Loire's recent activity
-
Comment on It’s time to tax vehicles for weighing too much—even if they’re electric in ~finance
-
Comment on It’s time to tax vehicles for weighing too much—even if they’re electric in ~finance
Loire Link ParentI own it, and this use it for personal driving, and the company pays me 1600 a month to use it for work purposes. If there became a matter of licensing I would have to make the switch to a company...Which leads me to a question, do you actually own your truck, or does your company pay for it?
I own it, and this use it for personal driving, and the company pays me 1600 a month to use it for work purposes. If there became a matter of licensing I would have to make the switch to a company owned vehicle for sure.
-
Comment on It’s time to tax vehicles for weighing too much—even if they’re electric in ~finance
Loire Link ParentIt would need a serious lift and a extended bed to get across some of the roads I drive but I certainly don't mind the smaller trucks. We're not talking California gravel roads up here.You don't need to drive a Kei truck. But even a Camry or, if you need a bed, something like a Hyundai Santa Cruz is gonna be just fine to get you over a gravel road.
It would need a serious lift and a extended bed to get across some of the roads I drive but I certainly don't mind the smaller trucks. We're not talking California gravel roads up here.
-
Comment on It’s time to tax vehicles for weighing too much—even if they’re electric in ~finance
Loire Link ParentIt's dependant on how deep into the bush the job site is. On the current site I drive, on average 45 km both ways for a combined 90 km every day, yes. The roads range from nice gravel to...You drive 200km every day?
I'm not saying I don't believe you, but I'm fascinated as to what job requires you spend 4-6 hours a day driving along gravel roads, all the while carrying 38 six foot long Pelicans? (also what's in the cases?!)
It's dependant on how deep into the bush the job site is. On the current site I drive, on average 45 km both ways for a combined 90 km every day, yes. The roads range from nice gravel to essentially mud.
Even at 200 km that drive doesn't 4-6 hours. You do 200km in 2-3 hours depending on conditions.
The contents of my pelican cases:
- 3 x Gamma-ray sensors
- 3 x Directional sensors
- 3 x Accoustic Recievers
- 3 x Electromagnetic Transmitters
- 4 x Female Kemlon Hard Connects
- 6 x EM Smart Battery Bulkheads
- 2 x 1553 Manchester Repeaters
- 2 x 5200 Bus Voltage Isolation Probes
- 4-6 x EM Lithium Battery sondes.
- 1 x Assorted Kemlon crossovers, landing rings, pressure relief bulkheads, adapter tips etc.
- 3 x Ruggedized desktop- style PC's.
Note I do not have to carry the Pelican cases every single day just to and from each job site.
-
Comment on It’s time to tax vehicles for weighing too much—even if they’re electric in ~finance
Loire Link ParentThis is quite possibly one of the most ridiculous threads I've seen on Tildes in years. The hardline responses are so firmly set in a "I live in a major metropolitan city and have never had to...This is quite possibly one of the most ridiculous threads I've seen on Tildes in years. The hardline responses are so firmly set in a "I live in a major metropolitan city and have never had to experience anything else" bubble that it boggles my mind.
Am I going to drive a Kei truck 200 kilometres down a barely maintained gravel road in northern Canada with ruts deeper than the truck's wheel well? Because that's a drive I make every day. How am I going to carry the 38, 6 foot long pelican cases I need to for work in a sedan? When I have to drive out into a farmer's field following rain, is the Sprinter van able to work its way out of the 12 inches of soft loamy mud my truck gets through?
I'm sorry you have douchebags running pavement princesses in your city but that doesn't mean the vehicles are useless.
-
Comment on What are we in the golden age of? in ~talk
Loire Link ParentI put on a "Bands that sound like Alvvays" playlist on YouTube and it was over 100 different girls that all sounded like Molly Rankin. It's mind blowing how much music there is out there.I put on a "Bands that sound like Alvvays" playlist on YouTube and it was over 100 different girls that all sounded like Molly Rankin. It's mind blowing how much music there is out there.
-
Comment on Denmark is getting off fossil fuels. Are there lessons for Canada? in ~enviro
Loire LinkCanada makes in one year approximately 80% of what Denmark made in 50. Right off the top, comparing one to the other, and calling Denmark "entrenched" in Fossil fuels comes across as a farce. And...A country of 5.8 million people, Denmark earned the equivalent of $109 billion from oil and gas extraction in the North Sea between 1972 and 2020. [...] It made Carter curious to understand why a country so "entrenched" in fossil fuels would decide on "an end date on its fossil fuel extraction," she said.
In 2019, the value of these exports reached $84.3 billion, representing 14.1% of total Canadian exports.
Canada makes in one year approximately 80% of what Denmark made in 50. Right off the top, comparing one to the other, and calling Denmark "entrenched" in Fossil fuels comes across as a farce.
"I have had offers to go work in wind farms and … [it] just wasn't financially beneficial to me to do it," said a Newfoundland oil and gas worker named Chris in an interview with Laura Lynch for What On Earth.
And this is why it will be incredibly difficult to get "workers" onboard with the energy transition. A high school dropout can easily make 90,000 USD a year up here. I pay twice as much in taxes alone to the federal government than the average Canadian's income in a single year. Where is the incentive to switch to other industries for either the public or the government?
-
Comment on Who here is a homeowner? in ~life
Loire (edited )LinkHi I own a condo so there's some familiarity to my renting days. Owning everything, being responsible for everything, and living in exactly the place I want to be are all improvements. I...Anyways, I was curious who here is a homeowner?
Hi
What is your experience like going from renting to buying, or if you were a homeowner and went back to renting?
I own a condo so there's some familiarity to my renting days. Owning everything, being responsible for everything, and living in exactly the place I want to be are all improvements. I immediately fix thing when they are broken, decorate what I want, change what I want with no questions asked.
My mortgage and condo fees combined are about half of what my place would get as a rental and maybe 2/3rds what a barebones, smaller unit would cost. My condo fees also cover every single bill, so that's a weight off my shoulders.
What are some things you wish that you had known to do prior and what advice would you give yourself back then?
It's okay to use multiple mortgage brokers. It's okay to go to banks and ask about their rates while a mortgage broker works for you.
Your real estate agent is not your friend. They don't want you to put in a low offer because that affects their commission. They will recognize if you are excited about a property and they will tell you there are other bids on the property to increase your offer. It doesn't matter if those other bids are unrealistically low and would never be accepted. They will say to you whatever they need to say to increase their commission.
How long did you search and how long are you planning to stay in your home?
I've known the building I wanted to live in since 2008. When I decided to buy I looked at listings for the building for about three months until the best unit in the building went up for sale and I snatched it immediately.
I plan to live here at least 10 years but I could see myself here for life.
What do you think of the current market dynamics? Is there any hope for prices to come back down to Earth?
This is not a bubble. There is a secret lack of home construction in North America right now. The population growth is exceeding new builds. Prices will continue to rise until that is rectified. No chance of a decline in prices anytime soon.
-
Comment on How do you imagine society would develop if dragons existed? in ~talk
Loire Link ParentThere are a surprising number of benefits to wildfire. I can see dragon fire playing a ecological role similar to wildfire with whole species of flora and fauna becoming depending upon it....There are a surprising number of benefits to wildfire. I can see dragon fire playing a ecological role similar to wildfire with whole species of flora and fauna becoming depending upon it.
Dragons, presumably being the largest predator on the planet, could also play an important role in the balance of megafauna worldwide. Borrowing a bit from another of your replies, their sheer danger (size, fire, aggression) might be enough that they play a role in limiting human over population and expansion for Millenia until science and technology give humanity the leg up.
Dragon lairs may also play some part role in symbiotic pairings for birds, burrowing animals and other dwelling creatures that don't attract the dragon's attention.
-
Comment on How do you imagine society would develop if dragons existed? in ~talk
Loire LinkIf dragons existed as animals within our biosphere they would have gone the same way as elephants. Large, intelligent, creatures pushed to extinction and the fringes of their habitats by human...If dragons existed as animals within our biosphere they would have gone the same way as elephants. Large, intelligent, creatures pushed to extinction and the fringes of their habitats by human use.
At some point we would have tamed a subset of them and introduced them into warfare, likely within the Ancient communities along the 20-45° latitudes. One particularly militaristic and engineering focused culture (Hello Rome) would have discovered a way to neutralize them, while also realizing fielding dragons in battle is too resource intensive and not worth the effort due to their inflexibility in comparison to human troops.
The dragon focused nations would continue to field these beasts in battle for the next few centuries resulting in the depletion of the dragon population within whatever region, eventually resulting in their extinction similar to the North African Elephant. In the meantime tame dragons would become show pieces, sports animals, and royal pets/vehicles, further depleting their populations due to the lack of conservation sense in ancient civilizations.
By the modern day there may be a few small pockets of dragon populations scattered throughout the planet but they'd largely be a zoo animal outside of specific cultures. Presumably they'd have some highly sought after biologic commodity resulting in unregulated poaching of their population further diminishing their populations.
We destroyed mammoths. We destroyed whales. We destroyed elephants. We have destroyed almost all of the megafauna that has coincided with human existence. There is no indication we wouldn't have destroyed dragons as well.
-
Comment on What scares you the most? What fears and apprehensions are central to your identity and how you view the world? in ~talk
Loire (edited )LinkI'm afraid of the irrelevance I know is in store for me. I'm afraid of never doing anything of significance. I'm constantly striving for more, and more with the egotistical belief that I can be...I'm afraid of the irrelevance I know is in store for me. I'm afraid of never doing anything of significance. I'm constantly striving for more, and more with the egotistical belief that I can be more, do more, provide more, but with each passing year that I do nothing particularly important, I come closer to acknowledgement that I never will, closer to acknowledging nothing mattered, closer to asking what was the point of my existence at all?
-
Comment on We need empathy, not just etiquette, on the subway in ~life
Loire Link ParentSystemic issues such as these build up over years/decades of inaction and pair with dysfunction within the State. When the problems get this bad the citizenry lose trust in their governmental...Systemic issues such as these build up over years/decades of inaction and pair with dysfunction within the State. When the problems get this bad the citizenry lose trust in their governmental bodies to form a response and, ultimately, some form of vigilantism/citizen action begins to take form until the State acts.
You can only expect people to accept so many muggings/murders/assaults and other acts by the homeless population before a severely negative public image forms and inevitably results in violence.
How many murders have occurred in New York this year related to the homeless population? How many assaults? The regular citizenry are expected to ignore this, and remain empathetic and rational at all times when confronted/accosted but then we must turn around and be outraged that someone snapped and assaulted a homeless citizen?
This is a massive failure within the Western system that is only going to grow until addressed by our respective governments. Expecting random citizenry to manage the problem is exactly the wrong response and plays a part in what's brought us to this breaking point.
-
Comment on We need empathy, not just etiquette, on the subway in ~life
Loire Link ParentWe are having similiar problems in Canada and we are nowhere near as armed as the US, nor can we carry our weapons with us in public.We are having similiar problems in Canada and we are nowhere near as armed as the US, nor can we carry our weapons with us in public.
-
Comment on The pundits were wrong: Corporate greed stoked inflation in ~finance
Loire Link ParentIt was prioritizing short term profit in that most of the oil producers and related service companies were either going bankrupt or being swept up in mergers and acquisitions to prevent going...If I'm understanding correctly, it sounds like maximizing short term profits was the first push...
It was prioritizing short term profit in that most of the oil producers and related service companies were either going bankrupt or being swept up in mergers and acquisitions to prevent going bankrupt.
At some point when you are operating at massive losses there is no imperative to invest in the long term. Even when profits return it takes years to pay down the time you were operating in the red.
I'm curious if you think there is anything policy related that could prevent maximizing short term profits or prevents bust in the future? Or maybe this is truly the last oil boom. Thanks for your insight!
Nothing will prevent a future bust short of nationalizing the oil industry which isn't in the best interests of any western nation. It's an issue with most commodity based industries. They are going to occur more frequently going forward. Let it happen and let the industry fade naturally.
-
Comment on We need empathy, not just etiquette, on the subway in ~life
Loire (edited )Link ParentColonialism in Canada, both historical, and it's modern echoes, disproportionately affects Native Americans. The lack of societal support and equity often result in poorer economic prospects that...Colonialism in Canada, both historical, and it's modern echoes, disproportionately affects Native Americans. The lack of societal support and equity often result in poorer economic prospects that can lead to houselessness. They also recieve harsher or disproportionate punishment for equivalent crimes resulting in a higher prison population. Increased poverty, houselessness, and overall inequitable treatment by society also leads to increased drug use and mental health issues.
This isn't a gotcha moment.
-
Comment on We need empathy, not just etiquette, on the subway in ~life
Loire (edited )Link ParentThis is the most unbiased take possible. The societal problems that have led to the explosion in homelessness, mental health issues, and rising crime are the true travesty here. I live in a...This is the most unbiased take possible. The societal problems that have led to the explosion in homelessness, mental health issues, and rising crime are the true travesty here.
I live in a moderately sized metropolitan city with a high Native American population, a nearby prison and a high concentration of probation officers and government services. Over the last three years the unhoused population has exploded in our city. Homeless involved break-ins, muggings, and assault, up to and including random stabbings have increased significantly across the entire city, but predominantly in the downtown core.
People have stopped taking transit because of the numerous assaults at stations and on the light rail system, as well open drug use going unpoliced. People have stopped going downtown due to the perception of safety. Local business' are suffering and shutting down, residential towers are being abandoned for the suburbs. Any progress the city has made on promoting a more centralized urban center are being erased due to these issues. The city has their hands tied though. Housing is a provincial department. (Mental) health care is a provincial department.
We haven't had a housed civilian murder an unhoused yet, but he people making this seem like it's just a jacked up MAGA issue are willfully ginning up the issue for political gain. Expecting the average citizen to act empathetically and rationally when they are facing violence and a mugging on a daily basis is naive at best. We are panicky animals at our core and the situation is not currently safe.
Edit: I am a big guy to the point that very few people like to fuck with me. Despite that even I have had to begin carrying a weapon when I go downtown due to recent events. I have been noticeably sized up at a distance on multiple occasions now. I have passed through subway stations where there were bordering on hundreds of the unhoused in various mental states filling the exits and tunnels. On no less than three occasions I have had clearly unwell people approach me while I was alone and then back off as I turn to face them.
If I can't feel safe in our current state then no one can.
-
Comment on The pundits were wrong: Corporate greed stoked inflation in ~finance
Loire (edited )Link ParentHi. Oilfield here. This is almost the opposite of what happened and how it works. Part of what caused 2016 and 2020 was non-Cartel oil's inability to control their drilling. Starting in 2008 the...- Exemplary
suppose that's true, but it feels like there are levers you can pull within a company to drive profits and margins. For crude oil, the decision to stop oil exploration and restrict supply was a direct mechanism to increase profits... off of the back of federal support.
You're calling these market failures, but they are functionally how our market works.
Hi.
Oilfield here.
This is almost the opposite of what happened and how it works.
Part of what caused 2016 and 2020 was non-Cartel oil's inability to control their drilling. Starting in 2008 the shale boom caused US production to blow up, suppressing oil prices long term. This is also resulted in heaps of investment poured into shale exploration and R&D, which will become very important during that "shaky recovery" circa 2021.
The 2015 crash occurred because OPEC+, a cartel largely controlled by Saudi Arabia, but dominated almost entirely by "non-western" state-owned oil companies, attempted to strangle shale production and opened the taps on their member's oil production, flooding the market and destroying the price of oil.
At this time the crash was widely considered the worst to ever occur in the history of the industry. Exploration stopped because exploration costs billions of dollars and every single company was on the verge of bankruptcy.
2016-2020 the oil price largely stagnated, but increased slowly to the 65$/bbl mark, with significant resistance. Saudi/OPEC realized they had gone too far and began production cuts to try and return balance to the market. However American shale proved resilient, in that any podunk mom and pop company could do it with a little investment from New York, and returned to drilling maintaining the status quo of overproduction and lower petroleum prices. At this point profits were returning but still minor and too small to resume massive exploration costs. Likewise American companies were focused on shale plays which doesn't require the same type of exploration as traditional oil reservoirs.
There was no conspiracy at this point. All of us within the industry knew and were talking about about how the lack of exploration would become critical "around the mid 2020's". I personally had this discussion with my coworkers during seminars about the topic in 2017. Just because we knew it doesn't mean the bean counters were ready to open up the purse strings and blow billions on new exploration. We put on our blinders and hoped something would change for the better.
Then came 2020 and we all thought oil was done. I'm talking CEO's thought the gravy train was over. The crash that occurred with COVID with oil going negative in price for the first time in history, we all thought the industry was dead. There was no conspiracy here. No one was planning for a 2021 where things got better. After four years of stagnation since the 2015 crash, followed by the COVID crash we all thought the game was up.
And then, like a miracle, all the various bickering and backstabbing companies stopped production, nearly world wide, to such a degree that we have never seen before in the history of this industry. It wasn't coordinated, it wasn't a conspiracy. It happened because the price of the commodity went to zero. Because of this petroleum reserves dropped rapidly, then the Ukrainian war added pressure to the world supply and voila we have the last oil boom the world will ever see.
Western companies can't restrict supply, even if they want to. If one of them cuts production their competitors just increase to fill in the gap. The industry is cutthroat and uncoordinated. Even when it was in the best interest of all involved the western oil producers were unable to wrangle eachother into restricted drilling. The only entity that has the ability to restrict supply is OPEC and their piece of the pie has become so small that these restrictions are only enough to sway prices in an up or down direction.
There is no conspiracy to drive up all oil prices. The moment oil gets above 80$ a barrel a thousand non-name LLC's appear out of thin air to drill a couple wells and add an extra couple hundred thousand barrels to the market. Until the North American producers form their own version of OPEC, its just not possible.
-
Comment on Are we Wayland yet? in ~tech
Loire Link ParentAh fair enough. To be honest everything has been so much smoother since I switched over to X11 that I may or may not be attributing some coincidental hiccups to Wayland as well. I agree with your...Ah fair enough. To be honest everything has been so much smoother since I switched over to X11 that I may or may not be attributing some coincidental hiccups to Wayland as well.
I agree with your previous post that Wayland looks and feels better than X11. The compositing looks better, feel smoother, the lack of tearing is like, constantly, obvious. It all feels modern. We so many major DE's moving to Wayland I suspect a couple more years will be all that it takes for the major issues to get ironed out.
-
Comment on Are we Wayland yet? in ~tech
Loire Link ParentApplication compatibility mostly. It's not truly Wayland's fault. Wayland has a specific design purpose and thats not actually to fully replace Xorg. However to the casual end user, the...Application compatibility mostly. It's not truly Wayland's fault. Wayland has a specific design purpose and thats not actually to fully replace Xorg. However to the casual end user, the functionality of the distro is all that matters.
Barrier KVM didn't work. Networking issue? Firewall issue? Improperly.installed? Nope just Wayland. Nomachine not working. Firewall? Network? Nope just Wayland. Oracle Virtual Machine not working. Just Wayland. Plasma panels not working properly. Poor config? Nope just Wayland.
-
Comment on Are we Wayland yet? in ~tech
Loire (edited )LinkAs someone who just spent a week squashing bugs in getting his desktop up and running, with each and everyone being related to Wayland, I strongly suggest new users stick with X11 protocol DE's...As someone who just spent a week squashing bugs in getting his desktop up and running, with each and everyone being related to Wayland, I strongly suggest new users stick with X11 protocol DE's for the time being...
The mix between relief and utter disdain I felt when finally realizing every problem I had was Wayland incompatibility cannot be put into words. Presumably xwayland should have solved these problems but no such luck as of yet.
I assume most of Tildes have been to "America rural" or " Western European rural" and don't fully understand what "rural" can really mean.