Universal Chat Thread

[ShiraNoMai]

Time sure is a thing, huh?

Luckily the worst of it seems to be whiffing past both of us, but we'll be getting all the fun stuff on this right side of the storm (wind, rain, storm surge (though that's more Maniak than us)).

Looks like it'll be hitting at a Cat 4, though, which is pretty nasty.

[Maniakkid25]

Yeah, I'm glad I'm not in the direct path; I don't need to experience Ian 2: Electric Boogaloo. For those that don't recall, Ian made landfall as a Category 4 (it was briefly a Cat 5, but it didn't make landfall in the US as that), immediately slowed to a crawl upon making landfall, and OBLITERATED the general area that it made landfall on. Fort Myers Beach? Sanibel Island? LEVELED! It was absolutely insane. Our house had our patio screen ripped down from the wind force alone, AND WE WERE AMONG THE LUCKY ONES!

I feel bad for the people in the direct line of fire, because it's gonna be a rough ride.

[Maniakkid25]

So Hurricane Helene has made it inland and is now circling Kentucky at ludicrous speeds (last I checked, she was moving at 28 mph -- which is absolutely booking it for a storm like that). I can report that our house sustained no damage and that I am doing fine. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for those in the direct path of the storm. Massive flooding has plagued the general area the storm has appeared in. It's really bad, and it's only gonna get worse as the storm is projected to be in a holding pattern over the midwest as it dissipates.

[Karo]

Honestly the hurricane didn't really effect here much as well it just kinda came in knocked the power out and then by 9 A.M. it was back, but I have heard that my brother's best friend's ex wife lost her house apparently so it seem like certain states and part of the state got it really bad. If people are still recovering from hurricane Ian I feel like some people are sadly going to be going a long time to recovery from this hurricane too.

Also time is the strangest thing.

[Moonface]

Weirdly I've seen absolutely zero news or discussion about Helene on any social media. Besides people bringing it up here, I probably wouldn't even know a hurricane had even been and gone.

I wonder if there'll ever be a time where areas that get hit with hurricanes just get abandoned almost by folk. I know if I lived in an area that got hit by one and all my shit was evaporated I wouldn't feel like trying to rebuild my life in the same place again, especially when there's so many instances of people rebuilding only for another weather event to come through soon after and undo all the progress. x.x

[Maniakkid25]

Probably not, because most of the places that get wiped out by Hurricanes have federally subsidized flood insurance. In short, it's literally cheaper to live in a place that gets wiped out every few years than it is to move to a place that won't. That's how fucked our economic incentives are, btw.

[Moonface]

Probably not, because most of the places that get wiped out by Hurricanes have federally subsidized flood insurance. In short, it's literally cheaper to live in a place that gets wiped out every few years than it is to move to a place that won't. That's how fucked our economic incentives are, btw.

Ah, I didn't know that. Didn't Florida's insurance companies back out on something or other because of the weather/climate in recent times though? Something to do with increased flooding risks from climate change or something?

[Maniakkid25]

Flood insurance is federally subsidized. Damage from wind and rain is not. So, yeah, insurers are trying everything they can to weasel out of paying for damages because of this. Thanks, Ian.

Yeah, it's been two years, and I'm STILL hearing stories from people about how their insurance company tried to screw them over. You'd think with the court cases, it would be cheaper to just pay out than it would be to get sued 1000 times, but I guess not.

[Moonface]

Yeah, it's been two years, and I'm STILL hearing stories from people about how their insurance company tried to screw them over. You'd think with the court cases, it would be cheaper to just pay out than it would be to get sued 1000 times, but I guess not.

Probably banking on people being discouraged to try a court case if they see the cost and time required to get anywhere with one. If they just pay people out then all that does is encourage everyone to come seeking a payout which is significantly more than those who will go through the courts.

[Maniakkid25]

And that exact thinking got Ford in trouble with the Pinto. I know when you say that, you aren't advocating for this line of reasoning, but history does not favor this argument. If anything, it would get more consumer goodwill to be willing to pay out, which can be FAR more valuable than the cash it takes to get there.

[Moonface]

Hmm, good point. If you were seen paying out in cases where everyone else doesn't it's very likely you start getting customers jumping ship from those insurance companies to yours. I got too into the mindset of thinking like the pencil pushers at big companies that look at the immediate profit with my last post to even consider this.

I had no clue what the Pinto was and thought it was maybe some American tribe at first rather than a car of theirs.
I didn't read the full story of the thing but I at least saw the cars kept blowing up from rear end collisions. Sounds like some video game logic of cars blowing up easily turned into reality. XD

[Maniakkid25]

Yeah, while it wasn't necessarily less safe than other cars, the Pinto had the unfortunate design flaw that if you hit it in the rear correctly, it would spontaneously burst into flames, which is not normal. There's a famed leaked document where Ford basically says "yeah, the lawsuits we will get will cost less than redesigning the car", and that did not turn out well for Ford or for the Pinto.

[Moonface]

Yeah, while it wasn't necessarily less safe than other cars, the Pinto had the unfortunate design flaw that if you hit it in the rear correctly, it would spontaneously burst into flames, which is not normal. There's a famed leaked document where Ford basically says "yeah, the lawsuits we will get will cost less than redesigning the car", and that did not turn out well for Ford or for the Pinto.

That statement would make sense if Ford were to have then recalled all the cars too. Now I'm wondering if that's the worst case of a design flaw in a car or not.

[Maniakkid25]

Given the Cybertruck's tendency to cut fingers off, it has stiff competition. See, the Cybertruck doesn't just have a strong hood closing mechanism. The problem is that if there's something blocking it, rather than doing the sensible thing and lifting off to allow the blockage to clear, it will clamp down HARDER, potentially breaking something. ...Granted, with the Cybertruck, the question becomes "where is there NOT a design flaw", but that immediately comes to mind.

I'd also personally like to nominate "suicide doors as standard". See, Suicide Doors, as they are commonly called, are doors that open towards the back of the car as you exit, rather than towards the front. If you don't think this is a problem, I want you to think about opening that car in a crowded street, and a car slamming the door. Yeah. Not pretty. Also, if the door isn't properly shut, aerodynamic drag will force that door open, with predicable results.

[Maniakkid25]

So it looks like I'm getting Ian 2: Electric Boogaloo this season. Tropical Storm Milton just formed on the other side of the gulf, and is on a perfect course to slam into Tampa, which is only a 90 minute drive from me. I've already heard rumors that it could strengthen to a Cat 4, but I cannot confirm that at this time.