Be careful of badge engineering. That’s when cars get minimal changes, such as reskinning or simply changing the badge and get sold by another maker. I owned a Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 which can be bought today for as little as $12,000. This was a reskinned Mercedes SLK32 AMG and came with the maintenance cost typical…

It’s produce guy back again! Here’s another tip. If you use a plastic bag as a glove (most produce department’s have them), then you’ll have a sanitary way to open the clamshell and inspect the berries. Obviously, be courteous and don’t destroy the display in your quest to find the perfect pack of berries, but you’re…

I’ve done a couple of jobs on that list, such as extruder operator and industrial mechanic (same place), and I’ve been a Marine in a combat role. However, the toughest job I’ve held so far is dishwasher.

I could see them being like printers one day. It’ll reach a point when it’s better to just replace the entire computer than it is to replace the battery.

True. That would explain the Apple products too, since I’m sure some schools exclusively use them, which makes them ideal for repair work. My former clients were BP, Subway, Radioshack, and a handful of small local businesses and we had a retail storefront for the public, and the vast majority used Windows. One of my…

I was half-joking because so many of us closed shop years ago when demand dropped off. The market today is probably about a tenth of the size it was a decade ago.

In my area it mostly died due to a combination of factors. Gas prices made service calls a loss, the recession meant people were tight on spending (we did custom builds, digital surveillance systems, and repairs), and our corporate field office clients went proprietary to cut costs. By the time the dust settled, there…

People still do computer repair professionally? I mean, I do every once and a while, but that market is just dead and I have a local market of about 2 million people.

Pro-tip from a (former) Marine. We use Avon’s Skin-So-Soft.

Thank you! I’m glad that I can contribute.

I’d recommend 15 minutes with adequate draining and avoiding any direct air inside your fridge (if you don’t have a crisper drawer. We tend to keep our greens for about a week using just tap water. It doesn’t even have to be cold, but definitely no warmer than room temperature. Some places will use a food safe…

I work in produce. One thing to note is that there is usually some place in the world where your favorite produce grows, so it’s not like that ear of corn you get in January was frozen from the previous season. It probably came from Florida instead of Nebraska. With that said, be conscious of price. People flip-out…

The issue with credit is that income and employment don’t play nearly a large enough role. A person with a stable income and good history that got screwed by a lay-off shouldn’t be punished because your brother sucks at paying bills. People like your brother are why judgements exist, which stay on your credit for ten…

From what I understand, currency strength is based on relative prices. Basically, it’s how much local goods cost relative to your income. The more you can buy with your currency, the stronger the currency. Here’s an example. In Manila, middle class starts around $8,000USD/yr. In the US, it’s around $30,000. A…

My two tips on this. If you need a wallet, use an over-sized “checkbook-style”. It seems like it would be easier to pick, but the weight and size of the wallet makes it harder to pick without you noticing. It could still potentially get snatched or picked if there are lots of people crowded around, and that’s where my…

There isn’t a news source outside of a direct reporting agency (Reuters, AP, etc) that doesn’t have some sort of bias. What matters is if they’re not heavily skewing information or outright lying about it. Very few are left like that, maybe a few Youtube channels. All of the major ‘liberal’ sources (WaPo, CNN, MSNBC,…

Filipino isn’t a language. The Philippines has a massive amount of languages for such a small area, but the one people are most familiar with is Tagalog. Mabuhay is correct, but it’s rarely used. Instead, they say “cheers”. You’ll get some impressed looks if you do say it though. Filipinos greatly appreciate when…

When I served in the Marines, we ran off-road regularly (usually 5 miles on pavement, then 5 miles off-road). However, we never did it in running shoes. We ran in boots as the ankle support allowed us to maintain pace without risk of injury. If you do run off-road, I’d recommend a good orienteering shoe/boot to reduce…

Great list. I always consider a santoku as a practical alternative to a chef’s knife. A decent one will do everything a chef’s knife can, and what it can’t a paring knife can usually cover. Another thing is that a Japanese paring knife is a great choice. I use one professionally for slicing produce along with a…

I’m a native Charlottean. I’d rather live in a place with economic mobility and job opportunities. Plus, NC is currently one of the most right-wing states in the nation, and the Republicans are quickly running it into the ground.