BrewBit's recent activity
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Comment on Tips for increasing online privacy (without going insane)? in ~tech
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Comment on First time homebuyer who just closed on a house, does anyone have any general advice? in ~life.home_improvement
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Comment on Things to consider when viewing a house, not in regards to inspection concerns? in ~life
BrewBit LinkThe biggest thing you cannot change is the neighborhood the house is in. Is the house close to a busy street? Are there lots of cars parked everywhere, or do people use their garages & driveways?...The biggest thing you cannot change is the neighborhood the house is in. Is the house close to a busy street? Are there lots of cars parked everywhere, or do people use their garages & driveways? Does it look like other homeowners are keeping up the outside of their properties or are there lots of overgrown plants & junk in the yards? Can you hear things like dogs barking, chickens, etc. that you would find objectionable? Has the city (or whoever) been keeping the street maintained, or is this neighborhood being ignored by the powers-that-be?
A red flag for me personally would be a neighbor who appears to run a business out of their house that involves a lot of trucks like hvac, plumbing, etc. They would likely be producing a lot of annoying noise early in the morning and late at night.
You can change a lot about the house itself (for a price), but I'd be looking for good storage- not just a closet in every bedroom, but things like a linen closet in the hallway, a laundry room with cupboards, a pantry, that kind of thing. Those are hard to add in later but so handy to have, and they help you keep the house tidier.
About the yard, you can change just about anything there too. But take a look at things like trees. If you value tall old trees and don't have any, you can't really add them yourself. Also if those trees exist in your neighbors' yards, they could cut them down later, dramatically changing the feel of your own property (this happened to me at my last house). If you want to grow a garden, be sure the lot gets enough light to do that.
I think the best advice I have is to try to see as many houses as you can and not to "fall in love" with a house. A good realtor should have no problems showing you lots of houses, and it is a great way to refine your must-haves and must-nots lists. You may not know you want something until you see it in person, so exposing yourself to variety is important in house hunting. Its worth your time to look at houses above and below your price range (within reason), or places that don't necessarily check all the boxes to give you a better handle on what you want.
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Comment on How do you manage your time? What tools do you use and what philosophies do you follow? in ~life
BrewBit LinkI think David Allen's book Getting Things Done (GTD) is a valuable resource. The book is short and can be read in an afternoon. There are lots of resources that cover the basics available for free...I think David Allen's book Getting Things Done (GTD) is a valuable resource. The book is short and can be read in an afternoon. There are lots of resources that cover the basics available for free online as well. It's a well put-together system that may be over-powered for what you want, it I find that it can be pared down to fit a more basic approach, too. It is also tool-agnostic. A lot of so-called productivity gurus seem to be so bogged down in the weeds of their tools that it's a wonder they get anything done at all (Bullet Journals). Or endlessly reclassifying tasks without actually doing them. So you can choose any tool you like and still implement the GTD system.
GTD does get in to the difference between a calendar and a to-do list. The purpose of a calendar in this system is to put things that must happen on a specific day, or not at all, like a meeting or doctor's appointment. The task list houses everything else, and if you're in GTD, then that list is a Next Actions list which all should be things that should happen as soon as possible. This way, when planning your day, you can see your calendar of events that must happen today and then your Next Actions, which you would be working on in between those events.
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Comment on South Koreans become younger overnight after country scraps ‘Korean age’ in ~life
BrewBit Link ParentThese books are great. I loved the calendrical swords that showed “the date and hour of your death!”These books are great. I loved the calendrical swords that showed “the date and hour of your death!”
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Comment on What's good to cook on a propane grill? in ~food
BrewBit Link ParentIf you're feeling adventurous, try it without the husk (and no foil either). Just shuck, butter, salt & pepper, then grill over medium heat for 12 minutes or so, rotating them every 2 minutes. We...If you're feeling adventurous, try it without the husk (and no foil either). Just shuck, butter, salt & pepper, then grill over medium heat for 12 minutes or so, rotating them every 2 minutes. We started doing corn this way about 5 years ago and never looked back.
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Comment on Weeknight meal recommendations in ~food
BrewBit LinkI really like Blue Apron. Not their service, but their recipes. They range from 25-50 minutes to cook, and I've found that they actually do hit their time estimates in real life. Their recipes are...I really like Blue Apron. Not their service, but their recipes. They range from 25-50 minutes to cook, and I've found that they actually do hit their time estimates in real life. Their recipes are also geared toward being the entire meal, which is nice for weekday meal planning. Their recipes are all in US customary units, though.
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Comment on Is it possible to build a sustainable image and video hosting service? in ~comp
BrewBit LinkI feel like we're going to keep seeing services like these shut down as long as we continue to believe that everything on the internet should be free (as in beer). I've found my thinking shifting...I feel like we're going to keep seeing services like these shut down as long as we continue to believe that everything on the internet should be free (as in beer). I've found my thinking shifting over the years to want to pay for the services I value in order to contribute to their continuation. I am hoping that whatever new era of the internet we're entering will involve less user-as-the-product services like Facebook, and more user-as-the-customer services (like paid email providers). Not that I just can't wait to pay for things, but I think it is a much more honest business transaction to just pay money for something rather than get it for "free" but then suffer the relentless invasive monetization.
I don't often need to post images on social media, but in the past I've used Imgur to post to Reddit, obviously for free. I can imagine a world where Imgur charges a fee to use the service on an as-needed basis. I also remember the old days of the web where your ISP would give you some small amount of web hosting as part of your plan. I can easily imagine that type of service coming back, as an add-on to something people are already paying for (Apple iCloud, Google One).
I can personally vouch for easyoptouts.com for removing personal data from public websites. They charge $20 a year and the service seems to be very effective.