RoyalHenOil's recent activity
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Comment on Financial collapse? in ~finance
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Comment on Financial collapse? in ~finance
RoyalHenOil (edited )LinkI'm not necessarily expecting a full-on collapse, but I'm pretty bearish, too. I got very nervous about the economic outlook in February, so I sold off my US-based investments then (I'm a US...I'm not necessarily expecting a full-on collapse, but I'm pretty bearish, too. I got very nervous about the economic outlook in February, so I sold off my US-based investments then (I'm a US citizen, but I don't live in the US and don't have the mindset that the US is the only market). I reinvested them in non-US ETFs, weighted somewhat toward European defense because I think (fear, more like) that this particular industry is going to see more action and development over the next few years.
I had a lot of savings in both US dollars and Australian dollars, and I was worried that either or both currencies might undergo excess inflation, so I also invested a big chunk of my savings in a gold ETF. It's nice that gold has risen in value, I guess — but to me, this investment is just a hedge; any extra money I make off the top is a bonus. I do not intend to sell those shares until I'm far more confident in the world economy than I am now, which will be well after gold peaks in value.
There will be dips, especially if there's a sudden economic shock, but I don't think we are near gold's peak yet (however, take my opinion with a grain of salt; I'm not an economist). If I had to gamble, I'd say we're still a few years away from the world economy stabilizing enough that people/institutions/governments are broadly unconcerned about currency devaluation and start moving away from gold again. (Anecdotally, I live in a region that had a gold rush in the 1850s/1860s, and a lot of gold mining companies are starting to spin up here again. This seems pretty bullish on gold's value over the next several years.)
Apart from that, I invested in areas that would help me save money in the near-term future (some bulk purchases, looming home/car repairs, thorough medical and dental checkups, etc.). Ever since, I've been focusing on keeping my savings high and my expenses low so that I can coast a good, long while if I lose my job.
I'm still just as pessimistic about the economy today as I was in February, but I am personally feeling a lot better now — way more prepared for what may come.
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Comment on How I escaped MAGA. Critical thinking woke me up. in ~society
RoyalHenOil Link ParentThis is far from universal. I'm an avowed atheist, but my Christian friends believe I will go to heaven. They think that God isn't heartless or an idiot and that he knows who we all are inside....You can only be saved through Christ. You can only know Christ through his church. You still have concepts of sin against a god.
This is far from universal.
I'm an avowed atheist, but my Christian friends believe I will go to heaven. They think that God isn't heartless or an idiot and that he knows who we all are inside.
Evangelical Christians broadly feel otherwise, of course, and they're very common and very politically influential in the US. But they are just one flavor of Christianity; they are definitely not such a dominant force worldwide, and their beliefs about God and the afterlife should not be treated as inherent to the religion.
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Comment on How I escaped MAGA. Critical thinking woke me up. in ~society
RoyalHenOil Link ParentIt's the same for me. I'm a second-generation atheist (my parents became atheists before I was born), and while of course I am threatened by anti-atheist sentiment and anti-atheist legislation, I...It's the same for me. I'm a second-generation atheist (my parents became atheists before I was born), and while of course I am threatened by anti-atheist sentiment and anti-atheist legislation, I really have no interest in converting people to atheism. I have absolutely no qualms socializing with theists, dating theists, etc., etc., so long as they accept me as well. Several of my close friends are deeply religious Christians, and I think it's one of their most fascinating characteristics; why would I want to change something so cool about them?
But I've noticed that a lot of first-generation atheists are far less tolerant of religion. My parents are both activist atheists, for example, and it drives me a little insane sometimes. I do like discussing the philosophy of atheism with them, but I don't really like it when it veers into them wanting religious people to change their beliefs.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, my dating history includes both deeply religious Christians and second+ generation atheists — but no one who converted to atheism later in life. (I'm not saying I would never hypothetically date a new convert, but it's rare for me to meet one who doesn't drive me a little crazy.)
As atheism gets more popular and it increasingly becomes something you're born into rather than switch to, I think (hope) this particular issue will die down.
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Comment on Debunking myths on farmworker pay in ~life
RoyalHenOil Link ParentOf course there is variation, but my point is that agricultural labor earns much higher wages in Australia than in the US, yet this is not reflected in grocery prices. I was agreeing with the...Of course there is variation, but my point is that agricultural labor earns much higher wages in Australia than in the US, yet this is not reflected in grocery prices. I was agreeing with the video; agricultural wages are not a major factor in food prices. There are other economic forces at play that matter a lot more.
US farm workers should be paid better. It would not meaningfully affect consumers.
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Comment on Debunking myths on farmworker pay in ~life
RoyalHenOil Link ParentIt will definitely vary based on region and on the specific product, but average grocery prices are lower here at the moment. In part, this will be because the Australian dollar is currently a lot...It will definitely vary based on region and on the specific product, but average grocery prices are lower here at the moment. In part, this will be because the Australian dollar is currently a lot weaker than the American dollar, and Australia has a big agriculture industry that easily feeds the country. The US has a big agricultural industry as well, but American farmers are having a rough time right now.
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Comment on Debunking myths on farmworker pay in ~life
RoyalHenOil (edited )LinkThis fits with my experience as well. I worked on a vegetable-breeding farm in Australia for eight years, and I spent my first four years as a lowly field worker. Minimum wage here is $25 AUD...This fits with my experience as well. I worked on a vegetable-breeding farm in Australia for eight years, and I spent my first four years as a lowly field worker.
Minimum wage here is $25 AUD (~$16.50 USD), but most farm workers are deemed casual employees (meaning they work on a seasonal, as-needed basis and don't get paid time off, etc.), and their minimum wage is $31.25 AUD ($20.60 USD). Yet Australian grocery prices are quite a bit lower than American grocery prices.
The farm where I worked paid quite a bit more than minimum wage, and it also gave every casual employee an annual raise for returning year after year. Even though farm work is deemed "unskilled", experience is extremely valuable in farming world. Many of my younger coworkers had agriculture degrees as well.
During my four years doing field work, I learned how to operate tractors, build greenhouses, manually hybridize a variety of crops, identify a variety of pests and diseases, manage hydroponics, design irrigation systems, tie and untie a large variety of knots very quickly (including the infamous trucker's hitch), etc., etc. But I had nothing on the old-timers who've been farming since childhood; they were the best paid amongst us and had an incredible wealth of knowledge in all kinds of different areas. They were our supervisors and trainers.
Vegetable breeding is very labor-intensive because you don't get economy of scale. There were about 40 field workers growing hundreds and hundreds of different varieties, often in extremely tight spaces (some of our crops were smaller than a parking space, and our largest crops were maybe 1/4 acre at most). Each variety had to be sown, planted, pruned, and harvested at different times and/or in different ways — plus we had to be extremely careful to never cross-pollinate anything or get any seeds mixed up — so we had to do nearly everything manually using basic hand tools (mostly hoes, bypass pruners, and knives).
We also didn't have a lot of time to work. We worked 7.5 hours, weekdays only, and many of us only worked part-time (a lot of my coworkers had farms of their own to run). We also spent a lot of time traveling because many of our crops were off-site; wind-pollinated crops, like spinach, must be grown miles apart to eliminate the risk of cross-pollination, and our furthest crops were almost an hour's drive away. Yet our operations were extremely productive: we sold seed by the pallet to the biggest growers in Australia, and we supplied even more overseas. Each person's productivity was so high that the cost of our labor must have had minimal effect on the final price of food.
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Comment on Same-sex partnership systems cover more than 90% of Japan’s population a decade after introduction in ~lgbt
RoyalHenOil (edited )Link ParentAustralia has something similar to this called a "de facto relationship". It offers essentially the same legal benefits as marriage (though some details vary, like the requirements for proving...Australia has something similar to this called a "de facto relationship". It offers essentially the same legal benefits as marriage (though some details vary, like the requirements for proving that you're in a relationship for purposes of getting a visa), but it's much easier to get into one. You basically just have to live together and consider yourselves a couple.
They're pretty popular, making up something like 15% of registered couples. My partner and I have been in a de facto relationship for 14 years now. It ensures our relationship is recognized in Australia (for the benefits) but not the US (for easier tax reporting, since I'm an American-Australian dual citizen and my partner is only an Australian citizen).
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Comment on Looking for a better tomato in ~hobbies
RoyalHenOil (edited )Link ParentThat is very good to hear! Once disease builds up, it's tricky to deal with. I hybridized tomatoes on a commercial farm for two years, and we used a simple trick to induce them to flower and fruit...That is very good to hear! Once disease builds up, it's tricky to deal with.
I hybridized tomatoes on a commercial farm for two years, and we used a simple trick to induce them to flower and fruit reliably: Each "stalk" of the tomato plant (which in our case was always two) could only have 10–12 leaves. Every time a new leaf matured at the top of the plant, we cut off the lowest leaf to maintain that exact number of leaves at all times.
This has two benefits:
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One, it maintains a good balance between vegetative growth and reproductive growth (if tomatoes have too many leaves, they get stuck in vegetative mode and don't fruit well).
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Two, it greatly improves air flow around the stem and roots, which is especially important in humid conditions (tomatoes evolved in a dry, desert-like climate and do not tolerate excess moisture very well).
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Comment on Looking for a better tomato in ~hobbies
RoyalHenOil Link ParentAnything that isn't a nightshade (other than strawberries due to the high risk of verticillium wilt). You could grow legumes (peas, beans), alliums (onions, garlic, leeks), cucurbits (squash,...Anything that isn't a nightshade (other than strawberries due to the high risk of verticillium wilt).
You could grow legumes (peas, beans), alliums (onions, garlic, leeks), cucurbits (squash, cucumber, melon, etc.), brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, kale, etc.), Apiaceae (carrots, celery, etc.), and plenty of others. Just make sure to rotate them out, too; you don't want closely related annuals growing in the same location year after year.
Alternatively, you could grow perennial fruits and vegetables (such as raspberries or asparagus). They don't require crop rotation.
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Comment on Looking for a better tomato in ~hobbies
RoyalHenOil LinkUnfortunately, I think you might need to practice some crop rotation. If you grow related crops in the same growing medium repeatedly, diseases build up and can devastate your yield. Nightshades...Unfortunately, I think you might need to practice some crop rotation. If you grow related crops in the same growing medium repeatedly, diseases build up and can devastate your yield. Nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, etc.) are particularly susceptible to this.
As a general rule of thumb, you should wait 3–5 years before growing tomatoes in the same spot again. You could grow other plants in the space in the meantime (although I would avoid strawberries; tomatoes and strawberries do not always play nice with each other).
Alternatively, you could fully replace the planting medium. I would also recommend washing down the planters themselves (not just rinsing them, but washing them with soap or disinfectant to kill/remove any lingering viruses, bacteria, and fungal pathogens).
As for varieties, I personally love Amish Paste the best.
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Comment on How are Framework Laptops? in ~tech
RoyalHenOil LinkMy partner and I both have 13" Frameworks. Mine is a little under a year old, and my partner's is about 2–3 years old. We both use them daily for work (I am a multimedia developer, and my partner...My partner and I both have 13" Frameworks. Mine is a little under a year old, and my partner's is about 2–3 years old.
We both use them daily for work (I am a multimedia developer, and my partner teaches video game programming at the tertiary level). We also use them outside of work for light gaming, watching shows on our TV, web browsing, etc.
I bought my laptop as a supplement to my desktop, but now it's the other way around. I use my desktop only when I need the extra grunt (heavier gaming, video rendering, etc.).
We chose Frameworks because we're sick of having to throw out entire laptops just because one component goes bad. So far, our laptops have not needed any repairs or replacement parts, however, so I can't comment on that aspect yet.
I thought it was kind of a gimmick, but I actually really appreciate the swappable expansion cards. They make it easy to adjust my laptop for different workspaces — working on my sofa, working at my desk, or working at the office.
I do wish the battery lasted longer, and all the usual complaints about Windows apply, of course.
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Comment on Experiences with FarmBot or similar gardening robots? in ~tech
RoyalHenOil (edited )LinkI worked on a commercial vegetable-breeding farm that did some (very, very expensive) experimentation with robotics, primarily for weeding. It did not go well. The weeding robot was highly...- Exemplary
I worked on a commercial vegetable-breeding farm that did some (very, very expensive) experimentation with robotics, primarily for weeding. It did not go well.
The weeding robot was highly ineffective because it could not actually differentiate weed seedlings from crop seedlings, it could not effectively remove weeds that were older than a few days (i.e., outside the seedling stage), it could not operate for longer than a few hours, it moved extremely slowly (especially when it was muddy, which was 75+% of the time), and it had so many problems and breakdowns that it required two highly paid people with engineering degrees to monitor and troubleshoot it at all times.
Assuming good weather and no overgrown weeds, this car-sized robot and its two handlers could achieve in 3–4 days what a single minimum-wage employee equipped with a hoe could achieve in 3–4 hours.
That robot was a major factor in my decision to quit. It was one of many very questionable decisions our new director made (including buying a wildly over-specced drone, which required two people to fly at all times — one to actually fly it, and one to watch for angry eagles that would soar in from miles away to come knock it out of the sky because it was so loud), but the robot really topped the cake.
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Here are examples of automation that we did use regularly with great success, most of it very tried-and-true by now:
- Automated irrigation
- Automated greenhouse ventilation based on temperature and wind conditions
- Automated fertilizing and spray regimes
- Fully light/moisture/temperature/CO2-controlled cabinets (for growing tricky, wild-gathered plants with desirable genes)
- Automated winnowing machines (so tried-and-true that we literally used antique Victorian-era machines outfitted with modern motors; we used a lot of Victorian machinery, actually — that stuff was built to last, although ungodly heavy with all the wood and cast iron, and a perfect fit for the small-to-medium-scale operations involved in commercial plant breeding)
- Handheld manual pollination machines, developed in-house for specific crops
I worked in the R&D department, and automation was very low on our list of concerns (until our new director tried to shove it down our throats). Even though Australia has very high wages, the cost of labor was not our biggest hurdle, nor the biggest hurdle faced by our customers (major commercial farmers worldwide) — not by a long shot. I'd say that about 95% of our efforts were biology-focused: combating disease, improving yield and quality, increasing pollination, expanding climate tolerance, etc.
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Comment on Half of people on weight loss drugs quit within one year, Danish study finds – more likely to stop taking the drugs if they were younger, lived in poorer areas, or were men in ~health
RoyalHenOil Link ParentI'm inclined to agree. I have (unintentionally) been losing a weight over the last few months due to a stomach problem that makes anything with a gummy or chewy texture — which includes most...I'm inclined to agree.
I have (unintentionally) been losing a weight over the last few months due to a stomach problem that makes anything with a gummy or chewy texture — which includes most readily available high-calorie foods — painfully indigestible. Despite my condition, I still sometimes sneak a spoonful of rice or a bite of bread, even though it leaves me in pain and nauseous for three days. I just can't help myself.
Many of us — perhaps due to the omnipresent threat of starvation that our ancestors faced — simply don't have a lot of self-control around high-calorie foods. Their ready availability is a pretty recent phenomenon that we (as a society/culture and perhaps as a species) haven't adjusted to.
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Comment on Conservative activist Charlie Kirk shot and killed at Utah college event in ~society
RoyalHenOil Link ParentI think this might be a semantic misunderstanding. To me, the phrase "to face the consequences of one's own actions" is an observation that someone has previously done something that is now...I think this might be a semantic misunderstanding.
To me, the phrase "to face the consequences of one's own actions" is an observation that someone has previously done something that is now causing them harm, while the phrase "to have it coming" specifically means that they deserve that harm.
For example, if you lend money to a friend and they don't repay you, I might say that you're facing the consequences of lending them money, but I wouldn't say that you had it coming (unless, for some reason, I'm glad they didn't repay you).
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Comment on Don’t like joining in? Why it could be your superpower. in ~life
RoyalHenOil Link ParentIntroversion/extraversion is the only aspect of MBTI that is well supported by the science — although the way that MBTI characterizes it is highly misleading. Introversion not an on/off thing....Introversion/extraversion is the only aspect of MBTI that is well supported by the science — although the way that MBTI characterizes it is highly misleading.
Introversion not an on/off thing. It's a normal distribution, where most people fall in the middle (neither particularly introverted nor extraverted). But there are some pretty fundamental brain differences between people who do fall at the far ends of the scale.
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Comment on The sunscreen scandal shocking Australia in ~health
RoyalHenOil Link ParentFor sure! My long sleeve work shirts are substantially cooler than a T-shirt. If you occasionally mist your hat with water, you'll get a nice evaporative cooling effect that will make it more...For sure! My long sleeve work shirts are substantially cooler than a T-shirt.
If you occasionally mist your hat with water, you'll get a nice evaporative cooling effect that will make it more comfortable (nicer than a bare head, in my opinion, at least if you have dark hair).
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Comment on The day return became enter in ~tech
RoyalHenOil Link ParentI was born in the mid 80s, and I don't think I've ever actually seen a typewriter with my own two eyes. My parents both worked at a cutting-edge Kinko's (print shop) and used a Mac Plus for all...I was born in the mid 80s, and I don't think I've ever actually seen a typewriter with my own two eyes.
My parents both worked at a cutting-edge Kinko's (print shop) and used a Mac Plus for all their typing needs, and my school had Apple II's and dot matrix printers.
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Comment on The sunscreen scandal shocking Australia in ~health
RoyalHenOil Link ParentSunscreen in general should not be a first defense. It's very easy to miss spots or apply too thinly without realizing, and it needs to be reapplied every two hours (more often if you're swimming...Sunscreen in general should not be a first defense. It's very easy to miss spots or apply too thinly without realizing, and it needs to be reapplied every two hours (more often if you're swimming or sweating). Plus, the sunscreen itself can be ruined if the bottle is exposed to heat (e.g., if you leave it in your car or leave it out in the sun at the beach; it should be kept in a cooler with ice).
I worked on a farm for eight years, and I learned to rely primarily on other methods that don't give you a false sense of security: long-sleeve shirts, wide-brimmed hats, etc.
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Comment on The sunscreen scandal shocking Australia in ~health
RoyalHenOil Link ParentAustralia and New Zealand vie for first place in skin cancer rates. The sun is more intense down here. When I lived in the US (in the Southeast), it took me noticeably longer to burn than where I...Australia and New Zealand vie for first place in skin cancer rates. The sun is more intense down here.
When I lived in the US (in the Southeast), it took me noticeably longer to burn than where I live now in Australia, even though I'm now further from the equator and at a lower elevation.
You can save a lot of money on fruit and vegetables if you go about it the right way (e.g., don't build raised beds — just grow in the ground like your granny did). It's not a realistic option for many people, however, depending on their climate and soil.