Aviation careers and emergency budgeting

[Pilot Fighter]

I made a good long-term investment just a few days ago! 70 years old, made to a surprisingly large degree out of wood, and built by a bunch of disaffected, land-burning Communists. It's all about making probative, thoughtful, unemotional decisions. This is why, when you're looking for financial advice, you should always just look left or right in the cockpit.

What engine?

 

[Boris Badenov]

What engine?

1800cc MGB swap. Unfortunately, not the MGB transmission, so I will have to remember how to double-clutch into first. It's definitely a "driver" (read: limited resto in I think the 90s or early aughts), but the price reflects this and gives me further pain to look forward to.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

1800cc MGB swap. Unfortunately, not the MGB transmission, so I will have to remember how to double-clutch into first. It's definitely a "driver" (read: limited resto in I think the 90s or early aughts), but the price reflects this and gives me further pain to look forward to.

I had one Midget with the stock 1500 Triumph engine and another one with the same engine that had been bored to 1950 by the previous owner. Twin Webers on both and no cats. Damn, I had fun with those cars and they were surprisingly reliable. With a tonneau cover, I’d crank the heat up and drive top-down in the winter.

 

[Boris Badenov]

The "hood" on the A is kind of an afterthought, AFAICT. This is a sunshine car. So naturally I'll be driving it in Kentucky, where the weather is famously predictable and moisture-free.

Edit: That said, I think you're semi-local. I'm trying to round up a posse of Respectable Gentlemen of a Certain Age to drive their elderly verts around at low-by-modern-standards speeds. You'll need a flat cap, tweed jacket, and something extremely unreliable to drive. Pipe is optional, but strongly encouraged.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

The "hood" on the A is kind of an afterthought, AFAICT. This is a sunshine car. So naturally I'll be driving it in Kentucky, where the weather is famously predictable and moisture-free.

Edit: That said, I think you're semi-local. I'm trying to round up a posse of Respectable Gentlemen of a Certain Age to drive their elderly verts around at low-by-modern-standards speeds. You'll need a flat cap, tweed jacket, and something extremely unreliable to drive. Pipe is optional, but strongly encouraged.

I’m spending most of my time in West TN and West KY, returning to the Bluegrass and Eastern KY primarily for funerals and futile UK Football efforts.

Wardrobe is complete. I might add a twist and go corncob pipe for the Appalachian twist. Did you know that Stalin used cigarette tobacco in his pipe? Thank you Stephen Kotkin.

I do have a couple of cars on my short list that meet your criteria. A clean Yugo is one. The other is a Fiat 800 Spider like my dad owned. Final candidate is an Opel Kadett B. These cars were unusually popular in Eastern KY in the early 70’s as they were very reliable, sold in Buick dealerships, and not Japanese. I recall my grandfather often exclaiming that he’d never buy a Japanese car.

Maybe we could commission fancy grill badges.

 

[Boris Badenov]

These cars were unusually popular in Eastern KY in the early 70’s as they were very reliable, sold in Buick dealerships, and not Japanese. I recall my grandfather often exclaiming that he’d never buy a Japanese car.

My largely absent father (also from eastern KY) also vociferously disapproved of anyone who drove a Japanese car. In his defense, they had killed a bunch of his buddies right in front of him back Dubya Dubya Two, but I still always thought it was a bit much. Also, back then wasn't the Opel, you know, legitimately CHERMAN?

Edit: I would waive the drop-top reg if you brought the Yugo, just by virtue of it breaking down even more than the Brits. But you'd need some Eastern Bloc version of the costume.

 

[🦈💜]

The idea of an AI utopia of leisure is about as absurd of an idea as any that I can imagine. Like, bizarre, detached from human-history, human-nature, and reality bad. That kind of thinking got us Soviet communism, gulags, and purges. Anyway....

I think the tech bros were probably somewhat altruistic at the beginning.

The people at the beginning weren't tech bros.

The www will be the information super highway. Social media will bring the world together. AI will make our lives so much easier. Whatever. I don't think they designed any of these things for the purpose of evil. But I do think that somewhere along the way, those original visionaries became drunk with money/market share/power, and some person whispered in their ear that if they can create and control AI, they will have unlimited power eventually.

They're not the same people. The people who created things to benefit the world were largely driven out (slowly) by money people. Techbros replaced the geeks, freaks and nerds that composed the industry and did things for the greater good, because the bros realized you could make money in tech, and money was their right.

The current crop of people running the show in tech are pretty much evil, and it's money that controls everything. Many of the people working at these places are largely mercenary, because the people who pushed for projects to be aligned with the "greater good" were run out over time.

I want AI. I very much do. But not . . . this. This is the nightmare version of AI, implemented by brute force at the cost of insane resource consumption that the world can't sustain, all to benefit a tiny handful of d-bags at the cost of everything good, every artist and creator.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

The people at the beginning weren't tech bros.



They're not the same people. The people who created things to benefit the world were largely driven out (slowly) by money people. Techbros replaced the geeks, freaks and nerds that composed the industry and did things for the greater good, because the bros realized you could make money in tech, and money was their right.

The current crop of people running the show in tech are pretty much evil, and it's money that controls everything. Many of the people working at these places are largely mercenary, because the people who pushed for projects to be aligned with the "greater good" were run out over time.

I want AI. I very much do. But not . . . this. This is the nightmare version of AI, implemented by brute force at the cost of insane resource consumption that the world can't sustain, all to benefit a tiny handful of d-bags at the cost of everything good, every artist and creator.

… and wasted clock cycles. Most AI is written in Python.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

My largely absent father (also from eastern KY) also vociferously disapproved of anyone who drove a Japanese car. In his defense, they had killed a bunch of his buddies right in front of him back Dubya Dubya Two, but I still always thought it was a bit much. Also, back then wasn't the Opel, you know, legitimately CHERMAN?

Edit: I would waive the drop-top reg if you brought the Yugo, just by virtue of it breaking down even more than the Brits. But you'd need some Eastern Bloc version of the costume.

 

[///AMG]

The people at the beginning weren't tech bros.



They're not the same people. The people who created things to benefit the world were largely driven out (slowly) by money people. Techbros replaced the geeks, freaks and nerds that composed the industry and did things for the greater good, because the bros realized you could make money in tech, and money was their right.

The current crop of people running the show in tech are pretty much evil, and it's money that controls everything. Many of the people working at these places are largely mercenary, because the people who pushed for projects to be aligned with the "greater good" were run out over time.

I want AI. I very much do. But not . . . this. This is the nightmare version of AI, implemented by brute force at the cost of insane resource consumption that the world can't sustain, all to benefit a tiny handful of d-bags at the cost of everything good, every artist and creator.

Agree with every word you said. I should have been more specific with my blanket generalization. And I do think there are probably some good people left that want to do good. But like you said, that isn't the stuff that is profitable anymore

 

[phill1174]

Any airlines hiring temp workers? I got funding that can take me comfortably through January but that’s not the time to start looking for a backup. I’ve started taking pics of my wife’s feet when she’s not looking and going to start an OF but don’t know how long that will take to get rolling.

That last part was a good laugh.

We sure as hell could use you at Brown during peak for ramp control.

 

[moxiepilot]

Great book. There were a few expenses in there that I thought were ridiculously lavish, but the idea of investing in expereinces that youll remember for lifetimes is powerful. This assumes you arent running up debts and generally cant afford it. But just continuously saving for some unknown number and then not being able to physically use it is not a way to live life to its fullest. If you live until 85 your kids will be 55 and likely wont really need the money either!

As my Dad came into the final weeks of his life, he talked of the good times he had on vacations and such - not how much money he had left in the bank.

Usually dying people have a pretty good perspective.

 

[moxiepilot]

Forever and ever, amen!

Can't remember...did you used to work for Keystone? Hope youre well

 

[moxiepilot]

Any airlines hiring temp workers? I got funding that can take me comfortably through January but that’s not the time to start looking for a backup. I’ve started taking pics of my wife’s feet when she’s not looking and going to start an OF but don’t know how long that will take to get rolling.

It's so funny that you posted this. This was the exact conversation that happened at the poker table - that my wife posts OF content because she's got clown feet (joking)....and it makes it into the end of my next vlog's blooper/table talk reel. But Im in China and can't upload it yet....

 

[Autothrust Blue]

I guess I'll also just chirp in here and point out that local food banks are a great way to make an immediate difference in your neighborhood, that the need is great (now greater than ever thanks to various USDA shenanigans and the Trumpaloos) and that such donations reduce your federal tax liability.

And that you're a lot closer to needing a food bank than you are being a billionaire.

 

[nocturnalaviator]

Can't remember...did you used to work for Keystone? Hope youre well

Keystone Aerial Scottrade