[Nick]

That's a 992 interior. Gah, my eyes. Besides the offensive red leather everywhere this is just a nightmare:

- wide center console for no reason other than to block one's knee
- stupid razor-dildo shifter, which highlights it's PDK
- stupid little buttons and lots of wasted space
- have I mentioned it is ugly? because it is

How far from the tree they have fallen:

(993)

back in the day a good friend and I visited his Dad at work, at the Porsche dealer.
There was a 993TT. Black. The interior was all lipstick red leather, not unlike this 911 above. It. Was. Amazing.
Maybe it's a style + real life thing, and I'm sure I couldn't deal with it for long, but it was stunning and I totally get it.

 

[Toshi]

TIL that Nick is keen to drive around in a mobile bordello

 

[Toshi]

That said, I also do get it to some degree. I love the concept of the LX 570 red interior:

Having such a thing is clearly low on my list as compared to various and sundry debts, but perhaps I'll indulge some day.

 

[Toshi]

More on the BEV Geely:

a) Price will likely be $55k pre-credit and thus “under $48k” after taking the Fed credit into account (!)

b) Volvo/Sensus UI skins atop Android confirmed as per my hazy memory—have I mentioned that Sensus sucks?

c) New vendor for ADAS systems

Volvo’s XC40 crossover goes fully battery electric for “under $48,000”

It will get a 78kWh battery and will cost "under $48,000" after tax credits.

arstechnica.com

Drivers curious about tech will be interested to learn that the XC40's digital systems are all new. The car's suite sensors (radar, cameras, and ultrasonics) enable a new generation of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), developed by Zenuity (a joint venture between Volvo and Veoneer).

The infotainment system is now fully Android-based, like the Polestar 2. The underlying software is the same across the brands, but Volvo and Polestar will each use unique UI layers, and the Android-based infotainment will start appearing in existing Volvo models as they get their mid-life refreshes.

Exact pricing has yet to be revealed, but Volvo told us that when the XC40 Recharge goes on sale in 2020, it should cost under $48,000 once the $7,500 IRS tax credit is taken into account.

 

[Pesqueeb]

“under $48k” after taking the Fed credit

 

[Toshi]

I think Google fucked something up during today’s account merge process between Nest and them.

I merged my accounts, logged into the Nest app, and all of a sudden found myself looking at the front door camera of some random dude’s house, mine nowhere to be found!

I did a little digging while on the phone with first Google One then Google Nest support, and my cameras are visible under a different house. Turns out managing these houses is via the Google Home app.

So I went into Google Home and some Jeff Clark tried to add his son Travis but somehow added me. Travis has my email with a number as suffix. Through this app I found Jeff’s email and searched my Gmail account to see if I had some random invitation via Google Home that I had clicked on inadvertently. (This was not the case: had one email notifying me Jeff had added a Google Home Mini to his devices, and nothing else.)

Via this connection I was able to see all his devices and see what faces were recognized, and could have changed his temperature, played music on his speakers, etc.

At first glance this looks like Google added me as a family member without confirmation from my end, and then when Google and Nest merged their accounts I suddenly got access to all his Nest and Google devices.

This is problematic.

The last after I removed myself. Yes, they call their house Peden. I wonder if Elon Musk knows of him.

 

[rideit]

Jeff Clark has some sketchy looking ‘friends’

 

[Toshi]

The 31.1” Nokians do look funny wrapped tightly around my 18” Tundra takeoffs, and the effective diameter change may well be greater than indicated nominally. But the Land Cruiser definitely drives better with them.

It still downshifted on cruise on a few hills, on one from 5th to 4th to 3rd (coming up Hwy 58 into Golden by Coors) but overall much more sprightly.

 

[Nick]

I'll never understand why anyone would wire up their entire home so a company knows; what they discuss, when they come and go, what they watch, who visits them and when, and listen to everything that happens under their roof.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I'll never understand why anyone would wire up their entire home so a company knows; what they discuss, when they come and go, what they watch, who visits them and when, and listen to everything that happens under their roof.

Pipe down, Old Man! Now get off my lawn.

 

[Nick]

Pipe down, Old Man! Now get off my lawn.

I felt curmudgeony just typing that.

 

[Toshi]

Oh @Nick I finally cleared today the one rocky chute on Shorthorn today about which I’d posted several summers ago.

 

[Nick]

which? where?

 

[6thElement]

Also interested to know which section you're referring to as I hit SH the other week for the first time in ages.

 

[Toshi]

Before the big rocks climb up in woods. It’s a left hand short chute, big foot to a side square rocks along the inside.

 

[Nick]

I have no idea where that is.

 

[Toshi]

I have no idea where that is.

I had a photo on my July 2016 post but it is apparently not hosted now.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I had a photo on my July 2016 post but it is apparently not hosted now.

Show me on a google map, n00B!

 

[Toshi]

Show me on a google map, n00B!

 

[SkaredShtles]

View attachment 137912

Fucking Millenials...

 

[Toshi]

I am quite sore now. Lactic acid from chasing my fast similarly-electrified riding buddy and going anerobic for a few minutes, a bit of contusion from falling off the back of my bike on a poorly executed climbing move up a big rock feature, and general soreness from having done just shy of 3k vert.

 

[Toshi]

Panniers and reflector on rack (once was a light before water damage, as it must be mounted upside down for clearance) old. Retroreflective tape on seatpost and fender newly added.

 

[Toshi]

Also interested to know which section you're referring to as I hit SH the other week for the first time in ages.

The route we took was nice to mix it up.

Lower lot start
Belcher to Whippletree
“Up” Whippletree then up/right on technically lower Longhorn (not the wrong way on “middle” Longhorn from creek, of course)
This punts one back out at the start of Infierno
Up Belcher Hill Road and then Trail all the way to the top bench
Right at bench down Belcher Hill Trail to the uppermost lot
Down road 200 feet to rejoin Belcher Hill Trail on the other side of the road
Over to Rawhide, doing that whole loop, not taking Wrangler’s Run
After Rawhide then down Longhorn to the cattle catcher, right on Shorthorn
Whippletree and lower Belcher back to the car

Different is good sometimes. Except for Mountain Lion, where different is not good.

 

[Toshi]

Lawns are a pain in the ass. I spent a goodly amount of time today working on the grass:

- last cut of the season so cut at 2” (normally cut at 3” and most grass was about 4” so this took a ton of emptying the bag and making two passes so it didn’t look so horrible with clippings everywhere, even with my Honda at 100% bagging)
- used my fancy new plastic-swing-bladed head on the trimmer
- blew off the path and blew the clippings against the curb in the street into a pile
- reseeded and fertilized
- Revive-d and then unhooked the hoses
- winterized the sprinklers (thankfully a no-blowout system)

Whew.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Lawn creation and maintenance: Mow area to 3" with a mulching mower. Repeat. Eventually and rapidly, grasses dominate. Don't water, fertilize, or use poisons.

 

[Toshi]

Lawn creation and maintenance: Mow area to 3" with a mulching mower. Repeat. Eventually and rapidly, grasses dominate. Don't water, fertilize, or use poisons.

That may well work in the NE, but not in arid, relatively hot Denver. The flip side of this is whether we should have lawns at all here, of course. Water is cheap, at least, and due to the magic of the water cycle it’ll all come back to us in some months.

 

[SkaredShtles]

That may well work in the NE, but not in arid, relatively hot Denver. The flip side of this is whether we should have lawns at all here, of course. Water is cheap, at least, and due to the magic of the water cycle it’ll all come back to us in some months.

The mulching does... haven't bagged grass here in over a decade, IIRC.

 

[6thElement]

At our rental in Golden I made sure to mow it short enough it all died in the heat. I have a dislike of water being wasted by sprinklers to water grass in an arid environment.

Current house I think most of the grass was ~30" tall by the end of summer. Zero mowing or mower getting used here.

Eldest brother recently replaced his lawn with fake turf to avoid maintenance.

 

[Nick]

At our rental in Golden I made sure to mow it short enough it all died in the heat. I have a dislike of water being wasted by sprinklers to water grass in an arid environment.

Current house I think most of the grass was ~30" tall by the end of summer. Zero mowing or mower getting used here.

Eldest brother recently replaced his lawn with fake turf to avoid maintenance.

I might buy you a goat for xmas.

Maybe.

 

[6thElement]

I might buy you a goat for xmas.

Maybe.

Wife and I discussed getting a few and renting them out around the mountain for ground clearing peoples property. Unfortunately knocking down our barn and building a garage limits storing them out of the way of the local bears and lions

 

[Toshi]

The mulching does... haven't bagged grass here in over a decade, IIRC.

How often do you mow to make this feasible?

I was lazy this summer and mowed maybe every 2-3 weeks. Even with my fancy (racing?) Honda I'd get clumps of grass sitting on the lawn if I tried to do anything but 80+% bag (adjustable in 10% increments).

 

[dan-o]

Volvo XC40 Recharge announced

Good:

- 408 hp via all wheels, 0-60 in 4.7 seconds
- 150 kW fast charging

Bad:

- "more than 200" miles of EPA range despite 78 kWh pack, so shitty efficiency
- "priced under $50,000" so expect $49,990
- 2 rows, only 19"/20" wheel options, Sensus will still be crappy with Android underhood

Verdict: Why would anyone buy this instead of a Model Y save for misplaced vanity?

Maybe because of This?

 

[Toshi]

Maybe because of This?

Meh. They'll fix it, and even if it does end up being $1,800 out of pocket not the end of the world. See @eric strt6 and HPFP preventative $$$$ for reference.

 

[Toshi]

Locked down my refinance rate today.

3.125% x 15 years fixed, jumbo, 0 points, [net closing costs currently estimated at $1,400]

Current debt scenario, noting that the math favors paying down the longest term debt when the rates are in the same ballpark (so not paying down the cars!):

That's definitely making me think I need to look at refinancing costs on the mortgage.

I'd recommend some time in Excel or Google Sheets or whatever your chosen poison is, with this open in another window:

Advanced Mortgage Calculator with Extra Payments: Make Additional Weekly, Monthly, Biweekly Yearly and/or One-time Home Loan Payments

www.mortgagecalculator.org

Here's what the tea leaves show for my particular set of numbers (principal, rate, term, when and how much I plan on paying extra–for that see the "current debt scenario" column of when things get paid off):

Cliffs Notes are that for me this refinance will save me $25k under a plausible set of extra payment conditions. (In reality it might be slightly different as I had the extra payments starting 11/2024 whereas various debts will be paid off starting 2023–see quoted post.)

 

[Toshi]

Effective mortgage rate is projecting for 2020's taxes based off of the post-2018 larger standard deduction, how much I usually claim in itemized deductions, etc. My 3.875% nominal 30 year mortgage worked out to an effective rate of 3.46% last year, iirc.

I screwed up a bit in making this calculation. 2020 effective interest rate of the 3.125% refinance will likely be more on the order of 2.90%, not 2.70%. (I'd considered my 2018-level itemized deductions to be independent of the mortgage interest amount whereas in reality it's dependent on it.)

This in turn prompted me to look into the amortization schedule of the new 15 year note, in particular how much mortgage interest per year. Recall that in 2018 the Trump tax law increased the standard deduction for married filing jointly to $24k, thus if one won't crest $24k in itemized deductions then mortgage interest is giving no benefit, as it were. This is relevant for the people who say that mortgages aren't debts that should be paid off early–not true if not deductible, IMO.

Anyway, with how that amortization schedule works out I should be able to get a meager benefit from said mortgage through 2023, when I project my effective mortgage interest rate to be 3.089% from the nominal 3.125%… and from 2024 onwards no benefit, even with no prepayment. So come 2023-2024 as money frees up from other debts I should pay down the mortgage posthaste. (Or invest it. Who knows?!)

 

[Toshi]

Final thought re deductibility of interest, deductions, taxes: The $10k SALT deduction cap was a kick in the nuts for me. If that got repealed then the mortgage would remain "useful" for longer as my itemized deductions would be significantly higher sans cap. (Recall that Colorado has a state income tax.)

There are musings but likely nothing happening until at least 2021 is my guess:

Ways and Means to weigh rollback of state, local tax deduction cap - Roll Call

Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee will soon hold “at least a full-throttle discussion” about their concerns with the $10,000 cap on state and local income tax deductions that was part of the 2017 tax code overhaul, though it is uncertain whether that will lead to legislation that...

www.rollcall.com

 

[johnbryanpeters]

How often do you mow to make this feasible?

I was lazy this summer and mowed maybe every 2-3 weeks. Even with my fancy (racing?) Honda I'd get clumps of grass sitting on the lawn if I tried to do anything but 80+% bag (adjustable in 10% increments).

Oh, my god, a clump of grass on the lawn!

 

[Pesqueeb]

Oh, my god, a clump of grass on the lawn!

Suburbs, Srs bizness

 

[Toshi]

Oh, my god, a clump of grass on the lawn!

Suburbs, Srs bizness

Large enough and they then choke off the underlying grass.

How to Reduce Grass Clumping on Your Lawn

If left on the lawn for too long, grass clippings can suffocate the healthy grass underneath. Practice these tips to reduce grass clumps on your lawn.

www.thespruce.com

 

[SkaredShtles]

How often do you mow to make this feasible?

Errr... I dunno. I don't keep track. Probably every 10-14 days. Maybe? I dont actually do the mowing... just the yelling and extension-cord-fixing.