have imagined. At least the sidewalk is a few feet away from the road, but the lack of a curb certainly makes it less safe for pedestrians if a car were to swerve off the road at those speeds.

  9. Comment on Bike brands start to adopt C-V2X to warn cyclists about cars in ~transport

    gowestyoungman
    Link Parent
    I hear people say they could just rent a car, but even my best car rental experiences is nerve wracking. Do they have the car I want in stock? How long do I have to stand at this counter to get...

    I hear people say they could just rent a car, but even my best car rental experiences is nerve wracking. Do they have the car I want in stock? How long do I have to stand at this counter to get signed out? Did the agent see the scratches on the door that I now see and am I going to get charged for that? If I dont fill it up enough will they charge me that exorbitant gas fee? Plus how do I GET to the car rental place? Someone has to drive me there and back since its not even on bus route - all of that just takes the joy and spontaneity out of just "going for a drive".

    Thursday night I needed to go into town to get some parts and decided to take my old classic car and on the way I remembered that at a local drive in burger joint, there is a casual gathering of car enthusiasts. So I swung by, did a little drive through, saw some great hot rods and classic cars, picked up a treat for my wife and motored home with the top off and the wind in my face... a thoroughly enjoyable drive that would never happen if I had to go rent a car. I do live 20 km out of town but I would have driven even if I did live in town.

  10. Comment on Bike brands start to adopt C-V2X to warn cyclists about cars in ~transport

    gowestyoungman
    Link Parent
    Ah, I see we live in very different places, which is perhaps why we have such different views of driving 'aimlessly'. Within a few hours drive of my house I could be at several lakes, or the Rocky...

    Ah, I see we live in very different places, which is perhaps why we have such different views of driving 'aimlessly'. Within a few hours drive of my house I could be at several lakes, or the Rocky Mountains and viewing all kinds of wildlife or better yet, stopping in at one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, Lake Louise, or taking our dune buggy out to the sand dunes, or visiting one of two incredible national parks, or going tobogganing on a ski hill...

    But its the serendipitous things that we love so much about 'aimless' driving - like coming across a free street concert that gets everyone up and dancing, or stumbling into an antiques store where we found an amazing rocking chair on sale for $50, or meeting a couple who were bicycling across America who stayed at our campsite for night while they regaled us with their travel tales... just so many good experiences and none of them planned - which is why I guess Im in love with the open road,

    2 votes

  11. Comment on Bike brands start to adopt C-V2X to warn cyclists about cars in ~transport

    gowestyoungman
    Link Parent
    But I still dont get how a highly evolved public transportation system would supercede personal transportation? Have you never experienced the joy of just getting in a vehicle and just going for a...

    But I still dont get how a highly evolved public transportation system would supercede personal transportation? Have you never experienced the joy of just getting in a vehicle and just going for a drive with no particular destination in mind? Getting lost in the country and just taking whatever road looks most interesting? We do this on vacations and have come across the most interesting places and people this way. Thats just not possible when youre with multiple people on a bus, tram, train, or even an Uber.

    Why would anyone choose lack of personal freedom to travel and wanderlust for 'efficient' travel? It boggles my mind. To me, since I was 16 driving a vehicle has meant freedom to roam, explore, discover and see new places with ease and no restriction. That's highly valuable, no?

    1 vote

  12. Comment on Bike brands start to adopt C-V2X to warn cyclists about cars in ~transport

    gowestyoungman
    Link Parent
    I do live rurally now but I lived and worked in a city of 1.6M while my kids were young and growing up. I just dont see how it is feasible with kids. The level of hassle to me is incomprehensible....

    I do live rurally now but I lived and worked in a city of 1.6M while my kids were young and growing up. I just dont see how it is feasible with kids. The level of hassle to me is incomprehensible.

    A typical couple of days:
    8 AM - drive three kids to school (because I worked there too) They were too young to walk so public transit would be the only other option.

    3 PM - drive one kid to soccer practice at a field that was across the city - 25 min drive by car, but it would be well over an hour by bus with 3 transfers because the soccer pitch was in an industrial area. Would be difficult to make it to practice by bus.

    5 PM - Drive home for supper, then at 6 pm drive another child to piano practice at her teacher's house - 15 min drive but again, could be done by bus, but it would take two transfers plus about 45 min. In winter by the time this is over, it would be dark so there's no way that Id allow the child to travel on the bus alone at night, so that means I would also have to sit with her at her practice for an hour. Instead I take the car to the grocery store three blocks away and getting some shopping done or go have coffee with a friend and am back to pick her up.

    7 PM - one of the kids gets invited over for the night at a friends house, again 10 min drive away, but its night so I wouldnt let them take the bus alone, and it would take three times as long as driving. I hop in the car, take her over and back in short order. No problem. If it was only a bus, Id just say they couldnt go.

    Next day, I pick her up, bring her home and all five of us head over to our church which was literally across town because that was our denominational affiliation with a 20 minute drive. Bus service on Sun morning is only every half hour so we'd have to leave much earlier, go stand at a bus stop, dressed in our Sunday clothes and wait in the cold of winter for a bus. OR we could just get in our warm car and drive right over.

    After church some friends invite us out for lunch at a restaurant and of course we only have to get in the car and follow them there, instead of trying to figure out how to take a bus to the restaurant.

    I mean COULD it be done? Yes, if you absolutely didnt and couldnt own a car I suppose it could be, but what a royal pain in the butt to try and coordinate life with a family with no car. And what an incredible waste of time, waiting for buses, or even Ubers or taxis, when you could just get in your own vehicle and go.

    I think its feasible only if a person does not value their time or convenience or warmth but no, it doesnt make any sense to me, to give up all of that.

    1 vote

  13. Comment on Bike brands start to adopt C-V2X to warn cyclists about cars in ~transport

    gowestyoungman
    Link Parent
    True, but what about all the pluses? Allows freedom to travel just about anywhere you can afford to buy gas for - a 1000 km a day if you want. You can camp in them (I do), you can transport MUCH...

    True, but what about all the pluses? Allows freedom to travel just about anywhere you can afford to buy gas for - a 1000 km a day if you want. You can camp in them (I do), you can transport MUCH more than a bike or ever could, you can use them as a mobile office, they allow whole families to travel together, they offer privacy and shelter from the environment, they're far more convenient than most public transport, you can play music/talk on the phone privately, you can pull a huge variety of trailers from campers, boats, moving trailers, utility trailers to other vehicles... I honestly could not live my life without a car and its pluses FAR outweigh its negatives. I just find it strange that something that has revolutionized our society and become ubiquitous so just about every household owns at least one actually garners derision. Its an amazing and valuable technological marvel.

    1 vote

  14. Comment on Bike brands start to adopt C-V2X to warn cyclists about cars in ~transport

    gowestyoungman
    Link Parent
    Im consistently surprised by the anti-car comments on tildes. Maybe its the large proportion of EU commenters but there are consistent articles that are anti-car. Is there a subculture of...

    Im consistently surprised by the anti-car comments on tildes. Maybe its the large proportion of EU commenters but there are consistent articles that are anti-car. Is there a subculture of automotive derision that Im not aware of?

    3 votes

  15. Comment on The emotional support animal racket in ~life.pets

    gowestyoungman
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Im a landlord who allows pets (with no extra fee or deposit) and its by far the most popular reason people look at my rentals. Just read an article that said renters find 'pet friendly' more...

    Im a landlord who allows pets (with no extra fee or deposit) and its by far the most popular reason people look at my rentals. Just read an article that said renters find 'pet friendly' more appealing than having a washing machine, and I believe it.

    I honestly find dog owners in particular to be MORE responsible than average. They already have to take care of their pet so they cant be too wildly irresponsible.

    One was a "very friendly" dog that bared his teeth and start growling very menacingly at me from inside the vehicle. The owner got really nervous and started making excuses but it was obvious the dog was really aggressive.

    But most of them are just fine and do great in their new home - although I will admit the one I just rented to this month, came in, sniffed around the house and promptly laid a huge dump on the carpet. Fortunately the carpet was already past its best before date so we had a good laugh while the renter quickly cleaned it up.

    The ESA thing has never come up in many years of renting. Probably because I allow pets, they dont have to make up stories about having an ESA.

    3 votes

  16. Comment on How private equity consumed America in ~finance

    gowestyoungman
    (edited )
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    Ive been around for over 60 years and it continues to amaze me that there are things going on behind the scenes that have a direct effect on my life that I have no clue about. Didnt even know...

    Ive been around for over 60 years and it continues to amaze me that there are things going on behind the scenes that have a direct effect on my life that I have no clue about. Didnt even know private equity firms existed until a few years ago, and now they are directly affecting my business (real estate rentals) and forcing market manipulations that are not healthy for the average renter or homeowner.

    And yet, when renters get angry about rent prices its usually vitriol directed at people like me, the little guy who owns a couple of rentals and not the private equity firms who own thousands and thousands of them, because they dont even know they exist or that they have a very strong grip on the entire housing market. Neither did I. They dont exactly advertise themselves or their influence to anyone outside their own extremely rich circle. Private indeed.

    5 votes

  17. Comment on A big new facility built to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere opened up in Iceland. It's a stepping stone to bigger plans in the US. in ~enviro

    gowestyoungman
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    They wont all come to Europe. Here in Canada we are already experiencing mass migration from South Asia and up til now, most people have welcomed it. But its a bit too fast. We have grown from a...

    And at least some of them’ll head to Europe, at which point the continent, if it’s still peaceful, will fall apart

    They wont all come to Europe. Here in Canada we are already experiencing mass migration from South Asia and up til now, most people have welcomed it. But its a bit too fast. We have grown from a country of 33M to 40M in only a few years and our gov is allowing 1M new immigrants a year. The biggest problem is having enough housing. We DO have the land, a lot of Canada is wide open prairie and we are very sparsely populated on the whole, but we cant build housing fast enough to house everyone.

    The pressure is on and things are changing and we are adapting - just this last week Calgary, Alberta held a 10 day long meeting after the city council proposed that ALL city lots can now be rezoned to house up to 12 housing units instead of just one. Of course that has ticked off many people who greatly value their home and their neighborhood as it is, but its one of the changes thats likely to be inevitable, no matter the strength of the protest against it.

    2 votes

  18. Comment on A big new facility built to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere opened up in Iceland. It's a stepping stone to bigger plans in the US. in ~enviro

    gowestyoungman
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    Nothing stopping us from heating with nat gas yet but the Liberal gov plan is to keep raising the Carbon Tax to the point that it becomes so expensive to do so, that people would rather choose...

    Nothing stopping us from heating with nat gas yet but the Liberal gov plan is to keep raising the Carbon Tax to the point that it becomes so expensive to do so, that people would rather choose alternatives, like a mini split system for heating. The problem is, there arent any mini splits that are efficient when the temps get down to -40 so you have to install both a mini split AND a nat gas furnace as a back up for the really cold days. Which makes it prohibitively expensive and kind of pointless when you could just use a furnace in the first place.
    We've put in a catalytic wood stove and have been burning hard woods for this last winter so our furnace has only kicked in about 40% as much as the year before but thats not easy to do if you live in the city.

    3 votes

  19. Comment on A big new facility built to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere opened up in Iceland. It's a stepping stone to bigger plans in the US. in ~enviro

    gowestyoungman
    Link Parent
    I appreciate your rational and well thought out points and to me, they seem accurate. I'll be curious to see if the biodiversity part is true. We beside thousands of acres of gov land and walk a...

    I appreciate your rational and well thought out points and to me, they seem accurate.

    I'll be curious to see if the biodiversity part is true. We beside thousands of acres of gov land and walk a trail to a nearby river pretty much daily. It is not at all unusual to see deer, moose, grouse, mice, hawks, song birds and the occasional black bear. There are grizzly here too but we dont go out if they've been spotted in the area. But we've only lived here about 12 years and so far havent noticed any change in the numbers. Time will tell.

    1 vote

  20. Comment on A big new facility built to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere opened up in Iceland. It's a stepping stone to bigger plans in the US. in ~enviro

    gowestyoungman
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    And there's the difference. You can SEE an asteroid. You can accurately plot its path. You can observe its approach and imminent collision. It doesnt take faith to believe that a massive object...

    If a several-kilometer-wide asteroid were heading toward Earth right now, would we be able to adapt to that?

    And there's the difference. You can SEE an asteroid. You can accurately plot its path. You can observe its approach and imminent collision. It doesnt take faith to believe that a massive object hurtling in a direct path toward the earth is going to cause massive destruction and only the wilfully blind would question that.

    None of that is true of climate change. Its a scientific theory based on scientific models that may or may not prove to be accurate and its extremely slow moving and difficult to observe and you have to have a significant amount of faith in the scientists and their prognostication. Thus my skepticism.

    1 vote