Search found 744 matches

by pezblanco
Tue Oct 17, 2023 8:34 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Forgot 1099-INT Worth amending tax forms over?
Replies: 67
Views: 6422

Re: Forgot 1099-INT Worth amending tax forms over?

I love these threads where one can so easily take the moral high ground .... It allows Bogleheads to be at their very best.
by pezblanco
Fri Jun 09, 2023 6:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Giving up the pickup truck?
Replies: 81
Views: 8633

Re: Giving up the pickup truck?

My 4wd tacoma pickup is the best of many worlds for me ... I can get into backcountry places for hiking/fishing/biking ... The ground clearance is more important for this than anything. It's a double cab so I have a reasonably large back seat area to put stuff under a roof ... and then it's a pickup so I can load up dirty stuff/wood/bikes ects in the back. I can put a topper on it and sleep comfortably in the bed on a camping trip next to a trout stream.

A 2wd minivan or an suv with a trailer are fine I suppose for people that stay mainly on paved ... I had a AWD Honda Element for many years and those are awesome vehicles ... more useful in town in many ways than my pickup. But, offroad they just don't have the capability.
by pezblanco
Fri Jun 02, 2023 9:12 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for kids?
Replies: 51
Views: 4781

Re: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for kids?

Judo and JuJitsu are great martial art forms. I would recommend Karate or Tae Kwondo. I've done both based on what was offered where I was located. I have more experience in Tae Kwondo. I think both would be better suited. They'll provide your child more confidence, and could be applied from a standing position if a bully scenario ever came about. Regardless I think that your child will develop confidence with any of these options. You have to decide what you want. BJJ is, as noted, pretty "full contact". It is actual combat without striking - your kids will be rolling against other kids - full effort - and they will get their feelings hurt (and there is the possibility of injury). Tae Kwondo is probably the most relevant of the ...
by pezblanco
Fri Jun 02, 2023 8:39 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Suggestions on Leather Furniture
Replies: 22
Views: 2473

Re: Suggestions on Leather Furniture

SuzBanyan wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 12:38 pm Before we bought our leather sectional in 2015, I spent a lot of time on the myfurnitureforum.com. Duane Collie, who has a retail store in Virginia and is a dealer for Hancock & Moore, runs the forum. He provides lots of information on quality furniture. I admit that after learning more, we bought Hancock & Moore. We have been really happy.
This is what we did. We ended up buying a Bradington Young sectional. Duane is a great guy who will give you an unvarnished opinion.
by pezblanco
Mon May 01, 2023 8:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Framing contractors - licensed vs unlicensed?
Replies: 23
Views: 2455

Re: Framing contractors - licensed vs unlicensed?

Hi all, Curious how important it is to bring in a licensed vs unlicensed contractor when it comes to framing repairs (specifically: termite damage and wood rot repairs). Obviously, it's usually more ideal to go with a licensed/bonded/insured contractor but in some cases (I'd say drywall and painting) that's not necessarily always the case especially if you're on a budget. Framing seems more important though (in terms of doing things to code, etc) but I wonder if there's any 'implications' later down the road (like when selling the home and having to disclose repairs, etc) with having an unlicensed contractor doing framing repairs. Yeah, you shouldn't screw around on stuff like framing, electrical, and plumbing. The downsides are just too b...
by pezblanco
Sun Mar 05, 2023 2:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
Replies: 5973
Views: 689784

Re: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]

Are we the only ones that absolutely hated Poker Face? The Rotten Tomato scores are through the roof ... with only one top critic hating it. We watched 5 episodes and gave up ... people like to compare it to Columbo. I used to watch Columbo and loved it ... this is no Columbo. A woman (the detective in the series) has the ability to tell infallibly if anyone is lying. She for a reason revealed in the first episode is on the run and inevitably in each episode has a murder committed at wherever she is. The murder, murderer, and how it is done is revealed. The detective then figures it all out. Since she has a super power, there really isn't any admiration possible for her detective skills nor is there any audience participation possible since...
by pezblanco
Wed Jan 04, 2023 9:20 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: your favorite quotes & one-liners
Replies: 272
Views: 48658

Re: your favorite quotes & one-liners

Newton never joked—one close acquaintance could recall only a single time when he had seen the great man laugh (someone had asked what use it was to study Euclid).
by pezblanco
Mon Aug 08, 2022 9:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [Retired couple] Thinking about moving to Madison, WI or Minneapolis, MN
Replies: 93
Views: 10923

Re: [Retired couple] Thinking about moving to Madison, WI or Minneapolis, MN

Many people have made comments about biking in the twin cities vs. Madison. I'll just say that the biking around Madison is absolutely world class. Remember Madison is much smaller. You can get on a bike in Midtown and in 20 minutes be out in the country and then the awesomeness begins. Because of the dairy farms, all of the little roads in the country are paved. You can bike for hours outside of town with little or no traffic ... I've never seen anything like it. All of the dairy farms have to get their milk out in the winter and because of that there is a maze of little paved roads EVERYWHERE. Madison is at the edge of the Driftless Area and so there are plenty of hills and variation to be had .... seriously, it is road biking paradise. T...
by pezblanco
Sat Aug 06, 2022 8:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do you leave your Porch / Exterior lights on at night?
Replies: 168
Views: 15611

Re: Do you leave your Porch / Exterior lights on at night?

biscuit5 wrote: Thu Aug 04, 2022 1:15 pm
Charon wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 11:16 pm ...Light pollution (affecting humans and animals), unnecessary electricity use, annoying your neighbors, and apparently a false sense of security.

Sorry I feel strongly about this, but I'm an astronomer. Outdoor lights have mostly destroyed the night sky, and many of them are completely unnecessary....
+1001 :thumbsup
+1 .... bird populations are plummeting. Give them a break. If you have to contribute to light pollution, at least try to keep them off during the migrations in the fall and spring.
by pezblanco
Thu Aug 04, 2022 2:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI
Replies: 7638
Views: 1712586

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

TomatoTomahto wrote: Thu Aug 04, 2022 10:01 am
ekid wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 11:36 am
Zeno wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 7:02 pm
nisiprius wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 5:42 pm With the constant help of my Portuguese teacher ….
That’s unbelievable, nisiprius. Is your teacher in-person or something else? And are you studying Portuguese for your personal education or are you planning a trip/experience of some kind?
Nisi is a "man of parts". I believe it.

Yes it's impressive.
Most impressive is that Nisi appears to have solved the problem of there only being 24 hours in a day.
Ummmm, not to rain on the love/adulation fest, but you do realize that there are lots of people that study languages, right? I.e. it's not that unusual to be able to speak one or two languages other than your own.
by pezblanco
Thu Jul 28, 2022 7:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Should you tip when picking up takeout food?
Replies: 290
Views: 50169

Re: Should you tip when picking up takeout food?

I love tipping threads .... I think the moderators let them go on since people have to do something, after all you can't talk about crypto ..... or religion .... or politics.

Tipping threads are splendid canonical sociological examples of people preening, taking the moral high ground, virtue signaling (I'm so blessed! And I can afford it!).

But they always degenerate don't they? (Well, why don't you tip the grocery clerk then?) Or (These people desperately need my tips and I'm just a compassionate wonderful person!)

Please moderators, enough. You are so active in killing off so many interesting threads, it's about time for this one, don't you think? :D
by pezblanco
Sun Jul 24, 2022 5:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Should you tip when picking up takeout food?
Replies: 290
Views: 50169

Re: Should you tip when picking up takeout food?

They say that handing money out on the street mainly goes to keeping the drug traffickers in business in your community. Donate directly to charities and shelters.
by pezblanco
Wed Jul 13, 2022 9:27 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Refinements to Hedgefundie's excellent approach
Replies: 389
Views: 86425

Re: Refinements to Hedgefundie's excellent approach

Hi Hydromod, I'm not really doing this stuff anymore but back when I thought Bogleheads was a worthwhile place to discuss intellectual ideas (I no longer think so ... I find it to be so over-moderated that most interesting discussion is stifled, so I rarely bother anymore.) These are the two contributions that I made that I think are relevant to the HF idea: Maximizing Portfolio Growth Rate - Kelly Criterion - Empirical Market Data https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=237430 Leveraging Stock/Bond Portfolios and the Kelly Criterion https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4385767&hilit=kelly#p4385767 Most of the graphs are now dead ... sorry about that. The growth rate formulas you quote are from a different ...
by pezblanco
Wed Jul 13, 2022 7:30 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Refinements to Hedgefundie's excellent approach
Replies: 389
Views: 86425

Re: Refinements to Hedgefundie's excellent approach

AlphaLess wrote: Wed Jul 13, 2022 6:46 pm
Yea, sure, it is fun to:
- get data,
- clean it up,
- write a python script,
- plot pretty charts,
- speak cleverly.

But at a high level, if you don't understand WHY the trade works, all of that is useless.

WHAT
A
SET
OF
COINCIDENCES?
:D +100
by pezblanco
Wed Jul 13, 2022 6:03 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Refinements to Hedgefundie's excellent approach
Replies: 389
Views: 86425

Re: Refinements to Hedgefundie's excellent approach

A long time ago, in a land not so far away, I remember when the now revered Hedgefundie proposed his scheme. I was very interested in it and did some simple computer experiments to try to get an idea of what leveraging might bring about. So the experiments just took past stock market prices (monthly data as I recall) and just took independent samples from that data to give Monte Carlo inputs for what future data would look like (simple and crude but whatever ... we're trying to get a rough general idea, right?). So, just using that, you find that leveraging a stock portfolio has an optimum of around 1.4 to 1.6 amount of leverage. When I say optimum, I mean the exponential growth rate of the portfolio is optimized at that point. So too much...
by pezblanco
Wed Jul 13, 2022 5:59 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Refinements to Hedgefundie's excellent approach
Replies: 389
Views: 86425

Re: Refinements to Hedgefundie's excellent approach

Hydromod wrote: Wed Jul 13, 2022 10:16 am
I assume that your backtesting was based on a straight fixed allocation, however.

I'll see if I can get some separate estimates for how adaptive allocation would have reduced effective volatility.
Yes, of course, I wasn't really doing a Monte Carlo from the data ... I was just assuming that future prices would be drawn independently from an empirical distribution of past prices. That allowed me to compute the exponential rate of growth exactly.

I suppose one could try to modify the empirical distributions to reflect what current volatility is and then you could again do as I did but that would be making another big set of assumptions.
by pezblanco
Wed Jul 13, 2022 7:44 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Refinements to Hedgefundie's excellent approach
Replies: 389
Views: 86425

Re: Refinements to Hedgefundie's excellent approach

A long time ago, in a land not so far away, I remember when the now revered Hedgefundie proposed his scheme. I was very interested in it and did some simple computer experiments to try to get an idea of what leveraging might bring about. So the experiments just took past stock market prices (monthly data as I recall) and just took independent samples from that data to give Monte Carlo inputs for what future data would look like (simple and crude but whatever ... we're trying to get a rough general idea, right?). So, just using that, you find that leveraging a stock portfolio has an optimum of around 1.4 to 1.6 amount of leverage. When I say optimum, I mean the exponential growth rate of the portfolio is optimized at that point. So too much ...
by pezblanco
Mon Jul 04, 2022 6:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pay nanny "cash" but do it legally/above table?
Replies: 79
Views: 9323

Re: Pay nanny "cash" but do it legally/above table?

I get asked to pay in cash by contractors all the time. I pay them in cash and get a receipt.

What is the problem? As far as I know, this is a perfectly legal transaction. If you pay more than 600 dollars then it requires a 1099 to be issued, I think (depending on the type of employment).
by pezblanco
Sun Jun 26, 2022 2:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What foods have you given up this year?
Replies: 60
Views: 5432

Re: What foods have you given up this year?

I've given up on brown rice and quinoa.
by pezblanco
Thu May 12, 2022 9:27 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: HEDGEFUNDIE's excellent adventure Part II: The next journey
Replies: 14343
Views: 1970602

Re: HEDGEFUNDIE's excellent adventure Part II: The next journey

I haven't been following what going on with this portfolio for quite a while. I know it did really well for a while and I know it must be hurting right now. Is there a place to go that has tracked the actual performance of Hedgefundie's part II since inception?
by pezblanco
Wed Apr 27, 2022 7:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dog breeds
Replies: 150
Views: 12308

Re: Dog breeds

They tend to be a little bit more serious and concentrated than the loveable chuckleheaded Goldens ... but just a little bit ... they still have that wonderful retriever personality that I personally would never ever give up on. Some people are just retriever people ... I'm one of them.

Labs are still very popular dogs but seriously most of them are puppy mill dogs. Labs from a good hunting line breeder are not that common at all. Most of them are black but it is easy to find some good yellow lines also ... chocolate is quite a bit harder. All of ours were black.
by pezblanco
Wed Apr 27, 2022 6:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dog breeds
Replies: 150
Views: 12308

Re: Dog breeds

We've had goldens, Aussies, a Boston terrier, and labs. It's probably not too sexy right now with the huge popularity of the doodle type dogs (my mother-in-law has one and it's a very nice dog) which are not really short haired and need extensive grooming but anyway, get a lab. They have wonderful personalities, they are soooo easy to clean up compared to goldens or doodles, and they are the quintessential outdoor dog. One caveat, as with goldens, there are actually 3 types of lab: the show lab, the couch lab (typically just puppy mill dogs), the hunting lab. You live in Missouri which is a big hunting state. Get a dog from a hunting lab line (not a field trial line!) ... they will be smaller and not have near the number of conformation and...
by pezblanco
Wed Feb 23, 2022 5:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tequila and Orange Liquor for Margaritas
Replies: 50
Views: 5059

Re: Tequila and Orange Liquor for Margaritas

tuningfork wrote: Wed Feb 23, 2022 4:33 pm I've tried various tequilas and liqueurs and recipes over the years. Many margarita recipes are sickeningly sweet for my taste. Eventually I settled on Silver Coin style margaritas which don't rely on syrups or mixes. Here's my go to recipe.

2 oz Corazon Blanco Tequila
1 oz Cointreau
1 oz lime juice (fresh if I have them, or bottled)

The recipe is on the back of the Cointreau bottle so it's impossible to misplace. :beer

When I restocked recently, the Cointreau was way more expensive than the Tequila. Had me wondering if I should look for alternatives, but decided to stick with what I knew than try a half-priced alternative that I might throw out for being too sweet.
This is the way.
by pezblanco
Wed Feb 09, 2022 5:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How much to tip?
Replies: 138
Views: 10859

Re: How much to tip?

Godot wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 12:47 pm
dm200 wrote: Sun Feb 06, 2022 7:15 pm 1. Regular meal at a restaurant or diner.

2. Man’s regular haircut at Hair Cuttery. The cost before tip was $24.
Finally, a thread on tipping!
Thank goodness. It's been waaaaay too long!
by pezblanco
Sun Jan 09, 2022 8:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI
Replies: 7638
Views: 1712586

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

FreeAtLast wrote: Sat Jan 08, 2022 7:54 pm "The Secret Of Life", by Howard Markel MD PhD (W. W. Norton & Co. 2021)
Great review! Thank you.
by pezblanco
Sun Dec 12, 2021 7:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI
Replies: 7638
Views: 1712586

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

How Music Got Free by S.Witt. I just found this book (it was published 2015-2016). I thought it was very good in its description of the beginings of the CD format and the rise of the MP3 compression scheme and how this drove the modern day culture of digital piracy. Very well written and with captivating vignettes of the principals that created what we have today.
by pezblanco
Fri Dec 03, 2021 8:04 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Exwife and Social Security benifits
Replies: 22
Views: 2942

Re: Exwife and Social Security benifits

I’m no SS expert, but I believe if you are collecting SS & alive (which I believe you are), she can collect 50% of what you are receiving (the benefit will be reduced if below her full retirement age, between 66-67, depending on when she was born). She will get the spousal SS benefit or her own whichever is higher. Once you pass away, I believe she can get the full amount you were collecting. bill The above seems to describe spousal SS. OP is talking about divorced spousal SS, which is a different thing. I searched around and really didn't see much difference in the SS treatment for a spouse or an ex-spouse (as long as marriage lasted 10 years and ex-spouse is either old or didn't remarry). It is strange that the ex-spouse gets the sam...
by pezblanco
Sat Nov 13, 2021 9:24 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is it very hard to learn Spanish?
Replies: 81
Views: 9387

Re: Is it very hard to learn Spanish?

Bogle7 wrote: Sat Nov 13, 2021 8:50 pm
nisiprius wrote: Sat Nov 13, 2021 6:02 pm I think I'm still at an intermediate level in Spanish, but I've just begun learning Portuguese.
And, there is a huge difference between Português do Brazil and Português do Portugal.
They can’t even agree on how to pronounce the number 6.
There sure is a big difference. I think that the native speakers can with a small amount of practice figure it out pretty well though. For students it is a huge jump to try to go from understanding one dialect to the other ....
by pezblanco
Sat Nov 13, 2021 9:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is it very hard to learn Spanish?
Replies: 81
Views: 9387

Re: Is it very hard to learn Spanish?

I think I'm still at an intermediate level in Spanish, but I've just begun learning Portuguese. I'm not sure it was a good idea. Yes , there is terrible interference between the two, both ways. It's very hard and very confusing. I could almost read Portuguese already. But pronunciation is a struggle. By the way, the proof that the languages are similar is that at one point, Google Translate--as integrated into Android, you select and copy the text, and a little button pops up and it will give you the translation of the text you copied--suddenly began giving me much poorer translations than usual. I couldn't figure it out. It turned out that I'd accidentally selected Portuguese as the source language, and it was translating the text on the ...
by pezblanco
Wed Oct 27, 2021 9:55 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Sideways spatter reduction when stir frying
Replies: 22
Views: 1955

Re: Sideways spatter reduction when stir frying

I'm interested in this too. I bought some wire screen spatter guards but I didn't think they worked very well. What I do is use a large lid from a huge stockpot I have and then put the wok spatula over the edge of the wok and then put the lid on top of that. That allows the steam to escape and basically get almost zero spatter.
by pezblanco
Sun Oct 17, 2021 4:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Park City and Salt Lake City [looking for things to do]
Replies: 29
Views: 2798

Re: Park City and Salt Lake City

Red Iguana is a must in SLC. Maybe the best Mex I've ever tasted. Been mentioned twice in this thread. IMO, it's OK, but (as a Mexican myself) pretty much every one of my relatives makes better food. Maybe it's just me, as someone who rarely eats out, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. You brought me out of hiding! ha ha ha ... yes, It is probably the best Mexican restaurant in SLC but seriously, that is like saying a certain eating establishment is the best French restaurant in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I.e. it's not particularly good Mexican food .... Except... that SLC was actually part of Mexico ~160 years ago and has a large Mexican population. Bad analogy. It was, but that doesn't change the fact that the Mexican food here is terrib...
by pezblanco
Sun Oct 17, 2021 4:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Park City and Salt Lake City [looking for things to do]
Replies: 29
Views: 2798

Re: Park City and Salt Lake City

Red Iguana is a must in SLC. Maybe the best Mex I've ever tasted. Been mentioned twice in this thread. IMO, it's OK, but (as a Mexican myself) pretty much every one of my relatives makes better food. Maybe it's just me, as someone who rarely eats out, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. You brought me out of hiding! ha ha ha ... yes, It is probably the best Mexican restaurant in SLC but seriously, that is like saying a certain eating establishment is the best French restaurant in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I.e. it's not particularly good Mexican food .... Except... that SLC was actually part of Mexico ~160 years ago and has a large Mexican population. Bad analogy. Oh but actually Wisconsin was one of the first parts of North America claimed...
by pezblanco
Sun Oct 17, 2021 4:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
Replies: 5973
Views: 689784

Re: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]

Just finished Squid Game, pretty intense show, well written and very violent. A+ overall, even better than expected +1 Excellent show and rave reviews. 👍 Gratuitous violence. It is saddening to me that this is considered entertainment. I haven't seen that show and I normally don't like violence, but sometimes it isn't gratuitous. I recently watched two spy dramas, one being "The Americans", a TV show about the Cold War. The other being a movie called "Female Agents" about British covert action in Occupied France to pave the way for D-Day. In both cases, the use of violence really, and I mean REALLY, made the point how committed these agents were and how the mission was everything. They would fight to the death. Their co...
by pezblanco
Sat Oct 16, 2021 4:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI
Replies: 7638
Views: 1712586

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

I was #1 on my library list for the Hillary Clinton, Louise Penny book State of Terror, just out. Started reading as an ebook and so far its a good story. Very different from Penny's usual novels. It's just after the change of administrations in Washington, essentially current day. The new President and his Sec of State are not on best of terms. Then things go bad. It got a good review in today's NYT. I'm interested in how the WSJ will review it. The reviews (only 12 so far) on Amazon seem to have a high degree of Hillary bias: roughly half are 4 and 5 *, the rest are 1*. I like it so far and recommend it. I've enjoyed both James Patterson/Bill Clinton books, the first more than the second, both both are good. Lets see which Clinton does b...
by pezblanco
Thu Oct 07, 2021 7:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Park City and Salt Lake City [looking for things to do]
Replies: 29
Views: 2798

Re: Park City and Salt Lake City

stoptothink wrote: Thu Oct 07, 2021 4:15 pm
KirklandCoug wrote: Thu Oct 07, 2021 3:54 pm Red Iguana is a must in SLC. Maybe the best Mex I've ever tasted.
Been mentioned twice in this thread. IMO, it's OK, but (as a Mexican myself) pretty much every one of my relatives makes better food. Maybe it's just me, as someone who rarely eats out, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.
You brought me out of hiding! ha ha ha ... yes, It is probably the best Mexican restaurant in SLC but seriously, that is like saying a certain eating establishment is the best French restaurant in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I.e. it's not particularly good Mexican food ....
by pezblanco
Wed Sep 29, 2021 5:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
Replies: 5973
Views: 689784

Re: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]

Escape at Dannemora, on Showtime. Many thanks for previous posters who mentioned this very interesting tale (based-upon-real events) of psychopathic killers who charm a female prison worker. As the title suggests, an escape is a big part of the plot. Seven episode mini-series staring Benicio del Toro, Patricia Arquette and Paul Dano. Book em... Has this been mentioned before in this thread? I did a search on Dannemora and only your post shows up? Sounds like an interesting show. The reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes indicate it is kind of slow. Thought it was mentioned...maybe not. If one likes the Fast and Furious genre, then this will be slow. We rarely looked at our watches, but one does needs a bit of patience as they go through character d...
by pezblanco
Tue Sep 28, 2021 9:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
Replies: 5973
Views: 689784

Re: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]

Cruise wrote: Tue Sep 28, 2021 7:08 pm Escape at Dannemora, on Showtime. Many thanks for previous posters who mentioned this very interesting tale (based-upon-real events) of psychopathic killers who charm a female prison worker. As the title suggests, an escape is a big part of the plot. Seven episode mini-series staring Benicio del Toro, Patricia Arquette and Paul Dano.

Book em...
Has this been mentioned before in this thread? I did a search on Dannemora and only your post shows up? Sounds like an interesting show. The reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes indicate it is kind of slow.
by pezblanco
Mon Sep 27, 2021 6:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI
Replies: 7638
Views: 1712586

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Just finished Michael Lewis' Premonition. He *really* writes well! I couldn't put it down, due in large part to the content, but also due to his incredible writing. I hope that he ends up writing a "sequel"... how it all plays out in the longer run. We haven't seen the end of this "situation" yet, very unfortunately. RM I want thank an earlier poster on this thread for the recommendation on Premonition! While I was waiting for it to become available at the library I also read the Fifth risk by the same author - excellent and eye opening as well and have just started Flash Boys.....I may end up reading all of his books! I love some of the recommendation I have gotten from this thread - Thank You! I'm very belatedly readi...
by pezblanco
Fri Sep 24, 2021 5:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: U.S. Winter Adventure Trip Recommendations - Warm(ish) weather
Replies: 19
Views: 1887

Re: U.S. Winter Adventure Trip Recommendations - Warm(ish) weather

Have you ever gone on some of the canoe trails or trips in the Everglades? That should be closer to you and is quite an experience.
by pezblanco
Wed Sep 22, 2021 7:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
Replies: 5973
Views: 689784

Re: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]

Clickbait is fun and worth watching ... it's only just a few episodes so no great commitment is required. The acting is fine ... the writing is ok.

The White Lotus is also worth watching. It has layers and some of those layers can be interesting depending on the person. I found it to be very watchable ... I kept on expecting something to happen but nothing big ever really does (mostly). The vignettes of the people/class/money/society are what to watch and enjoy the implied commentary. I think a certain amount of empathy is required to enjoy these episodes ....
by pezblanco
Sun Sep 05, 2021 3:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Gauging Risk to Personal Safety While Traveling [Chicago]
Replies: 105
Views: 12286

Re: Gauging Risk to Personal Safety While Traveling (Major American City)

In planning a vacation trip to a major American city, I have been reading the websites of mainstream news organizations from that city (newspapers, TV stations, etc.). There have been numerous reports of an uptick of street crime (many violent incidents) in areas frequented by tourists, including areas with a heavy concentration of art galleries, the avenue where the performing arts center is located, etc. How can I gauge the threat to my safety if I visit? Is there an objective (data-driven) source of recent street crime statistics for major American cities? Canopus Why not name the city so that some helpful locals can chime in? This is a typical BH thread ... First: Someone asks a ludicrously broad question that contains absolutely no ne...
by pezblanco
Sat Aug 28, 2021 6:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Good Modern Science Fiction
Replies: 760
Views: 149448

Re: Good Modern Science Fiction

I'm half way into Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I see there's a mix of opinions about the book in this thread. I think he's got a good story and interesting ideas. He's got some good characters. He seems to convey his command of science and engineering. I hope to finish and learn the ending. Perhaps he's not a writer for me. I quit half way through The Martian when it came out. My reaction to some of the writing in PHM, from the early chapters on, is MEGO. William Safire of the NYT coined or at least popularized the acronym for My Eyes Glaze Over. Too much detail, many arcane calculations (even for me, an engineer). I know I can skim/skip as I go, but I'd prefer he tell the story he has w/o showing what a polymath he believe's he is and ...
by pezblanco
Sat Aug 21, 2021 9:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Books that changed your life!!
Replies: 159
Views: 24557

Re: Books that changed your life!!

Sandtrap wrote: Sat Aug 21, 2021 8:58 pm Waiting for Godot: Samuel Beckett
Also
Camus, Kafka.
j🌺
Just curious ... how did "Waiting for Godot" change your life?

Also what particular books by Camus or Kafka did you have in mind? The Stranger is the most popular by Camus I suppose. Was that life changing for you? Kafka???? (Don't get me wrong, I love some of Kafka's works but life changing?)
by pezblanco
Sat Aug 21, 2021 7:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Books that changed your life!!
Replies: 159
Views: 24557

Re: Books that changed your life!!

Waking Up by Sam Harris. It was the first book that I read that clearly stated for me various aspects of how our consciousness operates or in other words what our true nature really is. These insights do not require acts of faith but are entirely experiential once someone points out to you how to see them (the analogy is how to see our visual blind spot ... you'll never see it on your own but if you follow closely detailed instructions, its trivial). These insights have tremendous implications for the rightness or wrongness of almost all of the world's systems of spiritual belief.
by pezblanco
Sun Aug 15, 2021 7:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI
Replies: 7638
Views: 1712586

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Reading Star Gazer by Anne Hillerman. To those of us hooked on the Chee/Leaphorn detective novels about the Big Rez in New Mexico/Arizona created by her father Tony Hillerman, its a way of keeping in touch with a magical series about a magical place, the almost limitless expanses of the Four Corners high desert. Inevitably Anne will be compared with her father ... I'll just say that not all of Tony's books were great (I think all are very good) ... but some like Skinwalkers or Dance Hall of The Dead are just towering contributions to the detective novel genre. I don't think Anne has come up with anything quite to those levels but she really is good. I'm willing to continue reading her output ...
by pezblanco
Sun Aug 15, 2021 7:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI
Replies: 7638
Views: 1712586

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

heartwood wrote: Thu Aug 05, 2021 2:05 pm I started Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson. OK but not keeping me completely interested in finishing it. I have not given it up yet, but have put it aside to read Billy Summers by Stephen King.

I almost always enjoy King's writing. This book is no exception for me. Billy's a hired killer, but he only kills bad people. Billy's also started a novel as his cover story while he waits for his victim. So at least two stories going on.
I'm reading Billy Summers also right now. In total agreement about Stephen King's writing ... it's like one of your favorite single malts that you keep on coming back too ... familiar and easy to enjoy. This book is one of his better ones in recent times ...
by pezblanco
Thu Jul 22, 2021 7:27 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 60/40 is Done - Now It's 70/20/5
Replies: 41
Views: 9356

Re: 60/40 is Done - Now It's 70/20/5

The other 5% is crypto but they're not allowed to talk about it either! :D
by pezblanco
Wed Jul 21, 2021 7:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Sunglasses
Replies: 46
Views: 5517

Re: Sunglasses

Bigt3142 wrote: Wed Jul 21, 2021 12:45 pm I buy polarized glasses from the Walmart fishing isle for $10. I've bought Oakley's in the past and they scratch when I look at them. I do not care what happens to my cheap glasses and they last for years. 8-)
And be scratched of course. You don't buy polarized glass (which doesn't scratch nearly as easily) for 10 bucks. Fly fishing has a requirement of good optical glass. (If you're a bait chucker or a spin fisherman then you don't need this of course.) Good optical glass is usually somewhat expensive. Life is too short (despite the peans of praise from ZZ Top) for cheap sunglasses. :D
by pezblanco
Wed Jul 21, 2021 7:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: TV show recommendations?
Replies: 606
Views: 247646

Re: TV show recommendations?

magazinewriter wrote: Wed Jul 21, 2021 3:07 pm Lupin on Netflix. 10 episodes so far.

Filmed by Netflix in French but it is dubbed in English - or you can watch in French with English subtitles.

Gentleman thief trying to avenge his father’s arrest on the theft of his employer’s multimillion Euro necklace. Show begins with an amazing present day heist of the same necklace from the Louvre.
We watched the first season. I thought it was OK but with not really a lot of ideas. The lead actor was very competent I thought but the writing is just so leaden that think neither one of us wants to watch a second season.
by pezblanco
Wed Jul 21, 2021 5:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 2022 Ford Maverick Megathread...;-)
Replies: 179
Views: 25064

Re: 2022 Ford Maverick Megathread...;-)

But anyway, the unibody construction is the deal killer for me and makes me think that it's not really a truck. Unibody construction is not done for durability or for better capability, it's just cheaper ... and yes I suppose many SUVs are also unibody and yes I also don't think that any of them are good choices for people that need some actual off road capability. If you just need to take your mtn bikes down to a nearby trailhead where you might possibly have to go down a gravel road, or you have some lumber to take home for a DIY project, then I'm sure the Maverick will be a great choice. The American market has a more than ample selection of body on frame pickup trucks and suv’s. While a relatively small minority of those buyers actuall...