Crap Week

[Midwesthonky]

Poured basements can help, but the main problem is poor drainage. The old saying "Build on high ground" has been forgotten and New Orleans should be allowed to flood, so the rest of the country doesn't have to pay for their flood damage and relocation of people who will cause problems wherever they were sent.

Local elevation is a factor when I am shopping for a house. My first house was in a town that flooded months after I sold and moved away. Since then, my houses have all been located where if my house floods, there are biblical level issues going on.

 

[ryanosaur]

the idiocy of building a city that size below sea level

We humans seem to enjoy living in dangerous places... Volcanoes, Fault Lines, Flood Planes, coastal areas prone to Hurricanes, plains areas known for the propensity of Tornadoes...
Just an observation.

 

[Mpsafranski]

We humans seem to enjoy living in dangerous places... Volcanoes, Fault Lines, Flood Planes, coastal areas prone to Hurricanes, plains areas known for the propensity of Tornadoes...
Just an observation.

“How about those people in Kilauea Hawaii, who build their homes right next to an active volcano and then wonder why there’s lava in the living room?!” -George Carlin

 

[Pogre]

Yeah that sucks. Glad it's not as bad as you feared it might be tho!

 

[Pogre]

We humans seem to enjoy living in dangerous places... Volcanoes, Fault Lines, Flood Planes, coastal areas prone to Hurricanes, plains areas known for the propensity of Tornadoes...
Just an observation.

Those areas also tend to be the most fertile and/or close to a huge water resource. Volcanic ash is wonderful for the soil once all the burning and acid rain stops...

I'm sure you already know all that. I'm just being Mr Smarty McSmartpants...

 

[highfigh]

I have to laugh at how people are just no looking at China as a supply chain source. I was leery of China 20 years ago. As an engineer, we would design parts such that we had to have the tooling made in the US. 20 years ago, if you had your tooling made in China (injection molding, stamping, or other), there would be 3 molds made. You got the worst one. The other 2 would get sold off to Chinese companies who specialize in knock-off parts. Plus the tooling you got was less expensive because it was made from mild steel and just flame surface hardened. It would never hold up in the long run like a US made tool.

Another company I worked for had a product manager pushing for a new product to be made in China due to the pricing. The fact that demand is highly variable (very low for weeks and weeks, then a sudden need for a bunch to be shipped out within a day or two type demand), means if it's made in China, you have to sit on a warehouse full of product to meet demand spikes. Or you could make it in Mexico or the US and not need the warehouse because you can flex people in or out as demand changes. Or you can air freight a shipment over from China eliminating the cost savings for the year.

Always hated the "china is cheaper" mindset because the long lead time for shipping means you are committing to product demand a lot more in advance than if you were in the US, Mexico, or Canada. Plus if you find a quality issue, your ability to react and get good product in is greatly hampered. Like when we switched to a new vendor with a factory in China. Product evaluation went great, go into production. After 6 months or so, suddenly there are problems. Yeah...a key component was molded and had a specific temperature/time cure profile. It's China. Turns out the mold had over 300 cavities in it. The operator had quit and they put a new guy on. Labor was cheap so instead of more expensive tooling to auto eject the parts, they paid a Chinese guy to use a long rod to manually remove every part. New guy was slow so the tool cooled down a lot more and the parts didn't cure properly. So we had warranty issues... Gotta love it!

I used to see woodworking machinery that was made in China at places like Harbor Freight and Northern Tool & Equipment that looked like it was made in a high school shop class by the kids who weren't very good at it. I would read about the QC problems and how people who worked for those companies had to really stand over the workers in order to get what was ordered- in many cases, they would place orders, the manufacturer would job it out to someone else who would job it out to someone else, so the result was similar to the kid's Telephone game, where the first kid is told to repeat something and by the time it gets to the end, whatever was said is nothing like what the last kid says. They weren't letting the cast iron parts sit to relieve stress and the result was cracks, warping, etc. The quality is better but at what cost, really? The US and places like Milwaukee specifically, plants closed & jobs were lost, leading to the inability to support people & their families. Now, nobody has any sense of pride in goods made on US soil and it's all about cost- the lower incomes and rampant consumerism are two reasons but those aren't the only ones.

 

[panteragstk]

Those areas also tend to be the most fertile and/or close to a huge water resource. Volcanic ash is wonderful for the soil once all the burning and acid rain stops...

I'm sure you already know all that. I'm just being Mr Smarty McSmartpants...

Interesting since you live in a place that nobody should/would be able to without technology. It really is amazing what we've been able to accomplish so that a place like the Arizona desert is considered habitable.

I lived in west Texas so I get the desert living. Never thought I'd miss dry heat. I mowed my lawn last week and it was "only" 92 degrees outside...with 80 percent humidity. That was not fun.

 

[ryanosaur]

"only" 92 degrees outside...with 80 percent humidity. That was not fun.

Wuss.

Born and raised in the midwest! Agree, that sh!t sucks big sweaty moose balls! Heat index of 110º my @$$!

 

[panteragstk]

Wuss.

Born and raised in the midwest! Agree, that sh!t sucks big sweaty moose balls! Heat index of 110º my @$$!

Well, that was at 10am so it got much worse as the day went on.

What's funny here is that when it's 60 degrees out, people put on longs sleeves and wear jackets. I'm still walking around in shorts or maybe jeans and a short sleeve shirt. They have zero tolerance for "cold" here.

 

[ryanosaur]

Well, that was at 10am so it got much worse as the day went on.

What's funny here is that when it's 60 degrees out, people put on longs sleeves and wear jackets. I'm still walking around in shorts or maybe jeans and a short sleeve shirt. They have zero tolerance for "cold" here.

This is one big reason why I left MO! (I can think of at least another 50,000 if you gimme a minute!)

 

[Midwesthonky]

I lived in west Texas so I get the desert living. Never thought I'd miss dry heat. I mowed my lawn last week and it was "only" 92 degrees outside...with 80 percent humidity. That was not fun.

I remember living in Charleston, SC. Could walk outside at 1 am and it would still be 85+ degrees and 100% humidity. Step outside and it would bee like getting t-bagged by sweaty moose balls. I don't miss that weather. Course, this morning in WI it's very humid and supposed to get to 90 degrees. I can step out in the shop and instantly feel the difference. Like walking into a wall.

 

[panteragstk]

I remember living in Charleston, SC. Could walk outside at 1 am and it would still be 85+ degrees and 100% humidity. Step outside and it would bee like getting t-bagged by sweaty moose balls. I don't miss that weather. Course, this morning in WI it's very humid and supposed to get to 90 degrees. I can step out in the shop and instantly feel the difference. Like walking into a wall.

One thing I never thought I needed, but am very grateful to have is an insulated garage. It makes such a big difference that I can still go work on stuff in there even with 100+ degree weather and it never really gets over 80 or so in there. Open the door and BAM, wall of sticky heat.

 

[Pogre]

When it's 120+ outside it doesn't matter if it's wet or dry. Arizona heat is a whole 'nother animal. Before I moved here 107 with high humidity in Corpus Christi was the hottest I'd experienced. AZ beats it. You really have to feel 120 to get it. That's hotter than a really hot shower.

*Edit: That's about 57-60° C for you metric folk.

 

[panteragstk]

When it's 120+ outside it doesn't matter if it's wet or dry. Arizona heat is a whole 'nother animal. Before I moved here 107 with high humidity in Corpus Christi was the hottest I'd experienced. AZ beats it. You really have to feel 120 to get it. That's hotter than a really hot shower.

*Edit: That's about 57-60° C for you metric folk.

Trust me, I get it. When I was younger we set a record for most days over 115 or something like that. When the street melts and sticks to your shoes, you know it's hot outside. However, we have 25mph+ wind a lot of the time so it really changes the way it feels.

I'll take 120 dry heat over 105 with 90% humidity any day. That's just me though since that's what I'm used to.

 

[Pogre]

Trust me, I get it. When I was younger we set a record for most days over 115 or something like that. When the street melts and sticks to your shoes, you know it's hot outside. However, we have 25mph+ wind a lot of the time so it really changes the way it feels.

I'll take 120 dry heat over 105 with 90% humidity any day. That's just me though since that's what I'm used to.

Honestly it's a tough call there. High 90s and low 100s with high humidity like that is really miserable. 120 I think feels hotter, but that humidity man. I remember it. You can't breathe.

*Edit: Melting streets at 115 degrees... yep. It happens and yep, that's Arizona hot. Yeah, you've got some street cred!

 

[nbk13nw]

Lived in Okinawa for several years. Talk about humidity. I actually preferred the heat and low humidity of Arizona. But after a few years in Okinawa I became acclimated as we all do. Moving from there to the East coast took a few years to get "normal" again.

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

 

[panteragstk]

Honestly it's a tough call there. High 90s and low 100s with high humidity like that is really miserable. 120 I think feels hotter, but that humidity man. I remember it. You can't breathe.

*Edit: Melting streets at 115 degrees... yep. It happens and yep, that's Arizona hot. Yeah, you've got some street cred!

I think that's it. It "feels" hotter at 120, but it doesn't just knock me down like the high humidity does. Again, I lived with it for the first 2/3 of my life so it isn't a big deal.

I went to visit my parents one year and while waiting outside at a restaurant I remarked that it wasn't that hot. It was 98 outside with a breeze. I couldn't believe it was that hot and it didn't feel like it to me. In DFW (where I lived at the time) that would have made me turn around and go back inside.

Granted, there were plenty of times as a kid I went outside and immediately went "nope" and went back in. That 115+ heat is no joke and can be dangerous. I remember playing football in it with full pads and drinking a gallon of water in an hour or two. I don't miss that at all.

Here in "south" Texas we went to a water park in Bandera and I literally felt like I was being baked. That was new, and I got sunburned THROUGH my hair. Never happened before. Happened to all of us and my sister-in-law got it the worst. Stuff like that never happened in west Texas.

 

[highfigh]

When it's 120+ outside it doesn't matter if it's wet or dry. Arizona heat is a whole 'nother animal. Before I moved here 107 with high humidity in Corpus Christi was the hottest I'd experienced. AZ beats it. You really have to feel 120 to get it. That's hotter than a really hot shower.

*Edit: That's about 57-60° C for you metric folk.

You ought to do a rafting trip in the Grand Canyon during June, July and August (the three months I have gone on these)-after the Sun beats down on the walls made of dark stone and the guides pull off to camp for the night on the side that WAS in direct sunlight, it was freaking brutal. The temp was the highest I have ever experienced and in the open, it was around 110°F, which wasn't so bad but with the rock radiating heat, it had to be closer to 125°F. The good thing- we could always go into the river to cool off in the 48°F water. Still trying to retrieve a couple of things.

 

[panteragstk]

You ought to do a rafting trip in the Grand Canyon during June, July and August (the three months I have gone on these)-after the Sun beats down on the walls made of dark stone and the guides pull off to camp for the night on the side that WAS in direct sunlight, it was freaking brutal. The temp was the highest I have ever experienced and in the open, it was around 110°F, which wasn't so bad but with the rock radiating heat, it had to be closer to 125°F. The good thing- we could always go into the river to cool off in the 48°F water. Still trying to retrieve a couple of things.

That sounds horrible, but also fun.

 

[Pogre]

I think that's it. It "feels" hotter at 120, but it doesn't just knock me down like the high humidity does. Again, I lived with it for the first 2/3 of my life so it isn't a big deal.

I went to visit my parents one year and while waiting outside at a restaurant I remarked that it wasn't that hot. It was 98 outside with a breeze. I couldn't believe it was that hot and it didn't feel like it to me. In DFW (where I lived at the time) that would have made me turn around and go back inside.

Granted, there were plenty of times as a kid I went outside and immediately went "nope" and went back in. That 115+ heat is no joke and can be dangerous. I remember playing football in it with full pads and drinking a gallon of water in an hour or two. I don't miss that at all.

Here in "south" Texas we went to a water park in Bandera and I literally felt like I was being baked. That was new, and I got sunburned THROUGH my hair. Never happened before. Happened to all of us and my sister-in-law got it the worst. Stuff like that never happened in west Texas.

This is something I tell my friends all the time. Even 80 degrees is pretty uncomfortable when it's really humid outside and that's where the dry heat thing is a bigger factor. 80 out here is absolutely beautiful. It's not uncomfortable in the slightest and 90's very tolerable. I couldn't say the same for Corpus (or Pennsylvania for that matter). I agree even up to a hundred when it's dry isn't too bad and I would rather that than say 85 or 90 with humidity.

I do think hotter it gets humidity becomes less of a factor (though still a factor). At least I can sweat tho... even if a breeze just feels like standing in front of a giant hair dryer on high setting and my shoes are melted into the asphalt.