patrick.net

I'm a 100% manual transmission guy. But, having tried Porsche's Doppelkupplung (marketing: PDK) can tell you that, on the racetrack, that double-clutch setup is absolutely better than the manual. As for a fun, legal driving experience on public roads, the PDK is 2nd best behind the manual, but well ahead of any other systems.

Karl Benz was trying the dual-clutch concepts in their 1930s race cars, but with a human trying to manage the dual transmission and dual clutch situation by hand (and foot), the complexity never overcame the benefits.

Porsche's PDK uses a "wet" clutch system and has been shown (as far as I know) to be quite reliable in the real world. It's completely different than the VW/Audi system. The very vocal 0.1% of Porsche owners who drive their cars very hard on racetracks sometimes report catastrophic failures, but those people are also reporting all sorts of problems with all sorts of other systems. And... they probably bought the Porsche because it is less problem-prone on the race track than other sports cars.

That said, the PDK is very expensive (just like any other part of the car), hard to work on (just like any other part of the car), and requires some regular maintenance from a skilled person (just like any other part of the car).

zzyzzx says

richwicks says

That will be the actual result.

That is the desired result, as per the ruling class.

It will lead to revolution at worst, or famine within the United States at best.

Our asshole leaders are trying to move too fast and too far in too little time. I fully expect as a soviet style collapse within this country within 10 years. I don't think the people in control are really in that much control. I think they overestimate their power.

SunnyvaleCA says

I'm not washing my car, which is not allowed during the perpetual drought. I'm watering my grass (allowed) and the car just happened to get in the way!

I approve of this grey water reuse. I would do the whole washing machine and shower discharge onto the lawn if I lived in an area where water was scarce.

Patrick says

https://www.newstarget.com/2022-03-29-putin-declares-end-to-western-currencies-world-moving-towards-real-reserves.html?source=patrick.net

Putin so smart! His foresight is amazing. He also failed to anticipate couple of minor things like freezing of his assets (mentioned in the article) and Ukie military capacity to resist his invasion (not mentioned in the article), but who's counting. It's like with globull worming: if some prediction by an "expert" fails to materialize - brush it off an move on to the next, which will come true FOR SURE THIS TIME!

mell says

Still only driving MT today. I will buy used MT cars as long as I can find them. AT always had a gay feeling.. not that there's anything wrong with it ;)

It is gay feeling to be honest. I've always loved MT. It's muscle memory now, but with three pre-teen boys I have enough distractions in the car when they're fucking around in the back. Eating on the road, handing food or other stuff around as the driver. I've got a clean driving record, don't text and drive and I don't want to lose that. So any type of AT is fine by me. I might do the mid-life thing and buy a sports car at some point as a 3rd car.

I really can't stand driving anymore. I'm 38 and rough estimate I'm probably close to 1M miles. I've been in cars waaaaay too long. Got most of my permit hours driving to FL panhandle for Spring Break that year. I drove there and back non-stop. About 30 hours and 2k miles round trip. Done that trip as a driver almost another 15 times alone. I almost killed everyone the last time I tried to drive straight through without stopping. That was the last time. Planes work better. Although pre-kids the road head was nice ;)

What, no greater fools?

I still predict Bitcoin will hit fiat 100,000. Probably around midterms when some political actors need to get paid.

Morons trading with leverage. Pigs get slaughtered.

The test asked me if I loved the Rothschilds. If I said yes, it printed a hundred dollars for me. If I said no, it plunged a vaccine into my arm.

London. Vladimir Putin's deadline has come and gone and Russian natural gas is still flowing to Europe.

The Russian president delivered an ultimatum Thursday to "unfriendly" nations to pay for their energy in rubles starting April 1 or risk being cut off from vital supplies.

Fucking guy can't even deliver April's Fool joke on a proper date.

Washington state to ban most gas-powered vehicles by 2030 with new law

https://www.bizpacreview.com/2022/04/01/washington-state-to-ban-most-gas-powered-vehicles-by-2030-with-new-law-1220235/?source=patrick.net

Ceffer says

If I said no, it plunged a vaccine into my arm.

That wasn't a vaccine, and that's not your arm.

WookieMan says

mell says

Still only driving MT today. I will buy used MT cars as long as I can find them. AT always had a gay feeling.. not that there's anything wrong with it ;)

It is gay feeling to be honest. I've always loved MT. It's muscle memory now, but with three pre-teen boys I have enough distractions in the car when they're fucking around in the back. Eating on the road, handing food or other stuff around as the driver. I've got a clean driving record, don't text and drive and I don't want to lose that. So any type of AT is fine by me. I might do the mid-life thing and buy a sports car at some point as a 3rd car.

I really can't stand driving anymore. I'm 38 and rough estimate I'm probably close to 1M miles. I've been in cars waaaaay too long. Got most of my permit hours driving to FL panhandle for Spring Break that year. I drove there and back non-stop. About 30 hours and 2k miles ro...

I think any sane person views driving the same way as you do. I absolutely hate driving, mostly for the fact that most other "drivers" on the road are clueless when it comes to situational awareness. I suspect that adaptive cruise control and adaptive braking are an attempt to correct the worst problems that most "drivers" have, namely: accelerating and braking.

Everything from the left lane speed enforcers, to vehicles passing that slow down while passing, to drivers that slow down as they are approaching a green light drives me up the wall.

Our technological society has gotten too complex for the majority of the population to function within. People are being mostly screwed over wrt finances or legal issues which are too complex for them to grasp.

These points are just one more aspect proving that we do not live in a just society. A just society means a place for everyone. We have not done this - shame on us.

When the president of the US has repeatedly stated in public that he is going to put you out of business in the long-term, you concentrate on the short term. i.e.: shareholder profits

Not to mention that oil companies got their asses completely kicked in 2020 when oil prices crashed to negative territory. The oil industry lost half a trillion dollars at that time and they’re only now recovering. Reinvestment is going to take some time. Especially with Biden’s cronies denying loans for development. Getting capital for that has been a real problem lately.

DooDahMan says

central banks worldwide are kicking around the idea of a crypto currency

They have not given up the idea of a Vax Passport. If we ever concede that the government has the right to inject us with an experimental biologic agent, or any drug, freedom is over. At that point crypto-currency will be universal; if your vaccine (social credit score) isn't current you won't be allowed to eat. You'll own nothing and you BETTER be happy.

My wife calls me a "catastrophizer" but I do believe that we are currently in a battle for freedom.

Pfizer (TM) is the real catastropfizer.

Onvacation says

I do believe that we are currently in a battle for freedom.

I believe that you are correct and that the battle is being fought primarily in the real of truth/reality vs lies/fantasy.

The powers that be are both telling lies, and spreading propaganda claiming that the truth is not the truth. If we have a literal Supreme Court nominee who claims she doesn’t know what a woman is, we are living in a society that not only tolerates but actively rewards lies. We are doomed.

dude our own government is trying to kill us. all this tranny shit, all the vax mandates… they want us dead. governments just bail their rich friends out, but fuck us all the time. my ass we live in Democracy, more like bankocracy

Fortwaynemobile says

dude our own government is trying to kill us. all this tranny shit, all the vax mandates… they want us dead. governments just bail their rich friends out, but fuck us all the time. my ass we live in Democracy, more like bankocracy

Exactly! It’s never been a more dangerous time to be an American citizen than the past year. Government tried to vax us all to death and reduce the fertility of not only our wives but our children. They succeeded mainly by virtue of the majority of the Left being idiots. And also Americans refusing to hang together and resultantly hanging separately, losing jobs by the hundreds of thousands. It’s been a time of extreme peril, disguised as a time of medical safety. Those who submitted to the jab will live to regret it, those who aren’t already in the grave.

According to the 'Sunol-Grade-Ometer', we could already be in recession. Sunol Grade is the route taken by all the East Bay and Central Valley commuters into Silicon Valley. It dried up a bit during work at home Covid fraud season, but got steadily congested again. Now, it is passable with minimal or no delays, even during many rush hour times when previously it started to jam up around 3:30PM to as late as 7:30 PM. I don't think that many people are working at home again.

My wife noticed fewer people in grocery store, and people are buying fewer items. I used to be able to tell the recession downturns 6 weeks ahead just by talking to my clients when I had the business.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/imf-warns-sanctions-against-russia-threaten-weaken-dominance-dollar?source=patrick.net

Nah, the world was better in Britain's day.

Tough Victorian ideology.
Mild and Firm Patriarchy.
Freedom of Thought never achieved since - seriously, the 19th was a paradise of Free Thought and so much decentralized and dispersed media, before "Manufactured Consent"
Dynamite and Opiates for free purchase without restriction.
Gun ownership in Britain itself.
Famines steadily disappeared in India and Africa; massive infrastructure improvements from railroads to sewers. Though maybe the Brits shouldn't have invested so much.
Women's Voting advocates imprisoned and force fed when they broke the law.
Everybody going out for a stroll after dinner and sharing news while smoking a cheroot.

Returning to the 19th in many ways would be a blessing.

WW1 was the beginning of the suicide of the West, we must put back the clock. Forward to the Past! Smash the HRE/4thReich/EU.

I am sick of Turd World bullshit narratives from Franz Fannon and "Anti-Racist" bullshit.

If I could recapture the spirit of any time, it would be the Victorian era. With modifications, of course.

Putin is 50% on Ukraine ease, but 50% right on "The Sanctions will getcha!" being another Neolibcon Fail.

Update: Russian Gas is still powering German, Austrian, Netherland, and other countries in Europe today. As it did yesterday, the day before, a week ago, etc.

It's a bit like the Romans in Life of Brian.

"What have the Romans ever done for us?"
"The aqueduct. And let's face it, who else could keep order in a place like this?"

But they should still give Northern Ireland back to the Irish.

I’ve been questioning why people in California don’t punch their lotto ticket. While the top of the market has been missed, the boat hasn’t so long as sellers aren’t greedy. If your $1.5 million dollar cracker shack will only sell for $1.4 million now, just kick yourself in the rear end for being irrationally stubborn, and take a $600k profit instead of $700k.

FuckTheMainstreamMedia says

I’ve been questioning why people in California don’t punch their lotto ticket. While the top of the market has been missed, the boat hasn’t so long as sellers aren’t greedy. If your $1.5 million dollar cracker shack will only sell for $1.4 million now, just kick yourself in the rear end for being irrationally stubborn, and take a $600k profit instead of $700k.

Imagine sold at the top of the housing market in 1989

Imagine sold at the top of the housing market in 2006

Imagine sold at the top of the housing market in 2022

Where will housing prices be in 2038? 🤔

Patrick says

But they should still give Northern Ireland back to the Irish.

No, they should expel anybody with an Irish Passport back to the Republic. If you want Irish citizenship, take Irish, not British council housing and welfare. And in fairness, pay Irish taxes. Abandoning Ulster would be prime British abandonment behavior sadly as usual.

Rev. Ian Paisley was ahead of his time.

That being said, Norn Iron is SCREAMING for a combined Catholic-Protestant conservative party against abortion and LGBTQ.

DooDahMan says

How British let one million Indians die in famine. (19th century)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-36339524?source=patrick.net

Though we only have prose records, famines were normal in Africa, India, and Asia and had been normal in Europe until about a century before, when they rapidly became rare.

Prior to BRITISH census and record keeping, we have no firm numbers for pre-British famines in those places, so it's a bad comparison.

DooDahMan says

However, British national ships prevented aid from other nations, thus causing further death and starvation.

The potato blight effected Poland and the Baltics and other parts of the UK as well, it was not confined to Ireland and many starved there as well. Many Irish went to Glasgow and that's a whole Scots-Irish tale of it's own.

While the British kept records, it's not like Ireland was full of digital scales and somebody said "Sheesh, we're a week into the harvest and look at these low numbers we're tallying". It still took weeks to realize a problem was there. And again, other potato-dependent nations experienced a famine as well and you saw a migration spike from Central and Eastern Europe to the US in the 1840s.

It also fueled riots and revolutions across 1840s Europe, since the Potato replaced the Turnip at that point as a staple food. There were also the Corn Laws that benefited "High Farming" in England versus Peasant crops and the common lands (which were never in "Crisis", but well managed for 1000+ years, until High Farmers needed the efficicency excuse to take over the property for a song). British Corn Laws not only hurt the Irish, but the average English and Welshman as well - prohibited the import of cereals to subsidize the "High Farmer".

FuckTheMainstreamMedia says

I’ve been questioning why people in California don’t punch their lotto ticket. While the top of the market has been missed, the boat hasn’t so long as sellers aren’t greedy. If your $1.5 million dollar cracker shack will only sell for $1.4 million now, just kick yourself in the rear end for being irrationally stubborn, and take a $600k profit instead of $700k.

Because there is currently no available housing in other states...

When does Redfin and Zillow start to show a drop?

My primary residence shows $120k higher this month than last.

During the potato famine, Ireland was a net exporter of food. The reason why the Irish were so dependent on potatoes is that they weren't allowed to kill the cows (which were exported to England). It was strictly potatoes, milk, eggs, cockles, dillisk and the occasional chicken.

In the most extreme phases of the blight, the English paid Irish to perform public works, which involved tearing up the roads (because improving the roads was against fair trade).

The Irish were enslaved for several hundred years under the English. The only ones who suffered longer were the various Indian peoples under the Islamic conquest of India. All the Sultan films, etc. show wealth that was looted from temples and bought by the trade of millions of slaves from that region.

BayArea says

When does Redfin and Zillow start to show a drop?

My primary residence shows $120k higher this month than last.

If I have to guess, after this summer. The Fed is talking about a couple more rate increases in May and June. This will put a dampen on the housing market. Next year will be a plateau year and timber after that if I have to make a bet/guess.

I rarely look at real estate websites.
Today I was curious and saw a place "$100,000 price reduction."
Maybe it was just a seller who was told to adjust it by a realtor.
The scramble for house ownership won't stop as long as immigrants come and find work.
Ask yourself in the rat race; are you faster than the other rats? If so, you win the race.

Hop this contradiction is not a joke,
Flood Factor: Minimal - This property is unlikely to flood over the next 30 years.
About Climate Risk: Most homes have some risk of natural disasters, and may be impacted by climate change due to rising temperatures and sea levels.
https://www.redfin.com/CA/Cupertino/20239-NW-Sq-95014/home/1531059?source=patrick.net
Status: Cumming soon!
Lot Size1,344 Sq. Ft.
Total Sq. Ft.: 1,487 (2b/2ba)
Hoa Dues: 423
Est. Mo. Payment$9,138

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Los-Altos/915-St-Joseph-Ave-94024/home/1364924?source=patrick.net
$21,143 per month
+$76K over list price of $4.00M
Current Property Tax: $2,830 (1978 Prop 13 effect) vs ~$48K (17 times!) for the new owner

Prices do not appear to be cooling down yet. Even above average folks can not afford these prices. Or the some communities are financially segregated with so many entrepreneurs and executives.
In general its really tough if gov keep printing $Ts and spending they somehow appear one way the other, we pay in the form of inflation an indirect stealth tax.

Timing the market is called gambling on the basis of hunches, trends and gossip. It has been shown time and again that timing cannot predict the absolute peaks, valleys or black swans (gray swans for that matter) in a way that can be meaningfully utilized by armchair investors. However, dumb luck is nice when you get it.

Now, direct market manipulation and insider trading that's another thing. That's where most money is made.

Blue says

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Los-Altos/915-St-Joseph-Ave-94024/home/1364924?source=patrick.net
$21,143 per month
+$76K over list price of $4.00M
Current Property Tax: $2,830 (1978 Prop 13 effect) vs ~$48K (17 times!) for the new owner

Pay $4M to live next to the freeway? No thanks.

Tri valley is still on fire, home prices rising every month.

Interesting considering 30yr fixed rates are already up nearly 2 full points at the major banks since the 2021 bottom of about 2.5%.

Eman says

Pay $4M to live next to the freeway? No thanks.

That looks so much like the house of a guy I knew in Los Altos. However, his house had a nice view of the San Andreas fault line.

Crunch, snap!

Eman says

Blue says

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Los-Altos/915-St-Joseph-Ave-94024/home/1364924?source=patrick.net
$21,143 per month
+$76K over list price of $4.00M
Current Property Tax: $2,830 (1978 Prop 13 effect) vs ~$48K (17 times!) for the new owner

Pay $4M to live next to the freeway? No thanks.

Totally agree… I can’t imagine paying that kind of money to live near an interstate. My experience with living and working in tech here in the Bay Area is that usually younger couples aren’t as turned off by freeway living and are more likely to fall in love with the kitchen and ignore the freeway until they learn later that it was a mistake.

For me, living next to a freeway is completely out of the question when house shopping. It’s not even a consideration.

I was invited to dinner in Dublin, CA. It was an old college roommate of my wife who bought a home right near the 680 with her husband. The yard fence/wall was about 50ft from the highway. It was shocking, felt like we were yelling over a nascar race. I don’t get it.