k4i's recent activity
-
Comment on Intuit is shutting down the personal finance service Mint and shifting users to Credit Karma in ~finance
-
Comment on Intuit is shutting down the personal finance service Mint and shifting users to Credit Karma in ~finance
k4i LinkI used Mint in its golden age many years ago, then moved on to Personal Capital for a while. At some point I started to feel wary about giving my various account details to a centralized third...I used Mint in its golden age many years ago, then moved on to Personal Capital for a while. At some point I started to feel wary about giving my various account details to a centralized third party service, so I left them and didn't look back.
I think the best solution might be that we all get really good at maintaining our own financial dashboards in our spreadsheet application of choice. There are some great templates out there to get started with.
-
Comment on Chiropractic isn’t what you think it is in ~health
k4i LinkI'm always torn about labeling all chiropractors as quacks, because there have been specific times in my life when they provided me with actual relief. The worst case had my back so locked up that...I'm always torn about labeling all chiropractors as quacks, because there have been specific times in my life when they provided me with actual relief. The worst case had my back so locked up that I couldn't turn my body at all without extreme pain; I could only sleep on my back and needed help getting in and out of bed. Now, I'm not saying that chiropractic care is the only way to solve an issue like this. Massage and/or physical therapy may have been just as effective. However, in terms of quick relief, having my spine manipulated and cracked by a chiropractor did a pretty great job in helping me.
A good chiropractor, in my book, is one who adjusts their treatment according to your specific concerns. Furthermore, once you're feeling better, they don't expect you to keep coming back.
That being said, I've also encountered two "bad" types of chiropractors:
- The chiropractic is a cure-all person. I went to one particular chiropractor who took some x-rays and just kept asking over and over again about whether I'd had any traumatic injury at any point in my life. He was clearly fishing for a justification for extended treatment and seemed frustrated that I couldn't give him one. He also wanted me to come in several times a month, with no end date in sight. When I asked about stretches or exercises I could do at home, he insisted I wasn't "ready for that yet". On a follow-up visit to that chiropractor I saw that he had convinced some poor woman that her 1-month-old baby needed regular adjustments. We should not be "adjusting" babies! Needless to say, I noped out of there pretty fast. Bonus: pretty sure he was also hawking some MLM dietary supplement out of his practice.
- The "drive-thru" chiropractic shops (in my example, The Joint) that have a rotating cast of chiropractors that all do the exact same moves regardless of what your concern is. Tight neck? Let me do these 5 adjustments. Lower back bothering you? Same 5 adjustments. Hip pain? Yep, same 5 adjustments. That'll be $45 dollars for your 5-minute visit.
I think chiropractic care could potentially still be beneficial if it's being used to treat a specific problem in the short-term, but clearly a large percentage of practitioners are trying to turn it into some sort of cure-all, which is about the biggest red flag there is in medicine. If you find a good one that helps you with your issue, gives you tips for how to do some basic physical therapy on your own at home, and offers or refers you to a massage therapist, then great. If they're trying to push more on you than that, probably best to try a different approach.
-
Comment on What everyday things can you replace with a higher-quality alternative? in ~life
k4i Link ParentI bought some of these a couple of years ago and had high hopes, but the thing that drove me crazy about them is that they wouldn't change direction smoothly. For example, if I was sitting in my...I bought some of these a couple of years ago and had high hopes, but the thing that drove me crazy about them is that they wouldn't change direction smoothly. For example, if I was sitting in my chair and rolled to the left there would be a very noticeable jerkiness if I then rolled to the right because the wheels all had to reorient themselves to the new direction. This was all on hardwood, for what it's worth. I'm not sure if it was the specific wheels I bought, but it definitely turned me off of the concept and I went back to my normal casters.
-
Comment on Should I stop flying? It’s a difficult decision to make. in ~enviro
k4i LinkI think it's far more likely that we'll figure out electric planes long before a significant enough percentage of people give up air travel. Articles like this always seem to focus on pieces of...I think it's far more likely that we'll figure out electric planes long before a significant enough percentage of people give up air travel. Articles like this always seem to focus on pieces of the puzzle that are a relatively minor part of the problem.
-
Comment on I guess this whole time I was a small minority - enjoying working in person in ~life
k4i LinkI appreciate that you acknowledge that just because you want to go back to the office doesn't automatically imply that everyone should. Clearly people are in all kinds of different situations...I appreciate that you acknowledge that just because you want to go back to the office doesn't automatically imply that everyone should. Clearly people are in all kinds of different situations where one of office/hybrid/remote works best for them.
For me the real killer is the commute. I live out in the suburbs (not exactly a unique situation) and with zero traffic, driving to the office would take about 35 minutes. Of course, there is never zero traffic unless it's the middle of the night, so the actual commute is about an hour each way, which zaps a ton of my energy for the day.
I've been in the tech industry for 15 years now--early on I was the typical bright-eyed young programmer who wanted to climb the professional ladder. Now that I'm standing near the top of the IC pyramid with little desire to go into management, my priorities have shifted. I still enjoy programming, and I still want to do good work, but it's definitely a less important part of my personality than it once was.
-
Comment on Why am I becoming a teacher? in ~life
k4i LinkI'm sorry to hear that your experience has been a shifting away from the needs of teachers. I can tell you that there are many of us who have never stopped beating that drum--teachers are...I'm sorry to hear that your experience has been a shifting away from the needs of teachers. I can tell you that there are many of us who have never stopped beating that drum--teachers are incredibly underpaid and deserve far more respect than they receive. I wish you the best for the future, and thank you for wanting to take on the challenge.
-
Comment on How frequently do you shower? in ~life
k4i LinkNearly every morning. I feel like my body produces more sweat and oil at night, so if I don't shower in the morning (or at least before I leave the house), then I'll feel grimy all day.Nearly every morning. I feel like my body produces more sweat and oil at night, so if I don't shower in the morning (or at least before I leave the house), then I'll feel grimy all day.
-
Comment on A charge on supermarket single-use plastic bags has led to 98% drop in use in England since 2015 in ~enviro
k4i LinkI'm happy to hear that it seems to be having an effect. Where I live the charge is 8 cents per bag, which I've never found to be very persuasive when I'm already spending $100 to $200 on...I'm happy to hear that it seems to be having an effect. Where I live the charge is 8 cents per bag, which I've never found to be very persuasive when I'm already spending $100 to $200 on groceries. The best thing to come out of it in my own experience has been that the expectation of bringing your own bags seems to have changed because of it, which has encouraged me to do so.
-
Comment on Any popular game genres you just can't get into? in ~games
k4i LinkAny type of horror game has never really appealed to me, but I'm especially not fond of zombie games. This unfortunately causes me to miss out on some highly regarded titles like The Last of Us,...Any type of horror game has never really appealed to me, but I'm especially not fond of zombie games. This unfortunately causes me to miss out on some highly regarded titles like The Last of Us, Left 4 Dead, and so on, but there's something about jump scares and endless hordes of enemies that are just a complete turn off to me.
-
Comment on Near-death experiences in ~talk
k4i Link ParentThe last time I drove tired was back in college--driving back to school after a weekend at home, I thought I'd be fine to start the 3 hour trip at 8 o'clock at night. Before long I was catching...The last time I drove tired was back in college--driving back to school after a weekend at home, I thought I'd be fine to start the 3 hour trip at 8 o'clock at night. Before long I was catching myself dozing off for split seconds at a time, until suddenly I was jolted awake by drifting down into the grassy median going 65 MPH. Luckily I was able to regain control and get the car back on the road, but it really shook me up. The impact of the moment was even greater when I realized that if it had happened 10 minutes further down the road I would have driven off of a steep embankment and likely suffered serious, if not fatal, injuries.
Since then, if I feel myself getting drowsy I'll either switch off with someone, or pull over somewhere and take a short nap. Be careful out there, people!
-
Comment on What's your favorite read of 2023 so far? in ~books
k4i LinkI somehow completely missed all 8 books of The Expanse by James S. A. Corey (as well as the Amazon TV show that came later) until the ninth and final book was close to being released. Not only is...I somehow completely missed all 8 books of The Expanse by James S. A. Corey (as well as the Amazon TV show that came later) until the ninth and final book was close to being released. Not only is it an amazing series of books with some of the best world-building I've ever seen, but I feel so incredibly lucky that I've been able to essentially binge-read my way through all of them, picking up the next as soon as I finish one. I'm working my way through the ninth book now, and I'm a little worried about how sad I'll be when it's over.
Highly recommend checking out the first book, Leviathan Wakes, if you haven't already!
I’ve had the most luck with searching “Excel finance dashboard” (or Google Sheets, etc.) on YouTube, which has led me to a bunch of people sharing their own setups (and, usually, a link to the free or paid template). This let me see what systems resonated with me based on how someone actually sets them up and uses them, which is far better than trying to judge from screenshots.