Useless Conversation

[Chimpy]

So I just took a certification exam that I was expecting to have 100 questions that had 50. And I was getting enough questions I was not entirely positive about that I was scared I was going to fail. I did get 80% and pass but man, having 100 questions would have given me a better buffer.

At least it is over with.

[Trippy]

Please tell me it's not heat making that lovely light....

There's a light shining on that lower bar, so, yeah, um, that red glow is really just the reflect light source, or something...

[Engels]

My partner and I are finally seriously toying with the idea of owning rather than renting (owning in our neighborhood is serious cash for smallish places) and these stories of HOA just freak me the fuck out. Its like you inherit this odd ball family of neighbors who you have to give money to and god help you if you don't get involved in the group because as nuts as they are, one should keep an eye on the asshattery because, you know, your life's wages are/have gone into the property. Sounds like utter misery.

[Yegolev]

Plus for rural life, or even "rural" life.

I know I'm way, way behind on Trailer Park Boys.  Season 2.  Still, when I laugh out loud, it's really a big deal because I normally don't do that.

Traveling Evangelist: Have you read the bible?
Bubbles: Maybe I have, maybe I haven't, what's it to you?
Traveling Evangelist: Can you read, my son?
Bubbles: Well, that depends.  Can you go fuck yourself?
*roll intro*

[Merusk]

My partner and I are finally seriously toying with the idea of owning rather than renting (owning in our neighborhood is serious cash for smallish places) and these stories of HOA just freak me the fuck out. Its like you inherit this odd ball family of neighbors who you have to give money to and god help you if you don't get involved in the group because as nuts as they are, one should keep an eye on the asshattery because, you know, your life's wages are/have gone into the property. Sounds like utter misery.

It's a trade-off. They came about as suburbs became a thing. (and it sounds like Jonny's woes are more from a Co-op in a building) 

The idea is to keep people from doing things like letting cars rust on their lawn, which really kills your property value. As a property owner who isn't a quarter-KM from my nearest neighbor I'm happier to have it than not.  The last place didn't have one and my property suffered for it.

On the other hand, there's always that segment of the population that will take ANY opportunity or small amount of power to create their own personal fiefdom.

[Sky]

In non-planned developer hell, we have things called codes to take care of that.

[Teleku]

So in conversation with Russian students about House of Cards, I've learned that different cultures can have different views of common pop culture material.  For instance, one culture might view the show as being the story of a power hungry megalomaniac who will sink to any low to gain more power to satisfy his ego, even if it requires sacrificing the few people close to you and causing a great deal of harm to many others.

Another culture might view it as a classical hero's journey, about a strong a leader doing the tough things need to be done (that lesser people wont do), for the greater good of the nation, as he struggles to assume his rightful position.   

[Samwise]

In non-planned developer hell, we have things called codes to take care of that.

Yeah, here in SF local government provides ample avenues to screw with your neighbors over crap like that if you're so inclined.  Crap like leaving cars rusting on your lawn or building illegal additions, that is.  You don't get to tell people what color they can paint their house.

[Merusk]

*shrug* Not in the Midwest, apparently. Knew more than a few in the 'rural' part of town who got away with it growing-up.

[Yegolev]

Another culture might view it as a classical hero's journey, about a strong a leader doing the tough things need to be done (that lesser people wont do), for the greater good of the nation, as he struggles to assume his rightful position.   

This is pretty awesome.

[Chimpy]

Well considering that most of the Russian students that he is probably talking to have grown up under the umbrella of Putin's personality cult, it makes sense that they would see it that way. The guy did produce a video biography of himself that basically followed that storyline.

[Johny Cee]

My partner and I are finally seriously toying with the idea of owning rather than renting (owning in our neighborhood is serious cash for smallish places) and these stories of HOA just freak me the fuck out. Its like you inherit this odd ball family of neighbors who you have to give money to and god help you if you don't get involved in the group because as nuts as they are, one should keep an eye on the asshattery because, you know, your life's wages are/have gone into the property. Sounds like utter misery.

You should get a copy of by-laws before you sign anything, and it isn't a bad idea to talk to neighbors to get a gauge on their opinions.  Neighbors might not be honest, but you should be able to tell form hesitation or the bad lying that the HOA might not be a good deal.  Also, you can ask your real estate agent...  they usually have a good idea about the general rep of an HOA.

If your by-laws come with pages of what color you can paint your house and how tall your grass can be... probably not a good situation.

The problem in my situation is that the only people who had time to run around and do the necessary stuff all happened to be old geezers...  And then a couple of the geezers got dumb ideas they tried to force through.  Still beats lawncare, hassling with insurance and contactors, garbage, plowing/snow blowing, and all the other shit.  Also, as obnoxious as the geezers were, their obnoxiousness came in handy shutting down a couple owners that tried some shady rental shit.

As Merusk says, the flip side to no HOA is it means you have to deal with the shitbird neighbors... whether that is not maintaining property or obnoxiously loud at all hours or whatever.  You can just make a complaint up the line and let the HOA deal with it.

[Abagadro]

There are several different set-ups you need to be aware of that restrict pure fee title to your property.  From most pain in the ass to least: 1) Co-Op/Condo. 2) Home Owner's Association. 3) Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions; and 4) Zoning.   If you find a property you need to make sure to inquire which of these is in place and applicable  (Zoning is governmental and will apply to all property but is not very restrictive most times, mostly just that it has to be a particular type of occupancy (i.e. single-family, multi-family, mixed-use, etc.).  The only time zoning is a  problem is if it is some designated historical district or something which means you can't tear stuff down or alter the exterior very much. 

Once you know what is applicable to the property PM me or hop on TS to discuss. I've dealt with all of these in my career and litigated them extensively so can give you a good sense of what you are in for.  I can't review the actual stuff and give you a definitive legal opinion (Hi Bar Commission!) but can certainly give you a good overview of how these types of things affect property interests in general.

[Paelos]

This week has been a cavalcade of whiny people looking to dump crap on everyone else before the holiday weekend.

[lamaros]

Well considering that most of the Russian students that he is probably talking to have grown up under the umbrella of Putin's personality cult, it makes sense that they would see it that way. The guy did produce a video biography of himself that basically followed that storyline.

What culture views it as just crap? I need to know where I fit in.

[Strazos]

The culture of morons and fucking heathens. 

[Teleku]

But he's already in Australia.....







(I kid I kid)

[Abagadro]

So, I'm thinking about a trip to Asia, just because I've never been there. Anyone have a good idea of where to go (or not go)?

[Trippy]

What do you like to do when you travel?

Edit: Also what month(s) would this be?

[Abagadro]

Don't really have a month in mind, its all just a notion at this point. 

I like to see cool historical or cultural stuff and eat/drink really well on trips. Seeing local sporting events is also fun but not a requisite.

Don't exactly like to "rough it" in the wilderness but would if it is worth it.

[lamaros]

Japan is awesome and very western in comfort.

India I'd see again but is very varied and can be much more challenging (if you do or don't like that).

Thailand and Indonesia I've just seen the tourist islands, which probably isn't what you looking for.

[Trippy]

Don't really have a month in mind, its all just a notion at this point.  

I like to see cool historical or cultural stuff and eat/drink really well on trips. Seeing local sporting events is also fun but not a requisite.

Don't exactly like to "rough it" in the wilderness but would if it is worth it.

Asia is obviously a very big place so you'll need to decide if you want to visit a bunch of different countries or a handful (or even just one) on your first trip over there. Personally I would recommend the "breadth-first" approach (visit lots of countries) if you can stand to do all that extra traveling and then if you find a country or two you really like you can spend more time there in a subsequent trip.

I've only traveled through the non-East/Southeast Asia parts of Asia once when I was a kid so I can't really give any advice on those countries other than to say that visiting the Taj Mahal is worth considering.

For East and Southeast Asia, visiting some of the capitals with maybe a few side trips is a good way to experience that part of the world. For example:

Seoul, South Korea - with a trip up to the DMZ
Toyko, Japan
Beijing, China - with a day trip up to the Great Wall and maybe a flight over to Xian to see the Terracotta Army
Macao, China - just cause you like gambling
Bangkok, Thailand
Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Traveling around E/SE Asia in the Summer is pretty miserable. In the Winter SE Asia is more tolerable but the northern parts of Asia including Beijing can be pretty bad. So Spring or Fall is probably the best time to go depending on the countries you want to visit.

Also note that the smog in Beijing and many other cities in China can be nightmarish/apocalypse levels of badness at times. As in there's no way in fuck you would want to go outside and you better hope the place you are staying at has industrial-strength air scrubbers in their ventilation system. Beijing does have some decent museums* but the most interesting stuff is all outdoors.

* Taipei actually has the nicest museum for Chinese artifacts cause the Nationalists took as much of that stuff as they could carry when they fled from the Communists

[Viin]

Loved traveling all over Japan. Very easy to do and lots to see. Can't wait to go back. (Plus you can put that anime imbibed knowledge to use!)

[Lantyssa]

Bangkok, Thailand was a lot of fun.  The temples and palace have some beautiful architecture.  Super cheap, too.  Places like Phuket are more touristy beaches.  Then there are jungle tours which I never did either.  The locals are incredibly friendly and the food is great.  Did I mention super cheap?  You'll never eat so well for so little.

Two tips from my trip there that likely apply to anywhere:  Only drink bottled water, and only buy soft-drinks from street vendors, as bottled water might be tap/river water.  Get a few cards from your hotel--even if you cannot speak the language, you can give it to a taxi driver.

I'd echo going in spring or fall for most.  Winter can be okay in some places, but you run the risk of it being the rainy season.  Summer can get really hot, and the presence of AC can vary widely.  Check average temps and rain chance for each country you're interested in.

[Abagadro]

Good suggestions so far.  Thanks.

I've had an interest in going to Tokyo for a while but it seems like it might be a bit overwhelming.

[NowhereMan]

I'm currently living in KL sooo...  Obviously advice will have an SEA bias. I'd also vote against the breadth thing a bit. Doing multiple countries in a week or two is going to mean spending half your time in airports or in planes. Personally I think you'd be better off picking one or two countries and spending a couple of days in them. Exceptions might be made for somewhere you're going to for something specific or Singapore (which is a 2-3 day place to do everything for most people).

Thailand is a really popular option obviously. Bangkok I've been to once and it's a fun city, really great food and some good temples actually in the city. I'd advise taking a food walking tour or similar and generally be a bit reckless about hygeine (by Western standards). Outside that, Chiang Mai is really popular for Temples, becoming more touristy and apparently filled with Chinese Mainlanders now. If you want an island resort type place Phuket is nice, it's a complete tourist trap though so if you like that kind of thing stay round the resorts and don't hire anything from anyone. I'll minimise island recommendations although there's lots of nice places about.

Cambodia I'd highly recommend, Phnomh Penh has some great food, both local and Western (they have a Texan BBQ place that apparently does great ribs). It's fun for a couple of days, there's a cool art-deco market. There's also the Killing Field and S-21(IIRC, the prison), which is certainly not fun times holiday stuff but is pretty moving. Siem Reap has Angkor Wat and dozens of other temples that are less crowded. I've heard good reports about just getting a Tuk Tuk guy and hiring him for the day to just go visit temples. They're pretty much guaranteed to find some not so busy spots.

Malaysia has a few good spots, Kuala Lumpur can be a nice break from SEA generally if you want some civilisation without going full blown Singapore. Good food in the Hawker places and Roti Canai makes an amazing unhealthy breakfast. Cameron Highlands are a nice spot for a few days, tea and fruit farms up in the mountains. Other recommendations in Malaysia would largely be island spots unless you want to hit Sabah/Borneo which has some amazing trekking and nature sights.

Indonesia has great islands again and Bali, if you get out of the touristy corner, has fun temples, beautiful beaches and fantastic food.

Vietnam is another really good location, there's a decent mix of geography in the country and really it's somewhere you could spend a week or two travelling through. Hue is probably the go to historical place to visit there but it's a really, really boring town otherwise and seems to be natural heat trap if you're there anywhere near summer.

China, Beijing has some of the best historical sights with the Forbidden city and being in easy travelling distance to the Great Wall. It's probably the most interesting place in China right not in terms of Culture, it's where all the new music/art/microbrews/etc are happenig but those kind of things aren't the easiest for a tourist to find never mind actually be into and it's not a very welcoming city. Xian has the warriors but I honestly like the city and the Muslim quarter a lot more than those, it's a cool place. Suzhou is really beautiful with great tombs nearby, if you hit China it's worth going to. Qing Dao is a cool seaside town with a weird German colonial legacy and China's oldest brewery as well as the site of the original May 4th march, the start of the Chinese Nationalist movement. Hong Kong is a bit different but is an amazing city with a lot going on as well, whether you want to do China or not I'd recommend trying to spend a couple of days there.

[schild]

I don't want this in the other thread, I want this in this thread. The best gif I've seen in years.

[Teleku]

So, I'm thinking about a trip to Asia, just because I've never been there. Anyone have a good idea of where to go (or not go)?

Some good advice from people here.  My own is that you should just stick with 1-3 countries (and only 3 if you are doing two or more weeks abroad).  Unless you are a seasoned traveler, I don't recommend trying to cram as many cities and countries in as possible.  You'll be stressed out all the time and miss a lot of things. 

There are basically two options you have to pick.  Do I want cool modern Asia or gritty developing Asia? 

For the first, hit Japan.  It really sounds like it's up your ally from what you described.  The cities are impressive if you never been to Asia, they have (IMO) pretty much the best food and eating out culture in the world (if you do decide to go, I'll line you out with all the specific types of restaurants to go to).  You could spend weeks In Japan.  Tokyo is great if you've never been, just to see the craziness.  But they also have a ton of really cool historical stuff all around the country to see.  All easy to get to by train.  I recommend hitting Kyoto/Osaka while your there.  Lots of weird crazy japanese pop culture things to see also.  It is, however, expensive.

Secondary options on that are Korea and a Major Chinese city.  Haven't been to Korea, but I hear it's similar to Japan.  Went to Shanghai, which was interesting and rougher around the edges than Japan.  Wasn't that taken with it though.

If you want the gritty developing Asia, hit Thailand and Vietnam.  Lots to offer, great food, and very cheap.  Just keep in mind these are crowded cities with very few traffic rules, where you'll often have to argue with cab drivers not to scam you, and you'll feel physically exhausted after just trying to make it a few blocks down the street.  Which is a big selling point if you like that (I do), and will be a very interesting experience.  You'll have plenty of stories to bring back home. 

Secondary options are Cambodia and a more rural Chinese city.  There are suppose to be some really neat, well preserved historical places in China's interior.  But keep in mind these are not nearly as developed as the major costal cities, and it will be a very different experience from Beijing or Shanghai.  Various islands in the philipines and Indonesia are great if you want to see beautiful tropical scenery and unique culture.  Jakarta and Manila are probably best avoided though.

So if you can pick what kind of trip you want, we can help you with more specific info.

[Trippy]

I'm currently living in KL sooo...   Obviously advice will have an SEA bias. I'd also vote against the breadth thing a bit. Doing multiple countries in a week or two is going to mean spending half your time in airports or in planes. Personally I think you'd be better off picking one or two countries and spending a couple of days in them. Exceptions might be made for somewhere you're going to for something specific or Singapore (which is a 2-3 day place to do everything for most people).

He didn't say how long he was planning on traveling. Obviously the shorter the trip the fewer places you can visit. Since he's never been to Asia I still say it's worth trying to see more countries than fewer if the schedule lends itself to that.

Hong Kong is a bit different but is an amazing city with a lot going on as well, whether you want to do China or not I'd recommend trying to spend a couple of days there.

Hong Kong is my favorite city in China but it's not a very good place to visit if you want to see the more interesting historical and cultural sites in China. HK is the place to go if you want to eat, drink and shop, especially for English-speakers because of their dual-signage system (thanks British colonial rule!) and their stellar subway / public transportation system. It would be a great place to stay for a couple of days to relax and unwind at the end of the trip before flying back to the US. However given Abagadro's fondness for poker I suggested Macao instead -- I think that would be more interesting for him (though maybe not for the wife).

[Merusk]

I haven't watched a site implode in almost 10 years. I'd almost forgotten what it looked like. Ah, memories.

[NowhereMan]

Ooh where? Where? I love Shardenfreude!

Is it here?

[Trippy]

Reddit.

[Rasix]

It's just nonstop kvetching.  You have to wonder what Victoria did or just how bad Ellen Pao is at her job.  The last reddit employee to publicly claim they were fired for nothing ended up being fired for being terrible at their job.

On the plus side, I haven't seen a stupid Skyrim meme on the front page all day.

[schild]

Victoria was probably hot, and she was certainly popular as they came.

And Pao is an ugly shitheel, and obviously jealous of other people's success given how she conducts her life. Which is like a very bad supervillain.

[Merusk]

 Victoria is about average really. There's been several pics posted the last day or so. She seemed competent but there plenty of rumors about the reasons and we the users will never know.

It IS a misstep in how it was handled though. Even if she was terrible, the service she provided was essential for running the sub that generates them a ton of traffic. Having someone else available and ready to step in and do the IAMAs right away should have been in place. That keeps things smooth and shows that you - as a business- understand the platform you're providing and how necessary the user content is for your business model.

On top of all this it turns out they also fired the reddit gift exchange mod. That was a surprising reveal itself since that was such a popular part of the site. Combined with the last two missteps you wonder what the hell is going on in backend world. Cult of personality consolidation or just cutting of nonprofessional tech slackers.

 Time will tell but the quieter the leadership is the more it looks like the former.