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I have 2 coworkers that were complaining about their power bills last month. It was hot all month, they both live in modest sized houses. One paid over $500, the other paid over $900. I don't know how much power they used but 900 for power is crazy. I'm guessing their household income is...

Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute. That was Woodsy Owl (1970), and this post could also be used in the "you know you're old when" thread! :ROFLMAO:

Could this be a self-fulfilling prophecy? As regulations are enacted, mines are shuttered, prices rise, distances from sources increase, prices rise, plants are shuttered, prices increase, rinse and repeat...

except these: 😁 North Island brown kiwi, Apteryx mantelli[1] Black-crowned night heron, Nycticorax nycticorax[1] Barn owl, Tyto alba[1] Short-eared owl, Asio flammeus[1] Long-eared owl, Asio otus[1] Great horned owl, Bubo virginianus[1] Barred owl, Strix varia[1] Spotted owl, Strix...

https://senatorfowler.com/ameren-electric-rate-increase-frequently-asked-questions/ The increase is a result of many factors that have created the perfect storm. Power supply prices are going up because of global market pressures, and recent public policy has prioritized renewable energy (solar...

Are any other power companies increasing prices by almost 50% like Ameren IL? Beginning June 1, 2025, and ending September 30, 2025, Ameren Illinois' supply price (also known as the Price to Compare) will increase by roughly 50 percent, going from around 8 cents per kWh to around 12 cents per...

Fibber McGee and Molly, radio show that ran from 1935-1959. I've only heard it in re-runs. Husband and wife in real life The stars of the program were husband-and-wife team Jim Jordan (1896–1988)[8][3] and Marian Driscoll Jordan (1898–1961),[8][9] who were natives of Peoria, Illinois. Jordan...

My dad used to listen to it, what about Fibber Mcgee and Molly, The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid, and many more.

Finally, some cooler weather is on the way here. We're expecting overnight lows in the high 50's in a few days.

Karine Jean-Pierre :poop:

That would be a heck of shot, all my brother in laws are about 7,000 miles away. :ROFLMAO:

We planted watermelon this year and they have huge black seeds in them. FYI, I can spit a seed about 18 ft, almost twice as far as my 13-year-old son. LOL

There are many drive thru liquor stores in the town I live in. They don't hand it to you open though. With legalized gambling in many gas stations and stand-alone gambling joints, they are required to sell alcohol and let you drink while you gamble. Illinois :LOL:

I had a JW girl in my class from kindergarten to HS graduation. She was a sweet girl and still lives in my hometown. I believe she left the JW in her twenties or so and ended up divorced. School was awkward for her and her brother. They weren't allowed to celebrate anything or attend...

No door to door anything and hardly a delivery person either at our place. Propane delivery is about the only thing that comes to our place. That's a positive thing about being the last house on a dead end private drive that isn't visible from other properties. We did have one Jehovah's Witness...

I'd stay away from the tree ;) Hope you get it figured out, more tests are in order I guess.

What a shitty deal. But seriously, that sucks if it's really happening.

I was going to get my sticker for my truck license plate the other day. I looked for the 3x5 card in the bills where I thought I put it. Nope not there. Crap, maybe I put it in the truck, nope not there. Maybe it's in the car, nope. Running out of ideas I texted my wife who's 20 years younger...

My 83 year old father who is still carrying mail on a rural route after almost 65 years has resorted to telling people not to use the USPS if there are other options. He is that disgusted with their service. There may be legitimate reasons for the return of your package but there is no reason...

Hope you'll post more pictures

My goodness man, Sketchers Slip Ins for sawing up a thorn covered Osage Orange?!? What were you thinking? Put on some thick soled high top work boots!

ok, I'm not on Medicare yet though. After I've been hounded for a review by email, text and phone, most of the time while I'm working, driving down the interstate, or sitting down to dinner, I'm not in a mood to give a good review. I would prefer they contact me one time and said something...

Similar subject I guess, I get so tired of health care facilities wanting me to review them. They contact me by text, email, and phone every time I have an appointment. After my last debacle trying to find out what labs would cost me, they wouldn't want my review.

That's the first time I've heard or read the word "pleach". Thanks for the vocabulary lesson. I might leave work early now.

They put in 2 roundabouts in the town of 28,000 near me. I believe they received federal funds for them. They are basically unused; I've been around both of them and I was the only car there.

I'll take your word for it :LOL: No fire ants around these parts and thankfully haven't run into the yellow jackets. My neighbor was chased into his house and all the way into his shower by Bald-faced Aerial Yellowjacket, Bald-faced Wasp, Bald Hornet, White-faced Hornet, Blackjacket...

I loaned a 2-man post hole digger to a guy about 3 years ago. He still has it, I think. He may have loaned to someone else for all I know. He did repair it when he "borrowed" it. He has a better place to store it than I do. I might get it back someday.

I'll take the ants over a wasp's nest. Ask me how I know...

Made it perfectly clear to my neighbors, I will NOT loan out my tractor, none of them have one. I will come over and move dirt/rock, till a garden, drill a hole etc. on my time for a few beers.

It is what it is = nonsense statement/waste of your breath and my time listening I could care less - It's couldn't! #&%$*@

There are a lot of Osage bow staves for sale on eBay, and they are quite pricey.

1. Osage Orange: The Density Champion Osage Orange boasts an exceptionally high density. We’re talking about a Janka hardness rating of around 2040 lbf (pounds-force). To put that in perspective, oak, a common and respected firewood, typically ranges from 1200 to 1300 lbf. This incredible...

https://chainsawnerds.com/osage-orange-for-firewood/ Storytelling from the Woodpile: My Osage Orange Adventures Let me share a few personal stories that highlight the challenges and rewards of working with Osage Orange. The Great Bodark Battle of ’08 In 2008, a massive ice storm hit my area...

Have you considered carbide tipped chainsaw chain? Maybe some of the chainsaw experts could speak to that.

It burns very HOT. If you burn it in a stove, you should mix it with other wood and burn small amounts at a time.

I've dug up buried "hedge" posts that I know were at least 80 years old that were still solid.

Could it be an Osage Orange/Hedge Apple tree?

Since we're on the subject of threads, has there been a discussion on TBN about the origin of the metric sparkplug thread and Albert Champion? https://www.wiseautotools.com/blog/from-standard-to-metric-the-evolution-of-spark-plug-sizes-and-the-influence-of-albert-champion/

Olympus and Zeiss use RMS, I think Nikon, Leica, and Mitutoyo use metric. The Royal Microscopical Society (RMS) is a learned society for the promotion of microscopy. It was founded in 1839 as the Microscopical Society of London making it the oldest organisation of its kind in the world. In...

We use 55 degree Whitworth threads on microscope objective adapters .8 x36 tpi.

ok, I hate to, but I'll jump in on this uncomfortable conversation. As I've mentioned, my wife is from the Philippines. It just so happens that TP can be hard to come by when you're not near a major metropolitan area. Most locals in the hinterlands use a tabo. That's a small pot with a handle to...

Yes, I always get about 20% better mileage than my cars are rated. Every time I drive my wife's SUV the mpg calculator goes up and dare I say, put way less wear on the brakes. I can fill her tank, drive home and the calculator will say something like 28mpg. The next time I get in it, the...

I find it funny that if you purchase a set of metric sockets in the US, they will have a 1/4", 3/8" etc. drive.

We were doing the clothesline thing until my wife brought wasps into the house not once, not twice, but three times inside the laundry. That was the end of the clothesline. I know, I should have found the wasps nests and fixed the problem, but my wife also prefers the clothes out of the dryer.

Luckily for me, my wife is as frugal as I am, so we get along well when it comes to spending. Our 13-year-old has taken notice of our spending habits and has really started watching what things cost. I took him out for lunch last week and he's looking at the menu and says, "Dad, I'm not going to...

A friend of mine who is very well off financially used to be addicted to Starbucks. He moved to South Carolina a few years ago so I don't know whether or not he kicked the habit. He was spending a minimum of $12 per day on that crap I'm sure it would be over $20 per day now. That's between 4 and...

I've worked for the same owner for over 33 years. I've never stolen anything and never would. He knows I haul water and use his dumpster. As I said before, it's about a $1000 saving per year and maybe $15000 over the past 33. Every little bit helps the bottom line.

I have in floor registers and in the winter my lounge pants catch on them while walking over them. Darn near fall down every time. I probably should do something about it before I break a hip. :LOL:

When my thirteen-year-old son and I leave the property together for a trip to the store, I usually ask him, "Kyle, do you have your wallet and pocketknife? Where's your belt? Don't you want to wear a hat?" He just laughs.

I forgo garbage service in lieu of dropping it in the dumpster at work, likewise I fill gallon jugs of water at work for drinking at home. Those 2 things combined are probably saving me about $1000/year. There are many others like grinding our own meat, buying in bulk, paying annually rather...

Amazon sells a 6" plastic digital caliper for $5.60. I can't help you with the exact size, sorry. It's nice to have a caliper and thread gage handy.

If it was mine, I would remove the boards and flip them over where possible. Otherwise I would replace the ones that are cupped badly. If the cupping isn't too bad you might try sanding if the fasteners are well sunk and then restain. Just my unprofessional opinion. :)

I didn't detect any whining. I agree though, Starlink is the best internet we've had. A speed test showed over 200 mbps after restoration and again this morning.

Looks worldwide

Anybody have a Starlink outage now?

Yep, 2024 is the end of the line. The Edge ST with 2.7 L twin turbo has 335/380. The Explorers are too big for our needs.

Since Ford discontinued the Edge, which my wife really loves, I showed her pictures of the Bronco Sport. She seems to be ok with the look of the vehicle. There may be one in our future when the Edge leaves us. I will miss the 335hp/380 lb. ft. of torque on that day. I'm considering a 2024 Edge...

He runs track and cross county. I made him a track around the yard, 6 laps equal 1 mile. I think I'll stick to mowing with the zero turn. To the OP, good for you pulling the trigger. It takes me a lot longer if the thing being replaced is still working.

I feel the same way about my 13-year-old son. I remember how hard I was on my dad's push mowers.

Walker mowers have geared decks and synchronized blades so they can overlap. It works great until the shear screws break and the blade tips start hitting. Best to be quick on the blade shutoff lever at that moment.

Escape vehicles (while on fire) ;)

I think we had a flight over 16 hours about 10 years ago. The longest flight according to Google is over 18 hours. The world's longest commercial flight is Singapore Airlines flight SQ23 from New York (JFK) to Singapore (SIN). This flight covers a distance of 9,534 miles (15,344 kilometers) and...

I always carry a travel wallet belt under my pants when traveling abroad. I always make paper copies of passports and other important documents and keep them in it with the majority of cash. We usually have Philippine pesos with us so we can avoid bad exchange rates when getting off the plane...

On Feb. 21, 2025, California State Sen. Menjivar introduced Senate Bill 789 (SB-789), proposing a vacancy tax aimed at commercial real property (property) to address prolonged vacancies, incentivize property activation, and generate revenue to support first-time home buyers through the...

I'm sure many of you will find this story hard to believe but I assure you it's 100% true and actually happened to me. It was the early 1990s and I was living in a small house with a live-in girlfriend in town. We purchased an Amazon parrot together named Freeway. One day while I was at work...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth-billed_hummingbird Is that a toothedbiled hummingbird?

I'll repeat a story about our German Shepherd from 2015. He was only about 6 months old at the time. We were sitting in the house in the evening when we thought someone was outside with a flashlight. We saw it moving passed our front window and around to the end of the house. Upon further...

Had one stolen and washed from a city box. Bank covered it after I filed a police report. I no longer use city or rural boxes. I will mail from inside the post office but don't send checks.

The topic is Starlink by the way. Why so many caps? Are you yelling at people or is your cap lock messed up? :ROFLMAO:

wow man lmao

We use Cricket. We're on ATT towers but depending on the phone you can use Verizon towers. $30/month unlimited txt/tlk/data, no tethering

My experience was a little different. I went out in my 73 and my buddy was in a CJ. He was tiptoeing across the muddy field, barely getting muddy. I was ripping up the field throwing mud everywhere including on top of the Bronco. I must have been funny to watch.

So you don't get your shoes muddy. ;)

If I remember correctly, I had a problem with those auto hubs back in the day. Nosed the 93 Bronco down in a ditch and the hubs wouldn't engage. I had to get pulled out. It was worthless on my hill on our property in the snow, spinning one front and one rear wheel. I was used to the 71 Bronco...

Well, at least my Ford stock is up 20% YTD and has paid $0.30 (about 2.5% for 6 months) per share. 😅 I won't badmouth a Ford product as long as I own stock in the company. ;) On the other hand, the 93 full size Bronco I owned back in the day was a piece of crap that rusted so fast you could...

I think it was a rental and the guy was being very careful. Said it has a locker in the rear I think.

Yep, one of my favorite Saturday and Sunday activities when I wake up at about 5am. I go sit on the covered porch with a cup of coffee and ID birds by their calls. Then I use a few of the many calls for those birds to call them in closer where I can actually see them.

Didn't realize the exchange rate until I read your post. 1 Canadian dollar equals 73 US cents. I thought 50k sounded high but I guess not so much.

We use Merlin Bird ID to call in owls. It's pretty cool to watch 2 or 3 of them fly in and try to find the invader. The Indigo Buntings also seem very receptive to calls.

I'm sure we go over 300Gb with Starlink some months when we update 3 gaming consoles and watch streaming video.

We seem to have less ruby hummers this year but no shortage of others. 2 weekends ago I recorded the following birds at 5am. Noticeably absent from the list is the house sparrow which we have a ton of, they must have still been asleep LOL. I've seen gold finches but haven't got them to the...

By Flop, I mean they aren't selling. It looks like they may sell 20,000 this year compared to the 250,000 or 500,000 number they threw around. Tesla doesn't break out the truck from their sales numbers so it's impossible to tell how many they sold per quarter. It looks like inventories are...

The original battery was failing, so if it had a 50 mile range it now has a 150 mile range.

The battery was replaced with an upgraded one I believe.

https://www.carscoops.com/2025/06/used-tesla-prices-just-cant-stop-dropping/ While used cars prices have generally been creeping upward in the United States since late last summer, not every vehicle is following the same script. Some models are actually shedding value – and fast. Leading the...

If it were me, I would be using hand signals out the window or park the car and never drive it again. 😅 Of course I'm joking. I had an 86 Mustang notchback with tinted windows. After 2 tickets for those tinted windows, I parked it for 10 years and never drove it. It sat there and rotted...

E0 was 91 octane, E10/E15 was 87

E10/E15 was $3.19, E0 was $4.19 yesterday. There are stations about 30 minutes south where E10/E15 is $2.81.

Muriatic acid, also known as hydrochloric acid, is sometimes used in well water systems for well rehabilitation to improve water flow. It can dissolve mineral deposits, iron and manganese oxides, and other substances that can clog wells. However, it's a strong acid and requires careful handling...

I wish I could find it that cheap, I would run it all the time. It was exactly $1 more per gallon than E15/E10 where I got it.

I hear ya, the well is about 70 deep 3' diameter bored starting about 40 feet down with another sand vein above the one we pull water off of. Actually, I haul water by the gallon for drinking, but we do brush teeth and shower in it. I'm confident that the 3/4 gallon of acid didn't make it down...

I don't recommend this but I accidentally killed the weeds in my driveway/parking area awhile back. I had about 3/4 gallon of muriatic acid left over from when we had an above ground pool set up. I needed to get rid of it, so I poured it on the weeds and wow, they were dying within minutes and...

https://ethanolproducer.com/articles/house-passes-big-beautiful-bill-with-45z-extension “We’re grateful to our champions on Capitol Hill who have worked hard to preserve and extend rural priorities, like the 45Z clean fuel production tax credit,” said Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy. “This...

https://www.claconnect.com/en/resources/blogs/agribusiness/irs-releases-guidance-on-45z-credits-for-clean-fuel-production Long-awaited guidance, in the form of forthcoming draft proposed regulations, on Section 45Z Clean Production Fuel Credit was released by the Treasury on January 10. The 45Z...

Yesterday I hand calculated my first tank of E0 in the Mazda. That included about 1/4 tank of E15 mixed in. I managed almost 43 mpg after traveling about 385 miles on about 9 gallons. I refilled with E0 again and will calculate on next fill. That's about a 3-mpg improvement or almost 10%...

Our GSD carries rocks around and leaves them for me to hit with my mower. Just last week he picked up a piece of shale about 6" x 6" x 3" and left it in the driveway for us to run over. I don't know why or how he does it. He found half of a glass 1 gallon jar in the woods and left it in the yard...

I bought 1 new car in my life, a 2008 Accent for $12,500 plus t&t. Put 240k miles on it and it's sitting in the driveway rotting.

That's awesome, ii own Ford stock and it would be great if everyone felt like that! We really love our Edge ST. Unfortunately they're discontinuing them. Otherwise we would have bought another one after this one is worn out. I can't seem to talk her into a full size Bronco.

One "ill effect" that you are experiencing is lower mpg although I guess you don't notice it. Most people don't care about 5% -10% lower fuel mileage but it bugs me. I think it was the ethanol that ruined my fuel hoses on my cheap Chinese brush cutter too. My zero turn Walker mower is a 2000...

There are still stations selling E10, yes. I don't know how long that will last. The station I was at, I believe it was a Pilot, had changed from E10 to E15.

Yea, now we're talking E15 here. The one station I saw it at, didn't have E10. Basically, it said, may contain up to 15% ethanol.

I've been dumping the tank on my Chinese brush cutter and running it dry when using ethanol. Prior to that, I had to replace the fuel lines. I'm hopeful that it will do better on E0.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2200997119 The sobering truth about corn ethanol The findings of Lark et al. (4) are all the more striking in that their estimate of GHG emissions from RFS2 represents a floor, not a ceiling. They draw this conclusion from observations of changes in...

I pretty much hypermile the Mazda on the same 70 mile round trip 3 days per week. The only real variable is wind. This is the first time I've burned non-ethanol gas in the Mazda and I can already tell there's a difference. With Summer E10 I'm getting about 41 MPG. I'm curious to see what I can...

So, I bought 21 gallons of non ethanol gasoline yesterday. It cost me $4.55/gallon. E15 was only $3.05. That's one hell of a premium. Non was 91 octane vs ethanol at 87 octane. They had separate hoses on every pump. 11 gallons are for small engines, 10 gallons filled the Mazda. I plan to run...

I believe it was, and they did have it after I took the chance and drove there.

Easy if the employee you talk to knows anything. Last time I called the clerk didn't know what I was talking about :LOL:

That website isn't always up to date btw. Casey's used to have ethanol free and they stopped selling it. It takes awhile for the website to be updated.

Haven't checked E0 price yet. The last time I called a station with it the employee didn't even know they sold it :LOL: I'll pick up about 15 gallons for mowers, brush cutter, chainsaws, etc. I plan to burn a few tanks of E0 in the Mazda too, just for comparison.

Yep, saw it for 23$, 110 oz. Not even a full gallon 😒

I burn more of it to go the same distance when compared to gasoline without ethanol. I'm not talking about a tablespoon more, I'm talking about a 10% reduction in real world mileage. This was in a 2008 Hyundai Accent driving the same route week after week for comparison. I'm going to burn a few...

Yep, follow the money. And no mention of fewer mpg with that crap.

Very light traffic here this year. Probably should change the sugar water since the one showing up is probably getting a buzz off the alcohol content by now.

The EPA is allowing Illinois and a bunch of other states to sell E15 year-round now. I'm not happy about it and pumps have new stickers on them. The sticker I read last night said not to run E15 in anything pre-2001.

Nope, they're actually that stupid. I know a lot of them. 😅 People that have worked their entire lives and never saved a penny. Every time they get a check they spend it ALL. Multiple credit card balances, some with multiple mortgages that are under water, multiple car loans that are upside...

I usually have a ping under 30ms and under 20ms quite often with Starlink and that's running wireless to the xbox. What should someone expect with fiber?

I believe it was an attempt at humor. I thought it was hilarious 😂

I would tip the Good Samaritan a fin.

I put up another 8' x 8' x 6' tall horizontal trellis for my wife, (with her help). She grows "Filipino vegetables" on them. I would call them climbing squash of some sort. I'm so out of shape I can only work like that for a few hours at a time and I need a break. My hands and elbows are sore...

Nope, the CT is raw stainless steel without any coating whatsoever. I agree, matching a grain pattern on stainless is next to impossible for a do-it-yourself home shop. I've been working with raw grained metal surfaces for over 40 years. Matching the sanding grit and grain direction is tough...

Didn't realize Volkswagen is bringing back the Scout and going to build them in South Carolina? Looks like both an SUV and pickup. Scouts always come back

April 2025 537 kw = $88.35 = 16.5 cents per kw. $50.50 delivery $38.25 power or $.07122/kw $9.60 tax

https://electrek.co/2025/05/05/tesla-cybertruck-inventory-skyrockets-to-record-high/ Tesla Cybertruck inventory skyrockets to record high Tesla’s Cybertruck inventory has skyrocketed to a new record high of more than 10,000 units. The vehicle program is in crisis. We reported at the beginning...

When I was hired at my current job of 33 years they offered me salary. I explained to the owner and his right-hand man that I could go down the street and make more by getting a little overtime as an hourly employee. They left and went into another room to discuss the situation. A few minutes...

Some of my wife's coworkers at the VA were discussing salaries. My wife didn't join in the conversation but figured out that she was making almost as much as the RNs with her LPN position. She had considered going back to school to get the RN degree but has thought better of it now. She has less...

A bad hangover can last 2 or 3 days now after a 12-hour bender on Memorial Day, Independence Day, or Labor Day. I think it's more about what I'm drinking than how much. Straight tequila doesn't hurt as bad as cans of premixed margaritas.

Read where customers were complaining about manufacturing dates were old and vehicles sitting outside for extended periods before sales. Probably not unique to Tesla.

Yea, that was from the article, not my words. I do think margins and sales are shrinking and the Cyber Truck wasn't a very good idea, but Elon liked it. I'm sure you're right about them making the best EV, for now anyway.

I was told this as a kid so take it for what it's worth. My grandparents lost the fuel cap to one of their cars back in the 70's. They went to the dealer for a new one and the dealer sold them an unvented cap instead of a vented one. The story I remember is that their fuel tank collapsed and...

I thought of an awesome reply for this thread, but guess what, I forgot what it was! True Story...I guess that's as good as any! :LOL:

I filled the feeder but no takers so far. Seems unusual for this time of year in East Central IL.

What are the margins on his current best-seller? Overall margins are way down since 2022 from what I read and posted.

Now's your chance ;) Down 3% today.

The only thing I like about my local DMV is the drive thru for license plate sticker. I believe you need an appointment for most other things in Illinois now.

We checked our passports last night. They're good until 2027. Our son's was renewed last year. I don't plan on getting a "real ID" and will depend on my passport to fly until something changes.

Combine loss of sales and loss of margins and you have problems. The article may have an agenda, but the numbers don't lie. I agree, this was coming before DOGE. I do think the Cyber Truck was much less successful than many predicted. Tesla will need to pivot to improve numbers, and I believe...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/tesla-is-in-worse-shape-than-you-think/ar-AA1DKBSV?ocid=BingHp01&cvid=9f79d392300c4ed5c5e5c98d0d451643&ei=68 Things are undoubtedly bad at Tesla. Its sales are dwindling. Its profits are plunging, as is its share price. There are regular protests...

Our local municipality takes bids on generation, and our power is "generated" by Constellation New Energy. We just received a notice quoting our generation cost at $0.079. We have the option to pay our distribution company for power but it's usually 1 or 2 cents higher. I haven't checked...

Sorry, I was mistaken, the tires listed in the manual were actually for 8" rims (18x9.5-8) The tires on the mower were 18x10.5-10 I just learned that the last number was the rim size, I thought it was the 2nd number. The tires arrived today and my local shop is swapping them out in the morning.

I own a Walker riding mower made in 2000. The tires finally gave up over the winter due to cracking. I couldn't read the tire size on the tire so I checked my owner's manual. It called for 18x9.5-10 tires so I bought a pair. It turns out, the rims on the mower were actually 10.5 so I had to take...

I would say 550 - 650 lbs. looking at other 60" flail mowers.

The Mercury Comet was identical to the Maverick accept for a couple trim pieces. A 1974 Comet was my first car bought used in about 1980. I paid $800 and it was a piece of junk. It looked nice because it was freshly body worked and painted. About 1 year later, the Bondo was falling out and I...

Every color for Ford Maverick 2025 https://fordauthority.com/2024/08/heres-every-2025-ford-maverick-exterior-color/

I've commented on the Ram Charger before. I don't understand the concept of a gasoline engine on board to charge a battery other than being able to tout range. It seems overly complicated and inefficient to me.

I'm driving a 2018 Mazda3 with 6 speed manual. It replaced my Hyundai Accent with 5 speed manual after 230,000 miles. The Mazda already has almost 100,000. I was surprised to find that the Mazda has HLA, hill launch assist. It works in both forward and reverse...

Well, sticking to the topic of US debt to foreign countries, I don't see many countries if any cashing in their chips any time soon. Maybe I'll be proven wrong. I'm reading more like 8 trillion with 50% of that to foreign governments, so 4 trillion. So far, the US has been a pretty safe place to...

Do you realize what percentage of the debt is held by foreign nations? *hint* not 50%, not 40%, no, not even 30%, answer about 22% and it is spread all over the world. Japan owns the largest portion.

I wouldn't say the stock price is "going back up" yet. It's off 35% YTD. It is off its low of 222 but it's also down from 288 March 25 to 264 today. I don't believe they are going bankrupt any time soon.

Tesla still managed to sell 336,681 cars in the first quarter of 2025. Do you predict bankruptcy? If so, when?

https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-maintenance/the-cost-of-car-ownership-a1854979198/ I still don't understand where the Tesla costs are coming from. The article was updated in March and I'd like to see the original data prior to the Musk meltdown.

Speeds are usually above 100 Mbps on Starlink when speed testing. When downloading game updates speeds vary between 30 and 120. Can it be server traffic slowing down the data?

How can a Tesla only be $150 cheaper to maintain than a Lincoln over 10 years? Are oil changes the only thing separating the two? Oil changes over 10 years would be more than $150 so what is costing more on the Tesla besides maybe tires?

Are there laws on visibility when running a blower sticking out of the hood?

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/texarkana-man-accused-running-mini-101176493.jpg?w=884

LMAO

Used 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid 6,324 miles $55,995 https://www.mcofchicago.com/vehicle-details/2021-tesla-model-s-plaid-sedan-d42b1713d5e04e5ea619daef835b5481

318 used Plaids for sale on Autotrader starting in the low $40's.

There are over 15,000 used Teslas for sale on Autotrader right now.

Good luck with it and watch out for vandals. What do you have for home charging?

And how much money do you think USPS will have in that delivery when it finally arrives? They'll probably lose twice as much as they charged for that delivery, hence the 9.5 billion dollar loss last fiscal year.

Overseas reference I think, maybe Neo promotion or old Tesla promotion possibly?

In this scenario, the state would have to report the mileage to the feds so they could tax you per mile then, or the feds would have to plug into your vehicle themselves. We have no inspection of light vehicles except in Chicago and St. Louis I think. If the state is taxing for use of their...

So you favor a federal mileage tax? Would owners self report mileage or is there another way you would find out how many miles are driven? There isn't the manpower available to look at odometers during license renewal. I'm all for fairness but I don't have an answer. I definitely don't want...

So would this be a Federal tax? If not how are they going to determine which state gets my money? Will I have a GPS monitor on my car to show which state I drove in? I live near the state border.

It's interesting to me but I don't think the model will win in the end. Reading further into the article there is a comment: Top comment by Michael Liked by 4 people There are few reasons that NIO battery swaps work in China, firstly they are free for most NIO owners (NIO cars are premium...

I knew that post would get a reaction! :ROFLMAO: They claim they have swapped batteries over 50 million times though, and that was in August of last year. NIO eclipses 50 million battery swaps, providing evidence that drivers prefer the charge method NIO’s industry-leading battery swap...

Is it difficult to find farm laborers in China?

But battery swapping doesn't work according to some. The new 5 minute charge is about the same time as a swap. Then there's these guys: https://electrek.co/2025/03/18/nio-and-catl-form-new-partnership-to-build-the-worlds-largest-battery-swap-network/ NIO and CATL form new partnership to build...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/byd-shares-rise-as-chinese-ev-maker-unveils-5-minute-charge/ar-AA1B90Th?ocid=BingHp01&cvid=e230cf83fc7144dc8dd6b2a519b9da49&ei=31 250 mile charge in 5 minutes

The numbers are still interesting to me, nonetheless. Did Germany cancel incentives starting in 2024? That's quite a drop in EV sales. New Electric Car Sales in Germany in 2024 (Full Year) – 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 Total German Car Market 2,817,331 2,844,609 2,651,357 2,622,132...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/tesla-stock-slumps-again-as-another-firm-warns-of-elon-musk-led-firm-s-sales-woes/ar-AA1B6CV8?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=5c8ead2d64984253b06d30132229eb7c&ei=21 Mizuho analysts said Tesla’s U.S. sales last month declined 2% year-over-year as the broader...

I see, thanks for the information. So, part of the drop in sales was from lack of inventory and customers waiting on the new improved models?

Why did they do that?

How many Starlink satellites are in orbit? As of Feb. 27, 2025, there are 7,086 Starlink satellites in orbit, of which 7,052 are working, according to Astronomer Jonathan McDowell ,who tracks the constellation on his website. Starlink satellites: Facts, tracking and impact on astronomy

But Tesla sales are way off right? I wonder how they plan on selling twice as many when sales are dropping.

This is awesome!

His name ain't Grumpy for nuthin. 😁 At least he's upfront about it. I prefer snide underhanded comments myself! 🤣

Anybody willing to ship an Airtag through Indy? That might be interesting.

It's the first time I've seen that acronym but it rolled right out of my brain like I already knew it :ROFLMAO:

Speaking of batteries, I let my 2002 F150 sit from October until January. We had below zero F in the forecast, so I thought I'd see if it would start. Yep, it fired up after sitting in winter weather for about 90 days. Amazing what older vehicles will do without all the draw on the battery that...

huh? I don't get it. Best I've heard is like 5 miles/kwh.

Lol, that's great Gale, but you didn't answer my question, oh well...

What were other options to have it repaired in a timely fashion?

Nice to not need the car. What were your other options?

How long without the use of your car? Did insurance provide a rental?

Delivery driver called in sick :cautious: He was under the weather :ROFLMAO:

The less people that have access to my checking account the better. My son's private school is the only entity that can withdraw money from my checking account, and they screwed that up recently. 😆

Yea, our power company doesn't charge for CC usage. Illinois Department of Motor Vehicles does charge for CC, so I pay our three license sticker fees of $151 each year with a $100 bill, a $50 bill, and a $1 bill in person at the drive through window.

I pay power bill online by CC and get 1.5% cash back, also save the stamp price.

I avoid USPS whenever possible. I had a check stolen out of a roadside USPS city box and it was washed for about $3k. My father still sends a lot of letters and bills by mail. I guess he's supporting his employer :LOL: He sends checks to Atlanta Postal Credit Union and they get lost all the time😅

USPS is a disaster right now and has been going downhill for decades. My father has delivered rural mail for over 60 years and he is disgusted with the way the service is run. He cannot seem to find a substitute driver that will stay on the job longer than a few months and the subs he gets don't...

Misguided people think tax deductions are subsidies. Corporations should not be charged taxes, it's just another way to create red tape and for government to fleece the consumer.

There is a lot of money and resources being thrown at solid state battery technology. I think it's only a matter of time before we see results. The predictions are getting closer all the time.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/byd-to-roll-out-solid-state-batteries-in-2027-before-widespread-use-in-2030/ar-AA1zcHLs?ocid=BingHp01&cvid=72ad3e59906142b3b1bc43741f03dfff&ei=158 Many other Chinese car manufacturers are hard at work on solid-state batteries. In October last year, Chery...

https://time.com/7221880/state-department-2025-procurement-forecast-tesla-armored-electric-vehicles-musk/ The State Department was planning to buy $400 million worth of “Armored Tesla” later this year, according to its 2025 procurement forecast, a document outlining projections of anticipated...

What's next then? I still think solid state batteries will keep EVs going.

Glad you like your truck. It seems like sales are falling though.

I think the heat bulb in the chicken house is costing me about $16/month. The $8/dozen eggs will offset that. :LOL: